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what ya’ll been up to
Arval Clay Edwards is soon to be 89 years old, on Flag Day; June 14th! He was born in 1927, when Calvin Coolidge was president, and is the eldest living child of Ed and Grace Edwards. Arval is proud to be known by his great grandchildren as, Grandpapa. He still lives alone in his home of 52 years on Mt. St. Helena, just two miles from his daughter, Nona. He drives to town every Thursday to get groceries, and spends his days watching westerns and hoping someone will stop by or call (707) 942-4038. He was recently on the radio with Bob Tanem, a gardening guru - they discussed avocado trees in California and Bob wants to come up and see the trees Arval has grown from seedlings taken out of store bought
avocados.
He has a cat named Felix and a miniature horse named Chisholm. He asks for walnuts from Elias (who works hard to keep the squirrels from getting them) so he can feed them to the squirrels in his yard. He said if we could beam him up like Scotty, he’d be here for the reunion.
R.W. and Edna Earl Craddock: Tuesday nights in Pinnacle mean supper and bridge at the Craddock household. For several years now, Sheila and Richard come on Tuesday for either a Sunday dinner prepared on Tuesday by Edna Earl and R.W., or Sheila and Richard bring fast food from a nearby restaurant-- or a home-cooked meal if Sheila’s been energetic. We play two rubbers of bridge -- a rubber is best two out of three games -- and compete on the total score for the night. After R.W.’s surgery in November, bridge was temporarily tabled, but we’re back to enjoying a meal together on Tuesdays and getting in a little friendly competition. We’re fortunate to be able to be together on a weekly basis. We’d like to give a “shout” out to our granddaughter Coleman on her graduation from high school (Mt. Airy H.S) this June and to our grandson Samuel who earned a letter in wrestling this year as a freshman in high school (Hough H.S.). We’re proud of both of them!
Gail Verna Holder is the oldest grandchild of Ed and Grace, daughter of Meyer and Lucille. She is now living at Mountain Valley Living Center in Westfield, NC where she enjoys crafting and socializing with the staff and other residents. She has just celebrated her 71st birthday, on May 16th.
Boyden and Carolyn Edwards will be celebrating 49 years of marriage this year. Boyden loves to joke to all the newlywed ladies (and even some of us that have been married a while) about how they need to go to wife school, so they can all be like Carolyn. One thing is for certain, the love and caring they have for each other is mutual and we could all learn some lessons from them. The couple continues to enjoy retirement in their gorgeous home at the foot of Grandma’s mountain. Boyden occasionally rides his Harley and Carolyn enjoys taking care of her beautiful flowers. Carolyn has a new passion with couponing and knows the secrets to getting free stuff – amazing! She keeps us supplied with basic necessities. When they aren’t spoiling us, they like to visit the casinos to gamble away Carolyn’s coupon savings. They are still having fun and enjoying each other after all these years. Blessed!
Larry Edwards is retired and enjoying life. He is making a strong recovery after undergoing by-pass surgery in December 2015. Larry enjoys being outdoors, especially hiking and fishing. He has hiked to the top of Pilot Mtn., from the lower parking lot many, many times. Larry also enjoys traveling and if you look up the word adventure in the dictionary, you might just see his name. In the warmer months you might find it hard to track him down, as he could be in the mountains, at the coast or possibly in another state. Larry holds the distinct title of grandfather and couldn’t be more proud of his growing family.
David Edwards is currently employed with the Veterans Administration. In his spare time he is most often deer hunting and has bagged several trophy bucks. He enjoys duck hunting as well and built his own boat with the help of his son, Cory. If we ever experience a zombie apocalypse, David’s house is where you’d want to be. His freezer is always stocked with his bounty. He has also produced a few bottles of pretty tasty wine from his own homegrown grapes. His daughter, Jamie is the official taste-tester. David now holds the title of grandfather to master Quentin, the 2nd child in our family to be named after Able Quentin.
