Phillip Family: October 2009

First....a correction from my September miscellaneous blog....When I posted this comment from Bob, I titled it "jap rifle story":

Jap rifle story ~ "I sent M-1 carbines (two of them) back to Ken during WWII……collect….carpenter shop……broke them down….shipped in a skill saw box.,….2 rifles….tools….sent express collect…probably called Ken collect also. Ken was madder than hell that he had to pay shipping….3 months later he put new stalk on his."

Ray responded with "Carbine story had nothing to do with Jap's Rifles were both U.S 30 caliber carbines."

Sorry for the error. Thanks, Ray, for the correction.

Here are a few snapshots, arrivals, departures, funny episodes, and information to relive the Phillip Family Reunion held July 28-31, 1995, in Pullman, Washington. Thank you all, again, for making this reunion so successful. ~~Sharon

Sister Elma talking with Karla

Arrived Friday, 9:00 a.m. ~ Bob & Bernadine, Randy, Janice, Sister Elma arrived in Randy’s motorhome. They ha spent the night at Orofino. Also Randy’s dog, Prissy, who spent all week-end cleaning up any crumbs that were spilled. The dog also took a swim in the pool ~ he was OK the first time. Prissy took a second swim and Dennis had to dive in to save him. Randy didn’t want to get his boots wet. Randy blew up balloons for the dog to bounce on her nose, but when the balloon went too close to the pool, Prissy wouldn’t get near it. All the kids really enjoyed the dog.

Lynelle, Karla, Shirley (Janet's mom)

Bob brought cantalope and watermelon from the motorhome. When asked by Sharon who did such a good job cutting up cantalope, Bob readily said he did. Sharon asked him to cut up eight cantalope that night for the next three mornings meals. Bernadine brought lots of pictures and what she had up to date with genealogy.

Leo, Bob, Sister, Elma, Jean, Ken

Sister Elma made the trip just great. She was fun to have around. She spent a lot of time resting, praying, sleeping, and playing pinochole. She kept coming up with jokes written on a piece of paper to test everyone’s joke skills. Kathie took her to mass in Pullman on Sunday. She asked Sharon for a special request at the Sunday noon meal ~ a family prayer. Everyone took part after the dinner bell (given by Ken Wilson) was rung. Everyone thought they should have had a tape recorder going whenever she was talking because of the interesting things she would tell

Bob and Bernadine slept in the garage apartment bedroom and Janice was on the couch of the garage apartment. Randy stayed in his motorhome, and Sister Elma had the main bedroom in the house. Bob brought some of his wooden toys that he makes, and everyone got the pleasure of watching Sharon make a fool of herself with the rubber band wood toy.

Ray and Jim

Janice had a telephone interview as soon as she arrived for a new job. No news on that interview before she left. She spent some time at the antique stores and bought Sharon a set of antique salt and pepper shakers.

Leo, Sister Elma, Andrew

Because of Bob and Bernadine’s early arrival, friends Dara and Cyndi helped by getting the basement apartment ready.

Sister Elma "doing the dishes"....a quote from Sister Elma

Arrived Friday, 10:00 a.m. ~ Ken and Harriet slept in the guest apartment living room where the Nintendo game was in use by all the kids. Harriet was up by 6:30 every morning trying to beat Sharon to the kitchen, but never quite succeeded. Sharon went to bed with the last person, usually around 2:00 a.m., and was up by 6:30 all three mornings. Sharon slept in her motorhome. Ken & Harriet presented each family with a wooden box with a 1995 penny inserted inside, and a printed label "Phillip Family Reunion" (made by Paul).

Wanda, Clair, Jean, Zetta, Bill

Arrived Friday, 10:30 a.m. ~ Paul, Colleen, Geoffrey & Hayley. There was no floor space available so Hayley (the only baby at the reunion), slept in the garage in a portable playpen for naps. They only forgot that she was out there once. Colleen had taken off work on Thursday to help Sharon with all the vegetable cutting for about four hours. Paul spent Monday after the reunion helping Sharon clean up and return things. Geoffrey arrived before any kids got here so wasn’t pleased with the reunion until all the other kids arrived. Then he spent all his time in the pool, hot tub, and with the Nintendo game.

