2014 Christmas Letter

We send our love and blessings to you on this 2014 Christmas and wonderful wishes for a great 2015.

This has not been an exciting year for our family. Our son, Greg, now works for a different company. He and his wife, Rosa, are about to have their first wedding anniversary. They are living in California. Our daughter, Cathy, is living fairly close to us. She works hard. She and Marvin are doing well. They live in Medford. Cindie and Rob are living near Provo, UT. They have a lovely home up there and much of their family live fairly close to them. Ashley lives in Idaho and is expecting a new baby. Cindie has a wonderful family. They get together as often as possible. Adam is working on getting his PhD. Adam and Annalisa are living on the east coast. We miss having them closer where we can enjoy them.

Closer to home here in Oregon, Jimmy is working for James Construction. He works very hard and is out of town a lot. Alicia does hairstyling and is still doing great. We love her a lot and depend on her for so many things. She is so reliable and responsible. Bill is eighty years old now and looks young as ever. Kaye is not very active now. We need to get a better car and Bill is spending a lot of time on the computer looking for one. We haven't seen our granddaughter, Megan, for a while. She is working and going to school. We miss her.

This week we will start to decorate for Christmas. Our great grandson, Gavin, is going on a mission to the Philippines.

We send our love and Christmas wishes to all of you.

December 19, 2014

This is an update to our Christmas letter. We now have a very nice car. After this year I am not going to send out Christmas cards. It is too hard for me. Merry Christmas and a great 2015.

2013 Christmas Letter

As I am writing our Christmas letter it really looks like Christmas here at the ranch. There is about ten inches of snow outside. Our home is all decorated for Christmas. Our tractor won't start so we can't clear our driveway. We will be here for a while. We have a nice warm fire so it is cozy.

It has been a pretty normal year for us. We had a lot of rain this winter. When spring came, Bill put in a very impressive garden as usual. We had corn, tomatoes, and everything we could want. We ate everything fresh or gave it away. I'm not up to canning any more. In fact Bill does most of the cooking now. He really is creative. Not much more to tell about Bill and I.

Our family is doing fine. Cathy works about 4 days a week in a retirement home. Marvin does his frame shop. Lisa, Greg, Gavin and Corbin are still living on their property in trail. Lisa works in the school cafeteria in Shady Cove. Greg works at Lowes. Gavin plans to go on a mission next summer. Corbin is busy with school and is getting tall. Mike, Amy, Dylan, Kaya and Ethan are doing well. Mike is busy with his job at Kodak. Amy has her hands full with the kids. Ryan broke his ankle at his job. Melissa is busy with kids. Cathy has to drive him around. Dustin works all over the state as an electrician. Ian works at Kodak now and is engaged.

Cindie has a beautiful home near Provo, Utah. She doesn't fly any more but does lots of Grandma stuff. Rob is still doing accounting. Amber and Roger are together again. She is teaching school. Austin and Stacie have a cute new baby boy to go with their girls. He works for Kennecott. Stacie is busy with family and church. Ashley and Casey and family are still in Idaho. He is in the plumbing business and Ashley is Primary President and the very busy mother of 3 darling kids. Adam and Annalisa have a baby boy. Adam lives in Virginia where he is working on becoming a physical therapist.

Greg's life has become exciting. He met the love of his life on the Church internet. Her name is Rosa and she is from Brazil, but was living in London. He went to London to get to know her. She just arrived in California and they are planning to get married soon. Megan is going to college in California. Jimmy, Stephanie, Hailey and Carson are living in Shady Cove, Oregon. Jimmy has a good job with James Construction. Carson will turn 3 on 12/14/13. He is a darling handful of energy. Hailey goes to Prospect Middle School. Alicia and Mitch both work very hard. Alicia keeps my hair looking great along with many other people. Mitch is very busy detailing cars.

Have a wonderful Christmas and a great 2014!

2012 Christmas Letter

We wish you a joyous Christmas and many blessings during 2013. As we look forward to the holiday for celebrating our Savior's birth we hope that we can bring kindness, love and service to those around us.

We have not had a very healthy year in 2012. Bill is still suffering from the shingles for over a year now. He itches all over and is not as strong as he was. In spite of all this he put in a beautiful, large garden, cut and hauled fire wood, and has done all the physical work here at the ranch. Kaye is having real pain in her shoulder and in her back and leg. She does the housework and laundry, but not much more. It's a pain to have your bodies age when your mind is still young.

Our daughter, Cathy, is still working hard at the retirement home. Marvin has his framing business. Lisa and Greg Mapel and their family are busy with their country home in Trail. Greg does building inspections. Gavin has a job and Corbin is growing tall and smart. Mike and Amy's family is growing up fast. Mike is busy with his job and Amy has her hands full with Ethan, Kaya and Dylan. Ryan and Melissa and their boys moved to White City and seem to like it there. Dustin goes to different locations to do his electrician's job. Ian is working part time for Mike's company.

Our daughter, Cindie, and her husband, Rob, are doing well in Utah. Rob is still doing accounting. Cindie has applied for retirement from American Airlines in May. Amber teaches school in Utah. She has two kids, Maia and Lincoln. Austin and Stacie have two sweet girls and would like to have more. He has a great engineering job at the Kennecott Copper mine in Utah. Ashley and Casey Summers and their 3 children live in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Adam and Annalisa are coming back to finish up their degrees at BYU Idaho now that Annalisa has finished her student teaching in Washington.

Our son, Greg, is very busy with his work in NASA. He travels, lectures, etc, in addition to his regular job. He and Louise just got a divorce. Jimmy, his son, works for James Construction. He has a cute two year old son named Carson. Alicia, Greg's daughter, is a hair stylist and works another job, too. She keeps Bill and Kaye looking good. This year she married Mitch Jaffe. He details cars. Megan, Greg's youngest daughter is a senior in high school. She lives with Louise.

That is all the news about our family. We wish you joy, love and happiness!

2008 Christmas Letter

Merry Christmas and Happy New year to our friends and family. We wish all of you peace, love and harmony in your lives and homes. May you be blessed with good healthy, the things you need, and Heavenly Father's blessings during this holiday season and in 2009. Remember that the reason that we celebrate Christmas is because Heavenly Father loves us and sent his son, Jesus Christ, here to atone for our sins. Jesus showed us by example how to live and how to love our brothers and sisters. If we follow his example and keep Heavenly Father's commandments we can return to him and be together forever.

We have had many blessings this year. Bill had successful eyelid surgery and can see much better now. He also came through pneumonia, a bad back and a very difficult hospital stay for pancreatitis and removal of his gall bladder. Many prayers and blessings brought him through this. We had a wonderful garden and will enjoy its fruits throughout this year. Kaye had her left knee replaced June 30 and Bill was so good to her during her recovery. Our grandson, Adam, survived the hurricane in Houston while he was on his mission. Our granddaughter, Amber, and Matt are getting a divorce. She is teaching and doing better than we all expected. All of our family has had their highs and lows this year. That seems to be the way of the world right now.

We have tried to look at the positive things in our lives and appreciate our blessings. May Heavenly Father watch over all of you and keep you safe, healthy, well and happy.

2007 Christmas Letter

Bill has completed several projects this year. He built a parking lot next to our driveway. He repaired and painted our old fishing boat, planted a great garden, and cut firewood. Kaye is substitute teaching and teaches Relief Society. We already gave ourselves two wonderful gift this year: a heat pump and a travel trailer.

Cindie and Rob are settled in their new home in Utah. Cindie has to fly to San Francisco where she has a "crash pad" when she is flying. Rob is working in Salem, Oregon part of the week and part of the week in utah. He commutes by plane. Amber and Matt Frazier have a sweet baby boy named Lincoln. Maia is darling and very busy little girl. Matt is finishing college in 2008 and Amber is being a mom. Austin has recovered well from his bike accident and will finish up his chemical engineering degree this spring. His wife, Stacie, is teaching school this year and taking classes for a masters degree. (Side note: I never took classes for a master's degree. he he) Ashley and Casey Summers just finished building their new home in Idaho Falls. They have a sweet little girl named Arianna. Ashley is working part time for the school district. Adam just arrived in Houston for his Spanish speaking mission.

Cathy and Marvin have just completed a web site to sell products online for their store. Lisa, Greg, Gavin and Corbin Mapel moved into their new home and converted their other house into a foster care facility. Mike, Amy, Dylan, Kaya and Ethan Masloski are all doing well. Ryan and Melissa Hunter had a beautiful wedding this summer and combined their two families. Dustin and Leina Hunter are such a cute couple. Dustin is an apprentice electrician and Leina works at a video store. Ian is working for Harry and Davids.

Greg Pace had a second more successful surgery on his shoulder this summer. The first one was a disaster. he just went back to work. Greg brought Louise, Danica and Justin up here for Thanksgiving. Jimmy is living in Vancouver, Washington and has been building bridges. Alicia graduated from beauty college and just got her license. She has traveled to Las Vegas and Los Angeles this year. Megan is really into music. She is playing the flute, the bass and sings in the choir. The choir is going to Disneyland this spring. She also played middle school volleyball and track. 

As you can see all these kids keep us busy and we don't have time to get old even though our joints hurt. 

2002 Christmas Letter

The Pace family sends their love and best wishes to all of you. May your homes be filled with, peace, love and joy during this holiday season and the year 2003.

This year has kept us busy as usual. We finished fencing our pastures and put new pole fences in front of our house. Bill had surgery on his hand in early November and just finished having physical therapy on it. Kaye was busy teaching third grade at Prospect School last year. It was only a one year contract and she misses teaching this year. She is still Relief Society President for her church and that is a very busy job. Kaye fell and broke her wrist in the fall. It is better now. For a while Bill and Kaye had two bad left arms. It is surprising the things that you can't do without your left hand. Jimmy is a junior at Prospect High School this year. He played varsity football this fall and is playing basketball right now. He has done downhill mountain bike racing at the ski runs this year. They take the ski lifts up and race down the ski trails. His dad introduced him to that. He also loves to ride and race his quad. Alicia is a freshman at Prospect High School this year. She made the varsity volleyball team and won a plaque as the rookie of the year. She loves to shop in Medford and spend the night with her friends. Our only trips this year were to California. We went to Bill's brother, Grant's funeral in February and Ashley's high school and Adam's middle school graduation in June.

