Closer to Home & Halloween

We enjoyed having the family stop by after their trick-or-treating to join us for some hot soup and to show us their costumes. Chad, Tyson, Hannah, and Kali with Austin joining them in front. Alexis was in the hospital, but she got to do some trick-or-treating there.

Even little Andrew joined the fun, with his mustache and jaunty beret. He was the burglar along with his Inspector Clousseau father and Pink Panther mother.

Darth Vader, Nathan (he's into Star Wars, among other things), the cute giraffe is Daniel, and the burglar is asleep at the moment.

Mr. Daniel Giraffe, wasting no time getting to the candy.

On a beautiful October Friday, we took Tanner and Easton four-wheeling up American Fork Canyon. Later in the afternoon, Scott's family joined us and we went home with Andrew and the Barney boys, and Scott, Liz, Nathan and Daniel went for a ride. I'm pretty sure Daniel wanted to drive by himself!

Tanner and Easton had great fun playing in the stream, throwing rocks and driving the machines--with our help, of course.

We had a glorious autumn day!

Grandpa, Tanner and Easton.

To Oklahoma & Spencer & Brooke's family

On the19th of October we flew back to Oklahoma to see Brooke, Spencer and their family. We hadn't seen Carter and Abbie for over two years. It was wonderful to be with them. We thought Tahlequah was a pretty place. We were very impressed with their ward and thought the college campus was pretty. When we asked Abbie if she remembered us, she said yes because we were on the computer. (Hooray for webcam!) Carter wasn't in the picture because he took it!

Brooke, Spencer, Jacob, Carter and Abbie on the campus of Northeastern State University, where Spencer works. What a darling family!

Grandpa with the kids in front of Sequoyah, the Cherokee who was responsible for the written language of the Cherokees. (I hope I got that right.)

Cute Jakie getting a haircut with mom and dad's help.

Carter, our first-grader, at the park at Tenkiller Lake where we picnicked one day.

Beautiful little Abbie!! Isn't she a cutie?

And Jakie, exploring his world. It was so fun to be with them.

California Trip

We had a wonderful week in Southern California with the Barney family, the Olsen family and the (Scott) Johnson family. Here we all are in front of Walt and Mickey with the Sleeping Beauty castle in the background. Bob was the photographer for us. We had record-breaking HOT temperatures while we were there.

We had a fun day at Huntington Beach. Here are some family members waiting for the waves.

Bob, Tiff and Whitney in the water and Tyson, testing the water.

Grandpa and Landon enjoying the beach. What a better combination for kids than sand and water!!

Landon and Daniel, moving sand tirelessly.

We visited the Los Angeles Temple grounds and Visitor's Center on Sunday. Liz, Scott, Nathan, Daniel and Andrew. What a cute family!

The Barney family---growing up way too fast! They were great motel-mates.

The cute Olsens in the beautiful tree on the temple grounds.

All the grandchildren who were with us. We really missed those who couldn't come.

We flew down on Jet Blue with the Barneys--thanks to Tiffany's work--so we had an extra day and spent it at Universal Studios. Whitney, Easton, Landon and Tanner with Dora, the Explorer.

Dennis and Alfred Hitchcock seeing eyeball to eyeball.

Busy Times Since Being Home

After a very nice service, great grandchildren Nathan, Austin and Alexis are looking at the casket.

Dennis' mother fell and broke her leg the day after I left for Canada. She passed away on Sunday, August 20th while I was on my way home from Montana. Dennis and his brother, Brad, were able to be with her. Her funeral was held on August 28th. Around the casket from left front are Matthew Johnson (grandson), Ken Merrill (step-son), Dennis Johnson (son), Scott Johnson (grandson), Brad Johnson (son), Spencer Johnson (grandson), Bryce Johnson (grandson) and Brent Johnson (son).

On Friday evening, the 20th of August, Aunt Donna and our cousin, Judy Tolley Erickson, arranged a get-together at the stake center across from the Cardston Temple with relatives from both sides of the family. We were thrilled and honored that so many came. We thought about 47 people were there. These are the relatives from the Tolley side. In the center back is Uncle Ken, my father's only living sibling, and beside him is Aunt Bea, widow of Uncle Ilo, another of dad's brothers. Ken's wife is by Karen and the others are various cousins and their spouses.

Beautiful Old Chief Mountain--a familiar landmark from my childhood. I always thought it was in Canada when I was growing up, but it's really in Montana.

This is my Aunt Donna, who is 83 years old and was our tour guide for a day when we went to Hillspring. She shared so many of her memories with us--it was really a choice day. She is just younger than my mother. She is standing in front of a barn built by her grandmother, Eliza Jane Green Hurd. Eliza was widowed at a fairly young age, but determined to keep the farm she and her husband had settled. She built the barn with the help of her sons and some workmen. My grandmother (Edna Hurd Draper) remembers carrying drinking water to the men when they were building the barn. Aunt Donna has many fond memories of visiting her grandmother at the farm. Great-grandmother Hurd lived until Aunt Donna was about seventeen. The barn is now called the Great Canadian Barn Dance and the owners run a business where they have barn dances, live Western entertainment and western-style barbecues. There is also camping around the little lakes on the farm.

This is the Westside School, where I attended first and most of second grade. It is still a school, but serves disabled children now. Two of my cousins, Nolan Payne and Terry Draper, were in my class.

Our childhood home in Cardston. It has had a recent facelift with new siding. I lived there the first seven and a half years of my life. In those days it was white stucco and there was a hedge in front along the street.

Our grandpa and grandma Draper's burial site in Cardston, Alberta, Canada.

The headstone of my parents at their gravesite in Mountain View, Alberta.

