Because Dave and Jan live only around 35 miles from son Stephen, his wife Meagan, and their son Ryan (for whom Jan provides childcare two or three days each week), there are numerous opportunities to connect with Stephen’s family – like the visit to nearby Craig Park one January day where Ryan worked on his horsemanship skills.

But opportunities to connect with daughter Alissa, her husband Andrew, and their three sons Levi, Elijah and Silas are far less frequent because of the fifteen hundred miles or so which separates Southern California from Huron, South Dakota. So it was very nice to have Andrew and family pay a visit to Southern California in mid February for a time of family reunion.
(Caroleen Suzuki, Meagan, Ryan and Stephen Balsley, Dave and Jan Balsley, Silas, Alissa, Levi, Andrew and Elijah Crandall in front of a blooming Chinese Magnolia tree in Brea)

Even Dave, Levi, Andrew and Elijah got to practice their horsemanship at Craig Park.

Alissa and Silas chose to accelerate things with a ride on the Craig Park motorcycle!

Elijah had a chance to explore the wonders of the Dandelion’s seed head on the way home.

The older cousins had fun climbing sand piles at beautiful O’rien Park not far from Stephen and Meagan’s house in Foothills Ranch (a division of Forrest Lake, CA)

Of course, no trip to California would be complete without some time at the beach, and the February weather was just what South Dakota visitors were hoping for in such a trip.

Laguna Beach has always been a favorite beach destination for Dave and Jan since beginning their honeymoon there forty five years ago.

When several tries to enjoy local kids’ water parks turned up dry in California’s extended time of drought the back yard wading pool was called upon to fill the bill.

And, of course, where there are kids there will be plenty of toys for both kids and adults.

We thank the Lord for the blessings and joys which come with family life – and are grateful as well for the members of our extended family and the even larger family of God!

A popular Christmas song describes the Christmas season as “the most wonderful time of the year.”  That is a fitting description of the season from our perspective for at least two reasons – (1) because the birth of Christ is the most important birth which ever occurred on our planet; and (2) because our wedding anniversary follows close on the heels of Christmas day – the 29th, which marked 45 years of marriage for us this time around.  Perhaps I should add a third reason.  My sister Susan was born on Christmas day a few years ago!

Christmas for our church family is always a time of festive decorations because of the influence of Mrs. Fender (widow of Leo Fender of Fender Guitar fame).

We enjoyed a visit from Stephen and Meagan on Christmas day.  And their son Ryan is beginning to catch the excitement children feel at the celebration of the birth of Christ!

We enjoyed a numerous Christmas specials leading up to Christmas, including the packed-house Christmas concert in the newly refurbished auditorium of St. John’s Lutheran Church in nearby Orange.

A house around the block in our neighborhood had a familiar Christmas decoration on their front lawn.  It was illuminated by a spotlight, but the spotlight was casting a shadow on the wall behind it.  A large cross is a regular feature against the front wall of the house, and the spotlight created the shadow image of Joseph and Mary bowing at the cross – a fitting reminder that Jesus, more than any other child ever born, was born to DIE as a sacrifice for our sins!   As Jesus explained, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

In celebration of our 45th anniversary we drove up the coast to San Simeon for an overnight stay before heading up the coast highway (Highway 1) to the Monterey area.  It was a beautiful day for a drive along that very scenic coastline!

We enjoyed a short hike up Salmon Creek flowing through one of the many side canyons which beautify the coast highway route.

Though we have driven it many times, we never tire of the beautiful scenery so plentiful along the central California coast.

In the Monterey area we enjoyed connecting with each of Dave’s three sisters and members of their families for meals and walks and bowling and lots of visiting.

Christmas is, for us, a wonderful time of the year!  The coming of Christ to earth radically changed the trajectory of life for all who have trusted Him as their Savior.  As Isaiah predicted (9:6) ” . . . and His name will be called Wonderful . . .”  He is certainly that to US!  And, in addition to all that He means to us, we are very grateful for the added blessings of marriage and family!

