Fish Stories

This is Uncle Sylvester feeding the bears in Yellowstone. Uncle Gardiner is on the car.



On our vacations we would go to Yellowstone and camp or sometimes stay in the cabins. I remember seeing the bears come into the cabin area and we would try to feed them. We would go fishing and hiking all of the things that little boys love to do. I remember sitting in our car on one vacation to Yellowstone at a trail head one rainy night waiting for Mike and Dad to come back from fishing and how worried mom was.

I also remember one time that we rented a boat and went out on Yellowstone lake fishing. When it was time for us to leave Mike and I didn’t want to reel our lines in and just before we took off Mike thought that he had a fish on his line so he started to reel it in. As he was reeling in his line he decided that he didn’t have a fish on his line so he left it out and Dad started back to the dock. We sped back to the dock with Mike’s and my line out the back getting dragged behind the boat and when we got back and had to finally reeled them in Mike had a fish on his line that we dragged all the way across the lake.
--David

Trip of a Lifetime

One of my all time favorite memories was when we celebrated Claude and Joyce's 50th wedding anniversary by going on a cruise to Alaska. Claude wanted to celebrate big, and this trip was planned at his suggestion. This cruise had it all--rest and relaxation, fun company, and many interesting sites to see.

Some of the highlights of the trip were:
*Spending quality time with Claude and Joyce
*The 2 hour (or was it 6 hours ha ha) bus ride where we all were delirious by the end!
*Laughing and talking about family memories over fancy dinners!
*Who could forget, eating 6 meals a day at the Windjammer?
*The Skagway train ride- I think that was Claude's favorite excursion
* Just the fact that all of us were able to enjoy each other's company without any distractions.

I love looking at these pictures, it brings a smile to my face and these fun memories will last a lifetime! Matt and I loved the cruise so much....it spurred us on to go 2 more times!! Thanks Claude, you're the best.

--Jodi

Don't Lose Your Shorts

After all these years I am saddened to find out that the only family picture we have that shows us river rafting is the one above. I remember many fun times with Dad at the Snake or Green Rivers. I remember camping with him and then getting up the next day to hit the river hard. We would run the river multiple times a day. From first light until it got dark. It was always a thrill.

One really memorable trip with Dad was the time we went to the Snake River for a family reunion with Dad's brothers and their families. During one run down the river, everyone on the raft was daydreaming and enjoying the water, sun, and scenery when we realized we were too late to maneuver around a shallow rock in the river. Behind the shallow rock was a large drop off with a lot of back flowing water. Because we were not paying attention, we tried to paddle the boat at the last minute and just ended up making the situation worse. We went over the rock sideways and the raft got stuck in the back flowing current. The raft started to fill with water and eventually collapsed in the middle dumping us all in the river. The moments of panic went a little longer than normal as we tried to account for all the bodies we had before entering the rapid. My Dad took longer than everyone else to emerge. Most of us came up somewhere near the over-turned raft. Instead, the river pulled Dad down and spit him out about 75-100 feet below where we entered. By the time Dad came up the rest of us had already started to swim to shore so we could turn the raft back over and then start down the river again. When we turned the raft over, we paddled down the river to meet my Dad. For some reason my father was still sitting in the 50 degree river. Most people would not be able to sit in 50 degree water for too long. The water was good for cooling off but you would have hypothermia if you stayed in it too long. As we got closer we found out why my Dad was still in the water. He had lost his swim suit. When he fell in the water the current was pulling his suit one direction and the life jacket the other. Thankfully, my Dad valued his life more than his dignity and he held onto the life vest. It all worked out in the end as one of my sister-in-law's had a pair of shorts over her swim suit. My Dad borrowed her shorts and we were back on our way. But there wasn't any more daydreaming on that trip.
-- Matt

A Magnificent Example

Last year for English, I had to write a paper about someone in my life that has had trials. I didn't know who I should write about. Then my mom started telling me about Grandpa's childhood. I was really interested, so I decided to go ask Grandpa some questions. He told me lots of stories that were funny, but he also told me some pretty sad stories. The story that stood out to me was the story when he accidentally threw his chocolate bar into the fire. Despite all of hardships Grandpa had to go through, he is AMAZING! He doesn't let his past weigh him down. He was such an example of enduring and working to get what you want, and I look up to him. I love Grandpa!

--Mikell

Goodies

I get to go visit Grandpa and Grandma once a week. We usually eat lunch while we are there. I like to go to their house. They always have chips and pop. Whenever I have potato chips or cheetos, Grandpa will ask me if I have a bag of goodies. I think that is funny.
--Chalise

When the Saints play

I know my Grandpa likes football. When I played football last year, he held special practices for me and Jared to get extra practice. Grandpa likes to watch football games too. He always tells me that we can only watch football on Sunday if the Saints are playing. So according to Grandpa the Saints must play every Sunday.
--Brandon

Life Lessons

Claude is a great man with true integrity. I have known Claude for 23 years and I have had the privilege of learning many life lessons from him. The top three lessons I have learned are:
1. Family is paramount. Claude values his family and works hard to keep relationships close. Examples of this are the monthly family dinners, Labor Day vacations, Wolf Creek, weeding parties etc. He has provided many family traditions that are so meaningful. As I look back on all the activities we have done as a family, I am grateful for the fun memories.
2. Be generous with praise. If you want to build up your self-esteem, go hang around Claude. He is quick to tell you he loves you and other nice compliments. Some of my favorite compliments he has given me are..."you're a great mother," or "you're a wonderful cook." With tears in his eyes as he says it, you know the compliment is genuine and heartfelt.
3. Look on the bright side of things. Claude knows all too well that life can be difficult. The death of his father at a young age, and being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in his 40's are a couple of examples. Although Claude has had many difficult situations in his life, he doesn't let it get him down. He always has a smile on his face and spends his time focusing on the positive aspects of his life, even though it would be so easy to complain about hardships. I have always admired that Claude chooses to dwell on all the lessons he has learned in his life and the blessings he has received.
I have always considered myself lucky to be able to call Claude my father-in-law!
Happy Birthday, I love you!
--Jodi