Larry Veeder doesn't like burned chicken with bloody centers, so long ago he perfected the Veeder outdoor grilling technique. Fellow barbeque-ist Kathleen Rolfsrud (above) got some tips from Larry last Friday night. He precooks the chicken on the grill in tinfoil, before exposing it to the fire. The sauce goes on in the final stages. The result? Delicious, cooked, juicy chicken. 
Stan and Kathleen joined Cousin Larry and his wife, Carolyn, at their Cornville, AZ, home for an overnight in the beautiful country south of Sedona. The couple lives in Red Wing, Minn., but winters in their beautiful new home filled with Larry's artwork, hung on Carolyn's colorful walls.
Primary subjects are the natural wonders of the area, landscapes and more. Larry has spent a lifetime refining his craft. The colors and shadows offer life-like interpretations of the myriad formations in the Arizona high country. We're quite proud that this creative yet practical man shares our grandparents. Larry's the son of Agnes and Sydney Veeder. Agnes was Erling's sister and they grew up on the North Dakota prairie. Agnes adored her son's creative gifts and often spoke quite pridefully of him in our presence. Norwegian Christians aren't supposed to brag, but there's an apparent, occasional exception in the case of one's children, particularly if they can't overhear the comments.
We stayed in the bunkhouse guest room surrounded by magnificent original paintings of cowboys and their gear. A photograph of Stan's late cousin, LeRoy Veeder, bucking little brothers Larry and David on a fat-tired prairie bike, hangs by the door.
Larry suffered a heart attack last fall. He's doing great now. Carolyn has him climbing mountains (within reason) and he's as slim and wiry as the cowhands he paints.
More on this couple later. We still have to tell you about the family petroglyphs and the ruins and show you Carolyn's favorite morning chair. Meanwhile, we snapped a ton of Larry's paintings and present a few here. Click on them to enlarge. Computer colors aren't always true to the original, but you'll enjoy them anyway.
