Summer 2010

In August the Peter and Becky family and Grace and
Sonja came to visit in Utah Valley and Rigby.
We hadn't seen them in years.
We sure enjoyed having them all here and in Idaho.

Above - There was some clowning around during the visit.

Above - Andrew provided lots of great piano music - he's good!

Above - Matthew fixed this Mongoose in this clean and orderly garage

Above - Jennifer and Kelsie

Above - Grace, Jennifer and Aliysa, and the family goat

Above - Peter and Gaylene holding Taycie

Above - Becky, Tasha, Abby, Courtney and Bob + one Schipperke

Above - Andrew on a rope

Above - This lonely little waif doesn't get much mail.

Above - Abby taking a little refresher nap

Taycie Grace comes to the Lams!

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We were thrilled to hear that Taycie was born on Sunday 20 June 2010, 8 lbs 13 oz. She and her mom are doing well. Gaylene never could get a photo with Tasha or Bob in it, but here are all the children with Taycie:

Above - with Abby

Above - with Andrew

Above - with Zachary

Above - with Mallory

Above - with Spencer

Above - with Courtney

Above - with Jace

Above - with Aliysa

Above - A bike ride to the ol' swimming bridge

Above - Spencer leaping into the cold water

Above - A River Runs Through It, Zachary and Andrew

Above - Zachary in full regalia

Memorial Day Family Pics

We went to David and Julie's barbecue:

Above - Linda, Lucas, Taylie, and Radley.

Above - Linda and Gaylene. The volleyball game was spirited -
Gaylene's arms became very bruised.

Above - Gaylene and Emil, Christie, and Grandpa Nuttall

Above - Grandma Nuttall, Flora, Sherrie and Walt, and Susan.

Above - Stuart, Levi, and John Erik.

Above - Rachelle and Craig, Linda, Megan, Malisa and Jacob.

May 24th in Utah

I think we should take Al Gore out and give him a good horse-whipping.

Emil and the Tomato Stalk Update

(See previous posts on 24 April and 1 May)

The Sweet 100 stalk (on the right) grew 7 inches this past week.

Tasha's Visit in April

Tasha and the little Lams came for a visit during the last week of April.

Tasha, Aliysa, Jace, Courtney and Spencer went to "The 3 Musketeers" at the Hale Center Theatre in SLC. That left Mallory, Zachary, Andrew and Abby with Grandma and Grandpa.

Below - Play Dough is always a favorite:


Below - there were a lot of helpers to tell the story of Jonah and the whale:

Below - We have had quite a few wind storms this spring, the kids are standing on a recent casualty:


Below - Tasha being a good mother and home-school teacher:


Below - start them fishing when they are young and they will never depart from their ways:


Below, next 3 photos - jungle gym fun:


Below - Spencer being advised by a clown and a princess on how to brush his teeth with a frog:

Emil and the Tomato Stalk

Below - Here is an update one week from the original tomato plant post. The tall plant is now on the right and it has grown about 6 inches, almost one inch per day.

Yesterday I started putting some club soda into the bottom box to enhance the CO2 level (increased CO2 in the atmoshere is not bad - it is what plants thrive on!)

I learned from a friend that there is a spray that will set the blossoms and enable the plant to produce fruit, which I have started using.

Indoor Tomato Plants

You do know what store-bought tomatoes taste like. Yes - BLAAUGH! - (if they have any taste at all). They are picked way green, ripened with ethylene gas - and are way expensive.

Below - Here is my latest project - my indoor, year-around, vine-ripened tomato growing chamber:

Below - The Sterilite storage boxes cost less than $7 each at Home Depot. They are held together with binder clips, jumbo and large. The middle two boxes have their bottoms cut out:

Below - The tomato plant on the left (Sweet 100) doubled in height in about 11 days and is blooming. The LED arrays have the optimum red and blue wavelengths for photosynthesis. Each array costs ~$40 and they are left on continuously. The plant on the right is a Sunsugar (it was a smaller plant when purchased, but is growing rapidly also):

As time goes on I will have to learn how to control/avoid plant diseases. Also, I don't as yet know if tomato plants self pollenate.

After Christmas Family Reunion - 2009

We visited the Salt Lake aquarium, it was great:

Nice stingray, nice stingray:


Grandma and Linda came to visit the fam: