Pioneer Day, 50 years, and fireworks!

Last weekend was Pioneer Day - by-far the biggest holiday in Utah.  It celebrates the trek of the Mormon Pioneers out west in 1847.  The Mormon element aside, it's really an American story of rugged tenacity that's hard not to appreciate.  We attended the Bountiful Pioneer Day Parade, which is the best parade in the state.  Enjoy some photos.

The 2 nephews snoozin' in our Pram - highly recommend the Bugaboo stroller.  If you don't recall my rant...

I really like tractors, okay!?

How the heck did the short-bus make it in?

Marching bands are cool like once or twice.  By the time these guys came by I was done.

Yes, I really DO like tractors, okay?

Our friend Cathy Liou turned 50 last weekend too.  Her husband Ted asked me if I'd be willing to do a fireworks display after dinner - he didn't exactly have to ask me twice.  The best part?  He funded it too!  I reached deep and channeled my Grandpa Bakker who used to do big shows for the family.  What you're seeing is the grand finale - 29 spinners rigged to go off in courses, with some magic whips and ground blooms all interspersed.

Of course, I had to wait through dinner first...  We did a mystery dinner theater where most of the attendees had a role to play kind of like this.  It ended up being pretty fun.  Everyone had a set of secret goals to accomplish like acquiring items, killing people, buying secrets etc.  I was so close to finishing my goals when it was over that I really wanted to kill the guy that I was trying to work with - sorry Kirk, I'm still steamin'.

A witch doctor and reporter.

The dubious Dr. Schwartz - I never trusted that guy.  Marie - also untrustworthy.  She did save my life, though only to save her own bacon...

Chef Ted in his gourmet kitchen.  He's a great cook!

"Captain", turned out to be a double agent for the Brits...

This was the best backyard fireworks show in the state (at least with legal fireworks...).  My Grandpa would have been really proud.  I've always known that Black Cat had the best novelty stuff, but their fountains ended up being WAY better than TNT.  The bad news?  There's only 6 Black Cat dealers in Utah, and I had to drive to Murray to get everything.  It was worth the trip though, and I sense a new family tradition starting....  You're coming back next year, right Jason?

Colonial lumber was on fire on the way home from work this week.  Seemed pretty tame, but it's not every day you get to see a whole building burning.

Just when I got bored and left to fill the tank, flames started bursting way up over the roof line.  Dang it, I should have stayed put.

I don't have any photos, but I did manage to sell the Volvo for $1100 Sunday night.  Sorry to all those hopeful buyers - you should have moved quicker.

5 Weeks

Tommy is 5 weeks tomorrow morning.  I mentioned previously that he was kind of standing - I've since been taught that it's not called standing when I hold him up and his legs touch the table under him.  He is, however, much stronger and growing up as little boys tend to do.  Grandma & Grandpa Bakker came up from Phoenix to see him this weekend, as well as his Great-Uncle Pete.  I promptly put everyone to work.

Mom & Uncle Pete came up Friday and helped me with a bunch of yard work - THANK YOU!

Mom also enjoyed her grandson quite a bit this weekend.  She taught me some new moves that Tommy seems to like quite a bit.

Numero Uno - Mario Bakker waiting for Tommy to leave permanently.  Sorry buddy, he's here to stay.

I told Mom to spank harder because he didn't seem to mind.  Just kidding, she did not deliver his first ass-tanning.

We see flashes of so many family members in Tommy - here he reminds me of Grandpa Pat, and his incredible bat-like hearing. 

For comparison, my Mom brought up some old photos from when I was a baby.  My scanner isn't working, so forgive me for the crummy close-up camera shots.  That's my sister Sarah and me at 3 days.  I was surprised Tommy looks so much like I did as a baby.  This bodes well for him  - he'll likely turn out studular like his poppa.

One of his name-sakes, his Great-Great Granpa Thomas Gordon.

Yes, me, as a baby in a swing.

And again, me as a baby on some horse thing that my Grandmother crafted out of a single piece of maple that she cut down with her teeth, and carved with her stern look.  Oh wait, my mom just told me that my Grandmother just bought it at some store.

I also listed our old Volvo for sale online.  You'd better hurry to get in on this opportunity.  Jason and I corrected a few things when he was up.  We took it to Checker to borrow their code-reader, but couldn't find the dang computer port.  Turns out this Volvo actually has a fault code "reader" under the hood that uses morse-code of sorts that you reference in a code list.  We addressed what it indicated, I reset the engine light, and nothing has come back on...  Sometimes I wish babies had ODB code-scanner ports...