Summer Fun, September 26, 2013

We are all intertwined in one another's story.

We are all a part of each other's communities

despite our seeming differences.

~Ciona D. Rouse

Greetings to all of you from San Diego as summer draws to a close and fall has officially begun.

This Sunday is the birthday of Cathrina Clark, wife of Jerry Clark, of Lubbock, Texas. Best wishes to Cathrina for a wonderful birthday. The first picture shows Cathrina with her husband of 7 years Jerry Clark.

Cathrina: It's been another great year! I'm feeling very blessed this year. New job, more time off. I love being on the same work schedule as Jerry! Have so much to be thankful for. Glad Jerry was able to make the reunion. He enjoyed seeing everybody! Your grandkids are precious! Enjoy!

This Sunday, September 29 is also the birthday of little Alexandria Cotton, another Texan in our family, who will turn two years old. She is the daughter of Heather and Sean Cotton and the granddaughter of my cousin Paula Harrell Tuzzolino. Lexi and her sister are the two Ggranddaughters of Vicki Gower Johnston of Oak Harbor, Washington. Lexi and her family live in San Antonio, Texas.

With the arrival of fall, I am reminded of how quickly the seasons change. In the last few months, in all of our families, there has been lots of travels and activity, milestones and special memories and, hopefully, plenty of summer fun. The following photo presentation celebrates our family and shows a sampling of all the various activities, births, reunions, vacations, and a wide variety of happy events.

  

- - -
Steve Shepard

Reflections on a Journey, September 19, 2013

Families are messy.

Sometimes the best we can do

is remind each other

that we're related for better or for worse...

and try to keep the maiming and killing to a minimum.

~Rick Riordan 

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you from Northern California where Cindy and I find ourselves during this extended time away from home.

Later this month is the 92nd wedding anniversary of my late grandparents Leroy Gower and Nola Shannon Gower. They were married in Mountain View, Arkansas on September 29, 1921 when grandpa Leroy was a young man of 22 and grandma Nola was a just a teenager of 18. They both have been gone now for many years, but their influence remains in the lives of all of us who knew them.

They were both born near Mountain View, but after they married and then had their first two children (Hank and Maida), they left Arkansas and migrated westward as did many other family and friends. Their first move was to Okemah, Oklahoma; after 17 years there they moved to San Diego where they lived almost all the rest of their lives.

The first picture was taken in 1953, in Yosemite National Park, during a memorable family vacation. It was taken about 10 years after the Gowers had moved to California. It shows Nola and Leroy with me sitting in front of them. This image is from an old, wrinkled photograph, hence the marks and scratches. 

Their early years in Mountain View and then their move to Okemah have been on my mind a lot recently as a result of a visit my mom and I made to Arkansas and then Oklahoma earlier this month. Spending a few days in Mountain View gave me a much better feel for the kind of people they were: their simple needs, their religious beliefs, their down to earth approach to life, their love of family and neighbors, their easy going ways, their acceptance of hard work, and their willingness to take with grace whatever life brought them.

After a few days in Arkansas, mom and I drove from Mountain View to Okemah, Oklahoma and made the same 300 mile journey that mom had made as a baby back in the fall of 1925 with her brother Hank and her parents Leroy and Nola.

The second picture was taken in a museum in Fort Smith, Arkansas, one of the stops on the journey to Okemah from northern Arkansas. It shows a typical wagon from the early 20th century and may have been the kind of transportation Leroy and Nola used to get to their new home in Oklahoma. It wouldn't have been a very smooth ride -- especially for the 2 little ones -- but it would have been a common way for a young family to make the 300 mile journey in the 1920s.

Mom and I took it slow when we drove that same route recently and it still was an easy day's drive for us. We wound along SR9 out of the Arkansas hills, past towns like Fox and Peed, and then suddenly found the 21st Century when we joined super highway I-40, which took us all the way to Okemah. For them, on dusty bumpy dirt roads, where every creek was an adventure and every Indian sighting made them wary, the journey a century ago must have taken several days, perhaps a week or more. Mom as a 1 year old, and her brother Hank as a 3 year old, made the journey even more challenging for 26 year old Leroy and his sturdy young 22 year old bride Nola.

