The Dynamic Duo

StarDate: Sunday June 18, 2006
Dear Diary,
Let me first take this occasion to wish my brother, UltraUncleDave to you, UBob, a very Happy Birthday. Hope you are doing something extremely fun and exciting.
Well, today, the sons are leaving, and I skip church to spend more time with everyone. After taking care of chores at Pat’s house, we play some more Bocci Ball and eat leftover pizza. In due time, the sons DO leave, and we talk about what to do with the rest of the day. We decide to go into Elko so that Heather and Heath can experience the Museum in Elko (it has a longer name, but I can’t remember what it is!)
There are lots of attractions, including some temporary art exhibits. The one there now consists of some pretty cool paintings done entirely with sand, mostly natural. They are largely of Arizona/Utah/New Mexico type scenes depicting natural rock arches, desert landscapes or Indian pueblos or cliff dwellings. Actually, I quite like most of them.
The more permanent displays highlight the Indian, Chinese and Basque presence in the area as well as the mining. Also, there is a small theater devoted to Bing Crosby, who owned several ranches in the area, and, if I am remembering correctly, was an honorary mayor of Elko.
But the most impressive and what really attracts most everyone’s attention is the large collection of taxidermed animals attractively displayed. I started to say “stuffed animals”, but decided that could convey an image of ribboned teddy bears rather than that of an astonishing array of once-living actual animals in a state of perpetual preservation. This was all the work of one man, apparently: Jack Wanamaker. I don’t know much about him, but one website said he was a famous taxidermist, and, apparently, quite the hunter. Anyway, Heather and Heath really took their time and enjoyed the museum, which made us very happy.
Afterwards, we took them to a tradional Basque Restaurant called Biltoki, where we were served, family style, such delicacies as lamb steak, chicken in a spicy red sauce, meatballs, and beef tongue (Heather’s favorite). Lots of fun, and way too much to eat. We took lots of it home in doggie bags.

Stardate Monday, July 19, 2006
We get Heather and Heath for one more day. Fortunately Dad is still off, but, unfortunately, I have to work. Heather makes a great lunch for everyone, and saves some for me. It is feta cheese stuffed chicken breasts, and it is amazing . When I get home from work, everyone is in the backyard , and Pat is there, back from her trip. With her is Dakota, her granddaughter, who lives in Florida, but who will be spending the summer in Nevada. Dakota is a cute 8 year old red-haired dynamo who has a way of getting what she wants. What she wants at this particular time is for someone to play Bocci Ball with her. She coerces first Uncle John, and then Heather. She is surprisingly good, with a bowling-ball-rolling technique. Pat has brought me a couple of fun books to thank me for watching her mutts. One is “Shape Walking” and includes a cute little pedometer. The other one is about organizing your home, a topic she knows I am interested in, even though I seem to have no follow-through.
When Pat and Dakota leave, Heather and Heath treat us to dinner at the local Chinese Restaurant. The food is excellent and we have a really good time. I seem to remember that Heath got kind of a strange, funny message in his fortune-cookie, but I can’t remember what it was…..........Heather, if you read this, help me out! But Heath claimed that if he didn’t eat the cookie, the fortune would not come true. I felt badly that he couldn’t eat his cookie until he confessed that he really wasn’t that fond of fortune cookies anyway.

Stardate Tuesday, June 20, 2006
All good things must come to an end, and this is the day Heather and Heath are leaving. I only hope they had as good a time as we both did, and that it is not 6 months before we see them again. Time with my kids is always a tonic for what ails me.
Also coming to an end is this Dear Diary format. It lasted just about as long as my real diary attempts always did.
Ah well, it was fun while it lasted.
Goodnight and Good luck.
UltraMom