Cathy and Marvin moved from their apartment to a house. She has it decorated very beautifully. Ian and Dustin are living with them while they finish up high school. Dustin delivers pizza and Ian works at Burger King. Ryan and Angel are separated and they take turns tending their son, Jared, while the other works. Mike and Amy just had a beautiful baby girl on December 15th. She has dark hair and is beautiful. They named her Kaya Noelle Masloski. Their son, Dylan, is two now. Lisa and Greg Mapel had their second son, Corbin Alan Mapel, on September 16th. He has beautiful red hair and is so cute. Gavin, his older brother is in first grade this year. Two weeks ago Greg Mapel was baptized into our church. it is great to have their sweet family in our ward now.

Cindie and Rob are in the middle of remodeling their house. They spent Thanksgiving with us. Cindie is still flying. Amber is doing her student teaching at BYU Hawaii. She will graduate in April. She is engaged to a darling boy named Matt. They are getting married in Hawaii on Valentine's Day. After her graduation day they will have their wedding reception at Grandma Cowley's house in Layton, Utah. It is now a wedding reception place. Austin is in his second year of his mission in the Philippines. It is scary to have him there right now. Ashley is loving her freshman year at BYU Idaho. Adam is a freshman in high school and helps Rob hold down the fort at home while Cindie is flying.

Greg is still working as an engineer at Lockheed. He moved into a house in Soquel which he is sharing with a friend named Den Williams that he grew up with. He spend every weekend with his daughter, Megan. She loves to ride bikes and motorcycles with her dad. She is seven and is in first grade. Greg loves to downhill race on the ski slopes and ride his motorcycle. He and Megan will spend Christmas with us.

Bill's Notes about Kaye

Kaye Silvia Cowley Pace

Born April 8, 1937

Parents: R.A. Cowley and Marjorie Smith Cowley

Kaye was born in Utah while her father was a freshman at the University of Utah. Kaye moved to Baltimore where her father went to medical school. Kaye was sent to Grandma Cowley's in Layton, Utah, because her mother had to work so her father could go to medical school. From Baltimore they moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where her father specialized in Thoracic surgery. after that they moved back to Baltimore where her father became chief of thoracic surgery at the University of Maryland medical school. Kaye went to BYU at 17 years old. her father went on to become famous as the father of Trauma and that's where The Golden hour of Shock came in.

Kaye and I met at BYU at the Rodeo Club and I gave her an engagement ring on her 18th birthday. We were married one month later on May 13, 1955. Our two girls arrived in 1956 and 1957. Kaye graduated from college and we went to dental school in San Francisco. Kaye taught school in San Francisco and Walnut Creek where out two boys were born. I practiced general dentistry for four years then we went to USC for two years to get a master degree in orthodontics. Then we moved to Santa Cruz to practice orthodontics . In 1996 we moved to Oregon.

BS in Education
President of Women's Dental Auxiliary Monterey Bay
Taught Gospel Doctrine for years at Santa Cruz
Relief Society President at Santa Cruz for 6 years
Relief Society President at Eagle Point Ward for 5 years

Funny Things

We owned a place in Hawaii for about twenty years. We were at the good body surfing beach, but the waves were high that day. Kaye was surfing and I saw this huge wave come in. It slammed her into the sand. She came staggering up the beach not realizing that the straps on her swimming suit were broken and she was topless.

Kaye and I were at Harrah's club at Lake Tahoe. Kaye never liked to gamble, she always said she was unlucky. I talked her into playing a dime slot machine, but she was not having any luck. She dropped a dime on the floor. I picked it up and put it in the machine it hit the Jackpot. She was pretty mad at me.

Kona Hawaii Trip November 14-23, 1994

(Journal entry by Kaye)

Bill and I left home November 22 and spent the night at a motel near the airport. We left our car at the airport motel and took a courtesy bus to catch our flight on Leisure Air. We got in Maui around noon and flew to Kona. We got there at 1:50. We rented a car and came to our condo at 404 Kona Bali Kai. We came over to fix up our condo because we are thinking of making a trade for some property and a large shop in Prospect, Oregon, overlooking Lost Creek Lake. The Oregon people are coming to look at our condo the week after Thanksgiving.

We thought we would have to paint the whole condo, but it had been done a few years ago. we did repaint the kitchen and bedroom window trim, the curtain rods and the refrigerator. We bought new lamp shades and $80 worth of silk flowers for arrangements. We have ordered new drapes which will arrive the day we are leaving. I cut up the drape in the master bedroom and made new draper for the other bedroom. It looks nice in the condo now. We had not been here for 7 years. Two times we planned trips here and we had to cancel them- on in November 1989 when my dad became seriously ill and we had to fly to Maryland to see him and one two years ago when our condo was rented and we couldn't get in. It is so beautiful here-I just love it. It was easier to give it up when I hadn't been here for seven years, now it is harder to think of it being gone. I love being so close to the water and the sound of the surf.

When we got here the people who had rented it were supposed to be out by 11 am. They didn't get out until after 6 pm. We also found out our roof leaks between the living room and the bedroom. They will have to fix that. it stained the ceiling and sliding doors and wall above them.

We couldn't believe how much Kona had grown during seven years. There are lots of new shopping centers and a Costco here. A new KMart opened up. It was a big deal. It carries everything. we spent Tuesday shopping for things for the condo. Wednesday we drove up north to tour Waimea. We saw the Parker Ranch House which we had not seen before. We drove from there as far north as we could go and then down the Kohala Coast. Thursday we went to the KMart opening and bought lamp shades and to Ben Franklin for their flowers which I came home and arranged. Friday we ate lunch at the Keahoan Beach Hotel and then went down the Kealakahna Bay and the City of Refuge. We drove down to Hookena Beach and then back to Kona.

Saturday we took our around the island trip. First we drove south past South Point and then to the volcanoes. It was really raining up at the visitor's center. At the Volcano House we couldn't see into the crater because of the mist and fog. we heard the lava from Kilauaea was flowing down at the part of the Chain of Crater Road near the ocean. We drove down the road about 19 miles to where the road was closed. It wasn't raining there. About halfway down the hill you could see the smoke and steam where the lava was flowing into the sea. We stopped at the end of the road and what a spectacular sight. There were great clouds of steam coming from the paces where the lava was reaching the sea. It was hot, steamy and smelly. We then walk 1/8 of a mile down the road where the lava had crossed the road two days before. we could look up the mountain and see the lava flowing. Mostly it looked black, but in some places it looked red. You could see fires where the hot lava (over 200 degrees F) came by brush and caught it on fire.

As we got closer to where the lava crossed the road you could really feel the heat coming from it. They said we could stand on it to have our pictures taken. It was hot on our feet. Then a ranger looked over the lava fields and found some new lava toes. Three rangers guide us to where we could see the. We walked over lava that was till hot to get there. You could see red hot lava in the cracks below the surface about 8 inches down. You had to be careful to not fall because the surface was really hot and you would burn your hands or arms if you fell. The soles of your shoes felt very hot. When we got there you could see surface flows like toes slowly spreading out about 12 feet away from you. Mostly it was slow and black except at the edges. Sometimes it would break through the skin of the surface and flow out much faster and red. Whenever it touched brush you would have small methane explosions and the brush would catch on fire. It was like that on three sides of us. It got a little dangerous with the fires starting on the left side of our path back to the road so the ranger led us back to the road as  quickly as we could go. It was something I had always wanted to see since we first came to Kona in 1977. We were lucky because this eruption just started on October 28th and some days you could see it and some days you couldn't. It is a once in a lifetime experience. I was so excited to get a chance to be that close to it. Then we drove back up the Chain of Craters Road to the main part of the park. The lava flows from the last few years have destroyed many things we used to enjoy. It covered the Nation Park site of an ancient Hawaiian Village. It covered the Queen's Bath where we always used to stop for a swim. It covered the Black Sand Beach in Kalapana. It burned over 180 homes in the Royal Gardens district. It has also added 350 acres to the island in the lost 10 years.

We then drove into Hilo where it was raining. It wasn't so pretty on this wet grey day. It had rained twelve inches in 24 hours one day after we came to Kona. we went to Rainbow Falls and the Boiling Pots. It was very impressive with the rain the falls were roaring, the water was yellow with soil in it and there was a tremendous amount of water coming down the river and over the falls. We went on to our favorite scenic drive outside and north of Hilo and made it to Akaka Falls before it got dark. It was the same there. It was roaring with large amounts of yellow water rushing down. It really was different in the rain, much more impressive, but not as pretty as on clear days. Just a new experience for something we had done so many times. We got back to Kona about an hour after it got dark.

Right after we got here we called Cindy to give her our phone number. she said that most of her family were sick-they were afraid it might be mono. She was especially worried about Austin because his white blood cell count was very low and that could be a sign of a very serious disease. We called back a few days later to see what the doctor's said, but Cindie and Rob weren't home and we didn't want to ask Austin about it. we have been praying that he would be alright.

Today is Sunday. I am going to church and Bill is watching the football games on tv. He has really gotten involved since he got interested in Steve Young, the Mormon quarterback for the 49ers. By the way, it has not rained in Kona since we got here. We sure get the best weather.

2009 Trailer Trip to North Dakota and Utah

I bought a new red Ford diesel truck and a Coleman travel trailer with the idea of doing a lot of camping. Our granddaughter, Alicia, moved to Bismarck, North Dakota, and my sister was in a convelescent hospital in Spearfish, South Dakota, so we decided to take a trip in June with our trailer to go see them. That was the first time we had taken a trip with our trailer. We had to learn a lot about using our trailer. It had a pull out compartment in the dining area and a pull out compartment where the bed was. We stocked with pans, dishes and food. We had Oso, our dog with us.

Utah

We started for Utah to see Cindie and Rob in their new home in Cedar Hills near Provo. we stayed at a Walmart parking lot, which was free in Winnemucca, Nevada the first night. Then we headed up to Cindie's house. We got on Highway 15 in the worst traffic jam. We moved slowly or not at all. We finally figured where to turn off to get to Cindie's house. It was a beautiful home. We also got to see Amber, Roger and their family. Then we went to see Austin, Stacie and Sunnie in their new home in Stansbury Park by the Kennecott Copper Mines. Austin works as a chemical engineer for Kennecott. We took the truck and saw Hal and Mary Lou in Murray. We saw Stana and Don in Farmington.

