Yesterday morning, took a long walk with sister Kris and Paula, with brother Mark and brother-in-law David following behind.
Later, Kris and I continued on in to Sun Valley, where she regaled me with stories of her youth (the folks had moved up here from Twin Falls when I was in my 20s). Walked into the iconic Sun Valley Lodge, which we had heard was remodeled into a faux Marriot, and were surprised: NOT a Marriot, rather, just an addition of more light — always a good thing!
Some wonderful fall color plantings in front of the Lodge.
Last night, our first sibling meal, with way too many of us in the kitchen, as brother-in-law John C. tried to make ready his special Indian meal while sister Paula was also cooking tonight’s Jambalaya, one of her specialties from the south, with chicken and German smoked sausage.
After dinner, all ten of us piled into one of the bedrooms and lay around on the bed and the floor and in the hot tub just outside the window, while brother-in-law David regaled us with a special powerpoint presentation of his trip to the Antarctic last February with a group of 13 ham radio operators. Exciting and scary. Especially loved his tale of being sea sick for 9 days straight in stormy seas, lying on his bunk with one hand gripping the side of the bunk (so the latest ship roll wouldn’t toss him off) and the other hand gripping the top of the bunk (so he wouldn’t be slammed that way in different kind of roll).
Then, with no muscle tone left whatsoever, they had somehow to manage to step off to a small flat rock on Thule Island that the dingy aimed for in rocking seas plus climb 1500 feet to their first campsite.
One of us asked him afterwards, “Would you do it again?” Answer, “Yes, but to a new place.”
Tonight, after our Indian meal during which we discussed the probable origins of the name Kreilkamp — from Kruedelkamp, which became Kreyelkamp, then Kreilkamp — according to one scholar, Kruedelkamp probably means herb farmer! — my powerpoint presentation on the Evolution of Green acres.
But today, in a little while, we will all drive down to Ascension Priory in Jerome Idaho, a favorite of our deceased father, where brother-in-law John has planned an 11 A.M. ceremony in honor of sister Mary, his wife of 40 years who died one year ago. We will leave a trace of her by planting a tree with a bench.
