Grampa Ikie 1923-2008

Grampa LOVED his garden!! He wanted good soil so he could plant beautiful flowers and peaches, apricots, apples, tomatoes-everything delicious, everything to share with his family and friends. When we moved to Utah 9 years ago, Grampa Ikie and Gramma Ruthie came over one afternoon with cornstalks and pumpkins from their garden to go on our front porch. We felt so festive, and not only did we get to enjoy the bounty for the fall, we got the pleasant surprise of pumpkins actually growing in our front yard the next summer-bonus! (although we have since attempted to keep the pumpkins growing exclusively in the back...)
Here's Grampa and young Curtis on Curtis' very 1st Duck Hunt, a tradition that has spanned at least the last 50 years (Curtis laments the fact that he has not been alive long enough to have attended each and every one of them-it has truly been an annual highlight and the early morning breakfast buffet at JB's is the cherry on top, except that the breakfast buffet is pre-hunt, so I guess it could be the cherry at the bottom?? It's a cherry, anyway)... Grampa Ikie and Grampa Randy having one of the best days ever...