Silver Lake

  I went biking around Liberty Park yesterday.  There's a fountain there called Seven Canyons Fountain.  Cement, rock, and water pathways represent the seven canyons and the waters that flow into the Salt Lake Valley.  When my kids were younger, sometimes we brought them here to play.  I was curious about the fountain's condition and wondered how well it mirrors the canyons, so I went to check it out. 

A couple of weekends ago, we went up the real Big Cottonwood Canyon and walked around Silver Lake.  I'm pretty sure one of these pictures shows the area that represents Silver Lake. 

And here are pictures we took around the real Silver Lake.  I definitely need to take my children back to Liberty Park.  My youngest ones won't remember when they went the first times. 

Why Wyoming?

Yellowstone Park is in Wyoming.  Did you know last Saturday was Public Lands Day?  That meant it was free to enter all US National Parks.  There are several free days throughout the year.  The last free day this year is November 11th, Veterans Day.  The geyser in the background is Spasm Geyser. 

St. Anthony and Shadows

Our family went on an incredible vacation this weekend.  It may not sound exotic, but we went north to Idaho, then through Montana and into Wyoming.  I loved this spot in the trees at St. Anthony Sand Dunes. 

 I thought the shadows we created on the dunes were fascinating.

I Love My Family

This was us a couple of years ago.  And we're still happy.  :)

Chocolate Hunting

Today is our one-month anniversary since arriving here in UT.  You know one of the things I miss most about NY?  Guylian chocolate that I bought at Wegmans.  UT has the little Guylian seashells, but not the Solitaires.  I suppose I could buy a case of Guylian Solitaires on-line.  It's tempting.  I used to eat a couple of those individually wrapped chocolates every day and it would satisfy my cravings. 

Dark chocolate is expensive if you buy the yummiest kinds.  These pictures show my favorites I've found so far here in SLC.  You can find these in certain grocery store chains that are also in NY.  The only problem is the little squares are not individually wrapped so it's easy to eat an entire candy bar.  I'm trying to learn to break off a row and put the rest away.

Put It Where You Use It

For those who have visited our NY kitchen, you know why the island was my favorite feature of the house.  I miss it.  Out of necessity, the table here has become my island. 

The scriptures were on the kitchen table when it was time to make dinner.  Books and food prep don't mix.  The built-in shelves in this kitchen (there are actually six of them) were mostly empty.  So I thought to myself, I wonder if the scriptures will fit on a shelf?  And they do, as long as they're turned sideways.  After the moment, I remembered the old organizing advice that you should store things where you use them.  We read scriptures in the kitchen, so this move made sense.  It definitely makes for quicker, easier cleanup.  I need to think of that more often.

The chickens on the top shelf belong to my brother and sister-in-law.  They left them here.  I'm glad they did, because they remind me of them (they raise chickens) and I think their pointy little heads-- the chickens' heads of course!-- are kinda cute.

Secret Door

How can you live somewhere for weeks and not know there is another door?!!?  Maybe it's because it slides away completely into the wall.

I can't believe how excited I was this morning when my oldest noticed this door that slides open and closed between the kitchen and the sleeping space of the youngest children.  It seems silly to get so excited about a door, but now we have a public space that can become semi-private and semi-quiet.  Awesome.

I wonder what other secrets this house holds.

Red, Beautiful Garden

We went to Red Butte Garden today.  We saw a few red things like

a snake's head at the end (or is it the beginning) of a snakey, plant-covered tunnel.  Plenty of red flowers.

Red fish and flowers with red centers.

Only in UT

At the Utah State Fair yesterday, there were thousands of tiny creatures swimming around in a small tank. Magnifying glasses were set up around the tank so children could climb up on a stool and see the little beasties up close.

"Look, brine shrimp," I said to my son.  "When I was little, they used to call these sea monkeys." 

"They are sea monkeys," said a little girl who was standing nearby.  "I have some at home."

"Aren't they weird and a little ugly?" I said to my son.

"I think they're cute," said the girl.

She was so matter-of-fact and out-spoken, it was hilarious.  

