BRIAN HELMINEN....ALL SKIERS CAME IN SOAKING WET!!!

THIS SKIER WAS DRESSED AS A BRIDE, VIEL AND ALL...GETTING MARRIED SOON.

VERY COLORFUL WITH ALL THE SKI OUTFITS AGAINST THE WHITE SNOW

THIS SKIER FELL DOWN WITH TIREDNESS, AND HIS DOGS CRAWLED ON HIM WITH TAILS WAGGING

REFRESHING DRINK FOR THE SKIERS

SEVERAL YOUNG KIDS DID THE 10K, WHICH WAS NEAT TO SEE

AS THE SKIERS CAME IN, COW BELLS WERE RINGING LIKE THE OLYMPICS

PAUL HALONEN, BETTY AND RAY HALONEN

HOLA, THEY SAID....

KEN LARSON AND BRIAN HELLMINEN

HOWS THIS FOR AN OUTFIT...HAMBURGERS ON TOP AND CANDY ON THE PANTS

STEVE, COACH PARKS

ME, MARGIE AND VERNA, THE WATCHERS

TOMAS AND HIS BROTHERS, TONY AND AXEL

JOYCE, BRIAN, EVELYN AND LOREN WENT FISHING ONE MORNING.
EV GOT THE ONLY FISH....IT WAS SO HOT, BRIAN JUMPED IN THE OCEAN FOR A DUNK.  BUT THEY HAD FUN DESPITE THE HEAT.

PLAYING TWISTER...WHILE TOMAS READ THE INSTRUCTIONS IN ENGLISH!  JOYCE, LOURDES AND AXEL

HAROLD (MAN IN WHITE SHIRT) OFFERED HIS HOUSE OVERNIGHT, TWICE IN MANAGUA
WE APPRECIATED HIS HOSPITALITY

LEAVING HAROLD'S TO GO TO CHINANDEGA, WHERE TOMAS FAMILY LIVES
ALL BUT ONE JAMMED INTO THE VAN.....BUT WE DID IT!

LOURDES SHOWING ME HER "TABLET"..

LUCIANA AND HER HUSBAND...THEY WERE DARLENE'S HOSTS LAST YEAR

ALL THE LUGGAGE HAD TO BE ON THE ROOF, FASTENED DOWN WITH BUNGEE CHORDS....NO ROOM INSIDE WITH OUR GANG.

OUR MOTEL AND POOL IN CHINENDEGA....STAYED HERE LAST YEAR.

ALL GEARED UP TO GO ZIPLINING

BUS BRINGING US TO THE START OF ZIPLINING
TOMAS, LOREN, ANDREA AND BRIAN

MARGIE, JOYCE, ME  AND DARLENE

MARGIE TAKING OFF....THE ROUTE WAS TWO MILES LONG, WITH A FEW STATIONS IN BETWEEN, WHERE WE WOULD GET OFF AND START THE NEXT LEG.  WE HAD THICK LEATHER GLOVES ON TO HELP SLOW DOWN IF WE WERE GOING TOO FAST BEFORE THE NEXT STATION.  WE PULLED DOWN ON THE CABLE TO SLOW DOWN.  WE HEARD LOTS OF "YEEHAWING!" NO DANGER OF FALLING, AS WE WERE BUCKLED IN SECURELY.

TOMAS TAKING OFF, GUIDE GIVING HIM A PUSH....WE CHUCKLED AT THIS STATION.....IT WAS A HUGE TRACTOR TIRE WITH ROCKS IN THE MIDDLE.....DARLENE AND JOYCE HERE ALSO

TOMAS'S MOM, LOUISA,  COOKING FOR THE WEDDING
THEY COOKED OUTSIDE IN THE YARD FOR LARGER MEALS WITH AN OPEN FIRE

DEEP FRYING PLANTAINS FOR THE WEDDING WITH A NEIGHBOR

MARGIE PEELED AND PEELED AND CUT AND CUT FOR THE WEDDING

VISITING WITH HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS A COUPLE NIGHTS BEFORE THE WEDDING

BRIAN WITH TOMAS' BROTHER TONY....TONY WAS EVER SO HAPPY TO MEET US, HE WAS TAKING SELFIES WITH EACH OF US AT THE WEDDING

FRUIT TREE IN THE YARD...NOW I FORGOT WHAT IT IS....PERHAPS ONE OF THE FAMILY WILL TELL ME?

