"Life is lived forward, but understood backward. It is not until we are down the road and we stand on the mountain looking back through the valley that we can appreciate the terrain God has allowed us to scale.” Jill Savage

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Twins, Los Angeles, Sister, Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, Grand Canyon


We stayed one night at the hotel outside the Grand Canyon - we had a buffet dinner and breakfast. My grandson the pickiest eater in the entire universe even managed to find something good to eat.



Here is my little guy in the gift shop posing with an arrow (no - we did not buy it - are you kidding ).


He is such a ham. And I think he's pretty photogenic.



Got up early in the morning, had our breakfast buffet, and then off to a gun show. . .






. . . right before we got on the train.


We would soon be on our way taking the train into the Grand Canyon.


(Of course the good guys won.)

The grandson even got to ride the horse.

He loved that.
We got on the train - day 3 - and went to the Grand Canyon National Forest to spend the night.



Happy Birthday Susan Hayward - Wikipedia -

Hayward was married to actor Jess Barker for 10 years, and they had two children. The marriage was described in Hollywood gossip columns as turbulent. They divorced in 1954. During the contentious divorce proceedings, Hayward felt it necessary to stay in the United States and not join the Hong Kong location shooting for the film Soldier of Fortune. She shot her scenes with co-star Clark Gable indoors in Hollywood. A few brief, distant scenes of Gable and a Hayward double walking near landmarks in Hong Kong were combined with the indoor shots.

In 1957, Hayward married Eaton Chalkley, a Georgia rancher and businessman who had formerly worked as a federal agent. Though he was an unusual husband for a Hollywood movie star, the marriage was a happy one. She lived with him in Carrollton, Georgia, becoming a popular figure in a state that in the 1950s was off the beaten path for most celebrities. In December 1964, she and her husband were baptized Catholic at SS Peter and Paul's Roman Catholic Church on Larimar Avenue, in the East Liberty section of Pittsburgh, by one Father McGuire. She had met McGuire while in China and promised him that if she ever converted, he would be the one to baptize her.Chalkley died in 1966. Hayward went into mourning and did little acting for several years, and took up residence in Florida because she preferred not to live in her Georgia home without her late husband.

Hayward died at age 57 on March 14, 1975, of pneumonia-related complications of brain cancer, having survived considerably longer than doctors had predicted. There is speculation that she may have been affected by radioactive fallout from atmospheric atomic bomb tests[3] while making The Conqueror with John Wayne. Several production members, as well as Wayne himself, later succumbed to cancer and cancer-related illnesses. She was survived by her two sons from the marriage with Barker. Hayward was cremated and buried at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Roman Catholic Church.

I think when it was all over - almost everyone in that movie died with cancer. . .

28 comments:

Melanie said...

I love the pictures of your grandson. He looks like he's having a lot of fun.
He probably would have had a lot more fun if you'd bought him that arrow. :)

The Quintessential Magpie said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
The Quintessential Magpie said...

Sandie, I made a typo in that last post, and I erased it. Sorry for leaving litter! ;-)

Love the post with your cute grand. Looks like he had the time of his life. That's a cool tie-dye shirt he's wearing in that photo with the arrow. I think I mentioned that my cousin and I were huge cowboy fans, and we used to play "Gunsmoke" and other Westerns all the time. I was usually an Indian (who was NEVER killed) or Miss Kitty, depending on my mood. ;-)

That was a fascinating read about Susan Hayward. What a scary thing about that radiation. I'll have to be sure and read more. She was such a talented actress! I wonder where in Florida she moved after her beloved husband died.

XO,

Sheila

Linda @ A La Carte said...

What cute photos. Growing up in Calif we use to go to a western ranch where they did those shows and it was always fun! Interesting about Rita Hayward! Oh and good choice NOT to buy the arrow. I'm looking forward to the Grand Canyon photos!

Angela said...

Hey Sandie!

You should have bought the arrow and a bow to go along with it! That way if the demon squirrels come back to your house this fall you will have a weapon to defend yourselves! hehehe

Cool looking western show. We would have loved the train ride. We've been on 2 different trains here in West Virginia and loved both of them.

