Uncle Chris Carlsen gives a tractor ride

His wife was the sister of my mother-in-law. He ran a farm in Liberty, Idaho his entire adult life. Whenever we came for a summer visit to our relatives in Grace, Idaho, Maud Carlsen gave us a feast of delicious farm-raised food. It was like another world, one which is much more rare now, I think. From the left, my younger son, Kipp (we called him Kippy then, but he won't let us now;) next, Chris's grandaughter, Marlene (I think) then a boy who may be cousin Jeff Hill, then my older son Bradford, holding our newly adopted daughter, Michele. Marlene is the kid who told me on that same visit (when I was showing a "cow" to Kipp,) "That's not a cow, that's a bull!! She really knew her way around that farm, too! This is probably the summer of 1972.

Thinking about the past is sort of inevitable at my age, I guess. It is easy to fall into, especially with the aid of old family pictures.

the new year
I sift through pictures
from the old ones