So what do you do in the summertime.....

One of the things I love about Evaly's blog is how she captures everyday events. I get hung up on the concept that I should only put the "big events" on. But why? I don't know...after all, my life is really a lot more about all of those little things. I also hate putting myself in pictures because of my weight but that seems dumb too. It's who I am. So, I am going to change my ways and put on simple events and do it more often. So, on that note, this is what we did yesterday and we had a blast!


Go Brent!!

Look at the style, grace, finesse of that shot! Unfortunately, I never even broke 100 but I had a good time trying! At least I beat Brent....barely! LOL

Young Women's Girl's Camp

I returned from Girl's Camp about a week ago. For those of you who know me well, you know I am not a camper; especially not a tent camper. But I did just that and actually had a terrific time.

This was no ordinary camp where food was concerned. A caterer in our Stake provided all the food and I am telling you that in spite of hiking and working beyond the norm, I'm sure I gained weight. The food was unbelievable! ! The caterer set up a full working kitchen in the woods including a sink and warming trays like restaurants use. Crazy!

Jackson Flats was our campground. It is located just a little above the city of Wrightwood. The Pacific Crest Trail runs alongside the campground. One can hike northbound all the way to Canada or to the south and reach Mexico.

Enjoying the hike!

The wildflowers furnished breathtaking color all along our route!

If you look carefully, you can see Jackson Lake peeking through the magnificient pine trees.

More of Barcelona--Parc Gaudi

This most unique park was designed by famous architect, Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926). His style is ornate and ostentatious; in a word, gaudy! (His name, Gaudi, is probably where our word gaudy originated.) Fun place with a great view!

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS!!!

Thanks for entering my little blog contest. It was fun to get some of your favorite quotes and what they mean to you. Brent drew 3 names out of a cup and here are the winners...drum roll please......!

Light colored stickers & ribbon go to......CHRISTY

Medium colored stickers & ribbon go to......LYNELLE

Dark colored stickers & ribbon go to.....CAMI

Lynelle, please send me your address. Christy and Cami, since I am going to be seeing the both of you quite soon, I think I will give you your prizes when I see you. Enjoy!

Famous Las Ramblas Street

Las Ramblas is a gathering place for the people of Barcelona and tourists. It has great shopping for tourists as well as great shopping for "pick pockets" so you better keep your purse/wallet close! My Dad was targeted twice (we're thinking it was because he is a senior citizen) but since he was aware of the threat he was able to thwart the attempts. It was a great place to eat and people watch and we did that often.



One of the best places to check out on Las Ramblas Street was this farmer's market. Fabulous selection of beautiful fresh fruit and veges. all homegrown.



But my Dad & I enjoyed the gelato probably the most of all. Every flavor imaginable...yum!



Another feature of the farmer's market was it's fresh seafood. You could even sample their seafood before you bought if you don't mind raw fish.


Las Ramblas----Ken's favorite little spot!

Starting Point of the Cruise---Barcelona!

Our cruise began in the scenic city of Barcelona, Spain on the Mediterrrean Sea. Here are some of our favorite shots by the harbor. My Dad standing by a prominent monument honoring Colombus.

One of our favorite things to do was to feed the fish in the harbor. When we threw a crust of bread into the sea, the water would take on the appearance of a pot of boiling water due to a vast school of fish that would suddenly appear; their shimmering silvery bodies heaped one upon another seeking a nibble of the bread. When the bread was finally gummed away the fish disappeared almost as quickly as they came.

The harbor is a modern design and is a lovely area to walk around.

A Contest just for fun!

As you may remember, I won an apron that my daughter sewed for a little blog contest she had. It was fun and I am supposed to "play it forward." So here is my little contest. To enter, all you have to do is to leave a comment on my blog and share with me your favorite quote and why it is your favorite. There will be 3 names randomly drawn on Friday, July 25th and I will post the winners. Each winner will receive a pack of scrapbooking stickers and coordinating ribbon. Feel free to pass along the word to other friends of mine. Gooood luck!

Mediterranean Cruise 2008

Ken and I and my Dad took a western Mediterranean cruise in May. We began in Barcelona, Spain and visited the island of Malta, Naples, Rome and Pisa in Italy, Villefranche in France, and finally returned to Barcelona. A great trip! Some pics on my next post...

Fun Times, Graduation!

This is Brent's special friend, Canon. When Brent went to the 8th grade graduation party, she was his first slow dance. Canon was also the person who persuaded him to accept the drum major appointment. They've been good friends all year.

I enjoy the end of school especially if there is a graduation. This year our hardworking and awesome student, Brent, graduated from Junior High and so begins a new chapter.

Brent ordained as a Teacher

It is truly hard to believe that Brent turned 14 on Apr. 25th. He is as tall as me now and is only about an inch away from passing up his Dad. Crazy! Thought it'd be fun to post a few pictures of him on that special day. 5 year old McKell actually took these pictures all by herself. She did a good job....everybody has heads!

