Friday, February 23, 2007

Lost in Brazil!

Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2007 00:45:30 +0000

Hello again all,
It has been great hearing from you. Life for us has begun to speed up a bit. I´m not sure where I was when I wrote last but we took a couple weeks pretty easy just hanging out on the beaches of Uruguay, went skydiving there for Trista´s b-day....that rocked! From there we traveled back to Buenos Aires and then off to Rio! When we arrived in Rio my friend Christine´s father was nice enough to pick us up at the airport which was great, rather interesting because he spoke very little English and we were truely lost with Portugese!

Our first week in Rio we stayed in a very nice hotel in a great quiet neighborhood. We spent most of our time at the pool which was a flowing river. We were able to hit the beach a little as well. We have some great photos of the carnival parade at the Sambadromo. I will try to post them when I get a chance. We then joined our 40-day tour. We moved downtown Rio and started our first night off with a little partying. It was great to hear so many people speaking English again!

We then hopped on a bus and headed for Paraty. The bus ride was a little miserable after the previous night but well worth it when we got there. The town was very cool, stone slab streets that get washed by the tide. Our second day there all of our group took a cruise out in to the bay, which was beautiful. The water was awesome. We spent most of the day swimming and floating on our fun noodles and drinking some beer. it was great!

We made it to Sao Paulo which is a ridiculiously large city! Estimated at 20+million people.


Til next time!

Will

DAD DOING WELL

After about 30 minutes on the phone with Dad, I concluded that he is doing very well. He said he came through his bladder exam just fine, without too much pain. He had enjoyed church on Sunday with all of the extra people because of the baptism. We talked about the upcoming cattle sale this weekend that will empty the feed yard next to his house, and the new oil wells to be drilled nearby. His recollections were very good, and he seemed sharp as can be--always nice to note at his age!

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

LILA AT HOME

In a conversation yesterday, Lila indicated she is doing amazingly well, given what she went through at Christmas. She is managing largely on her own in her apartment, with help buying groceries and other regular assistance. Of course her family helps her out as needed. She did have an episode while on dialysis--requiring surgery to undo a clot that formed where she was connected to the machine. She spent all day, from 6:00 AM until 5:30 PM getting that taken care of.

She says she really enjoys seeing the blog--which she gets by mail whenever something new gets published.

Sunday, February 18, 2007

Update on the Rudes

Mat had shoulder surgery nearly two weeks ago. The shoulder is healing well, but unfortunately he has developed a blood clot in his calf and is in a lot of pain from that and is taking shots of heparin in his belly to try to thin his blood. Poor guy. It is a little scary, so I cancelled the work trip I was supposed to take today.
I'll keep you posted on his progress.

Love,

Mo

NEWS FROM HOME!

Jamaica

Mavis and Ron returned Wednesday from a great trip to Jamaica (with some long-time friends from Great Falls) where they stayed at a beautiful Sandals Resort with excellent accommodations and a gorgeous beach. Mavis said it was very relaxing and they enjoyed getting acquainted with couples from Queens (New York City), England, and others. The only downsides were a trip on a narrow winding road for 1.5 hours from the airport to the resort, and an overnight in Atlanta that required re-checking bags to get through Customs, and staying in a motel that was not exactly pleasing.

Nearby Drilling Rigs

Two wells are going in within two miles of the Mavis and Ron's house, one near the bridge over the Yellowston River to the northwest (Ron Shaide's), and another that is re-working an existing well to the east one-half mile (Perry Elletson's). Several others are underway northwest of Cartwright on both sides of the river. Nothing yet on the home place.

Dad to the Doctor

Dad is going in to get a check-up for his bladder cancer. They remove polyps--a very painful process. This has been going on periodically for several years, and has the effect of warding off more serious problems.

He has to be healthy for the big 93d birthday celebration coming on March 2! There is word of a planned celebration, about which you will hear more soon.

Calves to Market

Next weekend (February 24-25) ends the calf feeding season. The herd near Dad's house is loaded in trucks and shipped to Williston. They have already been sold for a higher price than they would bring at the moment--thanks to the foresight of their owners!

Shawn and Tracy in the Bahamas

Shawn and Tracy, as well as Marty Shaide (Ron Shaide's middle son) and a girl friend, had a grand time in the Bahamas (according to Mavis), while Ron and Mavis had an entertaining time with the four grandchildren--the youngest of which was described by Mavis as "flitting around the house like a flower," she is such a happy little girl! How nice!

Travels With Luke and Shawn

Luke and Shawn went traveling all the way around the central U.S., including Texas, to purchase a new pickup and motorcycle--traveling 4600 miles in 8 days! Sounds like the fun part was learning how to use the GPS guidance system to find their way.

Fishing with Luke

Luke has is fishing shack set up on the river ice, and is catching a few. Brett loves the fishing and hunting, and enjoys keeping Luke company.


Friday, February 09, 2007

NEWS FROM THE GUNTHERS

What fun pictures of Will and Trista. I vote we sign them up for " The Great American Race"! Wouldn't they be the perfect candidates???