The majestic Prince of Wales Hotel built in the 1920's by the Canadian Pacific Railroad (I think). I learned something new on this trip. When the hotel was being built the railroad only went as far as Hillspring, the little town where my grandparents lived. My grandpa Draper and several other men transported the huge boilers for the hotel by horse-drawn wagons to the construction site.

Looking down at Waterton Lake from Canada into Montana from the Prince of Wales Hotel hill.

Cameron Lake, another take-your-breath-away place, just a few miles up the road in Waterton.

A view of Waterton Lake and the mountains from the trail that goes up the hill alongside the waterfall. One of my favorite places in the world--also the place where Dennis and I honeymooned exactly 43 (!!!) years ago.

The five of us in front of beautiful Cameron Falls in Waterton Lakes National Park on the Canadian side. Left to right, Karen, Gordon, Barbara, Ronda and Cheryl.

A beautiful view of St. Mary's Lake and Wild Goose Island in the park.

Four of my five siblings at the top of Glacier National Park--Gordon, Cheryl, Karen, and Ronda.

A scene from beautiful Glacier National Park. We had lots of fun reminiscing about our drives through the park coming and going to Canada as children. We had to tease Cheryl a little about how she would get down on the floorboards of the car because she was so afraid of the heights on the Going-to-the-Sun highway. She didn't get hysterical this time, but she also didn't look out the window or get out of the car when we stopped!

My brother, Gordon, decided it would be a good idea for the Tolley siblings to take a trip back to Canada to see our birthplace, share memories and visit our relatives who still live there. We had a great time. We stayed in Missoula the first night with our sister, Nola, who wasn't able to come with us. This is a picture of the church in Missoula where our little branch met when our family first moved there in 1956. I believe that we shared the building with another congregation. I was surprised to learn that this is a Greek Orthodox Church!

Whitney, Landon and Grandpa. Landon is keeping a good hold on his throwing rocks!

August 12th was our grandson, Landon Barney's fifth birthday. We borrowed him for the day, along with his big sister, Whitney and took them four-wheeling up American Fork Canyon. We had a fun ride, a great time throwing rocks in the stream and a nice picnic.

On August 6-8 the Tolley siblings held their reunion in Island Park, Idaho. We stayed at the Sawtelle Resort. All the siblings and their spouses were able to be there. On Saturday we drove into Yellowstone Park to do some sight-seeing. This is my sister Cheryl Whittle and her husband, Glenn in front of one of the hot pots.

Our last week and home again!

What a wonderful welcome home!!

Our home and yard were immaculate and there was a beautiful American flag flying from the front of the house and yellow ribbons tied to trees everywhere with welcome home banners inside and out.

We arrived at the Salt Lake International Airport about 10:30 P.M. on Monday night, July 12th. All of our children and their families, except Spencer's, were waiting for us with banners, balloons, cheers, tears and hugs. What a welcome!!

Elder and Sister Johnson in front of the Panorama Hotel where we stayed our last four nights in Greece, so that Elder and Sister Shute could move into the apartment. They arrived Thursday evening. We spent all day Friday with them, had Zone Conference Saturday and spent some more time with them after our meetings on Sunday. They took us to the airport Monday morning, where Elder Johnson happily turned the car keys over to Elder Shute and breathed a sigh of relief...twenty-three months of safely negotiating Greek traffic and roads. We were blessed!

All the senior couples who attended our last Zone Conference and were at our Sunday meetings.

Most of the missionaries who attended our last Zone Conference on our last Saturday in Greece. Front row: Sisters Bell, Lelle, Johnson, Andros, Dracocardos and Shute. Back, left to right: Elders Bell, Gifford, Mortensen, Woodger, Grow, Bevelas, President Charles, Elders Loynes, Johnson, Andros, Sister Jung, Elders Dracocardos and Shute.

A view of the city of Thessaloniki spread out below us with the sea and the ships, a site that will always be a little nostalgic for us.

A view of the sunset and the sea from our hotel balcony.

We were driving up to Panorama where we stayed in a hotel for our last three days in Thessaloniki when we caught this wedding party. We took a picture out the car window while stopped at a stop light. They wanted to know where we were from. Some of them, at least, were from Manhattan!

On our last Tuesday in Greece, we took the missionaries to the city of Drama to teach a couple. We wanted a picture of some Greek men playing backgammon, as it is a common sight. Dennis asked if he could take a picture of these two. At first the one on the right was reluctant, but his friend and other onlookers assured him it was ok, so he consented. It seems he thought Dennis was a Bulgarian or some other foreigner, who would take his picture, then ask him for money. He turned out to be very friendly. His name was Stavros and he had lived in America for many years. His second wife was a dentist from Romania with an office nearby. He took us to her office so we could meet her and his young daughter.

A last picture of the front door to our apartment building at Proponditos 4.

One of my favorite things about Greece was the beautiful blossoms all during the year. These beautiful blossoms were just across the street on our way home from the Lidl store where we frequently shopped.

In the fall of 2008, we helped harvest olives at this site in the little village of Nea Triglia. During our last week, we took a ride out to the little grove and took this picture.

We spent one of our last evenings in Greece sitting under the pines and sharing ice cream with Tsaki and Beatrice. From left to right in the picture are Nehad, (from Palestine) who owns the horses that the handicapped children ride, next is Beatrice, then Maria, the physical therapist who works with the children, and Tsaki. They are very dear to us.

This is a picture of one of the familiar cacti that we saw in Greece. The picture doesn't do it justice. It is about 6 feet tall and is on the Litsa's farm. If you remember the picture of the Savior standing in front of the door with no handle or knob, you will see the same kind of cactus.

Don't ask me why I took this picture. I just wanted to remember how hard I worked getting the rust off our balcony railing and painting it the week before the Shutes arrived to take over the apartment. The left side is newly painted and the rest is waiting for me.