Our pastor, Joe LoMusio of Temple Baptist Church in Fullerton, spoke November 22nd on Psalm 100. He focused on verse 5 where we were reminded that God Is Good, His Mercy Continues, and His Truth Endures. On the strength of those thoughts he encouraged all of us to “Have a GRATEFUL Day” on Thanksgiving Day – and every day!

Though the famous 1621 celebration of the Pilgrim settlers and the Indian chief Massasoit and around 90 of his people was not described in the original accounts as a celebration of thanksgiving, it is well known as the “First Thanksgiving in Plymouth.” In Mourt’s Relation, Edward Winslow wrote of that event: “although it be not always so plentiful, as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want, that we often wish you partakers of our plenty.”

And so, for us at the Balsley household in Brea, we are grateful to be very “far from want” and are very well-aware of “the goodness of God” in the abundance which we enjoy today and so regularly throughout the year!

An attractive decorative reminder of the Lord’s blessings in our lives at this season of the year came from our church’s “Fall Festival” where Jan was given this fall arrangement with its significant spiritual symbolism.

We also enjoy beautifying the inside of our house with the intricate design of the blossoms of the Bird of Paradise plant which beautifies our front yard.

For over a year now it has been a pleasure to share our home with another resident artist (besides Jan), Caroleen Suzuki, whose artistic skills are being sharpened as a result of her art studies at Fullerton Junior College. Her recent line drawing depicts our living room in the background of this photo in amazing detail.

Though Mom Baden has joined Dad Baden in glory, she left for our ongoing enjoyment and edification this stained glass depiction of the countless blessings flowing down from the Lord in heaven for those who will receive them. The small plaque below the picture provides the explanatory text from II Corinthians 4:6: “For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”

So, for these and many other reasons, we are having a GRATEFUL day.  We sincerely hope that you have such a day as well!

Dave and Jan are very grateful to the Lord that, after over a year of back and sciatic nerve pain, Jan is able to take to the trail again and enjoy the beauty of the Lord’s creative genius with no more pain. And we enjoyed much of it on our recent vacation trip to South Dakota and Idaho, but there is plenty to enjoy much closer to home as well. So on Monday, October 19 (2015) it was off to the Whitting/Limestone Wilderness area just a few miles from where our son Stephen, with Meagan and Ryan, live at Foothills Ranch. Like many areas in Southern California, the canyon rim is crowded with pricey houses.

Though drought has plagued the area for years, the promise of rains because of El Nino conditions has many local residents justifiably concerned about the possibility of losing the footing to their houses if rains become heavy.

There are, of course, some of the wealthier residents of the area who like to build their “castles” high on the hills and far away from other residents. Though it may not be evident, this photo was taken with a telephoto lens from about a mile away across a wooded valley.

At the base of a tree on the way up the canyon we were welcomed to a “Happy Hiking” experience by the display left by a local troop of Girl Scouts!

Two women we met along the trail saw us reading trail signs and wondered if we were familiar with the area. They told us of the hike into Red Rock Canyon and recommended it highly. It turned out to be a welcome recommendation!

The trail into the canyon was only six tenths of a mile, but there wasn’t much evidence that it was heavily traveled. It lead into an increasingly narrow canyon with red sandstone walls.

The canyon walls appear to have been carved by a talented master craftsman (Whom we are blessed to know in a personal relationship)!

The canyon includes some fairly ornate carvings in its walls – reminiscent (in miniature) of some of the cliff dwellings which have been the homes of Indian tribes in various parts of the southwestern states.



The canyon is essentially a box canyon where – happily – people appear to have observed the request posted on signs that they not deface the natural beauty which was so apparent all around.





We are grateful for a beautiful day (after some unseasonably hot weather in recent weeks) to be on the trail once again, enjoying the creative genius to be found both near and far in every part of our country.

Happy hiking indeed!

