Ed's 10th birthday party. I can't believe the kid is 10 years old. Like I told Sam and Melissa as they were leaving, they're half done with him in their home, and the second half is a real roller coaster ride. It was nice to have my mother in town to help us celebrate (she was a little subdued and tired after her trip that same day), but we missed those of you in distant lands.

Proposition 8 in California. A choice on a ballot in a democracy. And voters chose to not call a union between a woman and a woman or a man and a man a "marriage." Demonstrations at LDS temples have followed the vote and vandalism at LDS chapels has been reported. And I'm sad.

I'm sad because my church and my beliefs are under attack. I'm sad to read of my church being accused of "hate speech." For the official stance of the church on the issue, with all the background, see http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/the-divine-institution-of-marriage. In reading and re-reading the articles, I see no "hate speech". I do see a clear statement of the church's beliefs on the issue. And I see clear direction to it's members to approach the issue with "respect for others, understanding, honesty and civility." We are also counseled to posses "...love, kindness and humanity to all people."

Anyone who knows me, knows I embrace dialogue and debate as long as it is conducted with civility and respect. I try hard to listen to beliefs that differ with mine, although I do occasionally slip into a raised voiced bulging eyed backup debate style when I feel passionate about an issue, and I'm later embarrassed at myself for acting that way.

I guess what I'm saying with this post is, I support the church's position on the issue. In my life, the church has only brought me joy. By following it's tenants I have developed a deep and abiding faith in my Savior and have learned to trust in Him. I feel no malice or ill will for any who believe and live their lives differently than I do, and I love many who do.

It was an eventful weekend in Chicago. I joined Bob and Marge there on Saturday night. On Sunday, Isaac was confirmed after his baptism the previous day, little Samuel was blessed and Danny, newly called to the bishopric in their ward, was ordained a high priest by his dad. This old grandpa was honored to be a part of it all.

Sixth generation (that I know of) fisherman.

A September afternoon hike with my grandkids visiting from Idaho:











The scenery was spectacular;














We saw (well, heard) wildlife;














The going was steep;













Some got very tired;






















But the destination was worth it.

This girl here is a piece of work. She has been since she could walk. We could never quite figure her out and still can't. She can double you over in laughter, wrench your heart, make you angry with a word, talk your head off, try your patience, and really surprise you. She has been the subject of more family councils, fasting and prayer than any other family member. She's on our ward leader's prayer list every Sunday morning and her name regularly appears on the temple prayer roll.

There have been times when we haven't known where she was or if she was safe. She's spent nights on the street, bummed a ride to Sacramento and lived there homeless for a few weeks, and has spent much of the last 4 years behind bars. She's run amuck and been out of control. Often we were grateful she was in jail because at least we knew she was safe and was getting three squares a day.

Through all this, we've been incredibly blessed. Our Father has heard our petitions and has blessed us and her. I know she was often protected from herself and others. Cristie and I have learned patience, unconditional love, total reliance on our Heavenly Father, and perhaps most of all, our faith has grown.

Currently, Laurel is in the best situation she's been in years. She shares a very nice apartment with two other disabled women. She is expected to show up at a job doing yard work every day (if you know Laurel, you know "work" might be stretching it). She has aides at her side and in her apartment 24/7 keeping an eye on her. If she were to take off or participate in any illegal activity they would immediately call the police and she would be tracked down and sent back to jail. Right now, she ranges from being very happy to being frustrated and "stressed" but that's Laurel.

I post all this to thank you. Thank you for your prayers, your kindness and generosity, for witholding judgment, for being her cheerleaders, and for being in this with us. Your support and love has lifted us in the dark times and strengthened us in the weak times. Laurel indeed is a treasure and a blessing to us. Most of all, we glory in the Lord. His capacity to love all of us is boundless. He sees all and knows all. His is the Great Plan of Happiness.

