Happy Birthday, Uncle!!

Today is Uncle Artie's birthday. He was born on June 19th, 1956 in Henderson, Nevada at St. Rose de Lima Hospital. I have a picture somewhere of him at the age of two in a red satin bathing suit that I am sure may be the precursor to the speedo. Except it was not quite as skimpy. I will save that for next years post. Stay tuned...

I think this is Uncle Artie's first trip to San Diego with us. He moved into our house on the day after his birthday, June 20th, 1996 (I think). He literally laid on the floor for two weeks while he regained his strength. (You kids all came home from school that first day and wondered who that fellow was that was collapsed on our living room floor.)
We told Artie that we were leaving for San Diego, our annual vacation to the Surfer Motel in Pacific Beach, and invited him along. He had no clothing except what he was wearing and so he went out shopping and came home with a few beach outfits. He modeled them all for us. Chicky was over and loved seeing Artie so happy and enthusiastic about the trip.
This is Artie and I on the hike where we stopped to have our lunch next to a waterfall in the Tetons where we had gone for girl's camp. It was my first experience with girl's camp since I am a convert and did not get to go to girl's camp when I was younger. I was the assistant camp director and the camp cook. I enlisted 'Uncle' to come and help cook. It was the perfect way to get him to come. He was always our cook at home. So 'Uncle' brought his own vehicle and came up to the Tetons. We stayed at Bishop Coon's Ranch on the front lawn in our tents until it started raining. Anyway, with 'Uncle', as he was known to everyone in the church, as our 'Cookie' we had very good food and never lacked for snacks or treats. Uncle Artie was never the same after this trip. His heart was touched by the love and comraderie that the girls and leaders had for each other and for him. He took the missionary lessons a little while after this trip and was baptised.

Uncle's famous 'Marlboro' backpack. He sent away for it. He got two backpacks and a cook book and some other stuff. He took off the Marlboro patch that was on the flap so it wouldn't look bad. Artie at Jenny Lake waiting for the hike to begin.
Uncle Artie was everyone's uncle. He came to a Chili Cook off with us before he was a member of the church up at Mt. Charleston and brought his famous red bronco. He had toilet tissue in his car and when the outhouse ran out of tissue Artie became very popular. President Michaelson won the bread division of the cook off that year and Artie entered bread the next year and took the crown away. President Michaelson never quite forgave Artie for his bread prowess. Artie's name is still enshrined in the glass case in the Tropicana Chapel on the coveted "Bread Board" award. Artie was also known for his famous 'Meat Bread" and the spread he could put on for a Missionary Farewell Openhouse. For Matt's openhouse he served so much food it could have been considered a Ward Dinner.

Artie is missed every single day. I am sad that he is not here to yell "Where's T-Rex?" when he would come home from work with his grocery bags. I miss the laughing at 'Friends' that we could hear through the door of his bedroom. I miss the way he loved to use us as guinea pigs for his latest dish. I miss him bossing us all around with his very loud voice and I miss seeing him at the kitchen table with his little scripture brief case laid out studying his beloved scriptures. But most of all I miss his "Cha-Ching".

Cha-Ching to you, Uncle.

See ya when we see ya.