The Grand Canyon

I have a "raftin' man," He has a raftin' tan.
He runs most anything from Crystal on down.
One day he changed my life, made me his raftin' wife.
Hot Dog! I love my raftin' man!



It's no secret that we are a raftin' family. That is a BIG reason we built a home on "the most rafted river in America." (You can quote me on that.) Here is Paul playin' around in "Trouble Maker" - it is literally in our back yard.



The American River may be one of the most rafted in the US, but one of the most beautiful rivers in the world to raft is the Colorado River, 280 river miles through Grand Canyon National Park.

Paul just got home from a two week white water rafting trip on that very river.


He first rafted the Grand Canyon in 1985 with his rafting mentor, Blaine. Then he decided to apply for a permit to take his whole family down...the permit came up in 1993, 8 years later! When he finished that trip he applied for another permit...this one comes up next year - July 2011! That's right - it has taken 18 years for this permit to come up!!! Traffic on the Grand Canyon is highly regulated in an effort to minimize the environmental impact. Only a certain number of permits are allowed each year & commercial companies are allowed a lot more trips down than "private" trips (like ours).



The waiting list had gotten so long that they've finally gone to a lottery system! Being an experienced boatman, Paul has had several other opportunities to raft the Grand; specifically in 1994, 1996, & most recently - these past two weeks of June 2010. Of course there are no pictures of his recent trip. I'm the picture taker & since I didn't go with him this time, there are no pictures to post...but wait a minute...I DO happen to have some from previous trips! (Hey, it's my blog so I will post what I want to!)

In 1993 Paul & I took our oldest seven children (along with some dear friends) on an incredible 16 day adventure. We drove to Lee’s Ferry, 6 miles below Lake Powell’s Glenn Canyon Dam coming down from the north rim where we “put in” four rafts full of equipment, food, & 16 very excited people.




During the long drive to the put in, I braided all the girls’ long hair (Bo Derek style) for easy maintenance during the trip.



The Grand Canyon is a highly spiritual experience as you recognize the awesome power of this planet & all of God’s creations. The quiet serenity & calmness of the canyons contrasted by the power & veracity of the rapids allows you to witness both extremes of His artistry. From above the rim you see a beautiful desert & a most picturesque view of the magnificent canyons, but within the canyons themselves (at river level) those canyon walls tower above you in regal splendor and contain hidden surprises at every turn. We would stop & enjoy scenic hikes & breath-taking spectacles of nature at its best…



the aquamarine waters of the little Colorado & the turquoise travertine pools Havasu,



the fern & ivy covered water falls of Deer Creek, Vasey’s, Silver Grotto, Elve’s Chasm –



the vast expanse of Red Wall Cavern where the girls & I held an impromptu concert of some of our favorites (the acoustics where amazing!),




the wind & water swept labarynths & catacombs of Deer Creek & Matkatamiba,



the water slides of Shinamu & Travertine Canyon,



the 1000 yr old Anasazi Graineries of Nankoweap, including prehistoric imprints of million year old nautaloids & early Native American petroglyphs.



True story: After this trip, Leah’s first week of 5th Grade, her teacher passed out their Social Studies book & on the first page was a picture of the Anasazi Graineries. Leah blurted out, “Hey! I’ve been there!”

Teacher, “Oh no, you must be mistaken, you can only get there from the bottom of the Grand Canyon.”

Leah, “I know, I hiked up there & we were sitting right there.”

Teacher, “That’s just not possible, I’m sure you are mistaken.”

Leah came home so upset that her teacher didn’t believe her. So I sent her back to school with this picture in hand to prove to all the nay-sayers that she in fact, has been in the Anasazi Graineries.



The Colorado River is rated on an international scale of one to ten, ten being the most difficult rapid to run. There are several nines & several eights like Granite, Hermit, Horn Creek, & Upset, but the BIG two class 10s that are most widely known are Crystal & Lava. Most boatmen get out & “scout” the big rapids to discuss & develop a plan for the best way to “avoid the dangers” in the big water. Paul & the other boatmen are getting expert advice from his mentor & rafting guru, Blaine.



