Happy New Year!

and a note about what's going on in Dubai!

Tom is there tonight, playing at a sheik's party.

That's serious travel!

happy new year to you all.
love,
dad

Barbed Wire in a Hammer Museum?

 Dadio, I talked to you about putting this up while I was still in Skagway. Sorry about the late arrival, and the lack of posting. With the internet being so terrible in Skagway I can't really upload or download much. But i'll try and make up for it by posting some of my adventures over the next couple weeks :)

 

I traveled around south east Alaska a lot more this year. The fact of having an actual passport this time around helped a lot, also having a checklist of things that I didn't do my first year. I ended up in the larger town of Haines a number of times, larger by about 800 people so still a small town. You can get to Haines in three different ways. 1. By car, which takes about 9 hours, passport required.     2. By boat, which takes you on average 1 hour. And 3. By plane, which will take you 20 minutes. Haines has some awesome stuff that Skagway doesn't, including a bald eagle research building with a sweet taxidermy museum, a whole new set of trails, a ton of different touring companies, since its a fishing town killer fresh seafood, and last but definitely not least is the hammer museum. "Home to the worlds biggest hammer" Its a tiny 3 room building with hammers covering all the walls. They seriously had a million hammers for every occasion, including an electric hammer, dentist hammer, nut hammers, a hammer made of solid gold, railroad hammers, whiskey barrel hammers, seriously anything you could think of they have a hammer for.

But on one wall marked "Fencing Hammers" I found a small coil of Kelly's patented barbed wire from 1861. It said it was the first patented barbed wire, and this made me think of Dadio and all his work and research on the subject. Is 1861 seriously the first patent of something that useful? Hopefully Dadio you can shed some light :)

Happy Birthday Ben

And to celebrate, this proof of a creative and fertile mind:

love,
Dad

Ben's big in the Netherlands

Check this out (be patient with the first minute or so):

http://www.uitzendinggemist.nl/afleveringen/1364718

Here is Phins soccer schedule

Cascade Team Schedule (BU6D1T4)
Date	Time	Field
Saturday, August 24	8:00AM	13 & 14
Tuesday, August 27	5:00PM	3 & 4
Tuesday, September 3	5:00PM	13 & 14
Saturday, September 7	8:00AM	9 & 10
Tuesday, September 10	5:00PM	9 & 10
Saturday, September 14	8:00AM	7 & 8
Tuesday, September 17	5:00PM	11 & 12
Saturday, September 21	8:00AM	13 & 14

And here is Simon's soccer schedule

Date	Time	Field	Half Time Fruit	After Game Snack & Drink
24-Aug	12:30 PM	11,12	Simon Abbott	Brennin Williams
28-Aug	05:00 PM	13,14	Zachary Ferguson	Brandon Valdes
4-Sep	06:30 PM	13,14	Willem Maughan	Shion Sonomura
7-Sep	11:00 AM	9,10	Jack Miche	Thomas Sims
11-Sep	05:00 PM	13,14	Teague Nelson	Maddox Nielsen
14-Sep	12:30 PM	13,14	Maddox Nielsen	Teague Nelson
18-Sep	05:00 PM	11,12	Thomas Sims	Jack Miche
21-Sep	11:00 AM	1314	Shion Sonomura	Willem Maughan

All of their games are down in the vineyard area fields off fourth south toward Utah lake.

I love you guys and want you to know you are all invited to any and all of the games.  It's been fun to watch the kids get better.  It's amazing what practice and experience will do.  Special thanks to Kade and Jar, they love playing with you guys. 

Happy 64th birthday pops ..

Happy birthday dad!! You make 64 not scary at all.. I love you for what you've taught me, what you've done for me, what you do for me still, but mostly just for WHO you are as a father , friend, and a person. You are the greatest example of goodness and greatness I've ever seen. I am so grateful that you were born ;) ..and that I was the lucky one to have gotten you as my dad. I love you dad.. You rock my little world;) can't wait to BBQ it up Sunday for your celebration ;)

Dad. Father padre big daddy deluxe my man. I love you and celebrate your birth.