When we visited Okemah, we stopped at the old home on 4th St, the schools way across town on 2nd St, the Sonic Drive-In out on the Highway, and City Hall in the middle of town (which seemed little more than a one person office). Our first stop however was Highland Cemetery. The only members of our family still left in Okemah reside in that peaceful place on the hill just north of town. Among our kinfolk there are Leroy's parents George and Serena Turner Gower. The second picture shows the Gower headstone in that cemetery with the individual flat stones of George and Serena just behind the family headstone and to the left.

Being at these historical family sites and musing on the challenges of travel and migration gives me a greater appreciation for these ancestors of ours and all they endured to bring us to where we are today.
- - -

Steve Shepard

Not As Bad As It Sounds, September 12, 2013

Even the smallest act of service,

the simplest act of kindness,

is a way to honor those we lost,

a way to reclaim that spirit of unity

that followed 9-11.

~President Obama

Hello family and friends. Greetings to all of you from Alameda, California on this day after 9-11.

Happy Birthday to Kelly Shepard Sauvage whose special day is today! My niece Kelly is originally from San Diego, but has lived with her family in Weatherford, Texas since 2000. She and husband James stay busy with their respective jobs and the many activities of their two boys Nate and Kyle.

The first picture was taken two weeks ago when a number of our family were gathered together at their home on Del Rio Court in Weatherford. It shows Kelly in the middle sharing a cheeky moment with her older son Nate. Also in the picture are Kelly's mother Jackie Perry on the right of Granbury, Texas, her niece Mandi Aquiningoc of Mineral Wells, Texas on the left, and me in the upper left.

65 And Counting. This past Monday was my 65th Birthday, which, as it turns out, is really not as bad as it sounds. The big day started, unlikely enough, in the tiny little nowhere town of Lee Vining, California, in the Eastern part of California just outside Yosemite National Park. In all honesty, Lee Vining was actually not a bad place to begin the 66th year of my life.

Granddaughter Preslea and I had driven there just the night before from the San Francisco Bay Area. We were there to pick up our son and father Nathan, who had just finished a hike to Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite. We had to drive the long way around to get to Lee Vining, in order to avoid the massive and historic Rim Fire which continues to char acreage in the mountains of California.

Memories of Yosemite. Being there gave me a chance to ponder the various times my family and I have been in the remarkable California playground of Yosemite over the years, camping in the Valley, day hiking the many trails, backpacking the high country, climbing Half Dome, watching the "fire fall", driving the incredibly scenic roads, and marveling at the amazing beauty of this national treasure.

Among my most memorable moments in Yosemite was the time in 1965 when my sister Linda and I - she was 14 and I was 16 - hiked from the Valley floor to the top of Yosemite Falls with some other teens. We took the strenuous 3.8 mile trail that switch backs to the top just to the west of the falls. Less than half way up she and I left the main trail and cautiously scrambled over some rocks and made our way to the water fall itself. We found a natural cave-like walkway that took us behind the roaring water as it tumbled 2,400 feet into the Valley. I can still remember it was very loud, nearly dark and dangerously wet on the slick granite beneath our feet. We stood there entranced by the rush of the water and the sacredness of that precarious place. After several moments we retraced our steps and caught up to the group heading to the top where the view was awesome. But our time behind the falls was the most profound experience of that day and will remain forever etched in my memory.

My very first visit to YNP was a dozen years before the water fall experience, when I was just 4 years old. My father, grandfather and other family members went camping in the Valley and hiked the Vernal Falls trail during our time there. My vague recollection of that particular hike came back to me just last Saturday when I hiked that very same trail again 60 years later. This time, however, instead of being WITH my father and grandfather, I WAS the father and grandfather trekking with our son and grandchild. Hiking that trail remains a wonderful experience even today and a thrill to share with family.

The second picture (above) is from that summer of '53 trip to Yosemite and shows my grandmother Nola Shannon Gower standing in the Merced River keeping watch over me (on the left) and my siblings Linda and Gary. Select this link to see a photo presentation of our 1953 trip to Yosemite, which I included in this blog a few years ago.

The third picture shows me, son Nathan and granddaughter Preslea this past Saturday as we began our hike of the Vernal Falls Trail in Yosemite.
- - -
Steve Shepard

The Arkansas Connection, September 5, 2013

Your past is just a story.

And once you realize this,

it has no power over you.

