Steve, my son, and his beautiful wife Darby with their children Rachel & Ryan. They live in California and when we do get together it is a special time. This was their Christmas 2001 card. The scene at the right was taken at Darby's and my birthday - May 5th - 2002. The neighbors dropped in and gave Lari and I a chance to meet some of their friends. Good group of people.

The picture on the left was taken during our first visit in 2001. They are overlooking a the connection to the Pacific ocean in a beautiful park in Stockton. The picture at the right was their Christmas card for 2003 and you can see how much Ryan has grown. We really need to get out there more often. As you can see he can really get excited. Rachel continues to look on approvingly.

In this picture taken during our last visit you can barely see Rachel and Ryan in the foreground. Lari and I were on our way to Hawaii for a powwow on Mauri and stopped off for a visit. The picture to the right is of me visiting with the children at Wailuku School on Mauri.

Another one of our greatest pleasures is to visit Lari's grandkids in Wichita. Of course, here again, we don't get up even there nearly enough and they grow up so quick. Tim is almost as tall as Lari now and Tyler is coming up quick. Mischievous Nick continues to defy logic and is always in trouble but he's ours and we love him anyway.

Of course the beach is one reason we go to Padre Island near Corpus Christi TX., seafood is another, plus when we go in October... everyone else is at work. There are quite a few really good resaurants in and around Port Aransas. Here's Lari feeding the gulls on the beach. This is one of my favorite pictures and clearly deomonstrates why we like "Padre." We were practically the only ones on the beach that day. The closest people were at least a mile away. Sunset is a nice time to be there. If you ever get the chance to visit Corpus Christi or Padre, by all means go there. You won't regret it.

Much of the time is spent "shelling" and then trying to decide which ones to keep and which to throw back in hopes of finding a better one. In a few years we won't have to go to Padre anymore, we'll have most of the beach in our back yard. The picture on the right was taken from our condo. You can clearly see why it is such a favorite spot.

Nash Hernandez was the flutist on the Tales of Wonder video. It was a great loss when he passed on just a few weeks after we completed the video. He was Mescalero Apache and had a quieting way about him that gave me a wonderful sense of calm. It became even more evident when he played his flute - the one he made.

Every Labor Day you can find Lari and I at the Cherokee Holiday in Tahlequah Oklahoma - the Capital of the Cherokee Nation. We normally set up our booth at Park Hill, near the museum under the trees. It's wonderful and getting more like a reunion with old friends every year. As you can see, there's always good friends to talk with. Cherokees are noted for their "visiting" capabilities. I'd rather get together and just "visit" than just about anything unless it's time to eat. Next time you're in Tahlequah for Cherokee Holiday, be sure to look us up and come on over. I guarantee we'll find something to talk about. Just look for our banner. You can't miss it.

I was there at the inauguration of Chief Chad Smith - in Tahlequah on the Cherokee Courthouse step - where this picture was taken. Standing to my left is Dr. Maryboy and to my right is Evelyn Conley and her sisters.

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