Tom, Bill, Michael, Jean, Maxine

Arrived Friday, 11:00 a.m. ~ Jean & Maxine arrived with two canisters of chocolate chip cookies for Sharon’s private use. They stayed in the guest apartment bedroom. Even with the kids playing Nintendo outside their bedroom door, they seemed to have no trouble sleeping. They stayed at Ken & Harriet’s a couple of days after the reunion. Jean took his daily walk almost before anyone got up. Sharon took all four of them to Spokane after the reunion to see Larry & Sharon Colburn after his accident with his horse.

Maxine and Janice

Arrived Friday, 11:00 a.m. ~ Jim & Kathie had stopped and dropped off their stuff at Ken & Harriet’s where they were staying for the reunion. Nicholas & Brittany enjoyed the pool and hot tube as well as Nintendo. Kathie was, as usual, great help in the kitchen and took Sister Elma to mass on Sunday. Jim was the first accident in the pool by skinning his elbow during a dive in the shallow end. He and Dennis had a little competition going from the diving board. Cody spent most of his time throwing toys into the pool for the bigger kids to get out.

Don, Ray, Bob, and Jean

Arrived Friday, 11:30 a.m. ~ Dick & Cindy had caravanned out from Wyoming with Jim & Kathie. They stayed at the Holiday Inn Express. Michael & Kelly also spent all of their time in the pool, hot tub and with the Nintendo. An employee at Dennis’ pizza store, Dara, took Michael down to rent whatever he wanted for the Nintendo, and gave each of them a T-shirt. Kelly, as usual, was gathering up all the money that was thrown in the pool by Uncle Ray.

Dennis, Dick, Bill, and Jim

Arrived Friday, 2:00 p.m. ~ Dennis and family arrived from their home in Moscow. Kathy was the first one thrown in the pool by Dennis. Cally & Casey, as all the younger kids, spent time in the pool, hot tub & with the Nintendo. Dennis provided the pizzas for the Friday evening meal and all the ice during the three days through his Pullman pizza store. Twelve pizzas were ordered and delivered by Dara. Before the reunion was over and after the "whatever" meal on Sunday night, all but one pizza was consumed. Cally’s birthday was on Saturday of the reunion. She had a birthday cake and Sharon put up a banner. All the kids had cake and sang "Happy Birthday" to her. I think Jean & Maxine slipped her a few dollars for her birthday. Ray & Judi got her a Hallmark glass plaque and Bill & Janet mailed some money back to her after the reunion. Jean & Maxine, Paul & family, Sharon & Jim, Ken & Harriet, went over to Dennis’ for a cook-out after the reunion.

Bob, Ken, and Leo

Arrived Friday, 4:00 p.m. ~ Leo & Zetta had flown into Spokane and rented a car to drive down. They stayed in the basement apartment bedroom with the futon bed ~ not something they had ever seen. Leo gave Harriet, Maxine, & Bernadine a gold rose pin….Sharon got one also. Leo & Zetta were in on a lot of the pinochcole playing during the week-end and took their daily walks in the hilly town of Pullman. When it came time for them to leave on Monday morning, they took one of the extra pans of lasagna with them to the cabin they were going to with Zetta’s sister, Ruth & Ray (they insisted on paying for the lasagna). Leo and Harriet were usually the first ones up every morning.

Kent, Lynelle, Maxine

Arrived Friday, 4:00 p.m. ~ Don & Verlene drove straight through from Colorado Springs and arrived at the Holiday Inn Express to freshen up. Paul went and guided them back to the house. Verlene was always around being a great help to Sharon. Don started passing the hat and made the nice note for Sharon. Because of Randy making Sharon nervous about Don throwing her in the pool…..when Sharon saw both of them standing outside the kitchen window, she threw a bowl of ice water on them. By the time Sharon ran to the guest storage room, changed to her swimming suit, and came back down, Don was still apologizing to Sister Elma for disturbing her (He had ran into her bedroom looking for Sharon). The rest of the story is that Don did throw Sharon in…and brothers Dick and Jim pushed Don in right behind her. At one point, Don took Dick in the pool with him, and another time, Dennis flipped Don into the pool after Don came up behind him and pulled the back of his hair. I hope all the above stories were recorded correctly!!!!