For all the adrenaline junkies…nothing beats the excitement of the roaring class 10 rapids of Crystal & Lava…now you see us…



Now you don’t!



16 Days with your family in the wilderness gives you lots of time to bond without the distractions of today’s modern world. It was good wholesome, clean fun…well, except for that mud fight the day they were mud wrestling.



I have a "raftin' man," He has a raftin' tan.
He runs most anything from Crystal on down.
One day he changed my life, made me his raftin' wife.
Hot Dog! I love my raftin' man!



Looking forward to another Grand Canyon wilderness adventure in 2011!

I’m Glad You’re My Dad

I feel safe when you are with me;
You show me fun things to do;
You make my life much better;
The best Dad I know is you.

I’m glad you’re my Dad
And so I want to say
I love you, Dad, and wish you
A Happy Father’s Day!

By Joanna Fuchs



I asked the kids to describe their dad in one word...

Champion...
Dedicated...
River...
Generous...
Prepared...
Dependable...
Hero...
Fascinating...
Honest...
Work-a-holic...

Even though Paul is NOT my Dad, I'm very glad he's THEIR Dad!
Happy Father's Day to all the great Dad's in my life...
especially the Dad's of all my grandchildren!!!

The Playhouse

Once upon a time there was a mommy who dreamed of having a "playhouse" for her children to play in. Playhouses are very expensive & there just wasn't enough money in the budget for a playhouse or the fun miniature furniture to put inside. One day, the mommy came upon a yard sale & found some affordable second-hand toy "kitchen" appliances that would be perfect for a playhouse. So the mommy cleared a corner of the garage out, next to the washer & dryer, & created the perfect little playhouse for her little girl. The mommy & her little girl were very happy...



A few years went by & they moved to a newer home. They brought their little kitchen with them, but this house didn't have a garage for the little girl & her siblings to play in. So the daddy had a great idea...he would build a playhouse for the children to play in. With the help of the granddaddy (who worked for an electrical company), they brought home some old discarded cable spools to use to build a playhouse.



The spools themselves were tons of fun to climb on & the daddy let the children hammer on them & take them apart. Brother learned how to work with tools as he would work alongside his dad & granddaddy.



They helped him build a "club house," too. He was proud of his sign, "No Girls Aloud!" (I'm not sure if they would be "allowed" if they were quiet or not.)



It was a busy construction zone in the backyard for well over a year because the daddy was building a garage at the same time. They would build a little, then save up for more materials, then build some more, & the process continued.




They worked evenings & Saturdays in the cold of winter & the humid heat of the summer days in the south.



The girls would frequently check on the progress & would often play in the unfinished playhouse when they could. They wanted people to know that the playhouse was for girls only, so the daddy hung their sign above the door..."No Boys!"



When the roof went on, they all got so excited because it was starting to look like a real house. They built a loft above the porch & it was totally finished inside with sheet rock that mommy wallpapered in a tiny flower print & linoleum flooring. It even had electricity with a working light & ceiling fan.



Building this playhouse was a generational labor of love. When it was completed, the children enjoyed some great times playing house & pretending.



Unfortunately, there are no pictures of the outside of the beautifully finished little playhouse in the backyard, but the memories are vivid & will remain in their hearts forever.

The daddy passed away & when the little family decided to move, the grandaddy moved the little playhouse to his home in the country so the children would always see it when they came to visit & remember that it was built for them with love. As they grew older they didn't play in it anymore, but they did visit & remember with tenderness.




Years later, the grandaddy & grandmommy passed away, too. The children were sad to see this chapter of their lives end - they loved their grandparents very much. What would become of their little playhouse? Would the new owners appreciate it the same as they had?

Well, their uncle had a great idea...



