To begn with, we decided we wanted no fuss for our fiftieth anniversary of our marriage. Well, maybe we might celebrate ourselves, a little. As they say "best laid plans" (or, no plans, in this case), it turned out quite different.
First small celebration
On our anniversary, July 6, we drove over to Brookings, OR, and stayed in a B&B that a friend had recommended. Here we are, on the deck after we checked into our room. Speaking of our room, it was typical B&B, except, maybe for the walls and ceiling, which were nicely carpeted to match the floors. For dinner we headed on down to O'Hollerans Steakhouse for dinner. While there we gave a big 5 - 0. The next day we spent some time along the coast and seeing the sights and sites of Brookings. Alas, too soon we headed back home.
Second, bigger celebration
In August our entire family was in Oregon, During this time, Hailey and Tanna planned to have a family celebration. The "entire family" also included Don and Becky, Eric, and Mark and Darla. Here comes part of the entertainment, being welcomed by Sulwen. Soon, it was all in full swing, with Sulwen joining in. Rapt attention on the part of Sulwen's aunt and mother, and many others:
Kind of tiring, too, for Sulwen, but nothing a little Grammy time can't fix. Soon, it was back to activity, with Sulwen and Hai-mo doing the ... (well, how would I know what they are doing?). Eventually, I did know what we were doing (sort of), when a Reel was organized. Flip through these fast enough and you can almost tell what is going on:
Well, maybe not quite. After that, we got back to Sulwen's Summer in Oregon (more about that later in another post).Third celebration
Thanks due to Hailey, there was a third celebration in October. Along with most of the family (Maryland Frankes didn't make it, what with the summer trip to California and Oregon) and many of our best friends spread over most of the 50 years, we convened at the Lost Whale Inn, a B&B on the coast of northern California near Trinidad (CA). It was a fabulous weekend. Time for catching up on many things, some leisurely times in front of the fire, a not-too strenuous walk in the redwoods, and a beautiful view from the Lost Whale Inn. Here are the guilty suspects, in order of length of time we've known them:
That kind of gets in everyone, but there are a few more I didn't mention yet. The puzzle took up some time for several folks. There was a concert by Sulwen and George. And, a momento from the 1979 Centennial celebration of the founding of Herndon, KS.From all accounts, everyone had a great time.