Yellowstone Park - Winter in May!

Dwight, Sharon, and sisters Donna, Annie, Marcia, and friend Penner traveled to Yellowstone Park over Memorial Day weekend and were treated to 3 days of snow, lots of wildlife, and much fun. It's been nearly 19 years since we moved from Wyoming, but driving through felt like home. It was a wonderful trip. We enjoyed 2 days in Yellowstone, 1 day in Jackson, Wyoming, which included a drive through Grand Teton National Park. The photos above include one of us in front of one of the many waterfalls in Yellowstone Park, a shot of Jackson Lake and the Grand Tetons as we were heading home on the last day (the day the sun finally came out, naturally!), and one of Sharon as we greeted our first day in Yellowstone!

A Visit with Grandfather Gallagher

Sharon spent a long weekend in Wisconsin at the end of April, staying with Steve and Beth in Appleton. Sharon, Steve and Beth (and Mello, their chocolate lab) spent a day in Madison with Sharon's 88-year-old dad. Other visits included a wonderful dinner in Milwaukee with brother Richard and wife Ann, and another wonderful dinner in Green Bay with sister Kathy and husband Tom. Grandfather is still pretty sharp, but physically weak He is well cared for at Oakwood Village, and receives frequent visits from his pastor, and from the Gallaghers and the Joynts. Beth and Steve have gone down to see him a couple of times, too. Sure wish it could be easier, but if you're blessed with longevity, growing old can be a real challenge.

Sharon Skis Again - 20 Years Later!

Yes, that's right, Sharon decided to try skiing again - 20 years since the last time. Granddaughter Kyra (above with Sharon) is taking 6 weeks of lessons and this was the excuse Sharon needed to get her to try again. So, yesterday was the day - the weather was supposed to be mild (not too cold, not snowing). She hadn't counted on wind, however, and that turned out to be the biggest problem of the day (gusts that shut down chair lifts and took all the warmth the sun would have otherwise provided). It was a difficult day, but Kyra's mom (Angela, along with her sister, Shirin) graciously put up with Sharon's slow but steady progress. Once a pretty good skier, Sharon was plagued by a combination of age, poor muscle tone, and wind that swept most of the snow off the mountain, leaving ice and crusted snow. She was unable to get out of the basic snow plow position and regain her confidence, which meant a lot of physical labor. But ... she did it! And she's quite proud of herself - not bad for an out-of-shape broad of 57 years! After getting home last night, she suffered major leg cramps for a couple of hours, but finally got to sleep. Today, her arms and legs are a little sore, but that's about it. If she does this again, she may try "blades" (really short skis). Angela uses these and says they are a lot easier on the legs.

Happy New Year from Kirk

Our 19-month-old Great Dane, Kirk, enjoyed a sunny Colorado outing at Chatfield State Park this morning. These shots show him playing with a chocolate lab, walking with Dwight, and enjoying a cup of coffee and donut afterwards with Sharon (note that he thinks he's sitting on her lap!) Kirk garners lots of attention wherever he goes. His size (125 pounds) and gentle personality, added to his puppy-like goofy-ness, cause people to stop to meet him and talk "dog talk" with us. It's so much fun that we often take him to Starbucks on Saturday mornings if the weather is warm enough to sit outside.

Christmas 2005

Sharon traveled to Wisconsin a few days before Christmas, visited her dad briefly in Madison before driving up to Appleton to stay with Beth and Steve. Sharon and Steve drove to Milwaukee Friday afternoon and visited with brother Richard, Ann and their youngest daughter Catherine. On Saturday morning, Steve, Beth and Sharon headed for breakfast at sister Kathy's home in Green Bay. We enjoyed our visit with Kathy, Tom and three of their sons, Michael, Nathan and Timothy. That evening, Christmas Eve, Steve led the early service at his church in Appleton, then Sharon enjoyed dinner and games at the Johnsons (Beth's sister and family). Steve preached the following morning (a creative and dramatic reading from the perspective of one of the shepherds in the Christmas story) and then he and Sharon and Beth drove down to Madison to spend Christmas afternoon and evening with Grandfather Gallagher. Steve and Beth's chocolate lab, Mello, joined us for the visit and also got to meet Grandfather.