Dave and Jan enjoyed time with family (their whole family) during their recent trip to South Dakota. But their visit there took a little over a week (with travel time to Camp Rimrock), so they had a few days to do some exploring on the return trip to Southern California. The plan was to visit central Idaho where they had recently heard good reports about the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. So that is the direction they headed – driving through Wyoming (on I-90) and Montana (on I-90 and I-15) to Idaho, stopping overnight at a very nice KOA south of Livingston, Montana. Their first stop the next day along scenic route 43 from Montana into Idaho was a picnic lunch stop along the Jefferson River.

It was past mid-afternoon when they arrived at their destination – the little town of Stanley, Idaho at the north end of the Sawtooth Mountain Range.

The town sign says Stanley has 63 residents. There were many more than 63 during our visit, but winter months make the town rather austere – with significant mountain passes to be negotiated on any route out of the town. So there must be some buildings which sit unoccupied during winter months, because there are a fair number of structures in the town.


An evening drive along Highway 75 south of town provided good reason to want to stay and explore for a while!

After a night of rest at Elk Mountain RV Resort (and some tasty peach pie from their cafe), we drove west to Stanley Lake. The air was a little hazy, but the area was beautiful nevertheless.


The biggest part of the day was spent hiking to Sawtooth Lake on the Iron Creek trail – the longest hike Jan has been comfortable to enjoy since the Lord graciously relieved back and sciatic pain she endured for a little over a year.

It didn’t take long to learn why the mountain range is called the Sawtooth Range.

Beautiful Alpine Lake was a nice short side trip several miles up the trail. At the lake we met some fellow-hikers who offered to take a picture for us with the lake in the background.

The lake is one of numerous mountain gems in mountainous regions throughout the Western States of our amazingly beautiful country.

Late summer days were already showing a display of fall colors in the undergrowth on the forest floor – with many Aspen trees about to display golden glory in days just ahead.

With fall months coming on, there were still some nice wild flower displays to be enjoyed along some of the creek beds fairly high in the mountains.

The next lake we arrived at didn’t have a posted name, so we thought we had arrived at Sawtooth Lake. But the description Jan had read said it was a large lake, and this lake didn’t qualify. So we are guessing it may have been “Lower Sawtooth Lake” – but it was a very nice lunch spot.


We almost started the return hike, but Dave is always curious about what is around the next bend – especially when the small lake didn’t sound like the like we might have expected. And, sure enough, just over the next rise we discovered the real Sawtooth Lake.

We were grateful that the rain which the weatherman had predicted didn’t materialize while we were on our hike, but the breeze at the lake was a little bit “nippy.”

The rain did materialize during the night, and there was fresh snow on all the higher mountains, so we decided it was time to head south, but we definitely hope to return (perhaps next summer) to the Sawtooth National Recreation Area to do more exploring of the Lord’s amazing handiwork in central Idaho!

Some time back Dave’s sister Susie made the observation that we take nice vacations. We are very grateful to the Lord that we live in such a beautiful country and that she was absolutely right! It was a nice vacation!!

Dave and Jan returned home September 7th from a two week trip to “camp” with their children and grandchildren at Camp Rimrock, located about 10 miles west of Rapid City, South Dakota. The most famous faces in the region, of course, are located on Mount Rushmore – but family faces make that national monument even more interesting.

(Left to right – Andrew, Elijah, Alissa with Silas, Levi, Stephen with Ryan on his back, and Meagan)

Another face is being carved on a nearby mountain – the face of the Indian Chief Crazy Horse. If the carving is ever completed (with the chief sitting on his horse), it will be even larger than the one at Mt. Rushmore!

Another familiar face we enjoyed together was the familiar face of the moon as it passed as close to earth as it gets on its travels around our planet.

Our first day in camp at Camp Rimrock Dave and Jan joined Andrew, Alissa, Levi, Elijah and Silas for a hike up the hill across from the camp where the view of the camp, looking down from the hilltop, is quite impressive.


