.

Here, gathered in our beloved South Dakota, are a few members of our Williamson / Mattson Clan. Charles and Luella are to be blamed (be kind, they didn't know what they were doing). We're generally a happy bunch and somewhat intelligent (notwithstanding our tenuous grasp on reality). I'm also proud to say that most of us still have our teeth.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

The Last Sunday in March, A Birthday and More from the Wayback Machine



Here you go Jilane, a picture from your lovey dovey days with Kevin. AH, the innocence of youth. Little did they know what they were about to unleash upon the world. Happy Birthday!

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello All,

This week we celebrate Jilane Williamson Bodily's birthday. Jilane refuses to give her age, preferring we guess instead, using all available visual clues. I've given the matter much thought and hope she doesn't ask my opinion at today's Sunday dinner.

It would be unwise to judge her age by her clothes, considering much of her wardrobe comes from what she finds at Utah's many weekend garage sales (mind you, she did look pretty good in the bell bottom low cut jeans and platform shoes she was wearing when I bumped into her at Walmart last Wednesday).

Jilane preparing to go to her daughter's Parent Teacher Conferences with a little something she found in someone's driveway (I don't think they were having a garage sale. However, they did raise chickens).

Judging her age by her physical appearance would also be a mistake. Remember, she is the mother of Chaz Bodily and Chaz has a tendency to prematurely age anyone who spends a significant amount of time with him.

Kevin, Saved from the Hoes and Wenches of his younger days by the ever innocent and always darling Jilane.

Jilane is also is married to Kevin, and God bless her for that. "I saved him from all those other Hoes and Wenches he was dating at the time and could have married." Jilane says with pride about her greatest single act of charity for this period of mortality.

Luckily Jilane has her new daughter in law to comfort and sustain her.

This is the last Sunday in March and its over 70 degrees here at the Fortress! Our warm spell will be short lived. Tomorrow a cold front plans on disrupting our fun with snow and rain. So until then, we bask in the warmth and enjoy the spring breezes.

Charles was out tending the Fortress' lawn Friday afternoon when my phone rang. It was Luella.
"Your father wants you to go outside and compare your lawn with the neighbor's," she said. "I don't know why, just go out. It will make him happy."

At the time, I was reclining in my favorite chair watching a TV program suffering with purpose. The show centered around a theory held by several UFO enthusiasts that the Big Foot and Yeti were really aliens blessed with the ability of transcending dimensions of space time. I may have been watching Aliens and Big Foot to get me in the mood for that evening's Overnight Camp at the Space Education Center. Regardless, I jumped up and went out onto the deck to see the demonstration. It gave me an excuse to turn off the television.

Take a look for yourself.

Our neighbors directly to the north.
To be perfectly fair, the neighbors lawn on the far north is just as green as Dad's.
I worry about that. Charles has been known to take an occasional midnight stroll through the neighborhood with his Red Ryder Wagon, bag of lawn kill and spreader.

The Fortress' back lawn. A testament to Charles Williamson's tender loving care. It got its first cutting Friday afternoon. It responds well to his touch, not to mention the amount of money he charges me to bring in Turf Care Plus. What does it matter that you can never use your lawn during the summer because of all the toxic chemicals used to give it that beautiful green color?
At least its the envy of the neighborhood (although one day I fear they'll discover the true cause of their children's summer coughs and sore throats).


Finally, our neighbors to the south.
"A barren wasteland." Is that what I heard you just say?

Let me state here and now that it would be thoroughly unchristianlike and unneighbourly to describe it that way. I cannot be faulted, because you are the one who thought it.....
right?

In their defense, they have a home full of children and are the new owners of a dog. Their children play on the lawn, making it a useful piece of real estate and not the museum masterpiece Charles toils over all summer long.


And now, a few pictures from yesteryear using the magic of Peabody and Sherman's Wayback Machine,

I believe Jilane and I were visiting Kim, JD, Janice and Steve in Colorado sometime in the early 1980s. It was near the end of their school year and time for Field Day. I took my camera to record for all time's sake Forest and Brandon's athletic prowess.

Don't be mistaken, that is Brandon DelGrosso in the lead. (I fail to mention this isn't the front of the pack. At least he didn't come in last!) Of course, Brandon's recollection of the day's events differ somewhat from my own. You, kind readers, are left to decide for yourselves.


Another suberp action shot, thank you very much. Not bad using a camera that still used tin plates to capture the image. Brandon is in the lead! I'm wondering if this may be the race reserved for the school's special students?

Run Forest Run!

(from the movie Forest Gump for those of you unfamiliar with Hollywood's greatest achievements in the cinematic arts). That is our very own Forest DelGrosso far ahead of the pack. Forest's rear end was all the other race participants ever saw of our mighty Forest during a race.


While the boys sweated it out on the track, their two sisters found themselves the target of my camera. This is the eldest Amber with Ashley, the youngest at the time.


Ashley with her favorite blanket.

We spent some time with Janice, Steve and Nikki on that same Colorado trip.
This is Nikki on the DelGrosso's backyard tramp.

Nikki with her favorite Aunt Jilane


Another dial turn on the Wayback Machine takes us to the Williamson home at 2214 38th Street, Rapid City South Dakota. Again we have landed in the early 1980's.


Here we are in the Black Hills having a picnic. Left to right, Lisa, Amber, Brandon, Ashley, Annette and Forest.

During that same trip I met Luke Mattson, my newest cousin. He is the eldest son of Uncle Marvin and Aunt Cindy.


Every visit must come to an end. We are standing on the Williamson's driveway saying goodbye to Kim and the kids as they pack up for Colorado. Left to right - Kim, Brandon, Jilane holding Ashley, Amber, Annette and Luella.