He moved the little playhouse to his home in the country, overlooking his pond, so that when the children came to visit, they would see it & remember that it was built for them with love.



Now their cousins' children enjoy playing in it & pretending. It still has the same wallpaper, the same curtains, the same little brown chairs, & the same little second-hand refrigerator (spray painted white)....& most importantly, the same feeling of love that was built into every inch.



Generations linked by love helps us appreciate the simple things in life - like treasured childhood memories of special times with special people...& they will live happily ever after because "families are forever."

Thanks, Uncle Tim! We love you for caring about the "important" things...like family - who we are & where we come from.

M-I-SS-I-SS-I-PP-I

"Team Bassett" is assigned to work in Mississippi this summer & they happened to be close to the TN/MS Stateline in Olive Branch, MS…so…I took an opportunity to visit me some family.

I got there just in time for Rick’s birthday. They let me babysit while they took the day to celebrate; they went to Graceland, Pink Palace Museum, & the Rendezvous for dinner…Happy Birthday Rick!




We had lots of fun playing with bubbles…



Playin' outside in the heat (icky, sticky, humidity)…



And playing in the bathtub…



The next couple of days Aunt Nancy & I got to work on Grandmommy’s attic. (Grandmommy passed away a couple of years ago & Uncle Tim wanted us to see if there was anything in storage that the California Carter Critters wanted.) So we went through BOTH attics & the basement to see if there was anything someone might want. Since the Carter homestead was being rented out, we didn’t want to disturb the tenants who were at work while we were there. The Attic was stifling hot in the middle of the day in Memphis. 5 hours later - we had both cars stuffed full of "treasures" to take back to Nancy’s to sort through where it was cooler. I can’t believe I didn’t take any pictures! But we were on a mission to “gitterdone!” Of course we had a couple of cute little distractions…



Lydia & Sadie (April’s girls) were staying with “Nana” while April was at YW’s Camp. It was fun to play with them & get to know them better. They are full of energy & personality, but they were very patient with us during this whole project. Lydia was okay taking a picture with me…



…but I couldn’t bribe Sadie to get close enough. I kept trying to steal kisses from her & she would run away & giggle…so cute!



Once our project was complete, I went back to MS to play with my girls. We spent most of our time playing in the air conditioned apartment, but when we DID brave the heat, we fed the ducks…




…went to the park…



…went swimming (Keira’s personal favorite, but Lexi seems to like it, too!)…





We went to a beautiful outdoor mall (that happened to have a live band playing music) so Leah could do a photo shoot with the girls. I was surprised that they lasted a whole hour in that heat…I melted! Lexi is patiently waiting her turn…



After the photo shoot, I took the girls to “THE Gym” to meet my gym buddy, Donna – this is basically where the Carter Critters grew up. Can’t believe I didn’t take any pics of Donna, either – I was really off my game! But Keira loved playing on all the equipment…




Ty & I went to church with Cousin Reed & Aunt Nancy & followed them back to their place for lunch. (Uncle Tim had Riley at Scout Camp all week.) Reed noticed several turtles in the pond & excused himself to “take care of things.” He came back with these…



Really??? I learned that the turtles eat the fish which eat the mosquito larva, so in order to keep the mosquito population down, they “shoot” the turtles!



Uncle Ty got one on his first shot. Notice the poor turtle came up out of the water on the bank bleeding…



I must have scared him off when I came close to get a picture because he went back in the water & as he did…the fish started nibbling at his wound & he made his way under the dock & climbed back onto the bank & this is what I saw…



Eeeeww!!! Yes, those are turtle guts hangin’ out of the bullet hole in the back of that turtle! I guess those little fish got their revenge on those turtles for eating them! Ah…the balance of nature!

My dear, Nancy. I love you more than words can say.



Saying goodbye to the Carter homestead…



Old homes! Old hearts! Upon my soul forever. Their peace and gladness lie like tears and laughter. (Madison Julius Cawein)
Goodbye old house...