Running Progress - Two Weeks Later

Dale's getting faster. He challenged Ryatt to a foot race after football practice.

Pioneer Day Festivities

July 24th is Pioneer Day in Utah! It marks the day in 1847 when Brigham Young and the Mormon pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley. It's a state holiday in Utah, celebrated much like the 4th of July with picnics, parades, rodeos, concerts and fireworks.
Our neighborhood celebrated with a dinner and a parade. Dale created this little float as our contribution to the parade.

We couldn't leave Elder Price out of the fun, so his cardboard cutout was mounted on the back.

Pride of the Neighborhood

"He'll be coming and going" he had said. "One day you'll see him and another you won't. He doesn't like being tied down--and of course he has other countries to attend to. It's quite all right. He'll often drop in. Only you mustn't press him. He's wild, you know. Not like a tame lion.

― C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe 

Dale's Dream - On Video

Dale has spent twenty two years as an above-knee amputee. He's used various prostheses--most notably his durable and versatile, but sloooowww "pegleg" (which he loves). Dale has finally acquired a leg that won't hold him back. This is what dreams are made of. This video footage was all taken within two hours, showing his very first walking steps outdoors with the new leg, to the point where he could actually run.

Note from Dale: "Once I started getting the hang of it I didn't want to stop. I had been imagining that feeling for the last 22 years, and to finally realize this dream was emotionally overwhelming. As you can see I'm sweating buckets, because every time I stopped, I only wanted to run some more. I stopped due to the pain on my stump from the rubbing this new leg is causing. Some adjustments will need to be made to the socket, because all I can think about is going out and running some more."

Patriotic Cats

American Pride