Summer of 2009

Kurt and Terry drove to Houston to pick me up after I had spent four weeks in Texas and Mississippi. Here they are in the hotel lobby in Oklahoma City.

We ate at Earl's in Oklahoma City. Earl was the chef for Elvis Presley and supposedly Elvis gained fifty pounds on Earl's cooking.

Kurt and Terry relaxing along the river walk in Oklahoma City.

We stopped in Dallas to celebrate Jordan's birthday. We went to a nearby park at the university. Here Jared and Austin are enjoying the beautiful day.

Demi and Jordan at the same park. We enjoyed the lake in the background.

This is the famous chicken and waffle place where we got our picnic. Terry had heard about it on TV.

Russ, Jenni, and I at their home in Katy, Texas.

Sweet little Gracie and me.

McKay and Lauren on the duck ride in Galveston. This was a highlight of our trip-going from land into the ocean.

Lauren, Emma, Sierra, and McKay with the famous pirate-Jean Lafitte.

We also went to the Space Museum in Houston.

Emma, McKay, Lauren, and I at the aquarium in Houston.

McKay ready for his deepsea dive.

These next three pictures are all from the aquarium in Houston. McKay could tell you what this is called.

The aquarium displays were so beautiful. Apparently this one was for seahorses.



And then there were snakes of all sizes and colors.

The Houston Temple early on a Saturday morning.

Kurt and Terry at the Shurtz home in Katy, Texas.

One of the gorillas at The Rainforest Cafe.

The girls and I loved the birds and butterflies at The Rainforest.

Gracie loved the elephant. She was more excited about the animals than she was the food.

Mr. Cheetah greeted us as we went in the door of the cafe.

McKay and Lauren compare their height with that of the giraffe.

We went to this restaurant twice just because the children and I enjoyed it so. I liked the lettuce wraps, the rainfall which came every fifteen minutes, and also the sounds of the birds and animals.

I traveled by Amtrak to New Orleans and had to take a picture of the track as we went along.

The lake as we came into New Orleans.

Chad Margetta, Vickie's son. What a nice guy to have as her neighbor.

Lynette, C.J. and Ethan Margetta-Chad's family.

My niece Vickie and I in Picayune, Mississippi.

I took a trip during July and August of 2009. Jared flew to Denver to pick me up and take me to Dallas, after a few days Jenni and the children met me in Dallas and we drove to Houston. After a few weeks I took the Amtrak to New Orleans where Vickie and Marty met me. We had a great week in Picayune, Mississippi and then back to Houston. Kurt and Terry met me there and we spent some time in Galveston and downtown Houston. Then back to Dallas where we celebrated Jordan's birthday with Jared and family. Kurt, Terry, and I spent some time in Oklahoma and then back to Fort Collins. What a wonderful trlp.

Christmas 2008

Demi and I eating gingerbreak cookies while Chris does the cleanup. Jared and his family, Jordan, Demi, and Austin came from Plano, Texas to spend five days. Eli, son of Chris and Lockey, was born just a few days earlier. We all had Christmas at Chris' house. Some of the group went snowshoeing and sledding. Others of us stayed and ate, enjoyed the baby, and watched videos.

Austin and Ian looking over the Christmas surprises.

Chris showing Jacob and Thomas how to decorate cookies. Demi has ideas of her own.

Jared and Demi look over the digital cameras. Demi got Jared's, Jared got mine, and I got a new one from Mike and Sande.

Chris and I goofing off at the end of Christmas Day.

Austin and Jordan relaxing at the end of the big day.

Tired Jacob with his Christmas stocking.

Another serious picture of Chris and I.

Jacob Krieger's Third Birthday

My grandson Jacob turned 3 this week. He chose to have a turtle themed party. Jacob, Ian, and Thomas looking at the turtle cake.

Chris dishing ice cream cones for all the children.

The finished yeast turtles all of the children made. They were put in their gift bags to take home. A nice alternative to candy.

The excitement of birthday presents.

The children made paper turtles with many decorations of stickers and colored paper.

For an activity, the guests had "turtle races". They got under laundry baskets and crawled around on the lawn. The kids enjoyed this wild activity.

As the childrfen arrived, they started with making bread dough turtles. The picture shows the yeast dough turtles before they had a chance to bake.

The lovely turtle cake-chocolate and white with M & M decorations. The guests went home with gift bags that Lockey had prepared in advance. They contained turtle t-shirts that they had made (Lockey got the turtle picture and iron transferred it to each shirt). Also included were toys and snacks.

