Dear Kids,
          That wonderful family reunion is just a memory now, but I keep imagining I’m back in that beautiful campground waiting for the next meal. Thanks, Donna and Bevan, for all your planning and preparation. We all had a great time. When it was over I was glad to get home to my projects, but it was nice having such a pleasant break. 
          Did I already write that I ordered a sand digger for the playground we’re making? There are ordinary backyard sand diggers in the $50 price range, and then there are the professional playground sand diggers that you cement into the ground. We won’t talk cost here, but I ordered the professional one. Also, I had debated whether to use wood chips on the ground, with some sand around the digger, or to put sand everywhere. When I saw all the little kids at the reunion playing in the horseshoe pit, and having so much fun with that little bit of sand, I could see what I needed to do. Donna says you can get whole truckloads of washed sand from the topsoil people. I wondered how to get the dirt and rocks out of the playground area, since we’ve had such poor luck with excavating people, but I have a great new friend, Doneen, who owns her own tractor. Not only that, but she knows how to use it! When we were giving away rocks last week (a whole ‘nother story) she came with her tractor and took them all. She said we could hire her to do any leveling or excavating we needed. So she’s been excavating our playground, and moving the dirt to the low areas in our yard. She could put Mike Leavitt out of business if she wanted to, but her regular job is teaching kindergarten in Park City. What a wonderful world!
          I don’t have any other news. Dad and I will be having a chess club retreat this Friday night at our cabin. There are people from both our chess clubs coming. You can’t find such nutty and wonderful company anywhere! Francis Frontier Days, including the rodeo, is Labor Day weekend. McGettigans are coming for that. Jana has a great rodeo heritage, and we’ll have a lot of fun. The Riebens have reserved the cabin for the same weekend, and I hope they have a good time. Our poor cabin hasn’t had its usual attention and maintenance, but Dad and I have finally eliminated all the mice (I think) who took up residence there. Oreo could have had a field day, but we used bait instead. It worked.
          Lots of love, Mom