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| Pulsipher Clan 2017 |
brother had when you were 10 years old, and lots of just plain fun. When you come from a large family (close to 50 people) getting everyone together for a family reunion can be a logistical nightmare. Especially when the location of the family reunion has to change last minute due to forest fires. Several things at this family reunion where great and overall it was a wonderful time had by all. The highlight of the reunion for me was seeing old pictures of our youth and of our parent’s youth. Especially when we all saw pictures of my mom in a bikini and she would not admit it was a bikini. (she called it a 2 piece, picture not included to protect the family secret) Laughs all around and great to reminisce about our childhood.
Now for the part that didn’t go quite as planned....
- My Mom and Dad’s Cabin (The original destination of the reunion) was not available for the reunion. It was custom made (Thanks Dad) for the reunion now and in the future. We were all bummed that we could not stay there. Mostly because the weather was perfect. 70 degrees instead of 110 degrees in St George. Instead we ended up at my sister’s house, my parents house and some of the in-law’s house. It was still fun, but we were all looking forward to the “Legacy Cabin” my dad has built.
- St. George weather was hot. Not just hot, but Super Hot! Every day over 110 degrees. Many people have said that Hell was not as hot as St. George. And boy we felt it. But we had plenty of time in the pool, inside and on hikes up in the mountains when we could. So even though it was “Hotter than Hell” we still had a fun time.
- Trip to the Emergency Room was not in the plans, but it happened. I was not feeling well due
Faking Death for the kids
to problems with my gall bladder. I had been in pain for the last couple of weeks and actually went to the doctor the Thursday before our trip to get things checked out. Come Sunday I was feeling nauseous, light headed and was in pain. The doctor suggested I go to the ER if I had those symptoms. So After Family pictures on Sunday, I headed to the ER. A couple of hours of fluids, nausea medicine and a slew of tests, they sent me home and told me to relax and follow up with my doctor when I got home. No blockage in the gall bladder. My youngest brother and sister came to the hospital to visit to give support to my wife and give me a hard time for skipping out on the family reunion. I know I can always count on them for fun. - Ruby died on Monday in the parking lot of Costco. Don’t worry we did not have to call the police. Ruby is our 11 year old Suburban. The 115 degree heat finally got to her. She was already having problems with a small leak in the cooling system. Right in the parking lot the water pump let go and wiped out the starter, part of the belt and who knows what else. I had AAA come pick her up and take her to the nearest auto dealer. The total bill was $2000 minimum and we made a decision to try and sell her to the dealer. She was so old and duck taped together, the Dealer would not take her. We called Make and Wish and donated her for parts. (We love you Ruby, duct tape and all!) Check out my Ode to Ruby Post.
- No Rental Car big enough for all of us and our stuff. We called around St. George to find a rental car for all 7 of us and our luggage. No go. We ended up renting two cars to take all of us home on July 5th. It ended up being a great drive home and we got to see some beautiful part of the country we have not seen before.
- Death Valley was 120 Degrees. We decided to take a little bit longer drive than normal togo home. Basically extend our vacation and see a beautiful part of the country. We went to Death Valley where it was 120 Degrees and we got to see Badwater (The lowest point in the Americas), The Devil’s Golf course, Furnace Creek the hottest place in the world, and sand dunes that look like they came from the Sahara desert.
- Long Drive home turned out to be a beautiful drive along the east side of the Sierra Nevadas. Starting at Lone Pine and driving up Hwy 395. Within about 1 ½ hours we drove from the lowest place in North America to one of the highest, Mt Whitney. What an amazing place that we live. On our drive from Death Valley to Lone Pine we came to the top of a ridge of a canyon and a F16 or F34 came right over the top of use at less than 100 feet and dropped down in the canyon below vertical to the car. What an amazing sight and sound.
Overall the Week in Hell was just that it was Hot, and we made a potentially horrible week into a great fun time together. Even in the Emergency Room in St. George.
DWP
