June 2024

Here is a link to all photos and videos from June, and below are some things we've been up to:

Colonoscopy

Rob: Now that I'm 45, I decided to go in for a colonoscopy. For those uninitiated, you have to stop eating for about 24 hours before the procedure, and take a laxative with a lot of water to flush out your system (and I mean, completely flush).  They really put you into a deep slumber for the procedure, so you experience nothing until you wake up and might as well have had your memory wiped clean. For me all was well, they found one polyp that appeared to be routinely benign. Afterwards we went to eat at a nearby Cracker Barrel and use an old gift card we had. I probably ate too much though because I woke up with a sudden urge to vomit the next night. But everything seemed back to normal by the next day.

Family Visits Out West

Rob: On Friday, June 14, we had an early morning flight to SLC, so we stayed the night before at a fun AirBnB in Newark by the airport. Due to poor planning and a busy day at the airport that just made everything slow, I thought we were going to miss our flight. But we pressed on. Fortunately the flight was delayed, and although the door was closed at the terminal when we got there, they were kind enough to let us on at the last minute. Stressful to be sure, but being the last one on the plane means you have a shorter flight than everyone else. Apart from that, the flight went great and Alex was a great traveler. This time we brought his scooter with us to help move him through the airport more quickly, and we never would have made that flight without it.

We stayed at my parents' house in the basement like before. Alex is very familiar with this arrangement by now. He remembers where things are, and the first thing he wanted to do was dig the marble run toy out of the closet.  During the next few days we did some shopping, visited the Nickel Arcade, hit shopping malls, did mini golf with Alex for the first time, took Alex for rides in Grandpa's old cars (1929 and 1957 Fords) and spent time hanging out at the homes of my siblings in the area. We enjoyed pizza and playing in Jim and Melanie's place in Taylorsville, which includes a pickleball court in the backyard. And we enjoyed getting everyone together for Father's Day and pulled pork sandwiches on Sunday at Linda and Alan's place in Heber. We were also able to meet up with some old friends too, including Brendan and Julianne  in Provo, Shane in Lehi, Eric and Patrice in North Salt Lake, and also Becky's brother Nate and his wife Riley who were just married last summer and are at BYU. So there was lots of local travel, and as usual not enough time to visit everyone we'd like to see, but time well-spent nonetheless.

The main event was a family wedding: my nephew Ethan (son of Victoria and Erik) got married to Rachel; they knew each other from the ward they grew up in I think. They had a 'preception' on Tuesday evening at Le Jardin in Sandy. They were married early the next morning, and then there was a lunch at the Millcreek Commons, followed by roller skating. So this was all a lot of fun, eating, chatting, and roller skating with family. We weren't sure if Alex would let us put roller skates on him, but he did and so he got to have his first experience roller skating. We were proud of him for being brave enough to try it.

Becky took a flight to Arizona to spend a few days with her family on Thursday, and me and Alex flew back to New York on Friday. Alex was a great little traveler on the flight and drive home, and throughout the whole trip he just went wherever we went without any complaint. Probably more compliant than the average 7 year old, a trend we hope continues on future voyages. During Becky's time in Arizona, she spent time in Mesa doing some shopping and getting her hair cut by the stylist at her old salon. She spent time in Tucson visiting her dad in the nursing home and hanging out with her older brother Dave and his family. And she spent time in Sierra Vista visiting her mom and her younger brother Nate (who we also saw in Utah) who happened to be visiting too.

Local Outings

Rob: Other than the usual parks, playgrounds, and walking trails nearby, here are some of the places we visited this month that are in the photos. 

Denning's Point near Beacon, NY has a great boardwalk trail along a peninsula in the Hudson with nice river views on one side and on the other side are the graffitied remnants of 19th century brick factory that supposedly helped build the Empire State Building but is now overgrown with vegetation.  Alex and I did the short hike to the end of the trail, where there is a river cascading and watched a heron poke around there for a while.  

On another weekend, me and Alex drove out to the sticks to try exploring a park we've never been to. It was closed, but we stumbled upon a random fair going on in a small town and decided to check it out. Alex had a great time at their bouncy house and playground. 

While we were in Fishkill, NY, we decided to try a Guatemalan restaurant that had some of the dishes I ate on my mission and I enjoyed chatting with them about my time there. After that, we went to a nearby park that has lots of big logs to climb on (on of Alex's favorite things to do lately). 

Other than that, we visited many of the other parks and playgrounds closer to home that we go to regularly, where we've enjoyed finding frogs, newts, fireflies, and other creatures that come out this time of year.

Visit from Ben

Right after I finished visiting family and friends in Utah, I had a friend from Utah visit me in New York. Ben Walker has been a friend from my neighborhood since adolescence, and we've stayed in touch. He was in Scranton, PA for a few weeks this month for some work training, and decided to make the 1.5 hour drive up to see me on the Sunday after me and Alex got back to New York. I made us some burgers and we chatted for a few hours, catching up on things. I tried to take him to a local park down the road to walk around a bit before he drove back, but a sudden but brief downpour put an end to that. It was so great to have the unusual experience of visiting with an old friend in our home way out here, like bending time and space.

What Else Is New

Rob: I started reading 'The Best Minds' by Johnathan Rosen, a sort of memoir by an author telling his story about a close childhood friendship he had with someone who was very bright but later on developed schizophrenia. I picked this up at random and started reading it at Barnes & Noble while Alex was perusing the children's section, and the writing was so good that I had to keep reading.

Alex: This month we started with a new therapist for Alex that specializes in feeding issues, hoping that they will help us get him off his sippy cup. Nothing else we've tried so far has worked, and it's a tough problem to solve given his rigid OCD behavior, lack of communication and understanding, and us not wanting him to go all day without anything to drink (which he is willing to do if he doesn't have his sippy cup).

Becky: I would just have to say I enjoyed seeing family, particularly my dad.  He doesn't usually recognize me or any other family members, but I enjoy taking him out for a burger, playing cornhole with him or sorta "watching" a movie with him (he'll attend to movies with a lot of action, but isn't able to take in a whole lot).  Sure do miss family out in Arizona so these trips mean a lot.