Category: Thanks

Thankful # 20: I’m thankful that I was raised in Grass Valley, CA! Here are some of the places and people that I have a wonderful memory of, from Grass Valley: Growing up on Dolores Drive with three of my class of 75 mates: Kathleen Brown, Bob Leary and Dwayne Roberts. Bragg Ave with Rick and Dolli Honey. The Alta Hill Store when the Vogt’s owned it, I always got a hug from Karen when I went in there. Alta Oaks Fire Department! Memorial Park and the hundreds of softball games I watched there! Memorial Park Pool! Empire and North Star Mines. North Star Mansion (My grandparents were the caretakers when Foote’s owned it). Nevada Union High School, “Go Miners Class of 75”, Lyman Gilmore School, “Go Bombers Class of 71”, Hennessey School, Bell Hill School. The Del Oro Theatre! Sanders Music! The Mormon Church on Alta Street! Safeway, SPD, and Raleys! Nevada County Fair! The Ernie Purcell Speedway! Oaks Super Market! Sanford’s Ranch! Thrifty Ice Cream, 5 cents a scoop! The Holbrooke! Veterans Memorial Building! Boy Scouts Troop 32! Condon Park! St Patricks Drive (Where Kim and I bought our first home). Crystal Dairy! Grass Valley Elks! Franks Pizza! Nevada County Airport and Tanker Base! Lots of good Grass Valley bands: Summerset, Mellow Moon Blues, Moria, Absalom, Carry Nation, Steamer! LeAndra Urquhart, (who I had a huge crush on, but she moved away when I was in the 7th grade). I’m not saying who I had a crush on in the 8th grade! Grass Valley, a lot of fun memories, and a great town to grow up in!

Thankful # 19: I’m thankful for my grandson Harlan! I call this kid “The Bulldozer” He is so full of energy, I get tired just watching him! He loves to wrestle with his dad, and his dad found out his little boy packs a punch. Harlan head butted him, and broke his dads tooth! He loves to swim with his family! We were at the hot springs last year, and he would sneak up on me, splash me in the face and swim off! He likes to sit on grandpa’s lap, and play angry birds on his iPad. One day I was sitting in their living room, Harlan walks in and sits on my lap. He says Grandpa, I’m going to tell you all about my family! He told me all about his mom and dad, and I could see them poking their heads around the corner and listening in! Then he went on and told me all about his brother, and two sisters! This went on for about 40 minutes, one of the best 40 minutes of my life! Harlan and I were on the Sky Ride at Lagoon. I’m enjoying all the sites and the people below us, then I look over at Harlan, he’s leaning over the side of the ride getting ready to spit on someone’s head! I had to pull him back in, and thump him on the head! I enjoy listening to his parents when they share the adventures of Harlan with me! I love that little bulldozer, he’s my pal, he’s my Harlan!

Thankful # 18: I’m thankful for Guys Music Night! Once every three months me and five of my friends: Joel Sanders, Scott DeAngelo, Steve Sanders, Nathan Terry, Gary Hill and I get together for dinner, visiting and music! Whoever’s house we are at, that person is in charge of dinner! I so enjoy eating good food, (Gary your BBQ Ribs were awesome) and catching up with my old friends! After food and chatting we start the music part! I preassigned each person three categories, like a Blues Song, a Song by a British Band, a Song with a Female singer etc. You pick a song from each of the three categories, you tell a little bit about the song, and why you like it. It’s fun to hear the memories people have when they hear an old song from there past. Then we play the song, and we always have a nice sound system set up. Most of the songs are played from YouTube or our cell phone. I like it when a song is played that you have never heard before! I also like it when you think a person is going to pick a certain song, and they play something totally unexpected! It’s also fun to rock out to the familiar tunes that we know and love. But the best part of the evening is spending time with my great friends!

Thankful # 17: I’m thankful for my beautiful granddaughter Esperanza! She’s a really good artist! She did a painting of a dog, and entered it into a big art show in Provo. Out of the hundreds of entries, she was the one who received the blue ribbon! She has a beautiful singing voice! I love it when she is working on a project at the table, and is just singing away! I like to stand around the corner and listen to her angel like voice! She loves going to Lagoon, riding all the fun rides, and listening to her grandma scream on the scary ones! She enjoys going out with grandpa for soft serve ice cream! She is my grandchild that beats to a different drummer! She likes to work on my feet, cut and file my toe nails. Then I ask her to do my hands, and she says “yuck’ I don’t do hands!??? She once told me she was a vegetarian! One night I’m watching her eat a hotdog, and I say I thought you were a vegetarian? She said no I’m a Ronnitarian (we all call her Ronni) I asked what a Ronnitarian is, she says it’s someone who eats anything they want to! She may beat to a different drummer, but she beats right into grandpa’s heart! Love you Ronni!