July/August 1999
Happy Summer! Lots of things have been happening since the last issue. In addition to having our first visitors in our new house, we have found that Salt Lake City has a lot of summer activities for families, so we have been very busy!
Recent Visitors  Last week, Suzanne’s dad and sister, Jim and Allie Bettonville, came for a one-week visit. In addition to our usual sitting-around-and-talking, we did some activities. We went up to the mountains one day, explored Temple Square downtown, attended a free performance by the Utah Symphony and the Utah Opera, visited the Great Salt Lake, and went to see folk singer Arlo Guthrie sing with the Utah Symphony. It was a very fun week.
Weather News  Well, hot of course. Lately we have had our air-conditioning on for at least a few hours during the day—sometimes all day—but the night air is so cool and dry that we open the windows on all but the very hottest nights. Today it didn’t get up to 90 degrees, but it has been 90-95 most days.
The Rio Report  Lots and lots to tell in this department! In the last two months, we have taken advantage of many free events in town, so at the time of this writing Rio has attended seven concerts (six of which were by the Utah Symphony), an opera performance, two fireworks displays, one dance concert, one play, a parade, and a fair. He also has won second place at two costume contests, has made Star Wars lightsaber and cookies at Borders Bookstore, and has shaken the hand of a famous person!
     The famous person in question is Keith Lockhart. Fans of classical music, PBS, and Boston might know Lockhart from "Evening at Pops" as the conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra. He has recently been appointed the Music Director of the Utah Symphony, and conducted one of the free concerts. At the end, Rio (who had been dancing like a maniac during the last number, prompting many—including Lockhart—to laugh) ran up to Keith and grabbed his hand. Keith led Rio to the front and gestured to him, even encouraging him to take a bow, while the audience clapped and cheered. Rio has since met a few other Symphony members, and has developed a passion for the music, pretending to be a conductor or "a violin guy" while the CD plays. Recently, at a symphony performance, Rio amused the people surrounding us by standing on his backpack as if it were a podium, and conducting—keeping in perfect time to the music--for a full five minutes! Even funnier—when the music ended, he took a bow and then waved the musicians up. Needless to say, Rio knows his way around a symphony!
     In the academic department, Rio is really getting good at reading. He can read most easy 3-letter words. We have some word cards which he loves. He also learned to draw people. What started out as just faces with lines attached for bodies very quickly grew to include ears, hands & fingers, feet, and sometimes accessories (like "Guy Holding a Cookie"). He also learned to write his name. Examples of his work are below.<
     Rio has also become quite the little writer. For a while, he was dictating a story or letter nearly every day. We have included a few of his stories on the next page

This is one of Rio’s many "Guys."

Here is Po from "Teletubbies"!

Here is Rio’s signature!

Reader Profile…
Meet…Allie Bettonville

     Suzanne’s sister, Allison Lynne Bettonville, was born in Oregon on February 16, 1985—one day after her dad’s birthday, and one day before her aunt’s. She spent the first year of her life in Oregon before her family moved to Illinois. Today she lives in Ranch Palos Verdes, California with her parents Jim & Roxanne, and her brother John (who is scheduled to attend New York University next fall), and their dog Cookie, two fish, and a snail.
     Allie describes herself as a procrastinator (one of her hobbies is "creating ways to avoid cleaning my room"), and defiant. She also says she is a dreamer (her greatest wish is to rule the world!). Allie likes writing, and typical to the Bettonville family, is talented in music. She plays guitar, and hopes to become a famous singer some day.
     Reading Allie’s questionnaire, you get the distinct impression that she dislikes school--she likes three-day weekends, dreads the last day of summer vacation, and hates waking up thinking it is Friday, only to find out it is actually Thursday! (She would like to be home-schooled like her older sisters.) Her sense of humor shows when she lists "sugar" as one of the things that makes her happy! She really likes seeing out-of-town relatives too. (She had a great time visiting us and playing with Rio!) She says she dislikes being told what to do.
     Allie’s motto is "If you always let people speak for you, nothing you say will ever be true." We are glad she chose to speak out and become the very first "young person" to be profiled in Dallapè Dirt!

Rioisms

Rio: Mummy, I just checked the clock.
Mum: And what time is it?
Rio: Forty degrees!

Allie: Are you hungry this morning?
Rio: No, I was hungry already yesterday.

"I am doing lots and lots of playing today!"

When Mum was folding underwear: "Mummy, that underwear looks like burritos!"

Mum: How’s my baby?
Rio: Don’t say that! I’m a BOY!

When trying to choose between his favorite hat and one Allie gave him, he chose Allie’s because: "I want to wear the other one, but I love Allie."

Review of "Moby-Dick"
(The Movie)
By Rio

[NOTE: Rio recently saw the 1950s movie. The mention of Grandpa Jim refers to the fact that Grandpa is bald, like Queequeg.]

     Ahab’s leg was having some problems. He was walking funny because his leg comed off. Ahab had one made out of wood, because the leg got bitten off by that whale who bited off the leg, Moby-Dick. Moby-Dick was so white.
     Ishmael was on the ship, and Queequeg. Queequeg had tattoos all over his face. He talked funny. Queequeg had some hair like Grandpa Jim, but he had a ponytail.
     Ishmael writed his name so he can go in the boat. Queequeg didn’t know how to sign his name, so he drew a whale. He throwed a harpoon at some whales. They died and them got blood. They cutted it off and cooked it and putted some oil in it so it would start cooking. They goed over to Moby-Dick and got the harpoons, and they saw Moby-Dick, and then they goed over to Moby-Dick and them go the harpoon and them shot it. Ahab climbed right under the water, and he goed onto Moby-Dick, and he was wrapping on Moby-Dick’s back and couldn’t get out. He goed under the water. He drowned. And then he disappeared. All of the people died. Ishmael stayed alive. And then a boat came and picked up Ishmael.

THE DEAD DEER
[NOTE: When we saw a dead deer in the road one day, we stopped and talked about it. I happened to have my camera with me, so I took a picture.]

That car wasn’t good because it knocked the antlers and then it stopped and then drove away. Ab came and Rio said, "Ab, there’s a dead deer over there." It had one antler because the other came off because the car knocked the deer down and then its antler came off and then it flew away and then another car came and drove off the antler. That deer looked skinny. It looked so pretty.

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