Happy Birthday Tom

Missed you at the Stadium of Patriotic Fervor tonight, but this photo reminds me of how much I love you.
Happy Birthday.
Dad

Happy Birthday Maren

Okay, Tim gets into the spotlight too, but only because I thought this was a nice photo of you, Maren, and because it is a great example of what a fine supporter of family you are.
love you,
Dad

ABBOTT WINS!

Sam raced at Sundance this evening, after a day of jackhammer hell.
Here some of the photos of the victory -- one of the racers he beat was the brother of Kurt Apostle, whose Euclid Timberframe provided plans and the frame for our house (notice his do-rag from "Survivor -- the TV show he competed on). Notice Sam's Heli-Bikers shirt -- a reference to the jackhammer hell, I think.
Congratulations Sam!

So Jake and I climbed Castleton Tower outside of Moab sunday morning. And it was really nice. And other than getting our rope stuck as we pulled it from the first rappel down to the second and brainstorming how well we would do sleeping 250 feet off the ground, everything went great.

ABBOTT WINS!

Check this out, my friends:

http://www.newsminer.com/sports/local/abbott-wins-five-stage-mountain-bike-race/article_50f9b958-cc25-11e2-a66a-001a4bcf6878.html

Happy Birthday Tim

A happy face like so many. You make me happy too.
love,
Dad

Happy Birthday Sam

Lots and lots of memories from a growing number of years.

Love you,

Dad

Lone Peak Wilderness

This is at the top of the Dry Canyon trail in the Lone Peak Wilderness. The trail goes up 2000 feet in just under 2 miles from the trailhead to this point. My goal was to hike up into the clouds. I then had the opportunity to hike down in the rain. I took a video of the area as well but the format isn't supported.

Happy Birthday Joe!

photo taken by zarko when he visited us those years ago

Hold my hand like Kim Jong Un

Henry, Rachel, Ingrid, and our fish Gargamel helped me make a movie of my Kim Jong Un song. We wanted to get it out on the internets before Kim did something really bad and it wasn't funny any more. Not that killing 10,000 of his own citizens each year in political prisons isn't bad, I guess. Like Eddie Izzard observes, as long as it's your own people, "help yourself."

lyn's birthday

is on the 18th.
give her a call if you feel so inclined.
love,
dad

Nathan the Wise

When Nate was born, I had been reading and writing about one of the great German plays of the 18th century: Nathan the Wise, by Lessing.

It's a play about religious tolerance during the Crusaders' attempts to take Jerusalem from the Moslems. Nathan has to answer the ruler Saladin's question about which is the true religion. He opts for a parable, the parable of the rings, that concludes with the wise thought that the true religion would be the one whose adherents are the best people.

Under that influence, we named our new son Nathan.

These years later, the father of four and the good husband of Ellie, the brilliant teacher and the bike mechanic extraordinaire (not to mention bathroom rehabilitator!), Nate is a very good example of that sobriquet (look it up!): Nathan the Wise and the Good.

love you Nate, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Dad

ready or not here he comes

Reuben Glen Abbott  03.24.13
7 pounds 1 ounce
19 3/4 inches long

before

after

clementine loves giving LOTS of kisses and nuzzles

phin is always there to make sure reuben is happy

Hey guys

Dad got mad at me for not posting. So I'm gonna post now. Brandon and Tim pushed me so hard this morning biking that I almost puked. Never had that before. Now my legs feel great.

Four Young Writers

Family Pictures from The Calendar

Joe and Tracy and Regan and Jake and Ciara and Brielle brought me a calendar the other day. I thought you would like to see how you were depicted. So here the months of the year:

Sorry I missed most of February.  Here are a couple of updates.  Ellie's just about a month out on the new baby.  She mentioned the other day that I don't understand how hard it is for her to get out of bed.  A little, well super nervous, but still excited.  Don't know if it's a boy or a girl so haven't really set on a name yet.  Suggestions and guesses are welcome.  Ellie said we needed to get the bathroom done before the baby comes so we're in the middle of that right now. 