Idaho

Cindie rode up with us to see Ashley, Casey and Arianna in Idaho Falls. They had a cute little new house there. We stayed there one night and then we headed up through Idaho to Yellowstone Park. We drove through some of the park, but one of the main roads was closed. Since we had been there several times we didn't get out and walk much. We mostly saw buffalo in the park, no bears or moose. Then Kaye checked the map and it showed the shortest way to Montana was out the northeast entrance. The mountain that the road went over was about 11,000 feet high. The road was narrow with all switchbacks with steep sides. I went slow with the trailer. It didn't bother me, but Kaye was scared to death, especially since going on the really scary road was her idea. She was so relieved when we made it down the mountain. Soon we were in Montana. We found another Walmart parking lot to camp in. The next morning we went through Montana into North Dakota. We stopped at a place where we could see cliffs and canyons. It was pretty. Then we went on into Bismarck and went to a campground by the Missouri River. we called Alicia and she came and got us and cooked dinner for us at her apartment that she shared with several friends from Oregon. She showed us the beautiful mall where she worked. She also showed the sights of interest in Bismarck-museums, the city and other things. There were a lot of mosquitoes there. We stayed a couple of days visiting her. Then we headed south to Spearfish, South Dakota.

South Dakota

We went to see my sister, Fern, in Spearfish. She had a stroke and was 83 years old and in a convelescent home. She couldn't walk and was in a wheelchair. Ken came to eat with her at every meal. She has lost a lot of weight and was pretty weak. When I first saw her I didn't recognize her. She is still very beautiful. We had a good visit there with her. We stayed in a beautiful trailer park in Spearfish. While we were there we left the trailer at the park and went sightseeing. We went to Sturgis where they have a gigantic motorcycle rally there with thousands of motorcycles. Then we went to Mount Rushmore. While we were there looking at Mount Rushmore there was a gigantic rainstorm and we got soaked before we could get back to the truck. We went to Crazy Horse Mountain to see how much they had done to it since we last saw it. It will be four times larger than Mount Rushmore. It will be 3 dimensional-the back will be carved also. It was all being paid for by private donations. The original carver and his family are in charge of all the work. It will really be impressive when it is finished many years from now. Then we headed back to Oregon.

Idaho

We went south in Idaho and took a scenic road we had never been on. It followed a river. The road department had put drainage pipes across the road about every hundred feet. They made bumps in the ground and it was terrible for miles to slow down and go over them. We went down the western part of Idaho.

We drove to Payette Lake and it reminded us of Lake Tahoe with beautiful homes all around. Then we went across to Ontario to head across Oregon and home.

Oregon

We went from Ontario to John Day Valley. we had never been there before. They had pretty colored cliffs on each side of the road. We went to the John Day fossil beds where they had a museum that had all kinds of fossils. It was really interesting. Then we went to Bend and on south to our ranch in Trail.

It was a long and fun trip. Our dog, Oso, was great on the trip. He rode in the back seat of the truck when we traveled. At night he slept in his dog bed underneath our bed in the trailer.

I started to put in the garden as soon as we got home. It was back to work.

1980 Trip to Figi, Australia, New Zealand

Kaye arranged for us to take a trip to Figi, then Australia, and finally New Zealand. we left the kids home with Cindy and Marjorie. First we flew to Hawaii, then took a flight to Figi. We stayed in a very nice resort in Suva. Then we took a two night boat cruise around the different islands of Figi. We went swimming and snorkeling in an underwater cave. I swam and skipped the cave. The people on the islands were very modest and didn't like tourists walking around in their bathing suits. They were very friendly people. On one island they came out and sang and danced for us on the boat. The boat was not a luxury boat. It had tiny cabins and most of the food had curry in it. It was a lot of fun.

On Sunday the Figians came to the resort in their sulus (wrap around skirt) and white shirts. They sang for us. People from India ran the shops, banks, and desks at the hotel. The government jobs were reserved for the people of Figi.

Australia

When we left Figi somehow our make up bags and all of my clothes didn't arrive in Sydney. At that time things were very formal in Sydney. You were required to wear a coat to all of the nice restaurants. Mostly we ate at McDonalds. A couple of times we went to a nice restaurant and they loaned me a coat to wear before we went in to eat. Just before we left Sydney, my clothes caught up with me, but our make-up bags, with my razor, never were seen again.

While we were in Sydney we toured the beautiful open house and the city of Sydney. The bay reminded me of San Francisco. Then we took a tour that took us up to the Blue Mountains and to a cavern that was there. Outside there was a souvenir shop. They had some tropical birds there. A parrot came and landed on my head.

The people of Australia were very friendly to Americans. They seemed more American than we were at that time. Iran had taken Americans from the American Embassy and held them hostage. They couldn't understand why our wimp of a president, Jimmy Carter, didn't just go in and rescue them.

New Zealand

Next we flew to Aukland, New Zealand. We loved New Zealand. It was so beautiful and clean. Their main livelihood was sheep and fishing. There were more sheep than people. The fences were green hedges that were all neatly trimmed. The grass was very green.

We drove to a Maouri Village. We learned about these native New Zealander's culture. The village buildings were all carved and painted with Maouri symbols. Many of the people had tatooes which were sacred to them. The surprising thing was that all the villagers spoke with a formal clipped English accent. We bought many Mauori souvenirs there. We bought boomarangs, war clubs and poi balls.

Near Auckland, we bought sheepskin muc-luc boots for us and the kids. We bought a big sheepskin rug.

In New Zealand everything closed down on Sunday. You had to plan ahead to get gas and food if you were traveling. There was an LDS temple there. We would see "Happiness is Family Home Evening" stickers on cars there. Then we flew back to Hawaii and went to Kona and stayed in our condo for a while before we went back to Soquel.

Disney World

in May 2001 Kaye, Jimmy, Alicia and I went to Disney World. we flew to Portland and then to Orlando. We met Cindie's family there. We stayed in a nice motel near the park. we went to the Magic Kingdom one day, then we would rest at one of the beach and water parks the next. we went to Epcot the next day and to another water park the next day. we went to the MGM movie park the next day and then to the water park again. We went to the Animal Kingdom the next day. We were really tired, but Bill took the kids out one night to the dance clubs.

It was much more fun because Cindy's family was there with us. The kids loved all the rides and shows and sights. Bill and I rested a lot at the water parks while the kids played and had fun.

We all went to an Arabian Night horse show and dinner. It was really fun too. It was a really fun trip. A few months later Austin went on his mission. I'm really glad we did this trip together.

Trips to Disneyland

The first time we went to Disneyland was when I went to dental school. It hadn't been opened very long. I remember Cindy was little and she fell asleep. I carried her around with her head on my shoulder. Cathy was bigger and enjoyed the little rides.

The next time we went to Disneyland was when I graduated from dental school. I had to go down to Arizona to take my Arizona State Boards. Grandma Cowley went with me, Kaye, Cathy, Cindy, Mim (our poodle) in our little red VW. We stopped at Disneyland on the way. Grandma Cowley was such a good sport and even rode the Matterhorn ride. She was in her 70's. we went on to Arizona and I left the family with my dad in Clifton. I went on to Florence, Arizona prison for the 3 day board tests. It was quite an experience to work in a cement building with no windows and one big fan at the end of the building. It was at least 100 degrees there. From Arizona we went up to Utah to take Grandma home. While we were in Utah, I ordered two Roadmaster bicycles for Cathy and Cindy through the drugstore. We had to rent a small trailer to take the bikes home. It was a very long, slow trip home because our VW only had a 40 hp engine. I had to struggle to pull the trailer in fourth gear so I had to keep shifting back and forth. We had bought a house in Alamo and that was where our home was for four years.

In 1967 I started at USC Orthodontic School. By then we had two sons, Greg and Brad. We went to Disneyland whenever our relatives came down to see us, so we went to Disneyland many times while we lived in Granada Hills. We moved to Santa Cruz in 1969.

We went to Disneyland many times while we lived in Santa Cruz. Once while we were in the area by the Pirates of the Caribbean our son Greg got separated from us. We were worried sick until we found him. Our kids loved the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean rides. Once we got stuck for almost 40 minutes on the Pirates ride. The cannons kept going off and the kids got scared and bored. we were really glad when it started again.

Later on we started taking our grandkids to Disneyland with us. We took many trips to Disneyland with our grandkids over the years. Once we took Lisa, Amber, Austin, and Ryan. Ryan would fill his mouth with food and not chew it and swallow it when we told him to hurry. Lisa sat on a pole and swung back and hit her head.

Later as they grew older, Austin got lost in the park area by the Magic Kingdom. By then we got smart and had a place to meet if we got separated. We found each other quickly.

Once we took Greg's kids, Jimmy and Alicia. Alicia fit in a stroller. Jimmy and Kaye wanted to stay and see the light show by the Lagoon. Alicia was tired so I took Alicia back through the parking lot to the motel. She screamed and tried to throw herself out of the stroller all the way. Her seatbelt was the only thing that kept her in. It was really hard.

As the kids got older we would separate and meet for lunch and dinner at a certain place and time. They also loved to watch the different parades and shows at night. They loved all of the big rides, especially the new ones that came each year. The only thing we all hated was the big long lines at every good ride.

Our family had great times at Disneyland. The last time we went there was with Dustin, Ian, Jimmy and Alicia. It was after we moved to Oregon. It was just before the California Adventure opened.

1970's Trip to Arizona and New Mexico

During sprint vacation we took Greg (10) and Brad (8) down to see where I grew up. We flew to Phoenix and rented a motor home. We drove to Virden, New Mexico where I was born and grew up as a kid. We went up to the old Pace Gila Valley Ranch and stayed on Uncle Hyde Pace's farm.

I took Kaye and Greg and Brad for a hike up the Gila River where it came out of the San Francisco Mountains. On the cliffs were many Indian petroglyphs. we get on the steep side of the mountain in a very dangerous position. If we would have slipped, we would have went over a cliff down into the river. I decided the safest way was to go straight up to the flat plateau above us. Kaye and the kids went up and I stayed at the bottom to catch anyone that might slip. Luckily we all made it to the top. Greg had found a big flat rock that had a fossilized fern in it, which was very ancient. Then we drove back to Phoenix and flew home.