One of these weeks, soon, we'll take him to the Great Salt Lake to see brine shrimp in their natural habitat.  Exciting.

Graffiti for Jenni

My oldest daughter and I went walking on the parkway this morning.  On the drive there, we were stopped by a train.  It was a very short train, and my camera and I are slow, or we would have gotten more pics for you Jenni.  S says I should take a movie for you next time.

A field of sunflowers.  It would have looked cooler with somebody standing in the middle of them.  But S has a cold and I was the one who wanted to take the picture.

Mud swallow homes.  And you thought only pigeons live under overpasses.

I told S to hug this sign.  She refused and told me to do it.  I embrace the idea of this sign.  And now I must run off and pick up a certain child from high school, stop at the library, pick up a couple more kids, and take them to the fair.  Seems like I'm always running to do something these days. 

Our Library

This picture was taken in the children's section at the bottom level of five. 

We like our big new library--

Especially the great reading rooms. 

It's probably easy to see why this guy insists on going every time anyone in our family goes.

Blue Sky Days

Look at that blue sky.  I don't remember Utah having so many blue-sky days when we lived here five years ago, but my husband, who grew up here, says he remembers them.  It has rained once since we've lived here and that was at night.  We live in a mountain desert.  I'm okay with that.  I just need to get used to it.

Upstate New York has plenty of blue-sky days and plenty of grey days too.  I liked the variety.  It's easy to prefer the familiar.

I had a good friend when we lived in England who said she didn't prefer the days she lived in California because it was too sunny.  She suffered from headaches and felt she always had to wear sunglasses.  Thankfully I haven't had that problem, but it does feel strange to have so many hot, dry, blue days in a row.

On our lunch walk today, my husband said, "Enjoy it while it lasts." 

I said, "I'll enjoy it when it doesn't last too."

Thankfully, my joy in life isn't dependent on the weather.

Bean Tree

Another nice feature of this house where we live is the bean tree.  I've seen several kinds of bean trees, but never one like this.  It's actually called a catalpa tree, but bean tree is a much cooler name. 

I read Barbara Kingsolver's "The Bean Trees" long before it became required reading for high school English classes, but never pictured the tree having beans that look just like the green beans people eat, only giant-sized.  These are seriously long, amazing beans.  The day we moved in, my son picked a bean sword.

One interesting thing about this particular bean tree, is how it has grown around the metal bar that holds up the tire swing.  Here are pictures of either side of the bar.

City Biking

I'm not sure how I feel about city biking.  Sometimes I feel more comfortable riding on the sidewalk than on the road.  Sometimes, I don't mind the biking lane when there is one.  It's strange waiting for stop lights and watching out for parked and moving cars and trucks.  Exhaust stinks.  Concrete, businesses, and trains are just not the same as lakes, flowers, and trees.  It's going to take some getting used to biking around the city.

It's been hot, dry, and bright here in UT.  The air is thinner.  The sky is bluer.

  Yeah, I know, some of these photos are washed out.  The sun was so blinding, I couldn't even see what I was shooting some of the time.

My first goal of yesterday was to get on the bike.  The last time I rode I didn't know I'd soon be leaving NY.  That was much too long ago.  The bike left the garage; goal accomplished.

My second goal was to find the Jordan River Parkway.  It turns out it's only about a mile or so west of where we live.

I think I'll be a regular on the Parkway, especially if I bring a biking buddy with me.  The abundance of graffiti, dark tunnels, and bush-lined trails make it easy for my imagination to scare me.

Missing NY

This morning, I miss our home in New York.  I miss living near the lake and riding my bike down corridors of trees and purple flowers.  I miss the humid air that doesn't dry out my skin, mouth, and hair.  I miss my friends and neighbors. 

I need to remember to be more grateful for now and for here.

I haven't tried riding my bike since we arrived.  I guess I need to do that today.

Sunflower Walk

There are sunflowers everywhere around here.  They love the dry heat.  They are such happy, hardy flowers.

R and I saw the flowers and this park while we were on a walk around the neighborhood after lunch.  It's great that he works close enough that he can come home for lunch every day.