Dave and Jan enjoyed a recent visit with Stephen and his family at their town house in Burbank – one day before Ryan’s sixth birthday (and just a few days before Erin’s third birthday).  Because of the Corona Virus “pandemic,” everyone was pretty much confined to their homes by order of authorities in the state of California.  Like many others, Stephen was even doing much of his work for the Zeiss Lens Company at home.

Clearing out many things at the Balsley house in Brea in view of Dave and Jan’s anticipated move to Utah, Jan brought a Piranha preserved many years ago by a taxidermist in Venezuela where Jan’s uncle Dean Hollingsworth served as a missionary.  Ryan found the fish quite fascinating!

Erin was more fascinated by a container of Playdough and a stuffed kitten which belonged to Caroleen (the Japanese university student who lived with Dave and Jan for six years) before she moved to new quarters with another family from the Church at Green Hills (Green Hills Baptist Church).

After a pizza dinner, Jan produced some small gifts she had brought for each of the children – including some light up wands and some small office sets.

Who would have thought of indoor “smores” at the kitchen table with marshmallows roasted over the fire in a small can?

And Ryan enjoyed creating a robot with a set of magnetic blocks which he received for his birthday (with a matching set coming soon for Erin with the arrival of her birthday several days later).

Jan enjoyed the chance to fulfill her role as grandma by doing some reading for Ryan before the evening’s visit was over.

Dave and Jan will miss the proximity of Stephen’s family when they make their move (anticipated in mid-May) to Utah – but they will be a day closer to Andrew and Alissa’s family, so they will experience the pull of both sets of grandchildren and their parents with their move closer to the “middle.”  They look forward to sharing the beauty of their new surroundings with both families when they visit Cedar City were Dave and Jan were visiting when this blog was created.