55 & Exceeding the Fun Limit

55 years ago my grandparents living in Utah received a surprise - my folks called to tell them about my birth. Having moved to California the year before, and times being what they were, it was relatively easy for my folks to keep my impending birth a secret from their folks. Following up on that surprising beginning, I have no doubt spent a lifetime surprising people.
So just for fun, here are a few photos from my life showing some of the people and times I am so very grateful for. (By the way, if you have trouble picking me out of some of the photos, let me know.) This is the oldest photo of me I have found to date. The setting is between sessions at a stake conference in Gridley, CA. Remember how there used to be 2 sessions each on Saturday & Sunday? This is the lunch on the lawn between sessions - I am the one standing on the left with the help of my dad.

Here I am with mom, Mike & Joseph in front of 1410 Youngs Lane in Yuba City. This is probably in 1955, the summer before the flood.

This photo is exactly 50 years old. On Halloween night in 1959, 6 days after I turned 5, we left 1410 Youngs Lane for the ward Halloween party at the Clark Avenue chapel. Afterward we went home to 373 Second Street where I lived for the next 14 years.

Here we are, some of us, on that great little VW (before dad painted it yellow). Note the doors are still on the little shed on the side of the garage.

And here I am with my dad again, in front of that old green Dodge Pioneer.

I don't appear old enough to be a boy scout in this picture, but somewhere I must have acquired a tee shirt from GTSR.

Another photo, probably around 1970-71; I remember I got that shirt as a Junior. This time, my mom is in the scouting uniform. Happy times in the back yard of 373 Second Street.

Peter & I with Wayne Adair at Donner Mine YW Camp during the summer of 1971. Lots of interesting stories came out of that summer.

Gold & Green Ball 1972. Brown suede shoes, a flowered shirt, and a cool double-breasted - corduroy - sport coat borrowed from my brother Joseph. Note the really neat parquet gym floor the Clark Avenue chapel used to have.

In the green Hornet (AMC) in NYC.

In front of our apartment in Newark, NJ - by Branch Brook Park. Here we had a copper Vega and covered the entire southern half of NJ for Spanish speaking people. In Newark we lived down the street from a Hershey's chocolate factory, so we got a nose full every time we walked down the street.

Here we are 33 years ago in one of the proofs of our wedding announcement photo. Without a doubt the best decision I have ever made, or ever hope to make.

Here we are on a cold day in December 1976. A great start to a wonderful marriage. Did I mention I like brown?

In order of appearance, left to right: James, me, Andrea in curlers. This is from when we lived in Bountiful shortly after James was born in 1980.

The roadshow kids in Bennion - 2 smurfs, a care bear, and a troll. Boy I could sure use those ears now.

Our family just keeps growing and growing. Here we are in 2005 in Harter Park behind the museum in YC. The photographer was Rebecca Knudson of infinite patience.

Since then we have added some more, shown here earlier this summer in Don & Jana's back yard.

Me & my friend the bear in the redwoods last year.

Another of us together - I seem to have a lot of these from over the years.

More additions to the ever expanding R&J Hall Family - at the very famous Indy Zoo earlier this year.

And finally, the happy couple last Christmas at the Sacramento Temple when we all gathered after Peter returned from Switzerland. Stay tuned. . .