11:59 and I should be going to bed but I wanted to put this picture on the blog I think it is one of my favorites and I think it shows what Fishing in the Stanley basin is all about thanks Dad for being dilligent and taking the pictures you did

Love Curtis

Well another vacation and reunion has come to an end at Redfish Lake. I am really amazed at the effort everybody makes to be there. What a tradition that has lasted several lifetimes. I have a picture I wanted to show everybody.

Jason, David myself and Travis went swimming for spinners the last Saturday of vacation. I needed to with all the ones that were lost on the rocks. ( no big deal son in laws ) We went to Sunny Gulch first and I learned really quick that my extra 100 lbs over Jason let me stand in the deeper and faster water. It brought back memories of when we looked for lures when we were younger after about an hour of swimming aroung the rocks I think we pulled out 15 to 20 spinners ( most of them were Travis's ) We moved up to Redfish lake hole Travis said that there were times he could not see Jason and myself as we were swimming in pretty deep water I think we got another 20 spinners. So here is the picture I wanted show you. I think my dad taught me at a young age whether ir was spinners or golf balls if you wanted to take time to look for them you could always find them

Things I Love...

I love...
...the way my Grandpa smells...Old Spice. I remember visiting the house in Boise and going into the bathroom just to smell it. Or hugging Grandpa a just a little longer, just so I could keep smelling him!
...the way my Grandpa feels. Soft. A lot of times he wears the flannel LLBean long sleeved shirts in place of jackets (thanks to Grandma) and he always feels so soft!
...the way my Grandpa sounds. Soothing. I love Grandpa's voice. From the way that he answers the phone (Hello, this is Gene--I know you can all hear it in your head, just the way he says it), to the way that he gets excited when he's telling a good story, or the way that you can imagine him talking to his Great-grandkids.
...the way my Grandpa has a hat for every occasion. Think about it, he has his fishing hat, which is sometimes interchangeable with the camping hat (these two are very similiar). I always loved to look at what fishing hook he has attached to it, or even if there is a feather, sometimes pheasant, stuck in it. And then there is the blue baseball hat. I love the picture of him and Uncle Bill sitting on the bench somewhere back East and they both have the same kind of hat on there too (I'm not sure what it's called). Think about it and you'll realize Grandpa has a hat for every occasion.
...the way my Grandpa has curly hair. Someday, I will be able to explain to my Emma that she got her curly hair from me, who got it from my Dad, who got it from his. Curly hair is not always a blessing--but I love knowing that I got it from my Grandpa.
...that my Grandpa loves ice cream. I also inherited this love from my Grandpa. Although I don't love Maple Nut (which is his favorite kind), I do know that I always have someone to share ice cream with--or a root beer float. And I will always remember that he likes to scoop his ice cream with a knife!
...that my Grandpa has created a love of the Salmon River and Redfish Lake with all his posterity. Think about it---we wouldn't love Redfish quite so much if it weren't for him! And I always know that if I want any news of the outside world while we are at Redfish, that Grandpa will have it. Even while camping, Grandpa gets his newspaper that he reads every single morning.

I think most of all, I love my Grandpa.

Satisfied

There are way too many memories to choose just one. I think the thing I enjoy the most is watching how you interact with your grandchildren. You know each one of them personally and they know who you are too. You have given them your time, love and their memories and been a true leader of our family. Thank you for all you have done for all of us.

There is a song out now that I really enjoy the chorus goes:

Did you say it?

Did you mean it?

Did you lay it on the line?

Did you make it count?

Did you look them in the eye and did they feel it?

Did you say it in time?

Did you say it out loud?

Because if you did hon, then you've lived some.

And that feeling inside that's called satisfied.

I think you should feel very satisfied! I love you, Moalee

Grandpa with his sweetheart

I just love this picture of you and grandma at Redfish. You both have such a cute smile on your face. I remember the day this was taken you and grandma were on a walk holding hands and just enjoying each other. I thought it was really cool that you guys still hold hands and love each other so much after all this time. You have raised a wonderful family and you are both still so involved with what is going on with your kids, grandkids and great grandkids. You are both so special to me and have always treated me like one of your own grandkids not just the girl your grandson married. Your commitment to your family and each other is something to be admired. Through all the tears and laughter, hard times and good times you managed to hold on to each other and stay in love. Grandma once told me that you are like her security blanket. I thought that really was a true statement of how you both need each other still so much and how nice that must be to have your security blanket with you every night whether you are watching "Dancing with the Stars "or out for an evening walk.
You are great husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. I am so proud that my baby boy is named after his great grandpa Gene, a VERY special man to all of us.


