On May 3, 2026 we attended an Eagle Court of Honor for four Scouts from our troop: Bryan, Spencer, Logan, and Brandon. All Eagle Courts of Honor are special, but this one was particularly meaningful for me. I was there when each boy joined our troop for the first time. I watched all four progress through all seven ranks and I sat on at least one Board of Review for each of them. I taught them skills as a merit badge counselor and camped with them. And, perhaps most significantly, Steve and I planned the 2021 COVID-replacement summer camp at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, which all four loved so much that they chose that location for their Eagle ceremony.
As if this Court of Honor weren't already so meaningful, the new Eagles chose Trevor to be the Master of Ceremonies. Trevor was the Senior Patrol Leader when three of the four joined the troop, so from the beginning they saw him as a role model. Trevor is 2 years older than Bryan, Spencer, and Logan, and 3 years older than Brandon, so it's no surprise that they relied on him for guidance during their paths to Eagle. And it was a huge compliment that they selected him as MC.
The whole day was full of Proud Mom moments, but none so much as when Logan and Bryan each named Trevor as a mentor and awarded him a mentor pin. And then I had a Proud Wife moment, when Logan and Spencer each named Steve as a mentor! What a day. Huge congrats to Bryan, Spencer, Logan, and Brandon for their accomplishment. We're all so proud of you.
Trevor and I flew to Boise, Idaho two weeks ago to visit my mom and my sister's family. We chose the timeframe we did for a very special reason: we were there to attend a Banana Ball game. I've been wanting to go for years, so it was so exciting that it was finally going to happen. After we weren't chosen during the lottery for tickets for the game in Sacramento, my sister (Kari) and brother-in-law (Brian) worked hard to secure tickets for us in Boise. I am so grateful!
If you're not familiar with Banana Ball, it's a highly entertaining, fast-paced version of baseball with rules designed to maximize the action. The antics of Banana Ball lead to comparisons with the Harlem Globetrotters, although there are key differences. Banana Ball games are not scripted and all six teams within the league compete to win, whereas the Globetrotters always play the same opponent and (nearly) always win.
This was the first time that Banana Ball came to Idaho. The people of Boise, particularly at the host venue of Boise State, were really excited.
In the days before we flew, I was really nervous that the game was going to be canceled or postponed. Not only was the temperature in Boise topping 100°F, but the air quality was absolutely horrible, with numbers reaching well into the Hazardous level. Fortunately, the air quality improved significantly before the game. It was still smoky (and HOT) but not dangerously so. Hurray!
The Party Animals' mascot is named Pharty. He has quite a backstory.
Our group was seated in three different areas. Kari and I were together.
Here is Trevor with my mom. And Brian with Timothy and Allison.
We arrived in plenty of time for the pre-game festivities.
We weren't allowed to bring water into the stadium (100°+) and the lines to buy water were outrageous. Brian stood in line to get waters for all of us. He and Allison came by to deliver them.
While our seats were good for watching the game and the antics, they were pretty terrible for photography. All my pictures are through a net and into the sun. You can barely make out the Boise Bronco on the field toward the back.
During the pre-game (and throughout the game) there was so much going on. It was hard to know where to look. The guy in the blue morph suit was slowly making his way toward the pitcher while teams of dancers were performing and players were in the crowds giving away stuff.
The music is constant. Literally. Songs change every 10-30 seconds and there is no break between them. Songs play throughout the game, which is not a thing in standard baseball. There's always somebody dancing somewhere.
Because the Boise games were played at a football stadium and not a baseball stadium, there were some quirks that were a lot of fun. One example: there were no dugouts, so all the players were just right there.
To our left, a make-shift bullpen.
It was a HUGE relief when the sun finally dipped enough to be partially blocked by the stadium. It was so hot and it made a big difference not to be in direct sun.
The friends of Brian who were sitting with Kari and me left with 30 minutes on the clock to avoid the crush of 36,000 people. Timothy, Allison, and Brian took their seats.
Kari, Mom, Trevor, and I left with 15 minutes remaining so that we too could get ahead of the masses.
The Party Animals ended up winning the game 4-1. Yea!
Watching Banana Ball in person is a fantastic experience, but so is watching it on TV. I was really happy to see the game on YouTube. It was great fun to watch the things I saw from a better angle... and even more fun to see the things I completely missed!
I am so glad to have been to a Banana Ball game. I would happily go again, although ideally on a much cooler day and in real seats instead of bleachers. I'd especially like to see the original team, the Savannah Bananas, play. Huge thanks to Kari and Brian for everything they did for me to experience this bucket-list item!
We celebrated the Fourth of July with Suzzi, Larry, Dawn, and all of our kids... none of whom are kids anymore! We had a delicious meal with festive drinks that were tasty if hard to drink and hung out by the pool. We saw a beautiful sunset and many (illegal) fireworks. We had a wonderful time.
The pictures I took around the table inspired this page. Because there was so much empty space above and below the smiling faces, I cropped all that off before printing my photos. The six photos you see were printed as two 4x6" photos, which I then cut into thirds and separated with a journaling block.
I have a bad habit of putting off scrapping our travels because it is so hard for me to go through hundreds of photos and select just a few for a layout. I currently have 19 travel pages and and 8 non-travel pages on my to-be-scrapped list. Of the last 15 pages I've completed, only 4 were about travel. For as much as we travel, I'd like to keep those numbers a bit more balanced. All this to say, I'm finally starting to scrap photos from our 2024 trip to Europe.