Trips to Baltimore

Trip to pick up Marge's car

In the winter time of 1958 we were down at Grandma Cowley's house. Kaye was making hot taffy and tipped the pan and severely burnt her hand. Cindy was just a baby. R Adams had me fly back to Baltimore to help him drive a Buick back to Utah for Marjorie. I was there several days waiting for him to get ready to drive back. I walk into his office and he said, "I'm not going to drive back. You'll have to drive it back yourself." So I did. Kaye's hand was still burned pretty bad when I got back. Marjorie had her car.

1975 Trip

We flew to Omaha to pick up our daughter, Cathy, who had married Mike Masloski and moved to Omaha. Then we flew on to Baltimore. We had Kaye, Cindy, Greg and Brad and Cathy with us. first we went sight seeing around Baltimore, Williamsburg, Virginia and Jamestown, Virginia.

Then we borrowed RA's Trans Am Pontiac and put the four kids in the back (tight fit). we went to Niagara Falls. They were fantastic. We stayed in Canada. While we were there Greg met the Eisly Brothers, a rock group. They gave him a record. We took the kids on the boat that goes up near the bottom of the falls. It was called the Maid of the Mist. We had to wear slickers because the spray was so wet. We saw the whirlpool in the river. It was very exciting. On the way back we went through Pennsylvania. we stopped at the Hershey Chocolate Factory and toured it.We returned RA's car and flew to Omaha. we saw where the tornado made a path through Omaha. Then we left Cathy there and flew home.

1991 Trip

Kaye and I flew to Baltimore to see RA because he was very ill. He was in the hospital. Roberta, his new wife, didn't invite us to stay in RA's and her big mansion, so we stayed in RA's secretary, Sandy's, apartment. After we visited with him for a few days, we borrowed his car again and drove to some of the church history sites. We went to Harmony, Pennsylvania, and some other sites in that state. Then we drove to Palmyra, New York. We went to the Sacred Grove, Joseph Smith's old home, his parent's home and the town where the Book of Mormon was printed. we also went to Hill Cummorah where the golden plates were buried. It was very interesting.

Then we flew from Baltimore to St. Louis, Missouri and rented a car. We went to Independence and saw where the temple was supposed to be built. It was owned by the Reorganized Church. We went up to see Adam-ondi-ahman where the Saints are to be gathered in the last day.

We went on to Nauvoo and enjoyed all the building. We went to the visitor's center and they gave us a map showing where my ancestors had lived there. Both the Paces and the McClellans were there. My great-great-grandpa Pace received his patriarchal blessing from Hyrum Smith in 1839. He was in the Nauvoo Legion. He was on a mission when Joseph Smith was killed. We saw Liberty Jail where Joseph smith was held prisoner. We also saw Cartage Jail where he was martyred. we also saw where he was buried and all of the buildings in the town. Then we took a plane from St. Louis to California.

1993 Trip

RA died in 1993. Kaye and I went back to his funeral. Roberta gave us his Trans Am. It was in such bad shape, full of water, mold, etc. We had it shipped back to California. She also gave Kaye a 1977 Corvette that RA had. She also gave us $1,000 and kept everything else for herself. Kaye was his only child and that was her inheritance, Roberta got houses, condos, businesses and all of his money.

We drove the Corvette back to California. We went to Virginia, North and South Carolina and saw the sights along the way. We crossed the top of Florida, then to Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. We went to San Antonio to see the Alamo. we went from there to see the Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, Gallup and through Arizona then home.

1970's Family Camping Trip to Canada

In August of 1970 we had a big green Mercury station wagon. We decided to take the family on a camping vacation. We went first to Northern California, along the Coast of Oregon, Washington, up to Vancouver Island in Canada, across Southern Canada to Calgary, down through Montana, Yellowstone Park, the Tetons, to Salt Lake City, Utah to Grandma Cowley's in Layton, then through Nevada to California. Marjorie went with us on the trip.

We decided to really organize things to make the trip run smoothly. We had sleeping bags, cots and tent for 7 people to pack on top and in the car. we thought we were being very smart by buying styrofoam chests and packing them with our frozen meat, frozen shredded potatoes, etc, to make to cook our meals. We went up to Grants Pass, Oregon, the first night. It was really hot. The campground was full and we had to pitch our tent in the overflow section. Cathy and Cindy's job was to put up the tent and take it down each day. Greg and Brad's job was to keep out of our way. No sooner than Cathy and Cindy got our tent up, a Hell's Angels group of motorcyclists set up camp right next to us. I was really worried because all I had for protection was a hatchet, which I slept with all night. Nothing happened. Our next stop was at a pretty little lake near Olympia, Washington. Things were just fine, so far. The next day we took the ferry to Vancouver Island, Canada and set up camp on the island. We started getting a really bad smell coming from our car. As the frozen meat started to thaw, the blood from the meat leaked through the styrofoam cooler into the back seats of the station wagon. It made the whole car smell rotten. Marge being a clean freak, started scrubbing the car from top to bottom, trying to get the smell out with not much success. The smell stayed in the car for months.

We toured the island, then caught the ferry to the city of Vancouver, Canada. That night we stayed in a campground next to the railroad tracks. We didn't realize how active the Canadian railroad system was. In the night the ground started shaking, light came into our tent and a loud roaring train noises made it seem like the train was going through our tent. This happened several times during the night.

The next day we stopped by Kamloaps and Shuswept Lake. It was very pretty and one of my patients was camped there. We went on and camped that night at Calgary because we wanted to go to the Calgary Stampede. Unfortunately they weren't having the Stampede, so we headed down through Montana to Yellowstone Park. There was a big rain storm which soaked all of our sleeping bags on top of the station wagon. There was a place there that rented sleeping bags for a dollar a night and I rented 6 of them. Marge covered up with a blanket. We visited all the sights in Yellowstone and saw all the bears. Then we went through the Tetons and drove to Layton, Utah, to Grandma Cowley's house. We stayed there a day or two and then drove through Nevada to our home at Kenny Court in Santa Cruz.

It was a fun, crazy time!

Virgin Islands 1970's

First Trip

Some of my classmates in Orthodontic school organized two trips to sail in the Virgin Islands. They were triangle trips that went to 3 places.

The first trip we flew to Puerto Rico and then to Tortolla Island in the British Virgin Islands where we rented two 341 sailboats. Don Orloff was captain of one boat. With him were Taylor and Marsha Hicks and Susie Orloff.

I was captain of the other boat. We had Kaye, Dick and Susie May on our boat. We sailed from island to island. We hired a man to show us how to handle the boat, take care of going through the reefs, etc. He stayed one day. don and I both had sailboats so we knew how to sail. They were all fully stocked with food. We would sail to different island and anchor down to spend the night. The doves would coo all night long. We would take turns on each others boat to eat dinner together. They teepeed our boat. To pay them back we pulled their dingy up beside our boat when they came out to eat. When they went to leave I pumped our bilge water into their dingy. Payment.

We anchored in a little bay and everyone got their snorkeling gear on. Taylor was in the water and I saw this big shark swim by the boat. I yelled to him that I saw a shark but he didn't believe me. A few minutes later I saw Taylor swimming fast toward the boat. he was trying to climb the boat ladder but his flippers wouldn't let him. He finally climbed the ladder on his knees. He said, "There's a shark down there." I said, "That's what I said, Taylor."

We went to St. John's Island in the American Virgins and we went into town. I bought a bear claw necklace for Kaye. We were all standing down at the waterfront watching a boat unload. Don, who was a small guy, loved to take pictures. He was taking pictures of them. One of the guys on the boat said, "If you take a picture of me, I'll take a picture of you with a hole in your head,"

Later we sailed to the other side of Tortolla Island and anchored down by a nice beach with a small shack from which they served food and drinks. The owner was a black fellow with big eyes. The whites of his yes were yellow. We were the only two boats there. We went ashore to get something to eat. He said, "Do you have reservations?" He fed us a great fish dinner. The people on the British Virgin Islands were all very friendly, not so on the American Virgin Islands. On that trip I got a hatch slammed down on my fingernail. It was very painful. We finally burned a hole through the nail to relieve the pain. After two weeks then we flew to New Orleans for two days.

New Orleans

We saw all the sights in New Orleans. The Jazz Areas, tour of Lake Ponchatrain, etc. We ate turtle soup and beignets. We went to lots of antique shops and I saw four copper plated milk cans from England. I bought them and had them shipped home. We use them for bar stools.

Second Trip

The second trip I rented a 44 foot sailboat. We had Kaye and I, Carl and Marsha White, and Dan and Karen Matarangus. The other boat had the Orloffs, Hicks and an orthopedic surgeon and his wife. We sailed for two weeks on another wonderful trip. For fun we had a water balloon pirate fight with eye patches. We also went back to the shack on Tortolla. We radio-ed in and made reservations. They fed us a great lobster dinner and brought down a steel band to play for us. We ate and danced all night. The next day we went to another island where these people had a rum factory in a barn. Don asked the people how much money they made of the little factory. They said we don't ask you how much you make, do we? Karl and I each bought a bottle of rum. Karl, Dan and I were drinking rum on the way to another island. When we got there Dan was pretty drunk. We went to a little bar and the man there offered the girls a tour of their little town. They took us into their houses and all around the town.

The next leg of our trip took us to Mexico City. While we were there we saw Ballet Folkloria, which was fantastic. We toured the Aztec ruins north of Mexico City. We ate in a beautiful white Mexican Restaurant. They brought huge lazy susans full of all kinds of sea foods, salad, and every kind of food. They played Mexican music. It was great. we went to the beautiful museum there and we took a tour of the city. We also went down to Taxico, their silver city where they make all the silver jewelry. We bought jewelry there. as we traveled we stopped at this pretty town where a lot of Americans lived. We ate at a beautiful restaurant that had peacocks walking around on the grass.

The smog and the traffic in Mexico City were unbelievable. The only bad thing about this trip was that I got Montezuma's revenge for about six weeks after we got home.

Mexico 1970's

Mazatlan

Our dental society sponsored a trip to Mazatlan. We left from the Monterey, California airport. On the way the plane had some engine problem. We had to dump all the planes fuel before we could land in LA for repairs. As we approached the landing strip the pilot suddenly pulled up and went back into the sky. (What a scare!) He finally landed and we had to wait about two hours while they fixed the plane. We flew into the Mazatlan airport. We took taxis to the town a few miles away. That was the scariest part of the trip. The taxi drivers were racing and animals and kids had to get out of the way.