We've been home from Carpinteria for a week and Cristie says she'd head back for another week in the sand and sun tomorrow. I think I would too, though I suspect if she and I were to go without our kids and grand kids we'd get a little lonely. It was a great week, in a great campsite we'd like to try for again. We had Uncle Jim and his family there, Joanna and her kids for awhile, Chris Carter and his family, and five dogs. We missed Joe, Laurel, and Katie and her family. My sister and brother didn't make it so the drama factor was reduced significantly.

Some of the grandkids had fun playing on an unused lifeguard station until they got kicked off and that got me to reminiscing about my own career as a very young lifeguard at Carpinteria. I started at around ten years old as, well, a pretend lifeguard. I always thought the lifeguards looked so great in their faded red swimming trunks, tans, and bleached hair, especially on their arms and legs. So when the state beach built newer, bigger and better stands for their lifeguards, I decided to hire on at one of the older, shorter abandoned stands which stood about 20 yards from one of the newer ones.

I'd get there first thing in the morning ready for a busy day of saving, well ahead of my authentic neighbor guards. I would stay all day too, not daring to leave my post for fear I'd lose out on an opportunity to be a hero or worse, that some other kid would steal my nest. My brother Tom joined me for the first day or so but he never had the staying power I did and wandered off to much less glorious persuits, leaving me to scan the beach for swimmers in distress myself, which I preferred anyway. My ever concerned mother would send either my brother or one of my younger cousins with my lunch so I didn't starve.

Alas, during my weeks employ, as far as I could see there never was a need for rescue either by me or by my neighbors. Not even a riptide warning. But I was faithful to my duties nonetheless, talked shop with the other lifeguards, worked on my tan, and my red trunks got a little more faded. And I even enjoyed the welcome admiration of a couple of younger girls who happened by and hung around my tower for awhile. For a ten year old, what could be better than that?






Speaking of ten year olds, my oldest grandchild Abigail (who has just turned 11) wandered off one day on the beach and had several of us adults out looking for her. Turns out she was walking on the tar rocks a little ways down the beach, as evidenced by this pic taken by her mom. I've been going to Carpinteria since I was a kid and have seen my share of tar spotted feet in my day, but never in well over 50 years on this beach had I seen this much tar!

Umping is over for the season, youth conference and the YM super activity are history and so is my calling in the YM organization in our ward. It's been a busy summer thus far, but I anticipate a slowing through the dog days of August. A welcome slowing, and a re commitment to regular posting. It's just not right that summer race by.


This weekend, our family is headed to Carpinteria State Beach, situated between Ventura and Santa Barbara on the coast in California, my home state. I've been vacationing at this beach since I was a kid with my parents and grandparents keeping an eye on me and cousins tormenting me. We've now come full circle; my mother will be celebrating her 82nd birthday in September and will show for a few days. All my kids except Katie, who is big with child, Laurel (out of jail and in a great environment, but that's another post) and Joe who is serving on "da rez" in Northern Arizona will be there. I'll have ten grandkids beaching it under the watchful eyes of their parents.

The place is a tide pool of memories for me: exploring the "bamboo jungle" with my grandmother, sitting with our heads only feet from the track under the trestle as a big freight train passed over, exploring spooky abandoned buildings with my brother, hanging out on and under the decrepit pier, trying to reach the milky way on the old swings, and later, futile attempts to lure cute girls to our evening bonfire on the beach. And those are just for starters. We almost always come home with a memorable family story for that year which will be told and retold. We hope to add to the treasure this year.

Which is your fancy? The premium stuff, like Henry Weinhard's, or your basic A&W? Our ward recently had a root beer tasting party where they blinded the flavors and asked everybody to pick their favorite. They had the gourmet micro brews as well as the less expensive mass marketed brands. A&W won the contest.

Root Beer was about the only soft drink I liked as a kid and I really like it as an adult. It's about as American as baseball and hot dogs. There was a root beer shop not far from our church where I grew up in Reseda, CA and after mutual, we'd beg our leaders to take us by for a brew after an activity. They served it in frozen mugs for a quarter and it went down cold and smooth.