Amy

Grandpa and Jason at Redfish

There are too many memories and stories to tell of all of the good times I have had with you Grandpa. Hunting, fishing, camping and the Wall family reunions. It all started by the way you raised your children and your love of the outdoors. Everytime I go hunting, fishing or camping with my family I think about the old days and the memories of years gone by with the family and all of the "Wall boys". If it wasn't for how you raised my Dad and my Dad raised me, I wouldn't be the person I am today.
Thank you Grandpa. I love you.
Jason

I love this picture - for so many reasons. First, because I love you.  Second, because I love Redfish Lake - but mostly, because I love that our family has had years of a strong foundation underneath it. This picture is such a sweet moment - one that shows you were not just a Grandpa. You have been so much more. It's like a little flash I get into your life - you were just like us! I like to sit and try to figure out what you were talking about.... :)  Were you arguing, or just catching up... I can't imagine you and Grandma arguing... so it had to be something else :)

Those years, that you put in as a father and husband are directly related to my life.  You taught my dad how to be a dad. And you taught him how to be a husband. You have always been so good to Grandma. I know there must have been times that were hard, because we are all human, and I remember at one of your anniversary celebrations you talking about how marriage is hard, and at times you have to grab someone to keep them from walking out the door.  I was a teenager at the time, but I still remember you saying it. 

You have been so good to all of us.  You have given us the best thing that you could - yourself. Your presence.  We are all so lucky to have things like Redfish Lake.  And we don't just love it because of the cold water. We love it because of who we share it with.  I am so blessed that you have been there - a presence in my life.  By example, you have taught us what a family is.  You have shown us what it means.  No one will ever doubt that you loved us. And we are all better for it.

Thank you - I love you too.

Adnarim

Something Dead

On the 80th birthday party weekend I was setting up the projector screen and the slide projector in my basement. Mom & Dad Sherri and David was there and we started to look at some of the slides to make sure I knew what I was doing. David kept chanting in the background show me something dead , show me something dead. Alot of the slides are of camping and hunting trips and family reunions on the river. And if the slides of the salmon fishing that took place on the river were proof enough. The wall family caught there share of salmon. But one of the pictures that I thought was interesting was this one of David and something dead.

I remember hunting pheasants in Rupert, pheasants seemed to be hiding in every clump of weeds you could find. I don't think we thought about it then but we didn't need hunting dogs we had the Wall boys. David, Me, Matt, Steve & Jeff and I think we were as good as any dog, they just turned us loose and we broke through any brush we could, hoping to chase out any legal rooster we could find.

But back to the picture of David with the pheasants, look at the shotgun I think in todays world that is an expensive shotgun let alone how many years ago when it was purchased. That gun is still in the Wall family. I called and asked Dad how much he spent for it 400.00 dollars it is Italian made and the model is a Daikon.

enjoy the pictures

Curtis

From Short Pants to a Suit

It has been fun to look a the slides I have from my dad, I thought it was going to be a bigger project than it was to convert the pictures to my computer. Like I have always said "Give the toughest job to the laziest person and he will find the easiest way to get it done. "

After finding a picture of my dad in short pants, ( and I had never thought about it before ) I think one of my favorite pictures of my dad is one I found of him in a suit. I am not sure where they are, but I think it is in Salt Lake, I think on the temple grounds. Susan has always said from the day she married me part of the reason was because dad was so good looking and she just hoped I would be like him.

Dad you are one sharp dresser

Curtis

grampa and short pants

The other day at the 80th birthday party for grampa ( By the way thank you everybody for coming ) a conversation started about grampa and short pants. Stacey who knew the correct story asked Megan and Melissa if they knew why grampa didn't ever wear short pants, in unison they answered because grampa had been bitten by a rattlesnake and had some scars on his leg. Grandma was in the group having the conversation heard the answer and started laughing with Stacey

We are not sure how the story started but Megan & Melissa were convinced they had been told the story about the rattlesnake. I think if Melissa would have asked that question in her game at the party, I think most of my family would have answered the same way. Megan thinks that grampa told her that story sometime in her life, maybe it was early morning dounuts that Megan and Grampa always seemed to enjoy when they had the chance to go. I will have to ask Megan to Blog about that memory.

Here is the true story for you who do not know ( the information came from Grandma ). When Grampa was 8 years old he was out at the Parker farm riding sheep, I am guessing it was rodeo style. He got bucked off and got a deep bruise in his leg. Shortly after that he got chicken pox. and the bone in the leg became infected. There was a miracle doctor in Soda Springs named Dr.Cackle, ( I am guessin at the spelling ) he started to treat grampa for the infection. Then they started to take grampa to Boise to a specialist and I think it was there that they wanted to amputate grampa's leg, but his dad, my grampa said no.

I would have to imagine in those days it was a struggle to find the medical attention you needed. and to go see a doctor in Soda Springs and Boise from Rupert. I am thankful it all turned out in the end

Now to make this story come full circle.

I had Mom and Dad bring me Grampa's slides. I set up in the basement with a screen hanging from the ceiling and the slide projector on a table and my digital camera mounted on a tripod. I have gone through all the slides and have moved about 400 of the 1300 slides to my computer. I found Grampa in short pants in a couple of pictures here is the one I like best. It is at the Piling hole fishing hole with lower Stanley in the forground. I am thinking that Grampa saw some salmon rolling in the hole and he just happened to have his fishing pole, short pants and white canvas tennis shoes handy. I can see him wading out to casting distance from the hole and picking up nice trout and the Salmon. But as you can see David & Sherri were there and if they can remember a different story of the fishing expereince that day you are welcome to post it.