While we were then staying at a nice hotel by the ocean, Ron and Bunny Wickum and Kaye and I went out fishing. Kaye and Bunny each caught an El Dorado or Mahi Mahi fish. Hammerhead sharks were circling the boat. It was a fun trip.

Cancun May 1970

Kaye and I flew to Houston and then to Cancun, Mexico. Cancun was a brand new resort island built by the ex-president of Mexico. It had beautiful white sand beaches which didn't get hot in the sun. Our hotel was 4 or 5 stories high built like Mayan architecture. Some of the nice rooms had pictures that were protected by glass from the wind. While they were there they were having a big meeting between 5 South American Countries. Early in the morning diesel buses came in and out came lot of Mexican soldiers who were stationed outside the hotel. Plain clothesman were stationed throughout the hotel. They examined packages when you came in the hotel. I told Kaye, "If you hear a shot, just hold flat on the floor." When we were out on the beach we saw a big Mexican naval boat cruising in the ocean in front of the hotel. About that time a gust of wind caused the glass protecting the painting to break and made a loud crash. Soldiers came from everywhere. They wouldn't let us back in the hotel. It was very exciting.

The next day we rented a VW and drove down the coast to Tulum, a Mayan city with temple ruins. It was beautiful. When we were getting ready to leave one of the guides asked us if we could give him a ride to his home between Tulum and Cancun. He gave us a history lesson on the way. He was very angry at the Catholic Church because in the 1500's they destroyed all the books and some carvings on the buildings. They thought the Mayan people weren't smart enough to write the books and build the buildings. They thought it was the work of the devil.

The next day we drove to Chitzen Itza, a large city  of Mayan ruins that was inland. The roads going down there were two lane roads with no shoulders on the side to pull over. The jungle went right to the edge of the roads. On the way down, there was a red and green stop light next to a guard shack with a soldier inside. The light was red so we stopped an sat there about five minutes. The light didn't change and the guard didn't come out yet. I told Kaye, "I'm slowly going to go on and you see if the guard moves." Nothing happened so when we got a ways away I took off.

We came to a little town next and all of the sudden the traffic was coming towards us. We missed an arrow painted on a building indicating to turn there. We turned there and went on. There was a little hotel in town and we got a room so we could spend the night.

The ruins were fantastic. We climbed to the top of one of the temples. The steps were very narrow and tall. After we looked around at where they made their sacrifices at the top, it was time to go back down. Kaye went down and I wasn't there. I went over to go down and suddenly my fear of heights got to me. I went back to the center of the ruin and sat down for about 30 minutes trying to figure out what to do. I crawled backwards to the edge and was finally able to go down the stairs backwards until I got to the bottom. They showed us the ball court, where the losers were killed. We saw their planetarium and the big hole filled with water where they threw people in as sacrifices.

At night they had a beautiful light show in English. There were colored lights on all the buildings, music and a narrative of the history of these Mayan people. then we spent the night at the hotel. The next day the return home was uneventful. I would never rent a car and drive in Mexico again.

On Cancun Island, we went to a Ballet Folklore show but it wasn't as good as Mexico City's. One day we drove down to where we took a boat over to Isla de Mujeres. We stayed a while and came back. We returned home.

Mexico City

As part of a three stop trip we took to sail in the Virgin Islands we went to Mexico City.

Ski Trips to Utah 1950's-1980's

When I started at BYU, we got married during our freshman year. Kaye had taken a ski course for PE. The next year she talked me into taking the ski course. I signed up and the first lesson was at the top of Brighton Area. Kaye had told me not to sign up for the very beginning ski class, but the other beginning ski class. I misunderstood and signed up for the intermediate class. I fell getting off the chair lift. The instructor had the class line up at the edge of the steep face that we were supposed to ski down. He said, "Follow me," so each of the students except me followed him down the hill. The instructor yelled, "Come on!" I went straight down past the class and ran into a tree and broke my ski binding. It took the rest of the day to climb back up to the chair lift so I could ride it down. By the time I got back down to the bus the lessons were all over and they were waiting for me on the bus and they were all mad. The instructor told me I would have to learn on my own if I wanted to stay in that class. He couldn't hold everyone else up. I learned fast and I was the best in the class by the end of the class.

By then Kaye was pregnant with Cathy, who was born March 24th. I went skiing at Mt. Timpanogos just before Cathy was born and sprained my ankle. I borrowed Marge's crutches because her foot was in a cast. When it came time for Cathy to be born I was on crutches, Marge was in her walking cast and Kaye had to carry her own suitcase. When we went in the hospital the nurse asked which of us wanted to be admitted.

Later on I would go skiing with Hal, Kaye's uncle, at Snow Basin by Ogden. On one of the trips I broke my ankle there. When I went to dental school in San Francisco, I sometimes would go skiing in Utah when we came up there for Christmas.

When I was in Orthodontic School, Kaye and I went skiing at Mammoth, California with our classmates. After we graduated we took several ski trips with our classmates-Squaw Valley, California; Aspen, Colorado; they were really fun trips.

We took our family to Squaw Valley skiing because they let children ski free with the parent's paid their our lift tickets. Cathy and Cindy picked up skiing fast. Greg started when he was 7. Kaye skiied with Brad between her legs when he was 5. He used to get mad and throw his poles on the ground and lay there and cry. He finally did learn to be a good skier. All the kids became great skies-way better than us. Our family skied a lot of places in the Sierras. Mostly around Lake Tahoe. Later on we took Cindy, Greg and Brad to Banff, Canada. We stayed at the Banff Springs Hotel. It was beautiful. Some of the young guys that worked there took a fancy to Cindy and sent up huge trays of fruits and cheese to our room. They had an outside hot springs pools that you could swim in with snow all around. You could enter it from the hotel dressing rooms without walking outside.

One of the really fun things we did was to take a sleigh ride across the valley to a really big tent where they had a big barbecue and a dance. It was at night and the stars and moon were beautiful on the snow.

We went skiing at the Sunshine Ski Area. Greg and Brad entered the ski races there. Brad won a second place medal and Greg won a fourth place medal. We also skied at the Lake Louise Ski Area where we could ski and look down at the beautiful Lake Louise. That was one of the best trips we ever took.

Aspen

The trip we took to Aspen was great. We stayed at Snowmass Ski Area. We could ski out of our condo to the lift. We also skied at Aspen. We went to a lot of nice restaurants in Aspen. One had a melodrama show. The waiters and waitresses were the actors. It was really fun. On the way home we stopped in Utah and went to see Lou Jean, Kaye's aunt who was dying of cancer. then we flew home.

Big Bear, California

We were going to take a family to Lake Tahoe, but Marge had a stroke so Kaye decided to stay home with her. Cathy was married and gone. I decided to take Cindy and her friend, Gabe Crabtree, and Gerg and Brad skiing. we headed towards Tahoe, but the road was closed so we headed toward Big Bear. We were in a VW van and we went to the little town of Big Bear. Cindy was driving. We headed toward the ski area and it said Chains Required, but there was no snow on the road. I told Cindy we would wait until we got to a place on the map that said Lone Tree to put on our chains. then there was some snow on the road and Cindy got stopped by a cop who gave her a ticket for not having chains. We put the chains on and went up to the ski area. We went to the lodge and they gave us a room and we took our stuff up. Later they called and said we couldn't have the room. It made me mad and before we left I stripped all the bedding on the beds and opened all the soaps and threw the key on the desk. We started back down the hill about half a mile and there was a big lodge. They hadn't cleared the driveway into the lodge. We parked the car and climbed over the snow and went to the lodge. We were the only people at the lodge. We stayed there 3 days and had a great time. the kids went into the bar and got cherry cokes. The bar tender taught them how to tie knots with the stems of marichino cherries in their mouths. When we came back Cindy had to go to court for her ticket. The judge told her that this was very serious and she would give a nervous giggle. He would tell her it wasn't funny and she would giggle again. "What do your parents think about this?" he asked. She said that I was with her. He looked at me and said, "Case dismissed."

We bought a condo near South Shore of Lake Tahoe. It was on the Nevada side of Heavenly Valley Ski Resort. It was near the Stagecoach lift and we could walk over to the lift. We skied a lot there. We also took trips to Virginia City, Carson City and Reno from there. It was at Virginia City that I saw the beautiful antique wood stoves. After that I bought 4 antique parlor stoves. We have one in our game room now.

Events in my Life at the Ranch

My grandchildren Jimmy Pace in 6th grade and Alicia Pace in 4th grade came up to the ranch to live with us because their parents Greg and Louise Pace were living in a 2 bedroom condo with 5 kids. Louise's two kids, Danica and Justin, Megan-Greg and Louise's daughter, and Jimmy and Alicia were all in one bedroom. It was too crowded. Jimmy and Alicia lived with us several years until after they graduated from high school.

Soon after Jimmy and Alicia came to live with us we took them to Hawaii. We took them to the Polynesian Cultural Center on Oahu. After we saw the sites on Oahu, we took them to the Big Island of Hawaii where we had a condo in Kona. We took them around the island to see all the points of interest there. Jimmy took a surfing lesson.

First they went to Elk Trail School. Later they went to Shady Cove School. When Jimmy was in 8th grade and Alicia was in 6th grade they transferred to Prospect School. Jimmy played football and basketball, and golf. Alicia was a cheerleader and played volleyball and was in the band. We went to most of their games which took us many miles for some of the away games. Jimmy did well in sports. Alicia's volleyball team went to State two years-her junior and senior years. I became a meber of the school board for many years. Jimmy graduated in 2004. His senior project was to take flying lessons. He took Grandma Kaye over our ranch and even flew into the airport at Prospect. Then he went to junior college and then to heavy equipment school in Eugene. He has worked in California, Vancouver, Washington and around Trail. Alicia's senior project was on becoming a beautician. She then went to Phagan's Beauty College and has since worked in Medford and Bismarck, North Dakota, as a beautician. As a school board member, I got to sign and hand out both of their diplomas.

I have put in a beautiful vegetable garden every year that we have lived here. The first year we were here I put in a family orchard. I have spent ten years on the Prospect School Board. The board has gone from easy to complicated. Prospect School became Prospect Charter School a few years ago.