When our older kids were in high school we had a french exchange student spend a summer with us. The poor kid had a hard time adjusting to the casual American palate. He developed a real fondness for hot dogs, but couldn't take root beer. He said it tasted like medicine.

Summer wouldn't be summer without an ice cold root beer now and then.

The Clark Family Memorial Day party was held in a stake center in Farmington due to inclement weather. The food was good, the company was great and the rain didn't dampen the fun one bit. A few sample pics:

This is very weird. I've been retired for seven weeks now and I've virtually stopped reading and writing (I have never done much arithmetic). My journal lies dormant, without a word written so far on early perspectives in retirement. You'd think my examinations on life would increase rather than drop with a thud. You can see The Book Thief still resting comfortably on my bookshelf. I haven't cracked its pages since the flight home from NYC in March. It's not that I've lost interest in the plight of little Liesel. In the past, when I would lose interest in a book I would simply stop reading it and start another on my list, but I have no desire to do that either. Has my literary life suffered a shock?

Much of my reading and journal writing was done 35,000 feet in the air while strapped to an airplane, or in lonely hotel rooms in evenings on the road in my working days. I don't fly every week now, and I'm busy most evenings with church work or umpiring and then catching an occasional tivo of Judge Judy with Cristie before we call it a night. I do read the newspaper each morning and I'm trying to keep up with my news magazines but even that has been a challenge of late. I'm thinking this is temporary and eventually I'll return to my world of books. Maybe I should join with the ladies in Cristie's book club!

Montana. Big Sky Country. Land of the Assiniboine, Blackfeet, the Sioux and Crow. Ed, Dave, Sam, and I joined my brother Tom and his son to fish the Madison and the Beaverhead rivers Thursday through Saturday. You never know what spring will throw at you in the Rockies and she tossed wind, snow, sleet and hail on us as we floated down the Madison Thursday and Friday and mixed in the occasional sun break. Despite the weather we had a blast and all caught fish. We saw bald eagles, golden eagles, sandhill cranes, whitetail deer, mule deer, geese, ducks, and a dead moose. The land was teeming with wildlife. I've always felt at home in Big Sky Country.

The "ump" is back in the game.

Cristie, Lizzie and I went to NYC, I retired April 1st and immediately took up pony league umpiring with my son Ed. The boys in the leagues we umpire range in ages from 12 to 18, so we see a wide variety of baseball. I'm new at this, but so far, so good.

I get asked a lot why I decided to be an umpire. I answer that I've always loved baseball and I like kids, so it seems to me to be a good match. I love everything about the game; the grass and dirt in the infield, fresh chalk lines on the field at the start of a game, the smell of the leather gloves, the perfect fit and feel of a cowhide baseball in my hand, the pop of a fastball into the catchers glove, all of it. Plus the uniform adds an air of credibility and it gives me license to order people around.

A couple of nights ago I was behind the plate for an upper division game between 16-18 year old teams. The pitchers threw hard, good stuff. About midway through the game a batter foul tipped a pitch just enough for the flying fastball to miss the catcher's glove. The ball whacked me on the only spot I was unprotected, my forearm. I wanted to jump up and down and cry and scream, but umpires don't do that kind of stuff, so I just called time out and toughed it out. I was getting some nice sympathy from the fans in the bleachers, so I let the time out drag on a little so I could milk the crowd. My arm is sore but I'm back behind the plate again tonight. Batter up!

We had Laurel's 26th birthday party here Saturday night. Cristie went to a lot of work to pull it off and we had Sam and Melissa and their kids; Ed and Val and the girls, and Cristie, Lizzie and I. Dave was in Vegas at the Mountain West basketball tournament and of course Joe is serving in AZ. We loved having Alison and Katie in town earlier this month, but they weren't here for the party.