Bernadine, Janet, and Bob

Arrived Friday, 6:00 p.m. ~ Bill & Janet arrived with Tom & Karla and Janet’s mom, Shirley. Shirley was visiting them from California at the time. They all stayed with Paul & Colleen. After the reunion, Janet immediately went back to Cheney and got her pictures developed and sent some to Dennis & Sharon. Tom was great with the little guys and Karla was great with the little gals.

Jary, Judi & Ray, Janice

Arrived Friday, 6:30 p.m. ~ Lynelle & Kent drove from Wisconsin with two of their three ~ Andrew & Elizabeth. They stayed in the living room of the basement apartment on blow-up mattresses and the couch. Kent had many amusing one-liners, but can only recall the last one when he told Sharon that he didn’t want her to be bothered with all the dirty towels, so he put them in their car to take them back to Wisconsin. It was very enjoyable to get to meet Lynelle as an adult, since so many of us had not seen her for 20+ years. They left a white platter gift for Sharon. (I still use this when we have home-made bread ~~ Thanks!)

Jim, Kathie, Colleen

Arrived Friday, 9:00 p.m. ~ Ray & Judi brought over a pool toy ~ it was cute going around in the pool and spouting water on people occasionally. They stayed in the other basement apartment bedroom. Ray got up early Saturday morning to pick up brothers Jim and Dick for breakfast. They called Dennis but he didn’t answer his phone. After breakfast, they went over to his house, played a game of pool because the door was open, and left. Dennis and family slept through it all.

Dick, catching a "cap nap"

Arrived Saturday, 4:00 p.m. ~ Jary & Dee with daughter Jennifer flew into Spokane and rented a car. They checked in at the Holiday Inn Express. Sharon enlisted Jary to serve a choice of deserts to all on Saturday night after the turkey dinner. Jennifer was very entertaining during the whole reunion. Sharon, Dee & Jary discussed at length how Dee would not let Sharon see Jennifer when she was a baby because she was asleep at the time when Sharon stopped by their home, during a tornado at Grand Island.

Geoffrey and Paul

Arrived Saturday, 6:00 p.m. ~ Clair & Wanda Colburn stayed in the extra bedroom in the garage apartment. Clair is one of Ken’s oldest friends, and has, over the years, become very close to the Phillip family. Sharon asked him the eight jeopardy questions relating to the first generation and he got six out of eight correct. Sharon told him that we were just checking to see if he really belonged at this reunion. He passed with flying colors. Jeopardy and Trivia questions and answers are shown later in this blog.

Michael on deck, Andrew (I think) in the pool

Arrived Sunday ~ Larry & Sharon Colburn (Clair’s son) came down for Sunday afternoon to visit with all the first and second generation Phillip families that Larry had known all his life. They said it seemed like a repeat of the 1989 reunion. When they arrived that year, Sharon was being thrown in the pool, and the same thing was happening this year. Larry had an accident Monday with his horse hitting him in the head and spent a lot of time in Holy Family Hospital, unconscious.

Jean and Leo, standing; Bob, Sister Elma, Ken, sitting

Arrived Sunday ~ Ray & Ruth Stroud came down to visit on Sunday afternoon (Zetta’s sister and brother-in-law). They played a little pinochole with the crowd. Ruth gave Sharon a hand painted bowl, lid and spoon.

Elizabeth, Ken, Lynelle (standing)

Zetta, Andrew, Leo (sitting)

Sunday morning was reserved for picture taking. It looked like a press conference for the President of the United States with all the cameras clicking.

Dee, Jennifer, Jary (standing)

Jean & Maxine (sitting)

Later Sunday morning, we went over the Trivia & Jeopardy game answers. Lynelle was voted the most gray because the question was "most" instead of "grayest". Baldest vote went to Jary after he and Randy had to put their heads down in the sunlight.

Jean, Leo (standing)

Bob, Ken (sitting)

Sunday night some went over to Dennis’ house for a game of pool…..Jennifer, Michael, Janet, Colleen, Karla & Tom.

Don, Verlene, Randy (standing)

Janice, Bernadine, Bob (sitting)

My renters, Dara (garage apartment) and Kurt (basement apartment) vacated their apartments for the reunion. Dara stayed over at Dennis’ house. Kurt went camping for the week-end. Dara joined the party on Sunday evening after the pool game. Randy assured her she was invited to the next family reunion in New Jersey.