When Megan, Greg's youngest daughter, was in 4th grade, she moved up here with us because she was having a very difficult time in school. When she got here, Kaye had her tested for learning disorders. They found she had ADD. She was on medication until she was 13. She started to do better in school. She still has a hard time concentrating on her school work. She had great success with Mr. Zeller in the band. She played the bass. She also sang in the choir. Greg and Louise came up to see her at Christmas and Spring Break. She spends every summer with Greg and Louise in California.

I had a very bad illness in 2008. I nearly died. I became very ill on a Wednesday night and started throwing up. The next day I was very sick and called Kaye, who was substitute teaching and told her I needed her to come home and take me to the doctor. They couldn't get someone to take her place until lunch time. She hurried home and took me to the emergency room at Providence Hospital. They took me in and put me in the hospital. It was determined that I had pancreatitis and needed my gall bladder taken out. They gave me drugs to get rid of the infection before they could take my gall bladder out. That took about 3 days to get it under control. All that I remember was that Jimmy came in and held my arm. The anesthesiologist told me that he was going to take care of me during my gall bladder surgery. Kaye and lots of family were there, but I don't remember it. They did the surgery on Sunday morning. All I remember was dreams about being kidnapped and put in the basement. I was trying to figure out how I was going to jump the kidnappers when they came in the room. I thought if I slid down to the end of the bed I could get out of bed without the alarm going off, but it didn't work. Evidently they had to strap me to the bed because I kept pulling out my tubes and was trying to get out of bed. They had to have someone be with me all of the time. Kaye was there every day, but I was unaware of it. Other people, including Kim Marhsall's family and Cathy and Marvin, Alicia, Megan, Jimmy and people from church were there and I didn't know it. I had two blessings. I couldn't talk so that they could understand me. I told Cathy to get out of there, that people were trying to kill me and that she wasn't safe and to leave and don't come back. Kim had her whole family put my name in the temple in many different temples. The following Friday morning I woke up and could think clearly and speak. I had been unconscious for 10 days. When Dr. Bailey came to see me when I was so sick, he was afraid I might not survive or end up with brain damage. They sent me home on Friday. I was home on day and I couldn't urinate. Kaye took me back to the emergency room. I was in terrible pain. They had to put a foli back in my bladder to get rid of the urine. I had to wear it for 15 days. Then I started to feel better and gain some weight back after they took it out. I had a great home nurse named Anna and physical therapy that helped me recover.

During 2008 and 2009, Kaye had both her knees replaced and back surgery for sciatica. The back surgery left her with back pain and pain down her right leg. She also had two bad shoulders, the left a torn rotator cuff and the right shoulder needs to be replaced.

In 2010, Megan has become a cheerleader and is very busy at Prospect High School. She is a sophomore this year and very pretty. Alicia is engaged to a nice young man, Mitch Jaffe. He has done three tours of duty in Iraq. On October 10th, 2010, Jimmy married Stephanie Harsha. She has a 7 year old daughter named Hailey. They are expecting a baby boy named Carson James Pace. Justin (Louise's boy) is going on a mission to Salt Lake City. Danica is living in Santa Cruz. Greg and Louise have moved into a new rental in Bonnie Doon.

Cindie and Rob are busy in Utah. Cindie flies a lot and Rob is trying to start a new business. Amber and Roger lived in the same area. They have 6 kids between them. Austin and Stacie lived down by Kennecott Copper Mines where he is an engineer. Casey and Ashley live in Idaho Falls by Casey's family. Adam is back from his mission and going to BYU Idaho.

Cathy and Marvin have been busy this year shutting down their old fabric and framing store and moving into a smaller place where they will only do framing. Lisa and Greg Mapel are busy with Gavin, Amy, Dylan and Kaye and Ethan are busy with work and kid's school activities. Ryan and Melissa and their 5 boys moved into a nice new rental house in Eagle Point. Dustin is separated from Lina and is going to work in Pruneville, Oregon, as an electrician for a while. Ian is working on getting his GED.

My sister (Fern) Sis is in a rest home in South Dakota. We went to see Sis and Ken last summer. Sis is 85 years old now. Sis' real name is Rhoda Fern Anderson.

Things I Did to Improve the Ranch

First I had cement floors put in the RV barn. Then I put 3 automatic doors in the RV barn. I also added cabinets from an old school. I ran lines for new electrical outlets. I had several 220V outlets for welding. I put peg board on the walls to hold tools. I put in a welding table, a bookecase, a desk with a sink.

Then I built a house to cover our well. I put barn doors on our barn and tied down the metal roof. I fenced the pastures. I moved the road going up to the top of the property. I had a wet spot where there was a spring dug out and made it into a pond with an island in the middle. I put decorative rocks in places around the pond. I put a weeping willows tree on the island. I planted an orchard with pears, peaches, plums, nectarines, apples, walnuts, mulberries and cherries. I also planted grapes, rasberries, currents and blueberries in where the corrals used to be. I also planted a big garden there every year. I built a new horse corral by the barn.

I painted the house, garage and RV barn first with primer. Then I painted it a color that was supposed to be white. After I finished Kaye and I started to drive away and Kaye looked back and said it all looks green, not the white we wanted. Kaye went back and told the paint store that they gave us the wrong color. They gave up $750 worth of pure white paint to repaint everything. I repainted it all-what a job. Then I did all the trim in dark green.

I took out one of the lawns and made it a gravel parking lot. We put a new septic drainage field in. Inside the house I tore down an old chimney and took out the old wood stove. I put in a new rock hearth and a new efficient Avalon wood stove and a fan system that carried the heat to the bedroom area. We put in new carpet in the family room.

Next we changed our garage into a game room, bathroom, spa, and laundry room. I put a stone hearth and stone walls and mantle in one corner and put our antique stove there. I put a bar with our milk cow stool in one corner and made a small kitchen behind it with cupboards, sink, refrigerator, microwave. I used the redwood countertop we had in our gameroom in California to make the new bar. We moved in a new spa before we finished the wall in the game room. It was brought in the opening for a large window in the game room, put in its place, and then after it was installed, we built the wall where the little kitchen was. I put a bath with anew sink and counter, toilet and shower next to the spa. We made an attic storage area above this area with a door going into it above the bathroom. We put in a separate laundry room coming in from the breezeway. David Reid did the construction on this remodel. Kaye and I did the paint in all the rooms. Game room-burgundy with gold sponging, spa-cream and tan textured paint, laundry room was yellow. We tiled the kitchen spa and bathroom and carpeted the game room. I put a real nice pool table in the middle of the room, a side bank shuffle board on the wall next to the bathroom. I hung our 1917 Hershell carousel horse from the ceiling on a brass pole over the shuffle board. We also put my portrait and Kaye's portrait on that wall. On one wall under a window I built a bench that held our massage table in it. Next to it we put in our antique hall tree. In the corner next to the door I made a pool cue rack out of a round antique table. Next to it we put in an antique armoire. Next to that I put in my mother's cedar chest that was made by my mother's brother, Uncle Harold, for her 18th birthday. My dad cut the legs off so I replaced the legs and restored it. Kaye tole painted it. I put our poker table next to that with a red antique lamp over it. Later we put in a sofa bed. Before long my grandkids, Alicia and Jimmy, took turns living in there. Kaye put a mural by the spa and on the door to the storage room in the attic. I put some cupboards in the laundry room, painted the cement floor, painted the walls yellow and put in a fruit border at the top of the walls. I cut a piece of burgandy carpet left over from the game room and put it on the laundry room floor.

Remodeling the Kitchen

On Thanksgiving Day in 2008 our cooktop stove blew out. Kaye had her other knee replaced in 2009. I decided to remodel our kitchen while she recovered. I replaced the floor with a wooden floor. I cut out the cabinets for a new stove where the broken stove top had been. I cut out cabinets next to the sink to make room for a dishwasher. I extended the cabinets to cover the garbage compactor and to make a storage area for baking pans. I took off all the doors and hardware. I sanded all the cabinet doors and drawers and frames. We painted them a pewter color. We installed new stainless appliances-a double oven stove, microwave and stove vent, twin door refrigerator, dishwasher, and a stainless sink. We had a granite counter top put on the top of the cabinets. I also took out a wall heater and Jimmy put in new oak paneling on the dining room wall. I also put up wallpaper on one wall iwth a grape border. Cathy made us new black and gold curtains.

Living Room

I put up new hardware and drapes in the living room. I also bought a new brown leather couch and chair. It has a motor that reclines both pieces of furtniture. Kaye redid the old chest that we had for 40 years after I sanded it. It is now an antiqued gold color. The living room and kitchen look very nice now.

Preparing House Site on Top of the Hill

In order to prepare the house site at the top of the hill we had to build a new road. To prepare the home site we had to blast the rock to make a pad. We sat up on the hill to watch the blasting. We didn't get far enough away and rocks were flying over our heads. We had plans for approximately 4,000 square foot house drawn by an architect friends of ours, Curtis Folsom. We had to go 800-900 feet deep to get a well that had water. We put in a septic tank and a drain field. We put the foundation in but due to financial problems we couldn't continue to build it.

The Sale of Our Muir Drive House

We decided to sell our house and move to Oregon, but the real estate market wasn't good at the time. We wouldn't accept any offers that we got, so we took it off the market. Just before my surgery the Smeads from church referred some people who had come to look at their home to us. I gave them a figure of $950,000 to buy our house. They accepted the offer while I was in the hospital during my chemo scare. The stipulation was that we had to be out of the house in three weeks. Kaye couldn't see how she could get everything ready to move since I was so weak, but I told her we would accept the offer and we did.

Su Rudy came and helped Kaye pack. Cindy and Rob and family came down and helped us pack. Somehow we got everything packed. In May, we had come up to Lisa's wedding in Oregon and finalized the sale of a ranch we had been trying to buy for two years by Lost Creek Lake.

I rented 4 big 24 foot U-Haul trucks. The first weekend we loaded two of the trucks and Rob and Greg drove them to Medford. Kaye and I drove our cars up. We had to put everything in 4 big storage units in Medford because the state policeman and his wife who had been renting our house and were supposed to be moved out by June 16th lost their grandson in a swimming pool accident and we decided to give them another month or two to move. The next weekend we brought the other two trucks up to Medford. I drove one of the big trucks and Greg drove the other truck. We unloaded the other trucks into the storage units. Kaye and I made several trips back and forth to bring our other vehicles up from California.

