The Lastest Goings on!

The Avett Brothers, live in the Sun Valley Pavillion.

Willie and Val took a big five day trip the last week in July for the United Dairyman of Idaho to Virginia Beach for 3 days and then onto Washington DC for 2 days. It was a wonderful opportunity for us! The above photo is taken by the original Smithsonan museum,"the castle", the grass on the mall in DC is no longer watered and green...it looked very different from the last time we visited. You can see the US capital in the background. We had time to tour the Smithosonian American History Museum.

Here is Val with Mike Roth, the president of UDI and another guy...? We had dinner with 18 others and Congressman Labrador at the Capital Grill near the US capital on Pennsylvania Ave. We felt very important!

Willie and me with Congressman Labrador.

On one of our walks Willie noticed an infamous office building.

Val really liked these unsual hanging plants.

From Virgina Beach to DC we drove along the John Tyler Memorial Hwy, we stopped in to visit the Berkely Plantation. President William Harrison lived on this property. This view is of the James River.

This is the home, located on 900 acres.

While in Virgina Beach we took an evening dinner cruise on the Spirit of Norfolk Ship. Our 3 hour tour took us along the largest US Naval Base in Norfolk. There were approx. 40 other dairy people from the southeast area on the dinner cruise. We enjoyed visiting with them and getting the south eastern perspective of the dairy business. (I love your new job Willie). He goes to meetings and I have fun!

It was so hot while we were on this whole trip, we aren't used to the humidity in the least bit. We once got caught in a sudden big down pour of rain with tornado watch, it was quite frightening for us!

We did learn an interesting few things about the southern way of speech...:

y'all is singular
all y'all is plural

Norfolk is pronounced "Norf_k"...no kidding! we couldn't believe our ears!

This statue is Neptune, it is located on the 3 mile boardwalk in Virgina Beach.
We both walked the entire 3 miles and frolicked in the ocean. It was great fun for us Idahoan's!

Back home in Idaho, Julia came for a 2 week visit, here she is studing on our patio for her BIG test the INCLEX, (which we just found out that she passed)!!!!!

Julia Carolyn Bokma RN, BSN

We met Willie's brother Bob and family in Georgetown for lunch.

Julia and her dad at the Avett Brother's concert (photo is at top of page, I can't get it into the right spot).

Korbin William has his 1st birthday party ever! He was very careful eating his cake, really he was.

The whole Hyink family on their porch step with Korbin's pretty cake.

Beppe and her sweet Korbin.

Pake and Bentley.

Next comes the annual Koopman Kamping trip. Here is my brother Steve's youngest daughter Allie, her new son STEPHEN!, and Mark Koopman's kids, Kennedy and Carter.

We rented the same cabin again for 4 days and 3 nights. We had a small group this year, only 25, last year we had 50! Uncle Willie is very popular with his fancy ski boat. Most of the kids go kneeboarding and tubing with him.

Bentley relaxes in the little camp chairs with his 2nd cousins.

On the farm, the corn is getting tall, the alfalfa is turning into prime feed and the cows keep producing milk.

We continually thank God for our blessings so abundant!