Dwight preached at Presbyterian Church of the Covenant on Christmas morning (in Colorado), enjoyed an afternoon dinner with friends Bill & Pat Shaffer, then flew to Madison that evening. We stayed overnight in Madison, then visited Grandfather one more time before heading up for Appleton where we spent a couple more days with Beth and Steve. They were very sweet to put up with the parents for so long; their home is warm and hospitable and we appreciated the "free rent"!

Our flight home from Madison turned out to be quite a (miserable) adventure. We agreed to give up our seats on our original flight in order to earn two free United ticket vouchers, expecting to get home by around midnight. It meant flying through Chicago, which had been socked in by fog all day (unbeknownst to us) and, long story short, we crawled into bed about 4:00am Thursday morning, Dec 29, and didn't do much the rest of the day except sleep! Sharon hopes to use those free tickets to see her dad again this spring. He's slipping a bit and we're not sure he recognized who all was visiting him, so it's important that she not wait too long before the next trip.

Anniversary Cruise to Baja Mexico!

We celebrated our 34th wedding anniversary with a 4-night cruise and family reunion, November 14-18, with Steve and Beth, Donna (Dwight's sister) and Annie, Marcia (Dwight's sister) and Calvin, and life-long friends Tom & Carmen (who were married by Dwight just two days before the cruise). We all had a wonderful time hanging out with each other (and playing a lot of Skip-Bo!), and visiting San Diego, Catalina Island, and Ensenada, Mexico.

Pictured above - (1) Tom, Carmen, Sharon & Dwight on formal night; (2) Beth, Steve, Dwight and Sharon on the tender from the ship to Catalina Island; (3) Donna, Annie & Beth; (4) Calvin & Marcia; (5) Sharon & Dwight.

Dwight performs wedding for life-long friends

We traveled to Oxnard, California last weekend so that Dwight could perform the wedding cermony for Tom and Carmen Kruschke on November 12. Tom was the best man at our wedding 34 years ago, and Carmen's family lived on the same street as Dwight's family in the 1950's. Dwight introduced Tom and Carmen during their high school years, and they reconnected 3 years ago after Carmen picked out Tom's email address from a distribution list we used to communicate with friends and family. The wedding was small and simple and held on Mandalay Beach, a 10 minute walk from Tom and Carmen's home, and right behind the Embassy Suites, where we had dinner following the ceremony. Tom and Carmen then honeymooned with the Blackstock family as we cruised from Los Angeles to San Diego, Catalina Island, and Baja Mexico.

Dwight to start new position as Interim Pastor

Dwight has been invited to serve as the Interim Pastor for Presbyterian Church of the Covenant, Englewood, Colorado (just 11 miles from our home), beginning November 1, 2005. Interim pastors have a critical role in helping congregations adjust after one pastor leaves and anticipate the arrival of a new permanent pastor. Most interim positions last about a year; this one may take a little longer. It will be the first full-time position Dwight has had since leaving Grace Presbyterian Church and going on disability three years ago, and it will be an opportunity for him to see if he is ready to handle the physical demands of full-time work.

If you'd like to know a little more about Presbyterian Church of the Covenant, here's a link to the website: http://presbycov.org/

Dwight bags a trout!

Dwight and Sharon spent a couple of days near Fairplay, Colorado this week, with friends Jon and Danny Yeagley, who've built a beautiful cabin there. Jon took Dwight fishing at Jefferson Lake and after 18 years of complaining that he'd never caught a fish in Colorado, Dwight finally bagged a couple. Jon did the same and we had a fine trout dinner as our reward.