We finally put the camper on our big Chevy truck and camped at Stewart Park by the ranch until we could move into our house. Before we moved into the home, our grandsons helped us move our stuff out of the storage up to the ranch. It took a lot of trips. We left a lot of our stuff in storage because we didn't have room for it at our house.

My Cancer

When I went to the bathroom, I had a lot of blood. My internist was on vacation so I went to his on call internist. He examined me and took a sample of my blood. The next day I called his office and the nurse told me it wasn't cancer and didn't give me advice about what to do about it. I had no more symptoms for over a year. i went to Dr. Seftel, my ENT. I had previously done his orthodontics.

He said nothing was wrong with my ears, so he sent me down to have a sonogram on my carotid arteries to see if they were blocked. They were clear. He was puzzled and took a sample of my blood for a blood test. It came back that I was severely anemic. I went to my regular internist immediately and he scheduled me for a colonoscopy and a biopsy. Dr. Jackson should have done them, but he was arrogant.

The colonoscopy showed I had a tumor. The biopsy showed it was a squamous cell carcinoma. Dr. Alexander scheduled my surgery for April 6, 1996. During  my surgery Dr. Alexander found a tumor the size of my fist in my colon and a tumor on my liver. After the surgery, Dr. Alexander told Kaye he was sorry but he didn't think that I would survive the cancer. They took out 3 feet of my colon. The tumor on my liver turned out to be benign.  The biospy of 6 other sites showed that the cancer hadn't spread. The doctor wanted to be sure that they got it all and so he wanted to have some chemotherapy. Dr. Alexander said I was a very lucky person.

Lisa, our granddaughter, and Greg were going to be married in May in Medford, Oregon. Kaye and I flew up to Medford to go to the wedding. While we were there I kept having a fever and chills. We went to the doctor in Medford and they couldn't find a reason for it. While I was in Medford, I negotiated to buy a ranch that I had been wanting to buy for two years at Lost Creek Lake. We made the deal and then I went back to Santa Cruz.

I started chemotherapy. It made me very sick. I told the doctors that I just couldn't go anymore. He told me that they had a pill I could take that was very expensive that would help with the nausea. I asked how much it was and it was $9, I said give it to me. I took the pill that Saturday and came back that same day and did another session of chemotherapy.

Sunday I woke up with shaking chills. Kaye took me down to the emergency room and my doctor's partner came in to the emergency room. I had shaking and spasms while he was there and he immediately put me in the hospital. Three days later I woke up and they told me I almost died. They said it was due to a little infection that I had since the surgery. It was low grade and caused me to have a 100 degree temperature. They shouldn't have given me chemo until they cleared up the infection. I continued to get better at the hospital, but I was very weak. I was in the hospital about ten days. Kaye told me that the High Priests came in and gave me a blessing. I started to get better the next day.

Greg & Louise's Wedding

After Greg and Bonnie got a divorce, Greg had custody of his two children, Jimmy and Alicia. He stopped commercial fishing and started in Mechanical Engineering at San Jose Sate. He started to go to the single group and met Louise Rudy. She was divorced and had two children, Danica and Justin. They decided to get married. They were married at the Capitola Church in the Relief Society room and their reception was in the cultural hall. Susan Rudy made a beautiful bridal gown for Louise. The Rudy's put on a very nice reception for them.

Greg & Bonnie's Wedding

Greg and Bonnie Whittaker met on his birthday. He thought Willy and his friends were going to give him a surprise birthday party, but no one even said anything about it. He was very disappointed. Bonnie brought him a red rose and that was when they started to date. They were married in December at our house. It was a beautiful wedding. Greg looked handsome in his tux. The attendants all wore red satin dresses and white muffs with holly on them. The wedding was by our swimming pool, overlooking the ocean. They had a beautiful cake. Sis played the organ. Johnny Linda played the accordion for the guests while they ate. Bonnie's mom, uncle and grandmother were there from back east. Greg and Bonnie went to Hawaii for a week on their honeymoon. They wen to our condo in Kona.

The 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake

It was October 1st, 1989 at 5:05 pm. The World Series game was just starting between the Oakland A's and the San Francisco Giants in the Oakland, California stadium. A 7.3 magnitude earthquake started at Loma Prieta Mountain, about 3 miles from our home in Soquel, California. Greg and I and Alicia who was about 1 year old were in the Soquel Ice Cream Parlour getting an ice cream. When it started, it looked like a wave coming toward us about one foot high. Greg grabbed Alicia and we went out the front door. A big glass window shattered behind us. I told Greg to run to the right, but fortunately he didn't respond. The whole brick wall on the right exploded and filled the sidewalk and part of the road. We probably would have been killed if we had gone that way. We looked at the bank building across the street and the whole roof collapsed. Fortunately the workers had gone home at 5:00 pm and the building was empty. We wen to our car and drove up to our house. When we got there Kaye, Bonnie and Jimmy were on our lawn.

At the house when the earthquake hit Jimmy who was about 3 years old was outside. He started running to the house and the quake knocked him down and he had a blood nose. Bonnie was running down the hallway to get Jimmy and she was knocked from one wall to the next on her way out of the house. She said that the water in the swimming pool in our backyard had giant waves that sloshed from one end of the pool to another. She ran out and got Jimmy. Kaye was out in the workshop at the side of the gameroom when it started. She started to run past the gameroom and the wave knocked Kaye off her feet. She watched our motor home parked in the driveway sway back and forth like it was going to tip over. Windows in the gameroom and home were breaking. The quake lasted 5-7 minutes. When it was over Kaye, Bonnie and Jimmy sat on the lawn and we drove up.

We were outside on the lawn when the 5.5 aftershock came. It sounded like a freight train coming down the canyon. we had many aftershocks during the next 3 or 4 weeks. We all stayed in the motor home. we had no phone, water, or electricity. Our house had raised in elevation 2 feet higher. We had over $300,000 in damage to our house and pool. Our house was really a mess. Our cupboards came down off the walls. The kitchen was full of broken dishes. Anything that was breakable, broke. Rocks came off our big hexagon fire place.

We were sitting there not knowing what to do a couple of days later when the men from the Elder's Quorom came up to help us. A contractor named Bren't came up and put our cabinets back on the wall. A plumber put our pipes back together. Many elder's came with shovels and wheelbarrows and shoveled up the mess in our kitchen. The Relief Society sisters fed the workers. We were so grateful for all that they did. We piled the broken stuff out in the driveway.

We restored it and it was much more beautiful than before the earthquake. It took many months to pu the house and pool and deck back together. We had to replace everything but the roof on the cabana. Greg and I jackhammered and wheeled out all the concrete in wheelbarrows through our entry hall to the driveway. That was the only access we had to the backyard. There was a pile of concrete 10-12 feet high, 20 feet wide and at least 30 feet long which we had to have trucked away. Bill had done stonework in our bedroom and the gameroom and not one of his stones came out. There was 10 tons of stone done by professional stone masons on our big hexagon fireplace and about half of the stone came down. The rest had to be taken down to repair the fireplace. We got a stonemason from Asland, Oregon, to repair out 16 foot high, 6 feet sides tapered up to a skylight that went all the way around the fireplace. We also had him do our entry hall, hall, cabana, and a study off our bedroom. We had a copper cap on our fireplace chimney. We put new tile counters and floors in the kitchen and bathrooms and family room.

The most beautiful change was the cement work we had done outside. We got a company that made the cement look like real rocks and they put a big set of waterfalls at the far side of our pool and fake rocks as a coping round the pool. They also made many large fake rocks by the pool and deck. It was really beautiful.

Cathy and her family and Marjorie, Kaye's mom, came through the earthquake with very little damage.

Brad's Death

Tragedy struck our home in 1981. On February 7th, Brad went on the annual school ski trip to Tahoe. When he came home he had a temperature of 100, sore throat and cold. We took him to the doctor and he said Brad had the flu and to give him lots of liquids and aspirin. Greg was also pretty sick with the flu and we thought they probably both had the same thing. In a couple of days we sent Brad back to school but when he came home he told us that he still had a 100 degree temperature. We kept him home a few more days. I suspected that he had pneumonia and told Kaye to take him back to the doctor and get a chest x ray. The doctor told Kaye he didn't need a chest x ray and sent him home. We kept him there a few more days and he wasn't getting better. I kept thinking he had pneumonia, so Saturday morning I was getting ready to go the office and Brad was sitting there watching cartoons. He just didn't look quite right to me. I told Kaye to take him to Dr. Long and get chest x ray and a blood test. Then again they said he didn't need them and sent him home again. I was very angry. During the period of time Brad asked Robbie to give him a blessing. In the blessing Rob said Brad would suffer like Job in the bible. after the blessing I told Rob that was very scary. I had just assumed that it was the flu or pneumonia. Rob said he didn't remember what he had said.

The following Tuesday I sent Kaye down to get an x ray of Brad and not to come back without it. Kaye got the x ray done and the doctor said they would call us with results. They didn't call on Tuesday so Wednesday I called the doctor and they said, "Yes, he's got pneumonia." He put him on Keflex, a strong antibiotic. Usually this drug works pretty fast, but Brad didn't get better and he started throwing up everything he ate. Lo and behold he started getting little lumps on the back of his neck. I told Brad that there is a chain of lymph nodes there and sometimes when you are sick they would swell up. A day or two later he got a little lump about the size of a BB on the top of Brad's head.

When they took him to an internist, Dr Pettrak, to see what he thought was wrong with Brad, he told me the lump was a dermoid cyst. I said, "Bologne. Dermoid cysts don't put up like that." A day or so later another little lump popped up on his forehead.

Friday I took him to Dr. Bekett, our neighbor who was a dermatologist to have the lump biopsied. It would take about a week to get the results back. Brad was still getting sicker. On Thursday Kaye called her father, R Adams Cowley, who was Chief of Thorassic Surgery and head of Shock Trauma at the University of Maryland to tell him about Brad and get some advice. She told him Brad's symptoms. He said he would check with the doctors back there and call me back. In a little while, he said he was coming out that night.