I started with Luxembourg, even though it wasn't chronologically first. I missed the country entirely, but I still want to document it in the album for the rest of the family. Since I wasn't there and obviously have no memory of the visit, I leaned heavily on the blog post that Steve helped me write just after the trip.
Looking at these photos makes me sad that I missed seeing such a beautiful country, but I am so grateful that's all I missed. There was a very real possibility that I could have missed visiting the other nine countries we saw on that trip.
One year ago today was the memorial service for my dad. It was a celebration of his life, a time to focus on happy memories. We had a really nice service at my parents' church, followed by reception with a popcorn machine (one of Dad's favorite foods) and a cake inspired by his years coordinating the summertime hot dog lunch giveaway at Hope Lutheran. Family and friends traveled to Idaho from California and Washington, along with the many local friends who attended. Dad would have loved it.
On Thursday, June 25 my mom, Trevor, and I said goodbye to Kari and Allison and headed to Lindsay Wildlife Experience.
Despite living just 30 miles away for almost 50 years, Mom had never been there. This is particularly surprising given how much she loves animals and museums. I've been there 6 or 7 times and Trevor worked there last summer as an Animal Keeper intern, so this visit was all about showing Mom what a great place it is.
We saw all the animals, of course. We attended a talk about chuckwallas, then watched the Wild California show, featuring a kestrel and a porcupine.
They're doing construction on the Nature Cove, which was disappointing. That's one of my favorite spaces at Lindsay. The updated version opens in the fall.
I wanted to add one more thing about Lindsay: I really appreciate the Social Narrative on their website. It provides a very detailed look about what to expect when visiting. I wish every place that is open to the public had something like this. I appreciate knowing where to park, for example. And more than once, we would have benefitted from detailed instructions on how to get into a building!
After our visit to Lindsay, we made a quick stop at the house so Mom could meet our bunnies. Then we headed to the California Raptor Center, where Trevor gave us a tour. This was Mom's first visit and her first time seeing Trevor's Eagle Project in person.
It was also her first time seeing Trevor holding a bird on the glove. That's Whistler, a dark morph Swainson's hawk.
After a nice visit at the Raptor Center, we went to the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine for a tour. It is an impressive facility, to say the least. The school is ranked #1 in the country and #2 in the world, training 720 professional and graduate students a year, and providing veterinary care to over 50,000 animals. They have made countless advancements in veterinary medicine since the school opened in September 1948.
The grounds have a lot of beautiful animal-themed art.
This is the Faithful Partners Memorial. It honors all of the canine officers across California killed in the line of duty.
Our tour took us through classrooms, examination rooms, hospital facilities, and more. We learned about all the amazing things that happen in this spectacular place. It's impressive.
I didn't get a photo, but I was interested to learn that the school maintains a Toxic Plant Garden. There, students can study the 60+ toxic plants that pets and livestock are most likely to encounter. Brilliant!
Of all the things we saw, the space that interested me the most was this room:
Vet students have 24/7 access to this space to practice medical procedures they're learning on models of both large and small animals.
There are stations set up for practicing intubation, transfusions, catheterization, and more.
I didn't think it was possible for me to love UC Davis more than I already did, but this tour impressed me so much. There are incredible things going on at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine!
After the tour, we headed to Trevor's apartment so Mom could see it. We went out to dinner, then said goodbye to Trevor. Mom and I headed to Sacramento. We checked into The Exchange Sacramento, where we'd be spending the next three nights. It's a beautiful hotel, located in what was once the California Fruit Building, constructed in 1914.
We had a full day ahead of us exploring Sacramento. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow.
My sister has lived in Idaho for nearly a decade, but she was able to keep the job she had here in California when she moved out of state. While Kari can work from home for 10 months of the year, she needs to be in person from mid-May to mid-July. Her job is about 50 miles from where I live, so I'm usually able to see her (and my niece, Allison, who travels with her) a few times while they're here. When I was visiting Idaho last December, Kari and I planned a trip for our mom to come to California in June while Kari was here. That trip just happened and I'm eager to tell you about the fun that we had!
On Thursday, June 18 my brother-in-law (Brian) and my mom flew from Boise to Oakland. They spent a few days with Kari and Allison before Brian returned home and my mom went to stay with friends in my hometown of Livermore, where she lived for almost 50 years. She had a really nice time.
My portion of the trip started on Wednesday, June 24. Trevor and I met up with Mom, Kari, and Allison at the Alameda County Fair.
We spent the day looking at exhibits, eating fair food, and finding all the things that have changed since last year.
She also sponsored an award for food preservation. Mom is an avid gardener and preserved a lot of food when they still lived in California and had tons of fruit trees.
Speaking of fruit, this pineapple slushie came in a hollowed-out pineapple. I love fair food.
One of the highlights of the day for me was meeting up with Ina Fried. I was 16, Ina was 14, and Kari was 13 when we met on a cruise. Kari and Ina have seen each a few times and I've stayed connected via Facebook, but this is the first time I've seen Ina in person in 38 years!
Off to the Hobby building! I love seeing people's collections on display.
Also new was this big screen, one of four designated area for soccer watch parties.
Another fun addition: painted pianos. I wasn't sure how many there were - turns out I spotted four out of five. What a fun idea! I've never seen this giant goat before either. When given the opportunity, always pose for a picture with a goat or GOAT.
I don't remember seeing this fountain last year. The Sky Ride has been there since 2018 and I still haven't been on it. I'm not a rides person. We didn't even go into the Midway on this visit.
After a fun-filled day at the fair, we headed to our hotel. We spent the evening playing cards while snacking on kettle corn.
We had a full day of activities planned for the following day. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow.
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