Back row: Dick, Cindy, Cody, Jim, Kathie, Karla, Bill, Janet, Paul, Colleen, Hayley

Middle row: Tom, Ken, Harriet, Ray, Judi

Front row: Michael, Kelly, Nicholas, Geoffrey, Brittany, Sharon, Jim Powers

Although unable to be here, son Ken, made a phone call to many people at the reunion. His new son was born July 4th, Phillip Kenneth Wilson

Bob, Leo (standing)

Ken, Clair, Jean (sitting)

Departures ~ Sunday afternoon – Jim, Kathie & family; Don & Verlene; Sunday evening ~ Ray & Ruth Stroud; Larry & Sharon Colburn; Monday morning ~ everyone else.

Paul, Bill (standing)

Dick, Ken, Ray, Jim (sitting)

Sharon (in front)

Phillip Trivia Game

(with answers below)

1st generation (Ken); 2nd generation (Ray); 3rd generation (Dennis); 4th generation (Cally) (Oldest of each generation attending)

1. Oldest person attending reunion
2. Youngest person attending reunion
3. Person who traveled the farthest distance to attend
4. Person who has the most gray hair in the 2nd generation
5. Baldest person in the 2nd generation
6. Phillip relative listed in the booklet with a holiday birthday
7. Who as born on 7/28 and 7/29, 1989
8. Who has ever lived the farthest away from Alliance, NE
9. One of the married couples with the same birth month and day
10. Two cousins with the same birth month and day
11. What month has the least Phillip family birthdays

Answers:

1. Sister Elma
2. Hayley (Paul’s daughter – one year old)
3. Randy
4. Lynelle
5. Jary
6. Dennis (Lincoln’s birthday); Leo (4th of July)
7. Cally (in Washington we heard about it on July 28th, 3 hour time difference in Tennessee ~ she was born on July 29th
8. Not sure we ever answered this question

9. Janice & Archie
10. Mary & Judy; Lynelle & Bill
11. December

Phillip Syndicated Jeopardy Game

1st Generation Questions

1. She gets her hair done every Friday
2. He used to bring potato chips to the Alliance Thanksgiving dinners at Good Sam
3. He used to mash all the potatoes with a hand potato masher at the Allilance Thanksgiving dinners
4. He never fell off a horse in his life
5. He was teacher in later years
6. She is the most artistic of the four spouses
7. She almost broke her daughter’s foot by stepping on the "pretend" brake on the right side of the car.
8. She kicked her husband with both feet

Answers

1. Maxine
2. Leo
3. Bob
4. Ken
5. Jean
6. Zetta
7. Bernadine
8. Harriet

2nd Generation Questions

1. She bought her parents’ home
2. He always fell asleep in the bath tub
3. She once sat on a sink and broke it from the wall
4. She was astonished when her ncle was able to buy something with a personal out-of-town check
5. He got lost in a snow drift in the ’49 blizzard in Alliance
6. He didn’t like his cousin’s coffee in the early 70’s
7. He sent his wife a sympathy card for her birthday
8. He was placed on a shelf too high to get down by his uncle
9. She thought she was lost when she went by "Litter Barrel" sign two times
10. She loved black olives as a child and would put one on each finger before eating them
11. He got a hair brush for Christmas when he was in the military service with no hair to brush
12. He couldn’t talk without a calculator in his hand when he was a teen-ager
13. He knocked himself out while playing with his road grader.
14. He fell asleep on top of a swing set, fell off, and broke his collar bone
15. He jumped off a balcony and broke his leg at college (they had moved the couch over the summer)
16. She hit herself in the back of the head with her snow skiis
17. She lived with her sister while finishing high school

Answers

1. Janice
2. Dean
3. Sharon
4. Mary
5. Jary
6. Don
7. Ray
8. Randy
9. Judy
10. Julie
11. Bill
12. Jim
13. Steve
14. Paul
15. Dick
16. Lynelle
17. Roberta

Below is a copy of the booklet that Paul helped me make for the reunion. If you double click on the copies, you will be able to read it.