Popsicles served to the boys at camp resulted in some happy faces – as popsicles normally do.

The whole family posed for a family photo in front of the fireplace in the camp lodge at Camp Rimrock.

We enjoyed celebrating Stephen’s 34th birthday together with some of his favorite ice cream pies.

Ryan had a chance to explore the Black Hills Central while Dave, Jan, Stephen, Meagan and Ryan awaited the arrival of Andrew, Alissa, Levi, Elijah and Silas on the steam-driven hour-long train ride between Keystone and Hill City.


Levi and Elijah had fun exploring another train which was once used in the mining operation at Thunderhead Falls.

At Thunderhead Falls, just outside the entrance to Camp Rimrock, the outside water fall is set in contrast with the inner falls at the end of a six hundred foot mine shaft.


It was a fun experience to have the family vacation together – enjoying other local attractions like the Wind Cave (while Stephen’s family was still with us), and the Dinosaur Park and a museum of area wildlife provided by the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department (with Andrew’s family after Stephen’s family flew back to Southern California).

We are grateful for the opportunity to be reminded of some of the men who have influenced our nation’s past, and happy for the opportunity to blend their faces with the even more familiar faces of our own children and grandchildren.

The Summer months are great months for growing things, and our yard has a variety of flowering plants which demonstrate some of the creativity which the Lord build into the growing things He has provided for our enjoyment and amazement.  Some of the names escape memory, but the blossoms are nice to see.

A new addition to our yard this year, these blossoms top a plant which is already colorful in its own right.

A friend from Hawaii has some Plumeria in her yard and decided to share some with us.  We are happy that it seems to be doing well so far from Hawaii.

Two varieties of Bougainvillaea display their bright red colors in different parts of the back yard.

This Urn Plant (Aechmea fasciata) cactus displays a pretty blossom which lasts for many months when once they have bloomed.

This Epiphyllum cactus blossom didn’t last very long but was very showy while it lasted.

The Peruvian Lilies which sister Jewel gave us years ago have thrived in our yard.  This year we added other colors to enjoy.

Of course, it isn’t only plants which are growing for our enjoyment.  It is fun to see our family grow and we enjoyed having Stephen, Meagan and Ryan with us to celebrate Jan’s recent birthday.

Because he lives in the area, we are enjoying the chance to see Ryan grow, and we are looking forward to a short family reunion soon with not only Stephen, Meagan and Ryan but also Andrew, Alissa and our other three grandsons – Levi, Elijah and Silas, who will have undoubtedly done some serious growing since we were with them last.

Digital technology has changed many things in our world. A couple of years ago Jan spent hours during summer months to scan some 21 photo albums worth of family memories into a digital format so we can more easily enjoy our photographs – and reduce an entire cabinet of photo albums to a manageable plastic bin. Now she is working on the task of digitizing Dad Baden’s large collection of slides so they can be viewed on our computer. The process has already brought back many great memories! For quite a few years Dad Baden served as a ranger-naturalist during summer months at Glacier National Park in Montana. We thought you might be interested in seeing some of his photos. As you can see, Jan (pictured here with her mother) got an early introduction to the beauty of Glacier! Dad Baden often led hikes to a small glacier which originated, for at least some of the hikers, at the lodge which was located on the lowest of three lakes in a beautiful mountain setting. Many visitors to Glacier enjoyed crossing the lake from the lodge on boats which ferried passengers across the water to hiking trails – saving some time and many steps on what could easily be a full-day hike.  Dad Baden led many of these hikes and traveled across this lake several times a week. Many happy hours were spent hiking on the numerous trails which traverse the park – like this beautiful trail which Jan and Mom Baden were enjoying when the picture was taken. The mountainous terrain provides spectacular views from the heights which Jan’s family, and especially her Dad, enjoyed reaching. But Dad Baden was not the only one who ascended to the heights in the park. For many years Mom Baden was quite an avid hiker as well. Dad Baden’s knowledge of botany made the family unusually sensitive to the beauty of flowers which appeared throughout the park as the summer months passed. Here is a picture of a lovely lady (Mom) among a showy floral display. The park, of course, was also the year-round home for many kinds of animals. Grizzly bears were a subject of concern, but it was always a more welcome experience to come across some of the deer which lived in the area. When Dave entered the Baden family picture he was blessed to enjoy some of the amazing scenery which the family had been enjoying for years before his time among them. What great memories we have of Glacier National Park – clear evidence to each of us of the amazing greatness and creative genius of our great God!

