We kicked off April with an Easter brunch at Jeff's...
...and a birthday celebration followed by a quick trip to Ventura
May brought us a Cinco de Mayo celebration
hosted by the Knights of Columbus
and a gathering of Knights for a Third Degree Exemplification
Roy Stanton was at the center of the group:
We also found time to celebrate Mother's Day with family...
...and to visit Joe's new Chico home
Later in May Barbara had recovered enough from her elbow fracture
to take a trip to the Lava Beds...
...and time to join Jeff to see Tori compete with her horse
In June we celebrated Father's Day in Chico
and in Paradise admiring the new landscaping...
We traveled to Fort Bragg with Jeff to spend time with the Acevedo and Neiber families...
...and a side trip to Mendocino
A few days later Carson and Maggie joined us for some slipping and sliding...
...followed by a trip to the Paradise pool...
...before another adventure to Paradise Lake and Belden...
...and a final vacation stop at Seacliff and the cement boat...
July started with the Knights placing flags around Paradise and a new job for me as the Grand Knight. I had no idea then that the Camp Fire would later change our lives. I kept the newsletters from July to November showing life before the fire:
Newsletters: July, August, September, October, November.
In July we hosted the Old Folks in Paradise...
...and took a day trip to Eureka...
In August we celebrated our anniversary in San Simeon checking out the nearby elephant seals, enjoying the scenic views and playing some chess on the beach, staying warm by the fireside and watching the sunset:
A few weeks later we joined the Sidlers and Acevedos at the Santa Barbara Zoo.
August ended with spending time with Mikayla and Tori
In October we headed for Black Butte Ranch in Sisters Oregon
to join the Old Folks for a few days of relaxation, checking out the local sites,
golfing, hiking along a nearby stream, and visiting a fish hatchery.
We returned to Paradise just in time to join Barbara's classmate, Louanne,
for an organ recital at the Trappist Monastery in Vina
We didn't know it at the time, but we needed lots of prayers from the monks to cope with the Camp Fire on November 8. We spent a few days before the fire helping our friends, Larry and Kitty Campbell, pick olives. Larry had cancer and could only supervise. We gathered fellow Knights of Columbus, their wives, and families to help.
A few days later we returned to Belden with Carson and Maggie
to have lunch and skip rocks--our last outing before the fire.
NEXT: CAMP FIRE