It was a disappointment. Laurel wasn't in good shape which was heartbreaking, but we soldiered on and made a night out of it. We continue to take it a day at a time with that girl. We love her and pray for her and we know you do too. We much appreciate the family support.

One bright spot to the night was little Claire's predicament shown in the slide show to the right of this post. Claire is Ed and Val's oldest and she's historically had trouble with the banister posts in the loft which opens up to our family room below. Most of the grandkids have stuck their heads through the posts a time or two, but after a teary episode requiring a parents help to remove them, they don't do it anymore. Sadly, Claire (turning three in June) has been stuck more than a few times. Maybe she's so intent on what's happening below she can't keep her head from poking on through. At any rate, I got a few of her expressions on camera Saturday night before her dad saved her. We love our little Claire.

What's on your ipod? The music you listen to can say much about who you are, so out with it. Who are your favorites? After a quick check of my play list, I list the top five artists by the number of tunes in my "elite" file (the one I listen to when I walk or can't sleep). Now mind you, I have a ton of classical music which I DO listen to, but listing my classical favorites would be difficult. So, we'll go with my popular music favorites for now:

1. Bob Dylan (51)

2. Gordon Lightfoot (45)

3. John Prine (27)

4. Rolling Stones (21)

5. Bela Fleck and the Flectones (16)


No surprises here. Obviously, my "go to" genre is folk music and the Stones are in there with a nod to nostalgia. Bluegrass is also well represented in my play list, but after that my list descends quickly into onesies and twosies of favorite old and new selections. The blues, jazz, country, and oldies from the 60's are all represented in my list, but folk music predominates. I have no idea what this tells you about me, but there it is. Now what's on your list?

Our stake "Cultural Arts" evening was last Saturday night. Each ward was asked to do a musical number from a broadway play. It was a snowy evening, but the house was full. Our ward was the last to perform so we got to watch most of the other ward productions. I was impressed, both at the ward shows and at the music and singing in between the shows. We even had a live orchestra of stake members in the pit.

We did "Be My Guest" from Beauty and the Beast. We'd rehearsed quite a bit and our director had a connection to someone who had professional costumes, so it turned out quite good. I had fun playing the role of Cogsworth. Being on stage brought back many memories of plays of long ago. I like being in the dim lighting of the stage just before the curtain opens to a packed house. The anticipation of going before the lights, playing a character is a real rush for me (I wish I could say the same for rehearsals!)

A ward member videoed the show. You might recognize Paul Wortly as Lumere, Faye Kotter as Mrs. Potts, and Mindy Wagstaff as Belle. www.scottwaltman.org/h25/

This is what the bug that infected me last week looks like. It's a mean one, I tell you, and I didn't even have that bad a case. It mostly just drained my energy and enthusiasm and brought along body aches and the sniffles for good measure. The real rub is, I take great pains to protect myself by getting a flu shot every year. Cristie on the other hand NEVER gets a flu shot and NEVER gets the flu! Do I need to re-evaluate my affinity for the scientific/medical community I've relied on all these years?

Before we took off on a flight the other day, a lady with two little kids a couple of rows back starting reading aloud to them. It was some story about a princess, and the reason I know that is because she was reading loud enough for several passengers around her to hear (including me, even in my rapidly declining auditory sense). After a few minutes of that nonsense I couldn't resist looking back over my shoulder at her to register my displeasure. Couldn't she see I was trying to read to myself? How hard is it to read when somebody else is reading aloud? She did not return the eye contact however, but cheerily kept on reading. Her kids didn't seem the least bit interested.

I've spent a lot of years flying in passenger jets and I got to thinking that in all my experiences I don't remember ever overhearing somebody reading aloud to children. Eventually my annoyance gave way to approval.

My sweet grandmother Mimi used to read aloud to my brother and I in the little house on Keswick when she was the babysitter. I looked forward to those nighttime stories, probably partly due to a delay in lights out, but also because of the wonderful worlds and make believe characters she introduced us to.