Each Memorial Day in recent years Dave and Jan have attended the Loma Vista Memorial Park event sponsored by the American Veterans Memorial Association and the nearby City of Fullerton. This year was the 77th annual Memorial Day event, honoring “The Greatest Generation.”  This year Dave and Jan were joined by Caroleen Suzuki who lives with them in anticipation of her studies next school year at Fullerton College (where Jan’s father worked for 33 years).

The event was attended by many hundreds of local citizens, with 4,000 American flags placed throughout the Memorial Park.
Many people who attended were dressed for the occasion in colorful attire predominated by red, white and blue.

A “Missing Man Flyover” of five planes became only four planes as they passed back over the memorial location.
The Orange County Sheriff’s helicopter landed in the park, delivering the speaker for the event.
The Pledge of Allegiance was followed by the National Anthem, sung by Kristen Romero and Dave Deno, returning for the occasion as they have for quite a number of years. One or the other or both of them also sang America the Beautiful, God Bless the USA, My Buddy, and God Bless America. Amazing Grace was performed on the bagpipes. An address by Lt. General David H. Berger, Commanding General of the First Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton was the main event of the day – and, as always, a very good and appropriate address.
Dave and Jan have good reason for “Honoring the Greatest Generation” because both have fathers who served in World War II – Dave’s dad keeping books for a medical unit in the Army which spent time in England and France, and Jan’s dad among the sailors who landed at Normandy in his service in the Navy. Though we have photos of both fathers in their military uniforms they were not easily included in this blog, so they are pictured here with their wives of many years in grateful appreciation for not only their service to our country but their faithful service to their families.

Norris R. (“Bob”) and Kay Balsley

Gerald M. and Wanda Baden
We are deeply grateful for the benefits we enjoy as citizens of the United States of America, but even more grateful that “our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:20)!

Recent weeks have been busy ones at the Balsley household. But they have been very enjoyable ones as well, because we have had opportunities to spend time with members of our family and our church family celebrating important events and occasions, and we have even managed to get in a little recreation from time to time. On the recreation side, we enjoyed exploring the Tin Mine Canyon Trail in nearby Corona – a surprising find in a generally dry region.


Jan and Caroleen peered into the tin mine for which the canyon trail was named, though entry was prevented to preserve wildlife habitat (and preserve human life, no doubt, in view of the danger of mine collapse).

Easter if always a wonderful time of celebration for those who know the crucified and risen Christ! We also enjoyed a visit on Easter Sunday from Stephen, Meagan and Ryan in the early afternoon – prior to their visit with Meagan’s parents as well.

Ryan is about as cute as they come, and has recently taken to walking, so the pace is picking up!

The Saturday following Easter our church participated in the annual Faces of Fullerton event in downtown Fullerton, where a variety of community organizations engage the community by offering some activity for families and their children.

Our church’s activity was the opportunity to create wire sculptures – something both the children and adults seemed to enjoy doing.

Later the same day we drove to Foothills Ranch to join with Meagan’s family in celebration of Ryan’s first birthday. Ryan’s two grandmothers brought him from his room where an intended nap wasn’t happening.

Ryan was soon well-dressed for the auspicious occasion.

And what would a birthday celebration be without a birthday cake?

As you can tell, we have been enjoying some busy but happy times with family and friends – always grateful for the Lord’s goodness to us in so many ways.