What's Justin smiling about?

Who wouldn't smile upon receiving the Cub Scout "The Arrow of Light Award." That's as high as a boy can go before actually becoming a Boy Scout, which Justin plans to do this year. He'll join Ben in a very active troop - they camp out, even in the snow - in Cincinnati.
If you asked Justin, he'd probably say his favorite badges he earned on the way to receiving this prestigious award were Forester, Outdoorsman, Engineer and Geologist. It took a lot of focused work for Justin to receive "The Arrow of Light" and Grandpa and I are very proud of him.
A very kind friend took all those badges and patches and placed them on an award board. Justin is holding it in the photo and I'm sure it will soon adorn the walls of the Amend home. It also contains an arrow which appears to be, well, straight, sturdy and to the point - like Justin. We're confident he'll be as successful in Boy Scouting as he was in the Cubs.

Love you all, Grandma for Grandpa and me

Skyler tore through New England like....

.....Paul Revere, when he and some of his school chums (and Mom as one of the chaperones) visited Boston a few days back. In a busy 72 hours - leaving and returning to Stony Creek included - they covered Boston seeing the JFK Library and touring Boston University and even took a quick excursion to Concord to visit the home of Louisa Mae Alcott and family, the home of Ralph Waldo Emerson and an old historic cemetery. (For those who don't know, Skyler is a walking Encyclopedia of Geography as well as an avid writer and artist.)

His trip was a perk for him and his fellow members who are honored to be active in the "Adirondak Writer's Guild." You can read all about them at www.HLCS.org. AAAND, as a bonus, you can see the book he wrote and illustrated at http://www.mixbook.com/photo-books/nature/cornelius-4046801. It's a very charming story by a very charming author!

I'm waiting for information from Justy Amend and Eric Santell. Then I'll have another fun story for you. If you have anything newsworthy, just let me know and I'll put it in cyberspace.

Love you all, Grandma for Grandpa and me

Can you guess where Saya is going?

The pretty pink bag might give you a hint. She is on her way to the high school to perform in the ballet as a sugar plum fairy.


It was a very exciting day for Saya and us. Saya knew all her positions and steps. She has been taking ballet classes for the last year and next year she hopes to get into a tap class. Grandpa and I drove down just to see her, but we couldn't have guessed that the four eldest Amend kids would also perform in church the next morning. Anna and Saya recited scripture and sang with the Kid's Choir. Ben played guitar, with Justy on the Bongos and Aunt Deb on piano.




This is Saya on stage with two friends.












Everyone in the audience was jubilant - well, almost everybody.

A WET BUT WONDERFUL WEEKEND by Ben Amend

First we went to the church.

We waited for all the people to get there, then we left.

When we got there, we set up the tents. We didn't have a tarp, so we got wet overnight. It was supposed to snow, but it rained instead.

In the morning, we had oatmeal for breakfast, and we unpacked a few things from the trailer. We got out some sleds, and we pulled them to different areas to complete the challenges we were supposed to do. First, we did an uphill sled race. Next, we went to the first-aid station, were we had to act like a scout in our patrol had a broken femur bone, and make a stretcher for him. Since our Scoutmaster didn't give us the proper equipment, we had to use two wooden rods and a rain poncho. Next, we did a fire building activity, were we worked for about an hour by using wet wood, lighters, and matches. Then, we had to boil water on our fire, which we weren't able to do.

When it was time for lunch, our Scoutmaster told us we would have to go once the activities were over.

After lunch, we did Robots Vs. Pirates (which was actually dodgeball). After that, we didn't have time to do any of the other activities, so we packed up, and went home.

in MY day......

......young girls would have swooned over this pair of handsome buddies. You all know cousin Jonny, now meet his friend from their high school days: Drew.