Jacob and one of his favorites-a balloon. Jacob love the party. I said it was a wonderful party. He repeated in three year old fashion "I had a wonderful party".

Family Reunion 2009

Perilynn, Terry, and Lockey catching up on their families activities.

Scott Krieger lounging in the living room and enjoying a little conversation.

Kurt Krieger with his two grandchildren, Euphrates Justine and Adelaide Joelle.

Justin Krieger relaxing for a few moments.

Michael Krieger surveying all the work he and Sande have to do for lunch.

Katie and Stephen watching TV for a few quiet moments.

Ski taking his turn with the younger children, Euphie and Jacob. Parker watches his expertise.

Ski is going into the Peace Corp soon, so we all got together to have a little send-off for him.

Jared and his daughter Jordan came on the way to drop Jordan off at college for her first semester at BYU

Mike and his gracious wife Sande hosted the event at their new home. They prepared fantastic meals which we all enjoyed.

Kurt hosted a Dungeons and Dragons game, a mystery adventure that had the grandkids searching for a kidnapped girl. While the adventurers talked to a source, the sneaky avenger slipped into the house and found some vital clues. Later, at a funeral for a fallen Orc hero, a local dignitary, the team won the trust of the orc population by besting the locals in various games of strength and skill.

Armed with that information, the party was able to track the missing girl to a cave in the mountains. After battling wave after wave of guards, our heros faced a poisonous imp and his elite squad of guards who stood between them and the missing girl. And not a moment too soon, as she was giving birth. The invoker summoned an angel to fly to the girl's rescue, the paladin healed her and others helped the child come into the world. Though the imp escaped, the girl, her infant son, and one orc of divided loyalties were allowed to return to town, safe and sound.

Frankie, Kurt, and Ian spent time with their computers and video games.

We wish Ski all the best in Turkmenistan

Barsema Family of Holland

Effie Barsema and Marguerite Durr Barsema

Peter Barsema came to the United States 13 October 1873 in the ship Nevada. He was born in March of 1848 in Grotingen, Holland. He married Marguerite Durr. On the passenger list she is listed as "Greetja". Peter was a straw peddler in Chicago. He is listed in several books about the area.

Peter and Marguerite had nine children. Two must have died as infants as in the 1910 census it says Marguerite had nine children but only seven are living. Some of their children were Fannie (1874), Nellie (1877), Effie (1879), Theresa (1889), Louis (1891), and Clarence (1893). Apparently the three unknown children were born between Effie and Theresa.

Daughter Nellie married Fred C. Oldenberg 29 April 1896 in Chicago. Daughter Effie married Charles C. Kruse in 1904 in Chicago. Daughter Theresa married Charles Bennecke. Clarence married an Ida and Louis a Myrtle. Effie, Louis, and Clarence seem to stay in close touch and are either living in the same household or next door. Also next to Effie and Clarence in 1930 is a William Barsema family. William must be either a brother or cousin of Peter. Perhaps after Peter's death he is staying close to the family.

William is born in 1857 in Holland and is married to Nellie. They have children Cornelius, Nellie, Gertrude, Kathleen, Bertha, and William Jr. The Barsema families seem to remain in the Proviso, Cook, Illinois area.

Beginning Life in Clam Lake, Wisconsin

As this bad economic period begins it brings me back to the 1929 depression. My parents were married in 1929 in Chicago, Illinois. With the job losses at that time they decided to move to some land they owned in rural Wisconsin.

A train took them to the town of Glidden about 20 miles from their land. Irma was dressed for the train journey in a suit and high heels. A freight wagon was hired to haul their baggage but it would not take passengers. Irma and Clarence had to walk. The wife finally removed her shoes and walked barefoot. What an introduction to Clam Lake, Wisconsin.

Kafka Goes to Ireland #3 Kafka the Pioneer Dog Series

Kafka Goes to Ireland

#3 Kafka the Pioneer Dog Series

Karl and Kafka take a trip to Ireland on a cruise ship. Karl's mother was from Ireland and he had always wanted to travel there. In Wexford, Ireland Karl met his Donnelly cousins Chris and Lockey and their children Ian and Thomas. The family takes them to see the Shannon River, the Rock of Cashel, and the Cliffs of Moher. One weekend they went to Dublin, the capital city of Ireland. Here they saw the Liffey River and Trinitiy College. A favorite trip for all of them was the ferry boat to the Aran Islands.

Karl and Kafka hated to leave Ireland and their Donnelly cousins but they needed to travel back to Wisconsin. Kafka hopes Ian and Thomas will come and visit him.