When he stepped in the door, Brad was sitting on the couch and he said Brad didn't look too bad and he said to Kaye, "You told me that Brad was dying." Kaye said, "I didn't say that." This was March 6th. Brad had been sick about one month. Kaye's father then sat down and started going through the symptoms. Trying to figure out what was wrong with Brad. The biopsy result wasn't back yet. He decided it might be leukemia. He said Brad needed to be in Stanford Hospital. The next morning on Friday we took Brad to Stanford. The doctors at Stanford examined Brad and thought it might be a lymphoma. I called Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz to see if the biopsy results were back. They said they were so I drove back to the hospital to pick them up. I read the report and it said he had some form of squamous cell carcinoma. I started to walk out with the report to take to the Stanford doctors. They told me I couldn't take it. I said "Bull shit, this is my son who has cancer." They said, "You can't take it." I said, "Watch me." And I took it out the door. Two security guards got on each side of my car and I just drove off and took the report to the doctors in Stansford. They immediately tried to determine what kind of squamous cell cancer it was. It was detected first on the first x ray as a small spot on the outside of his lung. Because he was growing so fast it caused the tumor to grow fast and it was now a large spot on the outside of his lung. This caused his lung to not inflate and deflate properly. They started chemotherapy, but they had to stop it on Wednesday because his blood was going wild. They told us there was nothing else they could do for him. We brought him home on Wednesday. We set up a hospital bed for him in the living room. Some of his friends and all of our family came to be with him. He had Duke, his dog, and Mr. T, his horse to see him on the way to the house.

Brad wanted me to quit drinking alcohol and get ready for us to be sealed as a family in the temple for eternity. I promised him that I would. I have never had a drink since then.

Friday morning it was raining, Brad was feeling pretty bad and asked Rob for a blessing to die. In the blessing, Rob told him that when the sun came out that Brad would go to be with Heavenly Father. About 30 minutes later the rain stopped and the sun came out. Brad said, "I'm going home!" Then he passed away. The funeral was held on March 17th at the stake center in Santa Cruz. It was over flowing with people. He is buried at the cemetery by Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz.

Our Condo in Hawaii

We went to a dental meeting in Hawaii. We went to Maui and stayed. We really liked it a lot so I started looking at real estate. Real estate was going so well in Maui that places in the planning stage were sold before they were built. We went over to the Big Island of Hawaii and we saw the Kona Bali Kai condos that were right on the beach in Kailua, Kona. I decided to buy a condo there. The real estate agents were Lil and Wally Lenty. I gave them a $25,000 check as a deposit. I din't have $25,000 in the bank. The first thing I did when I got home was to call my banker and she covered the check. The total price was $96,000 for unit 404. Real estate was just starting to take off on the Big Island. I went on a trip up to Canada and I started to think that I should buy another unit #409 for $96,000. I called up my friend and lawyer, Bob Ludlow, that he should buy one and he did.

One year later I sold unit #409 for some realtors for $210,000. They put it up for sale for $249,000. The market dried up and 5 years later they asked me to take it back. They had given me a $50,000 down paid me $1,700 a month for 5 years. I took it back. It took me two years longer to resell #409 for $155,000. I took a lot at Ponderosa Pines in northern California as part of the down. Years later I gave the lot to Cindie and Rob to use as a down payment for their house in Pleasanton.

We kept unit 409 for about 20 years. Since no one was using it after we moved to Oregon we sold it.

We decorated both condos and we had to use local furniture stores and even Woolworths in Hilo for lamps. They both looked great. Our units both had balconies looking straight out to the ocean. There was also a swimming pool and shops in the building. Our kids and our friends used the condos for free for many years.

While we were there we would drive all around the island looking at black sand beaches, Queens bath, the Volcano National Park, Hilo, lava tubes. After the Volcano would be erupting while we were there. We looked at the Perkin ranch in the middle of the island and all the sights in Hilo and all around the island. It was a large island and many things to see.

When we would fly over we would stay in Honolulu at the Rainbow Gardens Hotel for a few days and look all around Waikiki. We would go over to the other side of the island and go tot he Polynesian Cultural Center and all the sights on the North Shore. Once when we were on our way to the Polynesian Cultural Center we stopped to help a Hawaiian lady and her family who were having car problems. I helped them out and they were so grateful. They were surprised that a "Haile" Would stop and help them. She gave me the name of her cousin and told me to see her at the Cultural Center. We did and he gave us free tickets to get in. Every year after that for many years we exchanged Christmas cards with that nice family. We sold our condos in 1997-1998.

My 50th Birthday

When I turned fifty the girls at the office threw a party at Castegnola's Restaurant in Santa Cruz. First they put a king crown on me. Then they had a belly dancer come in. Then they served me a platter with a silver top on it. When I took the top off there was a fake turd on it. Then a gorilla came in and sat on my lap. Don Conolly, my partner, gave me a 38 Smith and Wesson pistol for my birthday. We had a great lunch. Kaye and the kids were there and all of my office staff.

My 40th Birthday

We had just built our house on the hill on Muir Drive. I got up that day and I wasn't feeling too good. I hadn't shaved or cleaned up. I got a call from Ted asking me to go with him to look at a big redwood tree that was in a pond there. He kept going on and on about this. We finally went down to his house and he said, I've got to make a phone call. I sat out in the car and waited for him. He came and said "Let's go back to your place." What Ted was doing was getting me away from the house so Kaye and the kids could get my surprise part ready.

When Ted and I drove up to the house, Cindy and her friends had made me a "Happy 40th Birthday" banner across the driveway which I drove through. When I got out and went around the back by the pool there must have been at least 50-75 people there. We had lots of great food and crab and shrimp.

My Nose Surgery

In 1970 I had bought a new 240 Z Datzun sports car for $3600. In 1972 I was going home from work and a drunk pulled out in front of me and I hit him broadside. It totaled my Z out. I hit my nose and lip on the steering wheel. My lip swelled out big and purple further than my nose. I had a greenstick fracture in my right maxillary sinus, my ankle was all swollen and hurt. I found out 3 months later that it was broken. The top of my head and ribs were very sore from the collision. When I went to work the next morning my patients would look at me and laugh because my lip looked so bad.

I started having sinus headaches and my right eye felt like it was being pushed out. They would last about 12 hours, no matter how many aspirin I would take. Everytime I went to see a doctor about it they would say it's just Santa Cruz disease and to take nose drops. Over a period of 6 years they would increase in frequency until I was having them about 3 to 6 times a week. It was very difficult to work with these headaches. Finally Dr. Siftel, my ENT doctor decided to take an x ray of my sinus. My maxillary sinus was totally filled with infection. Antibiotics couldn't touch it so Dr Seftel set me up for sinus surgery. My dad, James F Pace, had fallen and broken his hip. He was in the hospital and was supposed to have hip surgery on the same day as my sinus surgery, April 8th. During that night he died. I postponed my surgery until after his funeral in Virden. When I went in to have my surgery, Dr. Seftel put a towel over my face. Because I had broken my nose he had to file and clip the bone out. I could hear all of this scraping. Then he had to punch into the sinus with a punch and mallet. He looked and said, "Oops, I got it into the wrong place." Then he punched another hole and got into the sinus. The infection was so thick he couldn't aspirate it out. Then he ran a little tube in to what he thought was the sinus to irrigate it. I felt like he had his thumb in my eye. He lifted up that towel and said, "Oops." again. He finally got the tube into my sinus and irrigated it out. He put about 20 yards of gauze in my nose. Then he put ice in a nibber glove and put it over my nose. While I was asleep my friend Ted Szychowski came in and took a picture of me with the glove on my nose. The operation was a success and I was so happy not to have those headaches any more. As a result of this trauma my sinus atrophied down to the size of a marble compared to the original size of a golf ball.

Fishing Trips

On one of our trips, Greg and I were going out 150-200 miles out off the California coast to fish for albacore. I had just bought a $2,500 life raft that would automatically fill and break loose of the boat if the boat should sink. We also installed a $2500 EPIRB that would pop up and send a rescue signal if the boat sank. Greg and I were about 150 miles out on our way to the fishing grounds late a night and alone when all of the sudden the fire alarm went off in the engine room. Greg and I looked at each other and opened the door to the engine room and it was full of smoke. We cut the engine off and we kept checking the engine room and we couldn't see a fire, just smoke. Finally the smoke cleared and we couldn't see any signs of a fire or what caused the smoke. We started the engine up again and it ran fine and did to this day. We got to fishing area and started to fish the next morning. We saw a wonderful sight. It looked like several hundred of dolphins were following us. we caught some albacore and then our new $5000 refrigeration system froze. So then we had to go back in without a full load. Normally we could hold about 20 tons of albacore. I tried to contact the refrigeration guy who did the work and he had gone into the highway patrol and we couldn't contact him. I had to take the boat to another refrigeration guy who did the job right for another $5000. After one year I sent the new life raft to be serviced for its yearly check. They said it had a faulty valvle and it never would have filled up the raft if we had sank. We also got a recall notice for the EPERB that it was faulty and wouldn't have worked either. If that boat had burned we wouldn't have survived over 4 hours in our survival suits that night. No one would have found us in the dark.

Greg and I used to go fishing up north and anchor down at New Years Island just north of Santa Cruz and further north at Point Reyes by the light house. It was neat at night to see the flourescnse of the fish swimming by. It was a very nice anchoridge. When we were out fishing it was very exciting when we would catch the big salmon and the big albacore. Sometimes we would catch sharks, mainly blue sharks. Greg wanted to try long lining for black cod, so I bought a $15000 system from Mike Tyson and had it installed on the boat. Greg would put about 2,000 baited hooks on the line. We had an automatic barter. we'd lay this line in deep water for about 2 or 3 hours. When we pulled it up he would have about 2,000 pounds of black cod.

Some of the people Greghad crew for him on the boat were Allen Welch, Danny Lyra and Schulty's son.

Over the years, Greg and Bonnie had little Jimmy and Alicia. Jimmy who was 2 or 3 would spend hours on the boat putting down lines all around the boat when we were working on it. He would never cry or get bored. Greg and Bonnie got divorced during this period and Greg had custody over the two kids. In about 1989 or 1990 about Christmas time he pulled the boat in and decided he didn't want to fish anymore. He decided to go back to school and became a mechanical engineer. I sold the boat to Bob Lee for $125,000. He put $25.000 down and I took a note for $100,000. Bob Lee fished it for a while and then sold it to Lou who had Lou's Seafood Restaurant on the Wharf in San Francisco. She paid the note off to me over time. Bob Lee decided he wanted the boat and he bought it back from Lou. After Greg finished his degree at Cabrillo College and San Jose State he got a job at Lockheed and now Lockheed hires him out to NASA.