June 5, 2013

School year 2012-1013 is finished; the yellow buses are at rest.  A multitude of children in the county are enjoying some “sleeping in” hours.  Four teens from Mink Creek are celebrating having graduated from high school.  Nicole Straight, daughter of Avery and Pedro Gomez, and Thomas Biggs (better known as TJ), son of Cass and Dawnya Biggs, graduated from Franklin County High School.    Rico Crosland, son of Robert and Phee Crosland, and Cole Jepsen, son of Kerry and Melinda Jepsen graduated from Preston High School.

Johnny and Jeannine Iverson have been on a wedding roll for grandchildren.  They were in Brigham City, UT, for the ceremony and celebration of #14 grandchild, Natalie Iverson.  They flew to Washington D.C., for nuptials of grandchild #15, Scott Shilling.   It had been six years since Johnny and Jeannine had seen this young man and the reconnection was wonderful.

The entire Mainini bunch, Steve, Terrie and children Tony, Angelina, and Mario  flew to California for a birthday celebration with family.  Steve’s mother turned 75 and the clan gathered in Ventura for a reunion with fun and festivities.

Memorial Day always brings past residents to Mink Creek.  The gates to the Pearson place were open, indicating that plans for summer occupancy was underway.  Colleen and Howard Hawkes were up from Kaysville, just part of the family.

Bruce and Shauna Crane of Logan have been preparing for family visits at the Crane Cabin.  The parking area by their place was filled with three different outfits.

Glen and Betty Jo Jepsen enjoyed having Glen’s brother, Bruce Jepsen and his son, Randy Jepsen, visiting from Kirkland, WA.

The family of Hugh and Bonnie Hansen circled the wagons, modern day campers, in their family park on the banks of lower Mink Creek.

Jon and Portia Jepsen and family members came up from Utah to warm up the walls of their Mink Creek home.

The Lewis and Clark Volunteers, a mountain man group, met for their annual spring rendezvousat the lush park on Vernon and Sallee Keller's farm.  It was a sunny weekend for the Mountain Men, great for all the outdoor, competitive activities. For the past several years this spring get-together has been gloomy and rainy.  The Volunteers are planning two more sessions of re-enacting historical lifestyles before the end of this year.

            Karl and Marion Haws of Santa Barbara, CA joined with grandchildren and their friends at the Haws home.  Their son, Aaron and Heather Haws and their children, of the Boise area, drove down for a few days of Mink Creek time with the rest of the family.  Regardless of his California background, Aaron's affinity for Idaho is very strong, Mink Creek is still "home."