We were married in the Idaho Falls Temple. The only error on the quilt is our wedding day. It was August 4. But that's okay. It's been a good marriage. We have been married almost 48 1/2 years. We are going for the GOLD.
This fly swatter shows one of the reasons we moved from Lake Shore to Elk Ridge. Alton fought the flies everytime he irrigated and we swatted flies every time we had a family dinner.
These happy children represent our nine (9, count 'em) happy children. Brian, Barbara Jo, Mark, Susan, Paul, Nina, Karen, Rebecca and Ashlee. We also have 7 inlaws, and 29 grandchildren. We are very grateful for each one of them.
We love to play hearts. It's all in fun, and there are never any fights or quarrels. Sometimes we do get "down and dirty" and the losers have to do the dishes. But if Heather is there, she ususally has the dishes finished by the time the game is over. Alton's favorite saying is, "Smoke her out!!" (meaning Dirty Dora, the queen of spades)
One of Alton's favorite sayings when passing around the goodies. "Take two, they're small."
Nancy loves doing crossword puzzles. Each family member is in the grid. Try it and see.
Alton and several other family members graduated from BYU. And it was great to be able to attend football and basketball games. Especially since BYU has been doing so well for years.
Alton is a farmer. He graduated from BYU in Animal Science with a minor in agronomy and horticulture. He's always loved working the ground and growing crops. We learned that the racoons would eat the corn, but they need to eat, too.
Besides farming, Alton trained and raised horses. He even had a few that he raced, successfully, at the tracks. He loved the horses so much, and none of his children had the same desire to ride.
But some of the grandchildren enjoyed a good ride on the mountain when they would come to visit.
As Alton raised and trained horses, he never swore, but in frustration would call the horses names. I doubt the horses cared one bit, but it made an impression on Mark who drew these cartoons for a family letter. They say, "Jughead", "Pot Licker" and "Cotton Picker." "Alton Ekins stable of fine horses."
A favorite camping spot for the family is in the Uinta Mountains. The fishing in great and the camping is fun. One experience Alton had when when Mark and Heather was hair raising. He had a fire going under a flat rock, and the frying pan was ready and the fish were frying nicely when there was a loud BOOM!!!. Mark and Heather were tying the horses up and doing chores away from the campsite. They couldn't imagine what the explosion was. The flat rock, being filled with water, had exploded from the heat of the fire. The frying pan, fish, and grease flew between Alton's legs. (That was a miracle. It could have damaged him.) Needless to say, the fish couldn't be eaten as they were full of sand and rocks. Another trip the pack horse fell down the trail, food was scattered in the creek and along the path. Her name was Pretty, but she didn't seem pretty to any of those gathering up the supplies.
Flowers blossomed under Alton's care and usually faded and died if Nancy was in charge. She never knew when to plant, how deep, when to water. But the two of them manage to plant nice flowers at their Elk Ridge home. Alton digs the hole and Nancy sticks the plants in.
Nancy loves to sing and has even written some songs. This one, "Pioneer" has been published and she occasionally gets to sing it in July. She has sung with the Timpanogos Chorale, Utah Valley Choral Society, Payson Civic Chorale, The Country Cuzzins, and the Golden Oldies.
Nancy's alter ego is Polly Esther. The name came easily because she wears a red, white and blue polyester dress. Her hat is a blue felt she found along the road in Lake Shore. Polly can say and do things that Nancy would be embarrassed to say or do. She plays the ukelele and entertains for Senior Citizens, families, church functions, and anyplace they'll allow some good, clean fun.
Alton had a great herd of Simmental cattle in the 70's until the 90's. When they moved to Lake Shore from Pleasant Grove, the cattle went with us. When the move to Elk Ridge from Lake Shore occured in 1999, most of the cattle were sold. It was sure good to have our own meat.
Besides the three homes listed here, we lived in Lindon, Brigham City, and American Fork. But those stays were not too long. We lived in Pleasant Grove for 15 years, Lake Shore for 21 years and have been in Elk Ridge for 9 years, so far. With many years to come, we hope.
