Dog Days of Summer, August 22, 2013

From the ages of 8-18,

my family and I moved around a lot.

Mostly we would just stretch,

but occasionally one of us

would actually get up to go to the fridge.

~Jarod Kintz

Greetings to all of you from our home in San Diego, California where Cindy and I have landed for a few days on a "pit stop" of sorts in the midst of these very busy dog days of summer. 

Next week my mom and I will be traveling to Texas and then to Arkansas to touch base with family members in both locations. In Texas Maida will get to connect with her first, and only, great great grandchild (that's right, count 'em: TWO greats), while in Arkansas she will attend a family reunion in the town of her birth and the county of her roots.

Happy Birthday Amanda. This Sunday, Aug 25, is the birthday of one of Will and Bura Davis Shepard's G grandchildren, Amanda Ortiz of Blue Springs, Missouri. She is the daughter of Kim Clark, and the granddaughter of Thelma Boyd. The first picture was sent to me by Amanda and shows her in a recent photo.

Amanda: Hi Steve! Yes, I will be turning the big 30 on the 25th! I was able to go out and celebrate with my friends in San Diego on August 3rd, which was a blast. I will be able to celebrate this weekend with my family by going to dinner. Looking forward to see what my 30's will bring! Thank you for the birthday wishes!

The news from Bothell, Washington is good regarding our newest family member Logan J. Shepard who was born 4 weeks ago to Nicole Haw Shepard and her husband Patrick. Logan remains in Evergreen Hospital but is making some encouraging progress as he grows and develops. 

The second picture shows a smiling great grandmother, my mom Maida Shepard, holding little Logan for the first time this past weekend during a visit she made to the hospital to see him.
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Steve Shepard