~Chuck Palahniuk

What a great experience the last few days have been in the town of Mountain View, Arkansas, where my Shannon and Gower ancestors had strong roots. For the first time my mom Maida and I attended the Shannon Family Reunion, held each year on Labor Day weekend in this historic town in Northern Arkansas. We stayed with mom's cousin Bernice Beckham, whose family graciously welcomed us. 

The first picture shows cousins Maida Shepard and Bernice Beckham side by side in Mountain View, the left half taken about 1940, the other half just last weekend.

1,700 miles separate Mountain View from San Diego, and in some ways it feels like a great distance, culturally, linguistically, and socially. But the feeling of family spirit this past week united each of us, whether Shannon kin from right here or from far away.

Mountain View, and Stone County in which it sits, is a beautiful place. I can understand why our Gower and Shannon ancestors settled here in the 19th century. Today the hills of Northern Arkansas are a wonderful vacation destination, and understandably so. Being here makes me appreciate even more the sacrifice and difficulty my grandparents experienced leaving here and settling first in Oklahoma and then in San Diego for the second half of their lives.

Shannon is the maiden name of my grandmother Nola Shannon Gower, who was born in Mountain View, and is where she met and married grandpa Leroy Gower in 1921. It is also where their first two children, Maida and Hank, were born in the early 1920s. Grandma Gower was not at the reunion, of course, having died in 2004. But I could feel her presence as I mingled among her many kinfolk.

Being in Mountain View gave us a chance to visit the final resting place of some of our ancestors, including my Shannon great grandparents Samuel Pickens Shannon (1859-1931) and his wife Finetta Dearien Shannon (1861-1960). Finding Gray Cemetery where they reside was an adventure in itself.

From Mountain View we headed west on AR 66 for a few miles and turned left at Happy Hallow Rd., which after just a few miles turned to dirt. After several more dusty miles we arrived at the Oyd Johnson farm and turned right on Bobcat Trail. In a phone call earlier that day, Mrs Johnson indicated it was the way to the cemetery. "If the sign is still there", she added.

As we slowly crept along Bobcat trail, we sought some sign, any sign, that a cemetery was nearby. But there was nothing. We did see an unlocked gate in the fence on the left so I got out of the car to investigate. Beyond the gate I saw some indication of faint tire tracks, but other than that there was nothing but bushes. 

After walking a ways I happen to notice a pile of stones just to my right. Kicking away some overgrown plants I drew closer and looked carefully at what appeared to be a grave surrounded by a small stone wall. To the left of that grave I noticed a flat headstone on the ground. I brushed away some leaves and uncovered a headstone that read "Finnetta Clemintine Shannon", with her dates on it. Her first and middle names were misspelled, but it was definitely her, my great grandmother. (see picture)

Next to her, beneath a badly weathered and barely readable headstone, was her husband of 50 years, the father of her 9 children, Samuel Pickens Shannon, my great grandpa. 

The joy of finding these two was tempered a bit by it being such an overgrown graveyard. They both deserve better. One could walk within a few feet of the place and not notice that they were there. As I carefully trudged around some more I counted 34 graves, only 4 of which had readable names on the grave markers. Many of them just had rocks for headstones. Nevertheless, to find Sam and Finetta was special. 

We drove the dusty road back to Mountain View with the sense that we had accomplished something important. The picture of our family's history was a little more complete.

- - -
Steve Shepard

Howdy Y'All, August 29, 2013

We are not what has happened in our past, 

nor what we have done...

We are who we choose to become... TODAY!

~Timber Hawkeye 

(Buddhist Boot Camp)

Greetings to all of you from the home of my niece Kelly and her husband James Sauvage in Weatherford, Texas. My mother Maida Gower Shepard and I are here visiting family we don't get to see too often.

Happy Birthday Lyndsey. We are here in the Lone Star State on the birthday of Lyndsey Aquiningoc, older daughter of Kerri Shepard Aquiningoc, daughter of my brother Gary Shepard. Happy birthday to Lyndsey who turns 23 today! The first picture shows Lyndsey with her cousin Nate Sauvage at Lyndsey's birthday dinner earlier this evening.