My grandkids occasionally ask me to read stories to them. Sometimes I oblige and sometimes I don't. I can tell you I agree to do it far more than I was willing to read to my own kids at bedtime. But even when I agree to read to my grandchildren, it is sometimes done in a hurry. Stories should never be read in a hurry! I resolve to be a better reader to my grandkids whenever they ask and even sometimes when they don't.

Nephi (second from left). My hero. Always doing the right thing, yet he was mortal and subject to the weaknesses of the flesh ("O wretched man that I am!"). I'm loving studying his life again this year.

I've wondered this past week why Nephi was great. Was it his leadership ability? His physical strength? Intellect? Faith? All were contributors and parts of his character but I believe Nephi was great because he desired to please the Lord by obeying him. He had "great desires to know the mysteries of God", which was simply a desire to know Him.

Cristie learned in her religion class that because Lehi was a man of means, he could afford to have Nephi educated so he could write the spiritual history of his people. Thus, Nephi was well prepared by the Lord for the work he would be asked to perform. What is the Lord preparing you for? Often it's only when we look back through our experiences that we see how He has carefully tutored us for what lies ahead.

Why is it that each year when January rolls around, it's like I experience it for the first time? It seems that when other months return they're like greeting an old friend, with familiar sights, colors, smells, light, and the activities we associate with that season, but January arrives each year as a stranger to me.

And I like getting re-acquainted. It's a still, quiet month, a time to assess the year gone by and plan for the year ahead. It's a time to recover from the hectic holidays, to settle in at your hearth by a nice fire. For many, it's back to the grind after the holiday break, but even for them, the short days and long cold nights invite introspection. And the quiet beauty of a snowstorm (of which we've had an abundance so far this winter) is a marvel to behold.

January 2008 is almost half gone, so celebrate it with me until it arrives again in 2009 and we face it again for the first time.

"People disappear when they die. Their voice, their laughter, the warmth of their breath. Their flesh. Eventually their bones. All living memory of them ceases. This is both dreadful and natural. Yet for some there is an exception to this annihilation. For in the books they write they continue to exist. We can rediscover them. Their humor, their tone of voice, their moods. Through the written word they can anger you or make you happy. They can comfort you. They can perplex you. They can alter you. All this, even though they are dead. Like flies in amber, like corpses frozen in ice, that which according to the laws of nature should pass away is, by the miracle of ink on paper, preserved. It is a kind of magic."
---THE THIRTEENTH TALE...by Diane Setterfield

Upon reading these words last night I made a mental note as to which page to retrieve them and share. I have been thinking about plates of gold, the family tree painted on the upstairs hallway, Pres. Eyring's suggesting to make notes of daily tender mercies, and the general New Year's reconsideration of better journal keeping.

People don't altogether disappear...I can resemble my parents now and then. I am made aware of this fact when I make a comment, a certain expression, move a certain way and my husband or children assert that I am a "Clark," or in my mother's case..."Peterson." I am flattered at those times.

More than "ink on paper," the real magic is eternal life. Just the same I can see the value of keeping a record of one's life. I would love to know a little about the names that grace the upstairs wall of my home.

I learned early on that setting a table is so much more than just laying down knives and forks. It is creating a setting for food and conversation, setting a mood and an aura that lingers long after what was served and who said what was forgotten.
---Peri Wolfman

I so enjoyed sharing a simple meal with my family last night. We laughed, bantered, listened and lingered over empty dishes to savor the real flavor of friendship and love. My heart was satisfied and filled as well as my stomach. The perfect meal.

2008 dawns and the Iowa caucuses are tonight! I love the presidential campaign season . I'm a casual follower of politics, and the strategy, posturing, pandering, and the slip ups of the candidates (the Dean Scream four years ago was a highlight) all are far more entertaining for me than any TV show.

