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A FAMILY VISIT, part 1
In April of 2015, Pono journeyed across a great ocean and a broad continent to
visit with family in Bar Harbor, Maine (BH). This is the
start of a summary of that visit in pictures and words.
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Entry to Crooked Road House
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Arrival of Pono
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The entry to JR and Courtney’s home is marked by this huge stone decorated by a
greyhound and the number of the house.
A rare picture of Pono with arms and legs covered, but still with sun glasses
and bare (or should I say bald) scalp. Look around, you’ll
see that throughout this tome trees and rocks are thematic.
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Stonehenge of Crooked Road
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Can Pono ascend the great drift?
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Just days before my arrival, I got this
picture of the progress of spring in BH. Courtney and the kids were
enjoying a sunny day in the campfire area by their house.
I requested that they preserve a pile of snow
so I could get a picture on it wearing my Hawaiian uniform. The massive
drifts and snow that slid from the rooftops coupled with a shaded area to
provide that opportunity.
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Snow defeated by sandals…
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…with help from Stuart and Poppy
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Six Sandins by birth
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Snow in the sandals
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Clover on the trike, Scarlet on the summit, JR
behind the pile (he had had enough of snow during the winter), Poppy, Pono and
Stuart.
For a guy born and raised in Michigan, but
recently and currently resident in Hawaii, the feeling of snow in the sandals
brought back a rich and varied set of memories. Sharing the experience
with two sons and three granddaughters was priceless!
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The brothers call it…
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…”Budding”
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My brother Bud spent several years in
California while JR and Stuart were growing up. He visited us often on
weekends and holidays and I usually seemed to have maintenance activities that I
could use help with when he was around. The concept became known as
“Budding” and has been adopted by the next generation.
Here, the boys attack an old wisteria vine
that has aggressively moved into and way up a nearby tree. They managed to
disconnect the vines from the tree and remove lots of the vines. It will
be interesting to see how the wisteria looks in its more confined form.
With all the swinging from the vines, etc., I’m not sure if the activity was
mostly work or mostly fun, but that’s what Budding is all about.
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JR with Scarlet
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Courtney with Clover
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The 1 ½ year old twins are very clingy,
especially with their parents. JR and Courtney seldom deny their need.
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Big sister Poppy is 4 ½ years old. It
was a delight to observe and be a part of the activities of the entire family.
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Poppy makes the call
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Pono swings Scarlet
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Patty reads
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The girls grow
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Stuart made a brief appearance in BH and Jen
an even briefer one. Courtney’s mother Patty was in town for about the
same period as I was. Patty and I were both afflicted with (probably)
travel-induced diseases. We joked about snorting at each other, but were
as careful as possible to limit slobbering on the girls.
You could almost see the girls grow from day to day!
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AFTERWORD
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It isn’t easy to summarize a two week experience like this one.
I had 144 pictures with those I took and those contributed by others.
I sorted and culled and ended up with about twice the number in a typical
Ponogram. So-o-o, Ponogram #97 will be on the same topic.
The twins were just beginning to put syllables together.
While I was there or just after I left, Scarlet put Po-no together, and the
event was duly filmed. As a bonus for reading all of this
Ponogram, here is
Scarlet saying Pono.
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