Around the year 2000 this part of our family moved here from San Diego, and after a decade of life here, with 3 new births, they seem to be settling in quite nicely. Over 200 years ago our ancestors migrated from the East Coast to the West, ever moving westward and southward. Even though they settled for periods of time in places like Indiana and Oklahoma and Texas, the move westward continued for some of them until they reached San Diego in the mid 20th century.

But now some of us have returned to the area of our 19th century roots here in north Texas and Oklahoma. Even though I sense that there is still some longing for life in Southern California, this move appears to be a permanent one for these family members. At least as permanent as any move can be in these day of easy travel and relocation.

A Great Great. One of the reasons we made this trip was so that my mom Maida could meet her first Great Great Granddaughter Kambree Kay Bowman, daughter of Mandi Aquiningoc and Steven Bowman. The second picture shows the new momma Mandi on the left next to Great Great Grandma Maida Shepard  holding baby Kambree, with grandmother Kerri Shepard Aquiningoc next to them and auntie Lyndsey on the right.

Here is a 12 generation lineage from Kambree to 18th century Irish immigrants Thomas and Eigness Shannon. 

• Kambree Kay Bowman (b. 2013)
• Mandi Aquiningoc (b. 1992) and Steven Bowman
• Kerri Shepard (b. 1968) and Manuel Aquiningoc (1961-1992)
• Gary Shepard (b. 1946) and Jackie Enderle (b. 1947)
• Maida Gower (b. 1924) and Eugene Shepard (1921-2003)
• Nola Shannon (1903-2004) and Leroy Gower (1899-1974)
• Samuel Pickens Shannon (1858-1930) and Finetta Dearien (1861-1960)
• David Reid Shannon (1821-1864) and Peggy Ann Gray (1829-1899)
• David McKnight Shannon (1790-1860) and Anna Pickens (1785-1867)
• David Shannon (1756-1823) and Jane McKnight (1759-1830)
• Samuel Shannon (1727-1811) and Jean Reid (1725-1806)
• Thomas Shannon (1686-1737) and Eigness Reid (1686-1737) - Irish Immigrants

On To Arkansas. There is a reason I traced Kambree's roots through her Shannon Irish heritage rather than some other part of her heritage (including her grandfather's Guamanian heritage). This weekend my mom and I will be attending the annual Shannon family reunion in beautiful Mountain View, Arkansas. My next post will include reflections on that event.

- - -

Steve Shepard

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.
- - -
Steve Shepard

Not To Be Confused, August 15, 2013

You don't choose your family.
They are God's gift to you
as you are to them.
~Desmond Tutu

This past Saturday 25 of us attended a family reunion at the home of my mom Maida Shepard in Anacortes, Washington. The weather cooperated beautifully providing us with a sunny, pleasant afternoon. Memories were shared, a delicious meal was enjoyed, laughter rang out, young kids were underfoot, young and old relatives were embraced, news was shared of recent events and loved ones were remembered, under the trees of Fidalgo Island. 

We came from Texas, California, Oregon and various locations in Washington. We were named Shepard, Clark, Bell, Kilpatrick and Davis but we shared one spirit of family love.

The picture above shows those who attended the reunion. Thanks to Jerry Clark for this photo. From left to right are Jerry, Preslea, Nathan, Darrell, William, Chenda, Steve, Mary, Cindy, Russ, Steve, Linda, Chris, Jessica, Pam, Rachel, Maida, Barb, Don, Donelle, Janet, Bud, Cindy and Gary.

Logan Update. Not pictured in this lawn photo is Nathan and Chenda's 2 year old Logan A. Shepard who was sleeping off a raucous morning of activity. Logan A. Shepard, by the way, is not to be confused with his cousin Logan J. Shepard, son of Nicole and Patrick Shepard, who was born July 24, but who is still in the hospital with his parents at his bedside. The news brought to the reunion by his grandparents Darrell and Mary was that Logan J. continues to improve as his family remains optimistic and looks forward to taking him home sometime soon.

A Tribute Tattoo. One surprise moment at the reunion was when Steven P. Shepard unveiled an impressive tribute tattoo to his late grandfather Eugene Shepard, who passed away exactly 10 years ago. Steven P. Shepard, by the way, is not to be confused with his uncle Steven D. Shepard, the author of this blog. Steven P. is the one with the bumper sticker on his truck that says "Guess where I am pierced". Steven D. does not have a bumper sticker. Nor a truck. Not even a piercing. (How baby-boomer boring I am.)