Chris and Andrea Lynch celebrated 30 years of wedded bliss on March 7th, 2016. Several discussions took place between the couple as to what they would do to mark this milestone anniversary. It was obvious to both they would do something they have enjoyed doing since they first met, being outdoors, hiking, sightseeing and just staying in tune with Mother Nature. Zion National Park in Utah was on Andrea’s bucket list and it didn’t take but a few Googles and YouTube videos to convince Chris that this would be the perfect start of their adventure. Utah may not be the first choice for most folks when it comes to vacation planning, but this is one of the most beautiful states you could imagine. Hiking in Zion National Park is probably some of the hardest, most dangerous and beautiful in the states. The next stop in Utah was Bryce Canyon National Park. The views were amazing, with orange hoodoos (a tall, thin spire of rock that protrudes from the bottom of an arid drainage basin or badland) and stunning vistas. As travels took them out of Utah and into Arizona, the next excursion would be in Page, Arizona for a jeep trek across Navajo Tribal land to the stunning Antelope Canyon. Antelope Canyon is a slot canyon and is visited exclusively through guided tours. When it rains, as far as forty miles away, flash floods
can occur in the canyon and because of this having an experienced guide is crucial. This slot canyon was formed by swirling, flood water, which results inbeautiful formations in the sandstone, with light beams flooding from above. The anniversary trip ended in Las Vegas, which unfortunately did not result in any big wins. The big win was the once in a lifetime adventure that will never be forgotten.
William and Amanda Miller live in King, NC with their son, Finley. Their favorite pastime is the boardwalk at Murrells Inlet at Myrtle Beach, where they visit regularly. William oversees the shipping department at a local printing company, KIC and Amanda works as a Respiratory Therapist at Brenner Children’s Hospital and as a Clinical Instructor Forsyth Technical Community College. Amanda started an Etsy store in 2014 called Finomenally Clothed after her son Finley, selling her handmade scarves. Most recently she took on the role of an independent consultant for Rodan + Fields skincare products.
Alex Lynch will turn 14 on July 3 rd , and will be starting high school in the fall. He has been active in The Boy Scouts of America since he was five years old. At summer camp last year he was awarded Honor Camper, which made mom and dad very proud. Alex would probably spend the summer in California with Nona, if Chris and Andrea would let him go, but it’s so far away. Alex will most likely spend a lot of his summer vacation with his sister, Amanda, to help take care of his nephew, Finley. He loves being, “Uncle Alex” and
Finley gives unsolicited hugs and kisses to Alex more often than to anyone else. Alex is very active and enjoys biking, and most board sports. He participated in both soccer and track at Chestnut Grove Middle School.
Jamie Edwards is a Registered Nurse at Salem Plastic Surgery. She loves to cook which is fortunate for her boyfriend, Blake! She spends as much time outdoors as she can, hiking and gardening with family and friends. And she enjoys spending time with her nephew, Quentin - who she calls "Weewad".
Suzan and Rahmi Sayder took a gray (i.e. gray hair) gap year in 2014 and traveled around the US with a brief detour to Peru and Ecuador. After making their travels, they decided to relocate to New York City, where they have been since February 2015. Suzan has begun establishing her Psychotherapy practice in New York and has obtained credentials to transfer her license, while Rahmi continues to travel to Istanbul to manage his business interests there.
Brent Sayder has been globe trotting, writing self-help books, and blogging. After writing and publishing a book, The Short, Sweet, and Sexually Exhilarating Guide to Success, Brent decided to start up a blog and make his way to South America. He returned from his travels this February and you can read all about it on his blog, Poets Love Travel. He will be starting his Masters of Fine Arts in Fiction Writing at Sarah Lawrence College in New York in September.
Erin Sayder is Capturing the World in Art. She spent the last four years at New York University and has been making a documentary film about a Filipino artist who lives on the streets of Manhattan. The teaser was selected as one of three finalists at the Fusion Film Festival, Documentaries in the Works; LAX Film Teaser. She is currently looking for a job in the film industry in London.
Anthony Edwards is now retired from serving three terms in Trinity County as a California Superior Court Judge. He officiated at the three Perez weddings which took place in California in 2014 and 2015, earning him the new title of HUA, the Honorable Uncle Anthony.
A long time private pilot, he got his helicopter rating
in 2009 and on June 14, 2013 flew down from Weaverville to fly Dad, aka Arval Edwards, above and around his Mt St Helena home for his 86th birthday.
Kane Edwards is a Paramedic at Dignity Health North State and Paramedic/Clinical Coordinator at Trinity County Life Support and is still involved with Weaverville Fire. He is buying a home in Anderson, CA, enjoys riding in the Trinity Alps, and has a new puppy, a silver Lab, named Olive.