Our Newest Grandson, Parker Reid Dorff

Well, I haven't updated my blog in forever and even seriously considered shutting it down but my daughter has persuaded me to keep it by threatening to take me out of her "favorites" so I decided not to lose my status and try again, LOL!! For other reasons, I am glad I hadn't acted on my thoughts because I want to share the details on our newest grandchild, Parker. Parker was born to Mark and Christy on May 8th. Ironically, Christy's college graduation was the same day but obviously she didn't make that event. But it was wonderful timing otherwise, because Ken, Brent and I could be in town for his birth. Christy used a midwife and delivered Parker at home, yes, in her own bed! All I can say is, wow....she's got guts! But the birth went perfectly and we were able to see and hold the baby very shortly following his birth. He weighed 7 lbs. 15 oz and was 20 1/2 inches long. He has a head full of dark hair and large hands and feet. He seemed very calm and had some wakeful times where he just seemed so mellow. He is a beautiful baby and we are so excited to have him join the family and especially carry on the Dorff surname. He is the first great grandchild to do so. Now for some pics...

Marching at Disneyland

The big event of the year is marching at Disneyland. Here is the colorguard and the band marching down main street Disney.

Go Brent, go!

Adventures in Drum Majoring

Brent was asked to be the Drum Major at his middle school this year. That is quite an honor because the music programs in our school district are really outstanding and a big deal even at the elementary school level. There are approximately 160 kids in the band.

Mastering the overhead toss was definitely the most difficult move. He had many cuts and bruises on his arms, legs and even his head before finally learning how to catch it. Mom worried about his teeth getting chipped since she had heard stories about that so he had to wear a mouth guard while practicing until she could see that he had it down.

Yeaaaa....he had just a little fun.

Horrors at Camp Vught

There were two events that occurred at Vught that were particularly notorious. One is what happened in cell 115. Here is the story. Women in barracks 23B found out that there was a traitor among them. When they had singled her out they cut off her hair in order to punish her. Because of that the 'hairdresser' was locked up in the Bunker prison. Out of solidarity the other women protested by writing a letter to the commander and signed by writing down their numbers. The camp commander and some henchmen drove as many women as possible into one single tiny cell. He managed to squeeze in 74 women in a cell with a surface area of 9 square meters and hardly any ventilation. They were locked up for 14 hours. Some women lost consciousness due to a lack of oxygen. Some went crazy with fear. Perspiration and heat inside the cell caused the brickwork to form nitric acid which caused corrosive burns. When the cell was opened the next morning, 10 women were dead. The woman who caused this drama, committed suicide by running into the barbed wire.

As awful as that was, this is even worse....One day the Germans thought there were too many Jewish children in this camp. They slept in the same cots as their parents but without proper medical care or soap and water, there were many outbreaks of infectious diseases. Since Vught was a labor camp and not a day care center, the Germans wanted to get rid of these children. They promised the Jewish parents to send their children to a brand new children's camp somewhere in Holland. None of the parents believed them but had no choice. On June 6, 1943 all children 0-4 years old were rounded up an taken to the railway station. With only a brief stop at a transit camp, the children went straight to the gas chambers of Sobibor. The next day all the children 4-16 followed the same route. There were 1,260 children killed along with 1,800 parents who were allowed to go with them. The youngest victim was only 6 days old and his story is most puzzling of all. When his train stopped at the transit camp, he was taken off the train and hospitalized in an incubator and cared for by private nurses for two weeks. When he had completely recovered, he was sent on the next train to Sobibor. This monument carries all of the names and ages of the murdered children. Whole families were wiped out.

The grounds around this camp are just beautiful and have lovely bike paths and flowers and canals, etc. But the horrors once committed here are just steps away.

Vught Concentration Camp in Holland

This was a most sobering experience. The Vught Concentration Camp was a labor camp. They did not gas prisoner's here, though the death rate was very high due to starvation and harsh punishments. Between January 1943 and September 1944, 31,000 men, women and children were imprisoned here.

The beds in the dormitory were originally made of iron but these are the same size as the original beds. A bed is about 5 feet in length. No adult could be comfortable in that size of a bed and usually more than one person occupied it. The prisoners did not receive sheets or pillows. The mattresses were filled with straw or paper. They received a "thin prickly horse blanket" and that was it.

These were the wash basins. During the war a conduit pipe ran the length of these basins with six taps on either side for a total of 36. There were at minimum 240 prisoners, usually more, 7 or more at each tap struggling for a thin stream of cold water.

As previously mentioned, there were no gas chambers here. When someone died, their body was picked up by a German criminal who was nicknamed "Joep the corpse-picker" because he hauled off the body using the wheelbarrow seen in the background. Then the body would be incinerated. There are still ashes in the incinerators.