Dear Kids,
      Last Friday morning I had a wonderful bike ride with Nora and Vanessa. I’d been hoping there was some way they could ride on the Jordan River Parkway with me, and it just magically worked out. Vanessa and Trent had come to town so Trent could buy a mountain bike off KSL.com, and Nora has gotten hooked on her new road bike. Vanessa said they were staying overnight at Nora’s so they could do a bike ride the next morning, and I talked them into coming with me. They were wonderfully patient with my slow pace, and we had a great ride. I was so anxious to show them the baby ducks (or maybe they’re geese,) but when we got to that part of the trail, the ducks were sitting in the path, glaring at us, and I realized they weren’t really cute any more. I said, “But you should have seen them when they were tiny!” Now they’re gangly adolescents with attitude. Oh well, the ride was fun. We went about 20 miles. It would have been farther but Nora and Vanessa had to get back home to their kids. Trent was alone with all 8 of them because James was gone on a Super Adventure with the Young Men.
      If anybody needs Paul’s address in Nova Scotia, he just e-mailed it to me. It’s Paul Ackerson, APX ALARM, #609 610 Regency Park Drive, Halifax NS, B3S 0C2. Now that I don’t send letters any more, I hardly notice if I don’t have somebody’s address.
      Dad and I are heading to the cabin this afternoon to help Tom and Kim move. I had wanted to bring the new waterslide I bought, to entertain the kids during the move, but instead, I’m returning it to Sams Club. All the reviews that have come out on Amazon.com have been negative. Everybody says the two short slides are too steep, and kids hurt their bottoms when they land in the pool. Oh, well. Maybe they’ll re-design it and market it again next year. It would have been so much fun!
      Dad and I are doing great these days without TV. Gloria Longhurst asked me how it was working out, and I was glad to tell her it was fine. Dad watches the TV at UTA every afternoon when he gets off work, instead of coming home and turning it on. Here at home, the only thing our TV gets is an analog program on the Channel 5 frequency that tells you how to switch to digital. Needless to say, Dad has watched it a lot of times.
      We’ll be at the cabin most of next week, building the bunkhouse. Or starting to build it. I’m figuring things out one step at a time. If anybody wants to do something for the 4th of July, let us know. A barbecue, maybe? It’s a Saturday, so we’ll be headed for home in the evening. We’d be glad to come to any of your houses for fireworks. Or you can bring them to the cabin. Let me know.
      Lotsa love, Mom