Joseph and Sonyia Grabski live in Napa, CA with their son, Leland. Sonyia is enjoying motherhood with her little boy and is the Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Sullivan Vineyards. Joseph works at Heitz Cellar.
The Perezoo: I am now Grandma Nona. The Italians I know say that is redundant. But I’m not Italian. I am looking forward to my fourth grandchild this summer. It is pure joy!
Zoie, the oldest, is already six years old! She comes for overnights and we sew together, she helps with chores and she rides our miniature horse, Two Bits. Her little brother, William will be three in July. He came for his very first sleepover in April, and he didn’t want to go home. We only had one casualty during his first egg gathering. He likes Two Bits and all the cats, and he particularly loves Daisy, my Bloodhound. He holds a treat up as high as he can reach and tells her, “Sing!” She does. When she nuzzles him, he hugs her back. Eliot’s baby daughter, Aurelia, lives right here on the
mountain, so I get to see her most every day. She loves sitting on the big horse, and she loves Daisy, too. And my baby Annie is having a baby this summer! It’s hard to believe how quickly our babies grow up!
Daisy loves people, especially children and babies. After hours and hours of practice, we finally earned a Mantrailing title by finding a person who had laid a trail several hours earlier. It is amazing to realize the discernment of a hound’s sense of smell, and humbling to be working with dogs and handlers who have found actual missing people. It is also very challenging, having trained animals for so many years, to realize that I am not training her, she is training me. I am learning how to read her signals. The mantra is “trust your dog,” but you need to first figure out what they’re telling you.
I still dabble in photography, sometimes for profit, mostly for capturing memories. I promised my kids I would NOT take pictures at their weddings, and I kept that promise. Instead, I made a wedding dress for Annie, flower girl dresses for Annie’s and Eliot’s and Emanuel’s weddings, and I made a veil for Jamie (Emanuel’s bride.)
As always, I have horses. I ride them, I photograph them, I enjoy them, always. I am getting two ready to ride, hopefully soon. I’m much slower to get on than I once was, and not as resilient to quick movements, so hopefully these two will get broke to ride before they are too old to ride.
Elias still works hard and stays busy. Retirement is not a word in his vocabulary. Neither is vacation. But I do admire his strength and stamina. We have had almost 39 great years together, raised an incredible family, and shared a good life. And he is an awesome Grandpa! He feeds them ice cream when I try to get them to bed, he lets them watch all the TV they want, and he goes to sleep in the chair while they sit on his lap.
Carlos Perez and Cheryce Thomas live in Santa Rosa, CA with their two munchkins, Zoie and William. Carlos has continued with his Bike Monkey escapades and has some pretty cool films/clips/documentaries to share; Cadillac Business Unusual Bike Monkey, Bike Monkey Catch and Release, The Levi Effect. Cheryce is a Physician Assistant and runs the medical clinic on site at a local foster care shelter for the Sonoma County Department of Public Health. She is also a Forensic Examiner for the County. Zoie Claire Perez attends the French American Charter School in Santa Rosa - she is the first student in this video; Les petits chevaliers. William is, well, William - he’s cool.
Emanuel and Jamie Perez own a home together in Santa Rosa, CA. Since the last family reunion, Emanuel graduated from United States Naval Test Pilot School (July 2014) and Marines Aviation Weapons and Tactics School (April 2016). Jamie graduated from nursing school with her associates degree (December 2014) and with her bachelor's degree (May 2016). Emanuel has continued to work on the east coast but will soon be moving home back to California. Jamie completed a nurse residency program the summer of 2014 and landed a job in the field of nursing that she had hoped. She is working on a postpartum floor in a new hospital that is 5 minutes from home. Emanuel and Jamie got married on December 27, 2015 in Windsor, CA and honeymooned in Cancun Mexico. Emanuel and Jamie adopted a cute Catahoula puppy named Lakota.
Eliot and Megan Perez live on Mount St Helena in Calistoga, CA with their little girl Aurelia Martina. They are currently refurbishing their little cabin, which they just purchased last year - it sits adjacent to the Perezoo farmhouse. Eliot works for Envirocon and gets sent to various locations (such as Washington State, Utah, Texas, etc.) for work. Megan bakes in the mornings for the Calistoga Roastery, she is quite possibly one of the craftiest women we have ever met and is known for her event/party planning skills; making handmade invitations, and crafting up all the best ideas for a gathering!
