2013 Sibling Reunion

 Since it's getting harder for my mother to travel we decided to have the reunion  in Idaho on the old farm.

 Watching the full moon rise as we are coming to St. George.

 My oldest brother Brent hosted the reunion at his   home on the old farm. Forty  years ago he moved an old farm house on to the farm  a quarter mile from my parents old house where I grew up.

I don't get back to the old farm often so this was a nostalgic trip. 

And Idaho in the fall is beautiful.

The main objective of our little reunion is to eat, visit, eat, visit, eat and visit.

And we did a good job of accomplishing that goal.

 But we did manage to work in a few other activities as well.

 Morning prayers on the rameumptom?

No just standing on the bench in Rosemary's flower garden.

 Morning walk around the farm.

  Checking out Brent's pump.  Somebody was late and drove it.

 The graveyard of old farm equipment.

 .

Old sprinkler pipe.

 

 Searching for a rusty treasure.

 The old sled that we'd pull behind the tractor.

 

 

 The old barn. 

 The old house where I grew up.   Now rented out.

 We stopped by the cemetary to say "hi" to Gramps.

Then we continued our drive up Wolverine Canyon and over the mountain.

The Wind Farm

Proof it's always windy in Idaho.

 Next stop Bart's spud cellar.

It's really dark in a spud cellar.

Pickin' spuds from a mountain of Idaho potatoes.

The best ones are farther up on the pile.

Just like Gramps... 

 eating a raw potato.  Of course he wiped it on his pants first:)

 

Lunch at Gary (my youngest brother) and Amy's house.

Three kinds of soup...so good!

...so good!

Saturday evening we all shared a skill.

Brent showed us how to make a whistle out of a soda can.

Gary, how to keep the spring on the safety pin from eating your socks using tiny punched out disks from milk jug...if you use safety pins to keep socks together in the laundry.

Amy demonstrated making homemade Vanilla.

Nancy showed us how to make a vest out of a Jacket.

Craig showed us how to cut down the back of running shoes to make them clog like.

Lorin showed us how to make back lit house numbers using LED lights

I showed fun ideas to help far-away grandkids remember who you are.

It was a great little reunion.

Memories and Relics

As I remember it...a thousand (48ish)  years ago when I was but a wee child my older brother Craig got a group  of buddies together and form a crazy band  that lip-synced to this Spike Jones album . (Be sure to listen to the whole song:)
They created some crazy instruments to go along with it.

.

 We must have worn this record out...it was a family favorite.

One the those instruments somehow lasted all these years and ended up on the "grab table' at one of our Palmer Sibling reunions.  It was one of the reunions that Karl didn't go to because he had "gig" that weekend.

The poor little instrument was left on the grab table...no one wanted it.

But just as I was leaving Craig grabbed it and insisted that Karl needed this.

Someone else ask "What kind of  instrument is that suppose to be"?

and without missing a beat Gary (another brother) said:

 

 It's a pandolin...of course.
If any one would like an original pandolin...
it's up for grabs.

Our little Ballerina

...getting ready for her debut.

+

My own dance career was cut short at the tender age of 4 or 5 when my  teacher told my mom that I had no sense of rhythm and that she was wasting her money.
Hopefully Greta's dance career will last longer than her Gramma Jan's.

We're officially empty-nesters!

They're finally married! Though in some ways it seems liked Jake and Steph been married for quite awhile... other ways I can't put my brain around that our youngest is married...that all our kids are married. Does that make us officially old?

It is unusual to have the wedding reception two weeks before the wedding but because it was an international marriage it just worked the best.

The official wedding was Saturday,
August 1st in the Salt Lake Temple.
(and it was beautiful!)

Mr. & Mrs. Jakob Tobler

Thanks to all who traveled so far to be there for their special day. We really appreciate it!

For those of you who couldn't join us...here's a glimpes of their special day.

Choices...

I love General Conference Weekend. It always feels like a vacation from the world 's busyness ...a relaxing, enlightening and uplifting weekend retreat. But we missed our Saturday of burrowing in and soaking up the conference messages for a ...

Small town Bluegrass Festival in Pahrump, Nevada...

nestled on the backside of the mountains about 70 miles from Las Vegas.

Playing Bluegrass is Karl's 1st love....
His mistress's are Mandy-Lin and Martina
(his Mandolin and his Martin Guitar).
But that's okay. I don't mind playing 2nd fiddle when it makes him so happy.
And I admit, I never feel neglected.

We'll catch those sessions of General Conference later by way of the internet...
love this technology!

(Speaking of technology...I've got to figure out how to get Jake's camera off Black & White mode!
(it has a much better zoom than mine).

Artistic Expression.

We Toblers are talented! Usually it's well hidden but sometimes it just comes out.
We are artistic and our medium of choice is GRAHAM CRACKERS!

Jake & Steph were feeling a bit left out when they missed the building of the the Graham Cracker houses at the Tobler Christmas in Dupont. A Total Artistic Experience!So for their last free night together they decided let their artistic talents bloom.
They made Graham Cracker Houses...but not just any Graham Cracker Houses...

But the Salt Lake Temple....I wonder what inspired that?!