Just a bit of news. Mavis and Ron stayed with us here in Billings last Super Bowl Sunday. They were enroute to Jamaica for their "fun in the sun". Lucky them, since it's now snowing like crazy and colder then heck! We had a great visit. While the guys watched the game, Mavis and I made a mad dash to the mall for some power shopping. Grandma would have been proud! We had a nice dinner together then went to a super bowl part at some old friends of Mavis and Ron's who have recently moved to Billings. It was so nice to have them visit us. We'd love to have any of you come for a visit. The "Gunther Inn" isn't a resort, but it's comfortable and the price is right. So anytime your in Billings and need a place to stay, give us a holler!

Charlie Gunther




Two beautiful people in a beautiful place: Trista and Will

WILL AND TRISTA AT THE END OF THE WORLD!


Will standing by a sign at the "end of the world."

WILL AND TRISTA IN URUGUAY

I highly recommend checking out the myspace website address below. Beautiful pictures and lots of other info about Will and Trista's adventure!

Bill

Date: Fri, 9 Feb 2007 17:14:26 +0000
Hello again everyone! Uruguay rocks! loaded with cool little beach towns to enjoy. My favorite so far was called Punta del Diablo.
I managed to post some photos on Trista`s myspace if anyone would like to look:

http://www.myspace.com/johnsontrista

just scroll down a little and you should see a slide show.

Hope all is well

Will


WILL AND TRISTA IN SOUTH AMERICA

(The two beautiful photos mentioned by Will are on the blog).

Bill

Will says:

I thought I would send you a couple photos to put up on the blog if you would like. I know I have enjoyed being able to see the ones from the rest of the family.
Or if any one would like to check out some more pics just go to : http://www.myspace.com/johnsontrista

Thanks

Will


Thursday, February 08, 2007

NEW TOWNSHIP/FIREHALL IN CARTWRIGHT!

Marilyn and Issy were here last weekend for a great overnight visit! They told us about a new activity in Cartwright that might interest you.

Residents of the Cartwright area voted, at the annual township meeting (50 people attended!), to build a new township hall and fire house combination to be located across the street from the county shop near the Episcopal Church. Three lots were donated by the Andrew Monson family for the site.

Donations are now being sought to help pay the costs and to match any public funds that might become available. Donations are tax deductible and can be given as a memorial to someone that you want to honor. We intend to dedicate our little gift to Dad and Mom Lassey. Contributions can be sent to: Sioux Township Building Fund, c/o Linda Paulson, Clerk, PO Box 35, Cartwright, ND 58838. Linda might also send you a copy of the January issue of the Cartwright News, along with a contribution receipt form.

Sounds like a really worthwhile project for the community!

Bill

Snowing on the Wildman's in Miles City!

I have been really enjoying reading and seeing how everyone's
travels have been going. I just looked out the window and it's snowing and
gloomy. This time last year Dallas and I were on Marco Island in Florida so
its hard to be working right now. I

It sounds like Will will be glad to get back to civilization when the time comes! What an adventure.

Take care,

Linda



_____________ NOD32 EMON 2045 (20070208) information _____ ______ __

This message was checked by NOD32 antivirus system
http://www.eset.com

Saturday, February 03, 2007

More pictures from France

Maureen & Mat's trip, Jausiers before the snow

Photos from France

Maureen and Mat in France

Maureen and Mat traveled to France for 10 days in January, taking the bullet train (almost 500 miles in 3 hours and 15 minutes-awesome!) from Paris to Marseille. Then we rented cars and drove to Jausiers, a little village in the French alps where our friend Mary had procured a condo for a week. We spent the week in Jausiers and nearby village Barconoletta getting into the alpine village lifestyle (they work 9-12, 3 or 4 to 7 pm). It was very relaxing and we enjoyed the French food and wine, and the wonderful people who we met (even though conversing was somewhat challenging). When we first got there, the countryside was mostly brown as they were severely lacking in snow. We were lucky though, we had two days of snow, and one of the days the flakes were the biggest snowflakes I have ever seen--larger than the old silver dollars! After the snow, Mat and I took advantage and went to the little local ski area-LeSauze, where they had one chair lift and multiple Poma lifts. I can't remember the last time I rode a Poma lift, I forgot how much work they were. The area there the northern Provence region/southern French Alps region is extremely beautiful, rugged mountains and narrow valleys. The roads are very windy so travel is slow, but people pass with no space. We had a great time and got in much needed relaxation.

Pictures to follow!
Maureen and Mat Rude

A COLLECTION OF PHOTOS FROM DIONE TAKEN LAST SUMMER

Here are some photos taken last summer that I don't think have been on the blog before. How about sending me some new ones by e-mail or from CDs!

Bill



Where some of us grew up around the kitchen table back at the ranch.


Lots of wonderful little people loving to camp!


Some folks from Cartwright are just sideways!


Happy campers!

Dad, Mollie & Saul


Marilyn and Issy's happy family.

FAMILY PHOTOS FROM LAST SUMMER


Mat and Maureen having fun!