ME AND TOMAS' GRAMMA...WE ARE EXACTLY THE SAME AGE

ANOTHER HELMINEN SISTER PIC..WITH DARLENE MAKING HER USUAL FACE

EIGHT OF US WENT TO NICARAGUA FOR DARLENE HELMINEN'S WEDDING TO TOMAS ROJO..FEB. 13, 2016

TOMAS AND DARLENE

MARGIE, TOMAS, DARLENE, BRIAN

DARLENE, LOUISA (TOMAS MOM), TOMAS

TOMAS, ME, DARLENE

I DID VERY LITTLE HELPING W PREPARATIONS BECAUSE OF THE HEAT, BUT I AT LEAST  SEWED DARLENE'S HEADBAND

I BOUGHT PETE A SPANISH/ENGLISH BIBLE IN 1990'S, KING JAMES VERSION
I GAVE THIS TO DARLENE AND TOMAS

WEDDING PARTY SAT AT A TABLE FOR THE CEREMONY.  THE OFFICIAL PERFORMED THE CEREMONY, USING OUR WEDDING VOWS FROM OUR SONG BOOK.  DARLENE WROTE IT DOWN IN SPANISH.  ATTENDANTS ARE JULIA HELMINEN AND A FRIEND OF TOMAS.

ANDREA AND JULIA DID THE FLOWERS

TOMAS'S MOM, LOUISA AND ME

THE RINGS....

THE HALL WHERE THE WEDDING WAS....CLICK TO ENLARGE...THE  PLASTIC CHAIRS WERE COVERED WITH WHITE AND HAD PURPLE BOWS...WHICH WE ALL PITCHED IN TO DO.

MIGHTY HUNTER...SAUL TOLKKINEN WITH HIS DEER...2015

MIGHTY TRAPPERS..ROBERT HILL AND TED MORTBERG
320 MUSKRATS, 13 FOX, 6 COYOTES, 8 BEAVER, 1 OTTER, 1 MINK
THAT'S A LOT OF WORK...BUT IM SURE THE MONEY EARNED WAS WORTH IT.

PLEASE SEND ME NAMES AGAIN....SORRY....NEW YEAR RESOLUTION....GET A NOTEBOOK

RECENT CHURCH IN LONGVIEW, WM AT SARAH AND PHIL DAHL'S HOME

RECENT SERVICES IN PHOENIX, AZ

MORE ALASKA PICS LATER....GOTTA CATCH UP A LITTLE, IM WAY BEHIND

CAROLYN HASTI KOVALA W HER GIRLS
KRISTINA, CAROLYN, BONNIE
HANNAH AND ABBY

                                CASITA PICTURS BY CALVIN HELMINEN BEFORE SHOVELING OFF
                                THE ROOFS AND DECKS.....LOOKS LIKE A FAIRYLAND

LOVE THIS THE BEST...MY CHRISTMAS CARD THIS LAST YEAR

DAVE AND BLANCHE RAUDIO CAME TO VISIT AT THE CASITA AND ALSO TO GET A GRAPE VINE ROOT

DAVE LUOMA ALL SPIFFED UP WITH HIS FIREMAN'S UNIFORM, WITH WIFE JENNIE

EVELYN HELINEN WITH TWO FRIENDS FROM THE PEACE CORPS
LAURA AND BRIAN...HAD A GREAT VISIT.  MET THEM WHEN WE WENT TO ARMENIA, AND BRIAN HAS ATTENDED A FEW GATHERINGS OF HELMINEN'S

ME AND BRIAN HAVING A GOOD LAUGH

HAVING A PIZZA PARTY AFTER THIS GANG HELPED MAKE ME RAISED FLOWERBEDS,  HAULED MANY WHEELBARROWS FULL OF DIRTS, AND PUT LOTS OF STUFF AWAY FOR WINTER.....LOVE 'EM, AND THANKFUL FOR THEM TOO!  I AM EAGER FOR SPRING AND SUMMER TO SEE HOW MY NEW FLOWERBEDS WORK!  THEY ARE ALL REPLANTED!

I LOST MY LIST OF NAMES, (PLEASE SEND?} BUT THIS IS FROM DETROIT CHURCH LONG AGO   SEE WHO YOU CAN IDENTIFY...I SEE MAMIE BEKKALA, MARTHA STORM, MILLIE HELTUNEN, ALMA SEITER, HERMANSON, ELSIE ERICKSON...CLICK TO ENLARGE....(LOVE IT, AND THANKS FOR SENDING IT)

DAVE AND ANN TOROLA AND FAM. MEMBERS WITH JAY AND DOROTHY RUOHONEN,  ENJOYING  KAYAKING THIS PAST SUMMER

DENVER SERVICES THIS SUMMER...LOST THESE NAMES, TOO....SO SEND THEM AGAIN, PLEASE....THANKS...I AM GOING TO GET A NOTEBOOK FOR NAMES AND ONLY KEEP THEM THERE INSTEAD OF ALL THESE VARIOUS LISTS OF PAPER....SHEEESH!