Happy Birthday Linda! Tomorrow is the 20th birthday of my niece Linda M. Shepard of Anacortes. Linda M. Shepard, by the way, is not to be confused with my late sister Linda R. Shepard (1950-1971). Happy 20th birthday to Linda, who is the youngest granddaughter of Maida Shepard. The picture above, taken at the reunion, shows Linda with her parents Russ and Pam, and her brother Steven.

Many thanks to those who helped make this a special event (providing food, doing the setup, cooking, etc.) especially my mom, Maida Shepard, at whose home we met. Maida I. Shepard, by the way, is not to be confused with the youngest of her three G granddaughters, P. Maida Shepard.
- - -
Steve Shepard

Family Reunion This Saturday, August 8, 2013

Family reunion:

a chance to share our history

a reason to celebrate our past

a time to welcome our future.

Hello family and friends! Greeting to all of you from Anacortes, Washington where Cindy and I are helping with the final arrangements for our family reunion this coming Saturday. It is obvious that the family members who live here have done a lot of work making arrangements and preparing for a wonderful gathering. We look forward to family and friends who will be here from places near and far this weekend at the family home on Wildwood Lane.

Happy Birthday Heather! Our family reunion this Saturday falls on the birthday of Heather Robson Cotton, a member of our family who lives in Texas but is from right here in Oak Harbor, Washington. Heather the daughter of Paula Tuzzolino, and the granddaughter of Vicki Gower Johnston. Heather lives with her husband and their two daughters in San Antonio. The first picture shows Heather with her older daughter Tori.

Happy Birthday Jeremy! This coming Monday, August 12, is the birthday of Jeremy Ortiz, who lives with his wife Desiree and their 5 children in Blue Springs, Missouri. Jeremy is one of the G grandchildren of Will and Bura Davis Shepard.

Desiree tells me that "Jeremy will be 33 this year! He is keeping busy here in Missouri working all the time and on his days off he is coaching oldest son Damian in football and Ashlyn in soccer. Such a good Daddy:) The picture I included is Jeremy and his best friend Armand on our recent trip to San Diego."

The latest news on Logan Joseph Shepard, the new baby of Patrick and Nicole Shepard, is good. He was born July 24, but remains in the hospital in Seattle and will have to be there for a few more weeks. The word I keep hearing from his family is that he is improving and doing better all the time. But he still has some real health concerns and remains in our prayers.

A Family Historian Extraordinaire. In a previous blog post I included a picture of a family reunion in Anacortes some years ago. I asked if anyone could name all of the people in the picture. (Scroll down two blog posts to see the group picture.) My mom Maida responded with at least the first names of everyone in the picture. She therefore deserves my praise as an extraordinary family historian! The picture was taken in 1994, and must have been taken by Gary's wife Cindy, who is the only one not in the picture.

And finally... it was 10 years ago today that my dad Eugene Shepard (1921-2003) died here in Anacortes, Washington with his family gathered around him. We remember him fondly and will always have him in our hearts.

He loved family reunions and will have a special place in our memories as we gather this Saturday. Thanks be to God for the good life he lived and the wonderful family legacy he leaves behind.
- - -
Steve Shepard

Sweet Sorrow, Aug 3, 2013

Bless this house

O Lord we pray

make it safe

by night and day.

It is a time of sadness but joy as we pack up and move out of our home here in the mountains of California, in the tiny town of Dorrington. Later today we will drive out our long driveway for the last time. 

We have owned a home in Calaveras County for nearly 30 years, even though we have lived here full time for only a few of those years. Calaveras County is not the end of the world, but as they say, "You can see it from here." That is almost literally true. Alpine County, just to the east, IS the most sparsely populated and most remote county in the entire state of California. 

So now the time has come for us to sell our home and leave this scenic, forested locale.

The memories of our life here are many, whether in the winter with the sometimes heavy snowfall, or in summer when we hiked the mountains and basked in the beauty of the High Sierra. 

