The Conley Family: June 2008

Vacation Part I- Rover goes to Niagara Falls

Do you remember the part where I said we were all leaving to far flung parts of the globe? Well that included us. We headed out for vacation on Tuesday after the wedding. Jerry and Amy Hall watered the garden and Bryer Velting fed the fish and the cats and cleaned the kitty commode. In exchange for these services we brought back maple syrup, wild flower seeds, and for Bryar specifically a fossilized dinosaur tooth from the marble quarry. Abbi picked out the pointy-est one. We loaded up the mini van and headed out. First stop Niagara Falls- the Canadian side. This is also the first opportunity you have had to meet Rover. Rover is our travel mascot. He came into the picture literally, when we took our first trip to lobby for NSBA in Washington DC. Abbi wasn't able to come with us -school and all- and she was quite upset. As some compensation we took a stuffed dog she had and took lots of pictures with him. Rover was in front of the White House and at the Lincoln Memorial etc... He since has accompanied us on lots of trips. Rover has now been to DC, VT, NY, FL, NH, and now Canada. Rover goes to the beech, hangs out at the pool, plays air hockey, goes to museums, and sees the sights. All in all, he is a good travel companion. He never complains, we never have to pay to get him into anything, he can ride in the glove compartment or your pocket, and he is very photogenic.

The gorge from the Niagara River outside our hotel room.

Abbi admires the view.
It is a long way down there.

This is pretty cool, but wait 'till we get to the actual falls
Cae and Rover are ready to check it out.
At the edge.
Clint admires the view.
Even on a warm sunny day we all had to put on long sleeves.

That is a lot water!
The tunnel underneath /behind the falls.

Fashion statement.
Maid Of The Mist

The deck from the bottom of the falls.
Look at all of the soggy tourists
Clint points out the falls to Cae
Please disregard the water spots.
Soggy Rover.

Cae and I get wet.
Clint corals Cae while Abbi holds a wet Rover.
Aren't we the soggy little bunch?
Rover drys out back on the top.
We cross the bridge leaving the falls.

June 2008 book - Eye Contact

June's book club book was Eye Contact by Cammie McGovern. The premise of the story is a boy with autism is the only witness to a murder and he becomes the key to solving it. We decided the author did a very good job of capturing what it is like to have autism, but she didn't do a very good job of writing a murder mystery. Most people in the group didn't like the ending. It wasn't that it was a "bad" ending, but more that it wasn't plausible. We gave it an average of three stars.

Sunday Brunch

Sunday morning - really more noonish -after the great shin-dig, we re-assembled. At least those of us who could still stand, while recovering from exhaustion or otherwise. Trish and I compared blisters from dancing in pretty shoes. At any rate, we gathered to eat left over food, watch Wes and Mandy open up their cool loot, and congregate one last time before we all entered planes, trains, and automobiles to retreat to the far corners of the earth-
until the next big family hoo ha.

Wes and Mandy open presents on the deck at Floyd and Mary's.

Clint, Caelun, and some of Wes's family hang out.

On this side we have Grandma Hall, Abbi and more of Wes's family.

Wes's dad.

Abbi and Mary watch as the gifts are revealed

Cae says "Wait aren't I the real present?"

The Reception

Yeah Wes and Mandy are hitched, it is time to celebrate! Cae loves music and being bounced around a dance floor. I got some mushy slow dances in with Clint and we even drug Abbi out to do the the chicken dance and the hokey pokey- because that is what it is all about as you know. Since both Wes and Mandy are in the Air Force they did a tribute to all of the veterans. They asked people to stand who were veterans of wars starting with WWII which of course included Grandpa Floyd G. Conley, up through the current Iraq war which included Wes and half the wedding party. At the end of the recognition they asked that we choose our favorite veteran and ask them to dance. I danced with Grandpa, tho it took a bit of cajoling. We ate, danced and reveled well into the night. We bid all of our far flung family good night and went home to sleep until the brunch the next afternoon.