Memorial Service for Esther Gallagher

Pictures above: (1) Picture of Mom, circa 1970; (2) Dad surrounded by three of his grandsons; (3) Sharon, Kathy, and Richard, children of Sid and Esther Gallagher, at the memorial service for their mother on August 12th at Luther Memorial Church in Madison.

Sharon and Dwight spent the last week of July in Wisconsin visiting family and celebrating the marriage of nephew Matt and fiance Heidi on the 31st. We were able to spend some time with Sharon's parents as well, and it was pretty evident that Sharon's mother, Esther, age 89, was failing. We were able to use this time to say good-bye to Mom and let her know how much she was loved. We returned home on August 1st and a week later, Mom died. We then flew back to Wisconsin for the remainder of that week which ended with a memorial service on August 12 at Luther Memorial Church in Madison. All 7 of the grandchildren present participated in the service. Brother Richard expressed for both him and Sharon the gratitude we feel for sister Kathy's steadfast care for Mom and Dad over the last six years. Mom fell in 1999, suffered a compression fracture of the spine and never really recovered. Sharon's father, Sid, age 87, is weak physically, but still of pretty sound mind. He misses Mom terribly, even though the last couple of years have been extremely difficult.

Steve and Beth enjoy a moment together

Steve and Beth have declared this is their favorite picture ever! Sharon caught them sitting outside the church following cousin Matt's wedding in Milwaukee on July 31st.

Enjoying Alterra Coffee in Milwaukee

Dwight, Sharon, Beth and Steve visited Sharon's brother Richard at his office in downtown Milwaukee in July. We were in Milwaukee to attend nephew Matt Joynt's wedding.

Pictures from Ghost Ranch

Sharon conquers Chimney Rock! It's probably been 20 years since she last climbed anything at Ghost Ranch, so this was a thrill and major accomplishment. A group of six from the vocal camp made the trek before breakfast one morning.

Dwight and Kyra enjoyed their walks to the Dining Hall and Pinon (where the kids program was based) every morning.

Ghost Ranch - the magic place!

We spent a wonderful week in New Mexico, July 11-17, at the Presbyterian Conference Center near Abiquiu called Ghost Ranch. Kyra (almost 7) came with us and had a blast.

Sharon spent the week in a vocal camp, culminating in a Saturday night concert performing 2 masses - one in Latin and the other a rockin' gospel piece. What fun! Dwight did some sermon work, took a bunch of pictures and read a lot. It was hot hot hot and there is no A/C anywhere at the ranch except in the main office and Trading Post (bookstore/gift shop), but it was wonderful to be there again. No TV, no cell phone service, no street lights. The last time we were at the ranch was in 1998 when Steve was on the college staff. Now we're hooked again and already looking forward to returning next year.

Sadly, we learned while in New Mexico that Sharon's mother had been hospitalized. Her dad fell about a month ago and has been in nursing care ever since. Mother could not make it alone and now they are both in nursing care (sharing a room), and will not be returning to the apartment. Sister Kathy is packing up everything and preparing the apartment to be sold. We will visit Mom and Dad this weekend when we fly to Wisconsin for our nephew's wedding (which will be the following weekend).

July 4th weekend in the Vail Valley

Steve and Beth just headed home after spending a week in Colorado celebrating their first wedding anniversary. We worshipped at Eagle River Presbyterian Church in Avon on July 3rd, where they were married a year before. Dwight preached and we enjoyed seeing members of the congregation again. Dwight and Sharon stayed at the (beautiful!) home of Ruth and Tom Powers in Edwards, while Beth and Steve spent the week in a wonderful time share condo in Vail, a wedding gift from friends Jon and Danny Yeagley. The July 3rd fireworks in Avon were spectacular, and we got to enjoy them with granddaughter Kyra and her mom Angela, who came up overnight to see them. Last night, Dwight, Sharon, Beth and Steve spent the evening listening to live cowboy music and eating unusual appetizers at the Buckhorn (Denver's oldest restaurant). Tomorrow, Dwight, Sharon and Kyra head to New Mexico for a week at Ghost Ranch, including a visit with Fred and Pat Trusell in Santa Fe. Kyra will very likely become addicted to Ghost Ranch, like all Blackstocks before her!