Drew (actually Bos'n Drew of the U.S. Coast Guard) was at Purdue in December, the day after Jon's graduation, for a very special reason. Jon was being commissioned into the U.S. Air Force as a Second Lieutenant and Drew wanted to be there to give him the first official salute of Jon's military career. Tradition demands that someone connected with the U.S. Military be the first to salute the newly commissioned person. There is another custom that follows the salute. To fulfill this second tradition, Jon shook the hand of Drew and, in so doing, placed a silver dollar in the palm of his friend's hand.
The photograph below catches Drew about to raise his hand in that first, awe inspiring salute. I was absolutely, positively a-tingle with feelings of patriotism and grandmotherly love. It's not every day Grandpa and I get inspired like we did that day.

Just as impressive was the actual commissioning ceremony. Our hearts again swelled with pride as we heard Jon repeat these words:

"I, Jonathan David Seagle, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same, that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter, so help me God."

Yikes! It sounds like Jon could get himself into a very dangerous war defending and supporting our U.S. Constitution; it reminded us of the many men and women who have done just that, so we silently gave thanks for the people who have served America. What was that in the oath about "without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion?" The Air Force takes this oath very seriously!



After all this took place, we (Aunt Deb, Uncle Jeff, Grandpa and I) went on stage to pin Jon. In MY day, that would have meant Grandpa and I were pre-engaged. In this situation, it meant Jon's Mom and Dad had to pin the stripes on his shoulders and Grandpa and I pinned bars on his hat. I was too busy to see how Aunt Deb and Uncle Jeff were doing, because I got the two bars pinned and Grandpa said, "That's wrong. Turn them the other way." I did and we waited for Mom and Dad to finish the stripes (took only seconds) and we handed the hat to Jon, so he could attach it to his uniform properly. He took it from us and said, "The bars are turned wrong, but that's alright for now." Oh, well, we did the job and it turned out good. Look below.

Jon looks totally pinned, barred and striped and, like the rest of us in the photo, he looks very happy and relaxed - the way a person always feels after completing a job well done. This honor required about five years of schooling loaded with numerous extracurricular activities.

Jon is now back at Purdue looking for a job. His Pilot's School won't begin until June, so he'll have to support himself until then, when he will travel to Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas and start his activity in the U.S. Air force.

Sorry to be so late in getting this page of my blog posted. We've had a happy, but hectic holiday and I just couldn't move any faster.

Love you all, Grandma for Grandpa and me

It was a cold, windy day...

....in West Lafayette, Indiana. Aunt Debby Lea, Uncle Jeff, Grandpa and I blew across the parking lot, in a wind chill of -18, directly into the Purdue Music Hall where we watched your cousin Jon receive his Bachelors Degree in Aeronautical Engineering along with over 1,000 other students. The crowd was so large, we couldn't get a shot of him actually receiving his diploma. After all these many graduations we've attended, I no longer shoot a photo of someone who looks like my pick of the crop and I opt for a close-up of grad and parents - like the one shown here of Jon with his mom and dad, beaming with pride and happiness. (Go Boilers!)

Before graduation Jon gave us a tour of the new Neil Armstrong Building where he worked on a major project: this airplane he is holding. He, along with several other students designed and built this remote controlled model.

The weather in Lafayette was like a hurricane in sub-zero weather, but our hearts were warmed by the presence of Jon and his friends, and their happiness and anticipation of their future lives. Next posting, we'll get to the really good stuff of his graduation: His commissioning (by order of President Bush, no less) into the United States Air Force. See you next blogtime! Love you all, Grandma for Grandpa and me

What to do in case of fire

What would you do if you came upon this scene?


That's easy. Call up cousin Eric and get him on the job.











Here you see him with his fire-fighting team. Uh, hey guys, You wanna turn around and see the surprise behind you? (Eric is front row, third from left and, like all his buddies, with his back to the main point of business.)














Do something quick!!!











Phew! They did it!















These are the trucks his company uses. Now seriously, Eric takes his position with the fire department very earnestly. (What you've seen here is only a practice run. That's why the firemen can stop and pose for a picture.) Eric's known to disappear from his bed in the middle of the night and answer the call of duty. He not only puts out fires, he helps heart attack victims and people injured in auto accidents. It seems the medical field is the place for Eric to be - we're thrilled he is training to be a Registered Nurse and who knows where he will go from there.











Love you all, Grandma for Grandpa and me