Hugs,
Angela

Good to be a Queen said...

What a great vacation!!!

Together We Save said...

Looks like so much fun!! My daughter would be in heaven getting to ride a horse.

BECKY said...

Hi Sandie! What great pictures and thanks so much for sharing them with us! I'm on a Virtual Vacation this summer, all thanks to Miss Chatty Crone! :)
Your grandson is a cutie...looks like he's "all boy"!
I, too, loved the info about Susan Hayward. She's one of my favorite actresses. I LOVED the movie, My Foolish Heart....used to make me cry every time!....and all her movies! Fascinating stuff! Thanks!

Unknown said...

Hey, I've been to Carrollton!

Susan said...

Great shots, Sandie. Hope they were taken with your Kodak Pixel. Your grandson is the doll of the century! What a first class ham. (Does he take after his Grammie? ha ha) Susan

ClassyChassy said...

come on over and visit us - you and your grandson could BOTH ride horses!!! Love the wild west scene!

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Huh! The good guys won when we were there too ;>)....great pictures. You can see that the GS is having a great time.

That was very interesting about that movie and the cancer link; I'd never heard that before.

Stella said...

Looks like a grand vacation. Every boy needs a bow and arrow. We used to make them out of sticks and pieces of string. Glad he got to ride the horse.

betty said...

LOL about the arrow! however, maybe if you had bought it for him, he would have enjoyed the canyon more(not really, he would have given you guys constant worries)

too funny that the train begins the same way with the gun fight like when we were on it years ago

glad GS got to ride the horse!! I bet that made his day!

fantastic pictures!!

betty

Joyce said...

Enjoying your trip report and photos. Keep them coming.

Deb said...

Looks as though you had a "Grand" time! I love the Grand Canyon and all its beauty. Your grandson looks as though he had the best time with you!

Unknown said...

glad the good guys won! it looks as if grandson is having a great time~

My Grama's Soul said...

My sweet grandson is going to do that exact same trip in July for his birthday. He will love it I'm sure.

I remember Susan Hayward......she was a beauty!!

Xo

Jo

Mevely317 said...

How cute is your GS!!!
My grand-girls will be here in 2 weeks and we're headed to the Canyon ... I've not been there since 1965!
Thanks for this glimpse, everyone having a great time! :)

^..^Corgidogmama said...

I remember that movie well. Susan Hayward was always a favorite of mine, as I grew up watching old black and white flicks on the late show every weekend. Still love 'em.
That GS of yours had a terrific trip, didn't he? Can that smile be any bigger???

Kat said...

Sandie, your grandson is so cute. I loved the information on Susan Hayward. Have a Happy 4th.

Annesphamily said...

Sandie the shots you took are great! I like following your fun trip! Your grandson is so funny and cute. Bet he gets that from you! Ha! Anne

Love Of Quilts said...

Very sweet pictures of your grandson I would love to go to the grand canyon someday. Trish

Mimi said...

HI!!!!
We own LAnd right outside of Williams, AZ, that is where you got on the train!!!My hubby's sister and family live in Williams. My hubby's Aunt and uncle live there too and guess what, my hubbies UNCLE is one of the Guys that does the shootout before you board the train!!!!I was looking for Uncle Chris but did not spot him, he might have been off that day!!!!
What a great time you must have had there!!!!
We have done the train ride!!!!
it is fun!!!!
hugs,
jamie

Jane said...

You grandson looks like he was having loads of fun! I love the western USA, especially the fly fishing.

Jane

Tanna said...

Just catching up on your last couple of posts! What a vacation! So much fun.

The radiation thing with Susan Hayward is so sad.

ocmist said...

I'd heard that about the cancer... sad! I really liked her, too!

You can tell your GS had a wonderful trip even if you got worn out! So glad he got to ride a horse too! I hope you had a nice train ride too... maybe in your next post.

Jenny said...

These are fabulous pictures and a wonderful post!

Thank you for sharing this with all of us!