Peter and Diamantina Macon live in Old Town Alexandria, VA. They try to escape the city life on the weekends and explore the local sites or get to the beach. Over the last couple years they have traveled for work and play; making their way to the Bahamas, Cape Cod and Florida for fun - they also got caught in a flash thunderstorm when they saw American Pharoah take the win at Preakness last May. Diamantina found herself in South Africa and Holland last summer for work, while Peter made his way to Japan in 2014 and China in 2015. In April Diamantina accepted a new job managing budgets for early grade reading projects in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Nigeria with her company’s division for Education in Conflict. Peter works for the State Department with the Consular Hostage Assistance Group. Their two dogs, Derby and Scuppers wreak havoc on a regular basis - Derby in particular has a rare addiction to Advil - but they are a load of fun and keep them on their feet.
Steve and Annie Grace Orr live in Calistoga, CA. For these two, the earth without art is just eh. As we all know, Annie Grace is a remarkable artist. She picked up the violin one day, and never put it down. Since that day, she has mastered all realms of the artistic world; from photography and drawing, to the piano, singing and the fiddle. So much so that in April 2013 she sang at Carnegie Hall in New York City with her college class. She’s also picked up Opera; here’s a clip of her singing Connais-tu le pays from Mignon at her midterm recital. Steve is teaching as an adjunct at Solano Community College in the office of Philosophy, and last October he was hired as a Court Legal Process Clerk at the Sonoma County Courthouse in the Civil Department. They are expecting the first human addition to their family to arrive this August.
Robert Earl, Jennifer and Coleman Craddock: Big news is Coleman graduates high school this spring and will start at UNC in the fall. We’re tickled because we will have the added bonus of visiting our college stomping grounds and our daughter at the same time…just 2 hours down the road. So far Coleman has had a very busy senior year as editor of the year book and all-conference tennis player. She’s picked up a new boyfriend so a prom date is secure. With Coleman leaving, our
household count drops to two. I am approaching a year in a new job with a one hour commute each way to Winston-Salem. It is possible the next year could see a move in that direction, but my hour of NPR in the morning has been enlightening this election season. Jennifer continues to run with her buddies and we are eyeing some events for the year, but no intentions to do the mud run again. We look forward to seeing everyone and hope we might coordinate a group trip to the Fiddler’s convention in Mt. Airy that week.
The Westmorelands: Todd and I have lived in the same house since we were married almost 25 years ago. Samuel was the first addition to our family in 2001 and life as we knew it changed dramatically. We later adopted a black cat named Greece, who has become very, very large. Our family grew over the years by merging with numerous baseball families who we spent almost every weekend together with at baseball tournaments. Samuel is now a freshman in a high school with over 700 9th graders and retired from baseball! He has developed a love for mtn biking and wrestling, which to brag a bit, made All-conference as a starting freshman. I have changed jobs several times, but basically still do the same-type of nursing in the Operating Room in Charlotte, NC. Todd has retired from being an aircraft mechanic, has done numerous other jobs, but now mostly volunteers, helps our neighbors and takes care of our household. He has also become a very good chef!!! We still love the out of doors, but do much less of our once routine activities. Wondering how our life will change in 3 years when Samuel is through with high school and we are empty-nesters!!!
Thanks to whomever started our family reunion gatherings. Love getting to know my extended family!!!!
Matt and Avery Hanna wish they could make it to the reunion - but Avery has a very exciting dance recital on June 2nd and will be graduating from voluntary pre-kindergarten that same weekend. She is currently in ballet, tap and jazz dance class and loves it! She will be starting regular kindergarten in the fall.
The Dysarts: Mary Hanna Dysart sent a video of Paul Dysart proposing to Leslie Ann (L.A.) Chiucchi on June 12, 2010; The Proposal. Almost two years later, Paul and L.A. came over for lunch on Tuesday of Spring Break and said, "Sooooo, What would you think about us getting married this week?!?" They had a beach wedding two days later on March 22, 2012! Grace is a notary and performed the ceremony. Matt, Amy and Avery came. Mary’s Dad came. Katie and Andy came. Some other family and friends and we had a lovely dinner afterwards.
Phil called us in December and told us he was planning to propose to Allison while they were on a ski trip. We knew she would say yes, but it was pretty exciting when they called to tell us they were engaged.
Pictures of the Florida Crew
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