Last year I changed my political affiliation from Republican to Independent. I decided I couldn't sign on to the platforms of either party and in the last several elections I voted for candidates in both parties. Because I'm not a Republican or Democrat, here in Utah I won't be able to vote in the Republican primary. The democrats will let me, however, so I'll be casting a vote for one of the democratic candidates. Below is my take on the race so far:


Hillary
A few weeks ago she was all but the inevitable Democratic nominee. Some of her debates haven't gone so well and her comment on issuing drivers licenses to illegal immigrants caused some concern and as a result she's slipped in the polls. Plus, a high percentage of voters really don't like her at all (some even use the word "hate"), so how she would perform in a general election is in doubt.

She proved herself as an able campaigner and she won over enough skeptical voters in more conservative upper New York to win the the state race for the senate. She also demonstrated an ability and willingness to compromise during her short tenure in the senate and I think she's more centrist than people give her credit for.

Barak
Weak on experience with only one short term in the senate. His comments about how he would handle complicated foreign policy issues have been vague and simplistic. His stump speeches can be powerful, but have also on occasion sounded canned and worn out. He is a breath of fresh air and an interesting candidate. He can really draw the crowds and is a hit with younger, professional demo's. We'll find out tonight if that translates to a hight turnout.

Edwards
His tirades against corporate greed and the insurance and drug companies are designed to resonate with an angry public, but he's only addressing some of the many problems in the health care mess. Coorprations are easy targets but their employees and stockholders are also voters. His other policy positions seem reasonable and well thought out. He's proving to be a better campaigner than I expected, but he's a little too much a pretty boy for my tastes.

BOTTOM LINE: It will be interesting to see what happens tonight in Iowa and next week in New Hampshire in this too close to call race. I could live with any of them as our next president and am leaning toward Hillary.

Romney
Really, how can a Mormon run for the presidency? I'm amazed by the anti Mormon bias being thrown about on blogs and even on national TV programs. That stuff would never fly if directed toward Jews, Muslims, blacks, or even catholics, but because so few Americans say they know a Mormon, it's tolerated.

Mitt is honorable and ethical, but seems a bit testy in his interviews and he does the typical politician dodge when asked an uncomfortable question. He has outspent all the other republican candidates in Iowa combined and is dead even in the polls with Huckabee, but there is some indication that Huckabee's surge is petering out and Romney is gaining strength.

McCain
In 2000, McCain was my man, but since then, his unflagging support for the war in Iraq, his age and crankiness have hurt him in the polls. As the war recedes as the defining issue in voters minds, McCain has been gaining in the polls. He has hardly campaigned in Iowa but is showing strong late support there and is about even in New Hampshire with Romney.

I like his independence and his willingness to take an unpopular stance at odds with his own party. Sticking to your guns however, is a trait he shares with the current occupant of the White House and we know where that has gotten us.

Giuliani
They called him the republican front runner last summer but I expected him to free fall from that position as voters took a closer look. Yes, he reduced crime and restored efficiency as mayor of New York and yes, he was a steadier in the traumatic days following 9/11, but look a little closer and you'll see he was a confrontational bully who was derided by many who worked with him. His judgment of character is in question and his personal life will repel conservative republicans if it hasn't already. I don't expect him to be much of a factor in the race except in Florida and maybe California.

Huckabee
He's funny and a natural campaigner, plays a mean bass guitar, and has made a tremendous impact with very little money and not much of an organization. Evangelicals are more comfortable with a baptist preacher than they are with a flip flopping Mormon but as he has gained strength in the polls, the penetrating eye of the national media has revealed his quirky stance on several issues (abolishing the IRS?) which may make him less of an attractive candidate to mainstream voters. I think he's hit his high water mark.

Thompson
The press has labeled him as lazy and he's having a hard time shaking that image. He waited too long to get in the race and that hurt him. Besides, what does he really bring to the table other than his status as a celebrity? Are republicans that desperate for another Hollywood actor? He's through as a serious candidate.

BOTTOM LINE
It's all much ado about nothing. Unless all the demo's implode there is little chance for a republican to gain the White House in 2008.