July 4th - Rocky Mountain high!

We celebrated the July 4th holiday at Sylvan Lake near Eagle, Colorado with Beth and Steve.

Happy Anniversary Beth & Steve!

Kirk takes us for another walk in the park!

Kirk loves the dog park - he plays with dogs of all sizes and loves wandering in the river. These are some pictures from our walk in the park over the weekend. And the walk is good for us, too! Dwight has been experiencing significantly less pain the last few weeks and we are beginning to think that his life may soon be back to normal, including the possibility of full-time work. What a blessing that would be! We are looking forward to a few days with Beth and Steve this weekend and some great travel plans over the summer. We'll share the pictures when we return!

Sharon tells Kirk to pose for the camera! 

Dwight tries to teach Kirk to fetch (this will not be easy ... ) 

Kirk plays with some new friends at the dog park - Chatfield State Park, Colorado. 

Kirk leaps for that treat! 

Dwight in front of Elbert Presbyterian Church, where he preached for most of the month of June. It's about a 90-minute drive from our home. Sharon joined the 3-member choir for the three weeks we worshiped there. Lots of fun and a beautiful drive. 

Sharon gives Kirk a treat for staying close while off leash at the dog park 

Kirk and Dwight take a break from their walk in the park. 

A day at the dog park with Kirk

Today was so beautiful - the first sunny weekend in about two months. We took Kirk to the dog park at Chatfield State park this afternoon - it was hot enough that we decided to stick close to the river so he could walk into it several times to cool off and drink. Dwight's had a good week with a lot less pain and we are very encouraged. Sharon is trying to finish up some projects at work before taking off a lot of time during the month of July. Steve and Beth will be here the first week in July, staying at a time share in Vail. We'll go up for the July 4th weekend and stay with friends, enjoy the fireworks and Dwight will preach at Eagle River Presbyterian on the 3rd. He's preaching a lot this summer at various churches and is enjoying the discipline of sermon preparation. There will be two other trips in July - a week at Ghost Ranch in New Mexico and a week in Wisconsin. Kirk will be in a pet care facility for most of the month, poor baby.

Happy 1st birthday to Kirk 5/31/05! 

Red Rock Canyon - just west of Las Vegas

Yes, we saw a small herd of donkeys in the wild!

Lunch at The Stratosphere!

Dwight and Sharon "On Top of the World" in Las Vegas - Hah! As if 1100+ feet is on top of anything! We thought the oxygen was pretty thick down this low!

Our Weekend in Las Vegas

Arrived home last night after a 4-day weekend in Las Vegas - warm and sunny, had a great time, but our hotel left a bit to be desired (silly me thought $89 a night slightly off-strip would be OK, but it was pretty run-down, and then there was the mid-day screaming pounding on the door brawl between two men for about 30 minutes 10 doors from us ... ) But we had fun, lost some money and mourned the fact that you can no longer drop coins in the slot machines (all slots have been sealed off and you have to use bills, then get receipts when you cash out, like that ever happens!)

Went on a couple of day trips to Hoover Dam and Red Rock Canyon, but believe it or not, the highlight of the weekend was visiting First Presbyterian Church Las Vegas for worship Sunday morning and then returning that evening for their choral concert - 100 voices with orchestra. It brought us to tears and was a wonderful experience.

Had a couple of nice meals, one at the Bellagio and one at the Top of the World Restaurant in the Stratosphere, saw an improv comedy routine at Harrah's, but mostly we relaxed and visited various Starbucks around town (where there are NO one-armed bandits!)