Here are a few of the special memories that we take with us as we leave:

• the historic winter of 1996-97, especially New Year's Day when we awoke to 3 inches of water on our bedroom floor;
• the time when a bear came through our yard, nose in the air, all too interested in the steaks I was barbecuing;
• the time when a bold bobcat sat in our snowy driveway and we stared each other down (I was in the safe confines of our upstairs study!);
• the many ski trips Nathan and Cindy and I enjoyed to Mount Reba Ski Resort, up the hill a short ways;
• the summer of 1998 when Nathan lived with us and worked at Bear Valley;
• the time when we had 29 youth and their sponsors from our church spend the night here before a ski trip;
• the time when Gary and Cindy drove down our icy driveway and their car slipped into the forest and they had to do without it for a few wintry days;

• the time when the "Yayas" (a group of women in our family, spent a week here (see picture);
• the many other times family and friends visited, especially those few times when our dads enjoyed themselves here, in both cases not long before they died;
• the Sunday morning about 10 years ago when a foot of fresh snow made getting out of our driveway a daunting challenge; our Jeep Cherokee powered through the soft snow and then the berm at the top of the driveway, but just barely, and we made it to my church responsibilities on time;
• the few times recently when our young grandchildren were able to visit (see picture of Presela on her bicycle);
  
  
• the Christmas when we dedicated this house, with a blessing that included the prayer at the top of this post.

What a great home this has been for us, and what a special area this has been in which to live. But life changes and with sweet sorrow we move on. This house has blessed our family in many ways. It will now be a blessing to someone else.

- - -
Steve Shepard

Who Are These People?, August 1, 2013

“Fred, you next," the plump woman said.

"I'm not Fred, I'm George," said the boy. 

"Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother?

Can't you tell I'm George?"

"Sorry, George, dear."

"Only joking, I am Fred," said the boy and off he went.”

~J.K. Rowling

Happy Birthday Lloyd! Today is the birthday of Lloyd Gower, the third Ggrandchild of Leroy and Nola Shannon Gower and the son of Hershell Gower. Lloyd was married back in early May to Tammy Turman of Mississippi. This summer they moved to Lloyd's old stomping grounds of San Marcos in San Diego County, making Lloyd one of just a handful of Gower descendants left in San Diego county. 

Lloyd's ancestral namesake was Lloyd W. Gower (1896 - 1918), the brother of his Ggrandfather (and my grandfather) Leroy Gower. Lloyd W. Gower was born in 1896, 3 years before his younger brother Leroy. Lloyd W. was killed in 1918 in World War I in Lorraine, France when he was just a 22 year old soldier. From the hills of Stone County in Northern Arkansas, Lloyd W. Gower is one more in our pantheon of ancestors who gave their lives in service to their country and to whom we owe a great debt. He is buried near Mountain View, Arkansas in small Cooper Hill Cemetery, the final resting place for just 43 people, 22 of whom have the last name Gower.

Baby Logan Update. Pat and Nicole Shepard's baby Logan, who was born last week, remains in the hospital in Seattle but seems to be improving each day. Our prayers and best wishes continue to be with Logan, his parents, and his whole family. The second picture shows Pat, Nicole and Logan in the hospital when the three of them were able to be together for a short while last weekend.

James and Kelly. This coming Monday, August 5, is the wedding anniversary of James and Kelly Shepard Sauvage of Weatherford, Texas. James and Kelly were married in 2000 in San Diego, just before they moved to Weatherford, Texas where they live today with their two boys Nate and Kyle.

Chris and Amanda. This Tuesday, August 6 is the 7th wedding anniversary of Chris and Amanda Clark Farrell. Amanda is the daughter of Jerry Clark and Jane Clark Brock of Lubbock, Texas. Chris and Amanda had a destination wedding in Austin, Texas back in 2006 and live today in Frisco, Texas near Ft. Worth. Happy anniversary to both these young couples!

Who Are These People? August 10, a week from this Saturday, is our 2013 family reunion in Anacortes, Washington. A picture of one of our previous Anacortes family reunions is shown below. It was taken in front of the family home on Wildwood Lane on a beautiful day. (Will we be so lucky?)

How many of these people can you identify? (There are 28 in all. My guess is no one can name every one.) What year was this picture taken? And who was taking the picture? You can click on the picture for a larger view of it.

The one who sends me the most correct answers to those three questions will qualify as a family historian extraordinaire and will receive my most flattering praise in a future blog post. (Hint: check the "labels" below.)
- - -
Steve Shepard