Went and saw Kade play on Monday and was super impressed at his mad skills.  It was fun for the boys to watch(half the time, the other half they played tag) and see how soccer is supposed to be played.  Simon came home saying that number one he wanted Kadon on his team and then also that he wanted to play.  Way excited. 

Simon set up the basement the other day using the top picture as a guide.  He had drawn it and included forests, swamps, mountains, enemies, etc.  and was setting the basement up to reflect his map.  I love kids.  It made me so happy watching him create this world and then play in it.  It made me think when was the last time I had created a wonderful world to live within. 

If you guys follow this link and then click on Conference agenda you'll see someone you know in the Saturday breakout session.

Love you guys.  Hopefully see you at Grandmas.

n

Ciara and Regan have been taking photography as one of their classes this year.  Here is their online photo show.  They chose their favorite photos of the month to enter.  I have been very impressed with the photography skills they have.  Ciara and Regan made their own reflector out of cardboard and aluminum foil. Much better than I was at their age!

Here is the link to their show:
http://www.wendileephotobloggy.com/?p=1208

Ohhhhhhmmmmmmmmm.  Ohhhhmmmm.  Ohhhhhmmmmmmmmm,

With the lights off and the Tibetan singing bowl loop going the group of first graders in my class were sitting, laying, and squating around my room concentrating on the sounds.  I moved quietly among them and reminded the odd child to close their eyes.  Simon was at the front of the class by the whiteboard.  Ohhhmmming away to himself with his hands up, pointer finger to thumb. I hadn't told him to do this, but apparently he a a good number of the other students in the class were in the know on what do while meditating in Chinese class.  "In through the nose, out through the mouth."  I reminded them.  "Focus on your breathing."  My class of first graders were just amazing.  After I turned off the the meditation track we had a discussion about Tibetan singing bowls, prayer, meditation and ascetics. I do love my job.  Having my own child in the class makes it only sweeter still.

Grandma at Stonehenge

Just moved Grandma from the AF hospital to the AF Stonehenge, on 5th East (the road to the freeway),  across the street from DI.

She's very drowsy, must have given her plenty of painkillers to make moving easier.

If you come to visit, bring her drawings from your kids.

American Fork538 South 500 East
Phone: 801-642-2000

Going North

This week I made the decision to return to the great white north of Skagway. I've been trying to decide between moving to Long Beach CA, or back to Skagway, and after looking at housing prices in Long Beach, it wasn't that hard of a decision. $750 a month for a one bedroom one bathroom apt. is too pricey for my blood. My boss was pleased to hear of my return and told me there was always room for me up there, which is always nice to hear. Turns out hard work does actually pay off, now just to transition my hard work to school. Fall 2013 was the goal to go back to UVU, and that is still the plan. Im not sure where Im gonna live once I get back, if the frontrunner schedule works out then I'll probably still live up here in Salt Lake, but if that doesn't work then its back to good ole' Orem. Im lookin forward to another great summer, and if anyone wants to visit I'll gladly hook you up with $150 train tickets for free :)

I spent part of the weekend in Saint George enjoying wonderful weather and beautiful rides, the picture is the look out at Barrel Roll.  On the way back I stopped in Beaver and found this wonderful little local beverage at the Gas station with the absolute nicest gas station bathroom I have ever been in.  And then there are my three beauties that I was trying to get to hug each other for the picture, even though it looks like Phin is trying to chock Lemon, Simon is hiding, and Lemon is doing a crazy jaw thing.  Three and one on the way.  They make me hold my breath and wonder that I get to enjoy their lives, both the good and the bad.  I love you Dad and this is the first of my weekly posts this year.