Sunrise Creek Farm

For nearly 3 weeks in February, the boys and I were in Michigan.  We went back to help out with my dad as he recovered from surgery to remove lung cancer.  He had been in the hospital since November and was looking forward to coming home to finish his healing and set new goals for his future.  The first couple of days in Michigan were spent with our good friends, Mike and Sherry, and visiting the Toledo Zoo and the Detroit Historical Museum.   

Charlie and CJ visited with several members of their family that also reside in Michigan, such as cousins, aunts, uncles, and their great-grandmother.  (The picture above are relatives of another tree....in the Toledo Zoo!)

The boys have done a lot of research for this years Language Arts program, "Write Your Roots".  Here they are exploring the Detroit Museum of History and learning a lot about what factors shaped the lives of their relatives.

Glory Day!  We finally got to bring Dad home from the hospital.  Here he is with Karen, enjoying a combination Thanksgiving/Christmas dinner that CJ made for him to make up for what he missed during his stay in the hospitals.  Karen and Dad have been together for 28 years and she still has to  remind him to slow down when he is eating!

This is Mike, a close friend and travel companion of my father's.  He recently came back from a trip to Germany and brought with him this beautiful cuckoo clock for Dad's Christmas present.  Dad enjoyed opening all of his Christmas presents on this evening of his return home.

March was an interesting month with the eruptions from Mt. Redoubt sending ash clouds over our valley.  Below is a picture of Charlie walking the dog out since the dog normally races about and stirs up a lot of dust.

CJ plotted out a new garden plan and started the plants from seeds.

And even Pauline was productive and had her first kid.

All in all, and catching up on all of our school work, March was a very busy month for us.

August 16, 1937 ~ March 31, 2009

Quite unexpectedly, my father's health took a turn for the worse.  He left on an eternal adventure the last day of March.  He left behind his loving companion, (Karen), 5 daughters and sons-in law, (Jessica & Shelby, Leslie & Cameron, Laurelei & Dennis, Janine & Jim, and Julie & Jose), 11 grandchildren, one great-grandson, his brother, (Maurice), and a multitude of friends and family that will always remember him for his hard work, ethical values, frugal economics, and generous heart.  His great sense of humor and constant pranking will be especially missed.

Charles D. Parrish was a veteran of the United States Air Force.  He retired from General Motors Tech Center and spent his retirement years traveling all over the United States and visiting many countries of our world.  He never knew a stranger and to know him was to love him.  No words could possibly express how terribly he is missed. 

We love you, Dad (and Grandpa),

Leslie, Cameron, Edward, Charles, & CJ

Charlie and CJ attended their first political rally in protest of government spending and loss of certain liberties and freedoms granted in the Constitution.  Below are pictures of them dressed as Indians and carrying empty tea crates at the Wasilla, Alaska Tea Party on April 15, 2009.

Crowds in Anchorage were at times estimated between 1700 and 2200.  That was much better than expected, while the Wasilla location probably pulled in around 500 attendees.  I have no idea what the other Alaskan Tea Party locations had since this affair had little or no media coverage.  Numbers probably would have been higher had the party been scheduled on a time other than a weekday during work and school hours.

The boys met Representative Don Young as well as other politically active folks.  I was pleased at how passionate and yet peaceful this rally turned out to be.  It was completely family friendly and educational.  

We had such an early and HOT summer that we treated the boys to a swimming pool.  You will notice a serious lack of progress on the farm from this point on because we were doing a great job of making sure this investment paid off. 

Sometimes the guys would put on their work clothes and go out and try to make it look like they were working.  (Notice the dirty t-shirts and jeans?)

On July 4th we attended the parade in Wasilla.  Notice the word "attended".  That's right!   We actually went to a parade we didn't work in or on.  We just went, sat on our butts in comfy chairs, ate candy, and watched the procession. 

Then we came home and got back to work! 

It got so busy around here that Maverick had to learn to wait in line to use the outhouse.

On top of the usual garden harvest, we rode back up to our favorite place on the mountain to pick huckleberries (blueberries).  We now have lots of fozen blueberries for winter, jam for our toast, and stained teeth for our dentist to clean.  (Hey Mom:  Look!  There's me in this picture.  Are you happy now?)

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