Happy Halloween!!!!

OK, these are from a couple of weeks ago, but Halloween was just a few days ago, so it counts, right?

Allison and the kids invited me to go to Sugarhouse Park in Salt Lake for the annual Pumpkin Boat

Races.  They are sponsored by the group that grows the big ones  Hard to believe that they float in the first place but even harder to believe that people would actually want to get inside and paddle across the lake! 

The day was beautiful and we sat in the sun for
a bit waiting for the races to begin.  The costumes alone were worth the wait and the watch.  No one capsized!  Again, hard to believe.  Below, is my granddaughter, Livi standing in front of the lucky one that didn't get carved up for the races.  I think it came in at around 1300 pounds.

Livi's birthday is on the 19th and she always wants to have a Halloween costume party for the family to celebrate.  Below are three of my guys:  Roger is the wolf, Jason, my CPA, is the Punk Accountant
and Evan my lawyer and river guide looks way to much like his Mom....scary stuff.

 Here are the Johnston's all ready for trick or treating.  Poor Rob was rather embarrassed but was a good sport to wear the costume his wife ordered for him on-line.

Livi wanted to be a "dead" bride and she looks "lovely" doesn't she.  I'm not too sure about the groom. I hope everyone had a fun day.  I spent my Halloween in Houston at the Quilt Show.  More on that later.

Cabin, etc.

We've been updating the cabin a bit; new deck outside, new paint, satellite TV, and some new furniture, below. inside.  With all of the improvements, it is feeling more and more like home, so I decided that a more permanent sewing space was in order as well.  I commandeered the loft area off the upstairs bedroom and planted my sewing machine on the small table we have there.  I still need to bring up a standing lamp and another table for ironing and cutting and I am good to go.  Get a fire going in the great room below and I can settle in for some long winter days.

 



Farmington Bay Bird Refuge: Our Summer Walks

This summer has slipped by with hardly a notice.  Too busy I guess.  When Roger and I finally decided it was time to go for early morning walks and pretend (at least for me) that we were getting in shape, we realized we had lots of options.  We have the park east of us where the grandkids like to play, the mountain trails further east of the park as well as the neighborhoods around our home.  We decided no to all of the above options and moved west for the new and old bike/walking trails that take us through the Farmington Bay Bird Refuge.

Annual Tea Getaway:

Above is the Tea Clan after a fun morning spent on the lake.  Adults include Allison and Rob (Johnston), Jason, Nash Way and Evan, Grace and Daniel with grandkids Ana, Livi, Ingrid, Ethan and Racquel (who wanted none of this photo stuff that grandma insisted on).  Since we have been back from Thailand we have tried to get everyone together at least once a year at the cabin.  The grandkids look forward to this chance to take rides with grandpa on the four wheeler and expand their water skills on Smith and Moorehouse reservoir.  Having everyone under one roof for a couple of days is all the reason I need to look forward to this yearly event.

Summer in Utah:

The summer is in full swing in Utah.  While June was rather mild for a Utah summer, July has seen most days in the high 90's or 100.  Hot yes, but given great summer reasons to get out and do, the heat is more something to endure than avoid.  July 4th parades abound in every city small and large across the states.  The Centerville parade is one we have visited on and off throughout the last two or so decades we have lived here.   There are the clowns, school bands, horses (not so many this year though), along with a number of "advertisement" floats and decorated cars for local merchants.  I mean Wallmart drove a big semi down the street!! Our grandson, Ethan, was in the parade this year as he participated with his cub scout troop.  A few boys in the troop came first  carrying the flag.  Ethan followed with a banner naming fallen solders from the local area.  He is on the right.

Following the Pony Express Route:

About 18 months ago, our son Jason and a few of his best running buddies decided to run a 50 mile leg of the Pony Express trail.  Roger, as per his normal, went along as part of the support team to encourage them along. We've been talking about retracing their run while driving the large loop (425miles) which takes in a good part of the trail as we pick it up in Lehi (south of SL) and follow it west into Nevada, up to Wendover (Utah's quick fix for gambling just on the Nevada/Utah border) and then back home.  We found the perfect day, free of any commitments, and took off.

Al Ready to Quilt:

I have spent my entire quilting "career" placing my blocks on the floor to see how the flow of the quilt was going and then picking them up by row to secure the placement design - only to keep doing it again and again.  I have resorted at times, with smaller quilts to secure them to quilts I have around the room.  But now, drum roll please, I have an actual and for real Design Wall. 

I took down a print and moved the TV console to the side and realized that I actually had some space in my very full quilt room.  The foam board covered by batting is 7X4 feet.  Thank you Roger!  I can add more to the bottom, when and if needed.  What a delight!  As you can see I am working on a log cabin quilt and am thoroughly enjoying watching it grow without once having to take it apart, row by row.



This photo is NOT of Antelope Island, but rather the  Oquirrh Mountain range to the south of us and borders the north end of the Salt Lake valley.  The sun was just coming up and hitting the new snow on top.  I took this photo from my bedroom window.  Not a bad view to wake up to.  

Spiral Jetty

I love those days that you look out the window and just decide it would be a great time to get out of the house and go on a road trip.  North of our home and on the Rozel Point of the Great Salt Lake is an earthwork sculpture named the Spiral Jetty. It was constructed in l970 by Robert Smithson who used black basalt rock, salt crystals and mud collected from the area in the construction process.   The Spiral Jetty forms a 1,500-foot-long , 15-foot wide counterclockwise coil jutting out from the shore.  Originally the site was chosen because of  the blood-red color of the water and its connection with the primordial sea.  The red hue of the water is due to the presence of salt-tolerant bacteria and algae that thrive in the extreme 27 percent salinity of the lake's north arm.

New Year's in Utah

We decided to not spend New Year's Eve at the cabin, "due to my not wanting to deal with the cold", but to visit on New Year's day.  This also allowed us to get out of the inversion in the valley and see some blue sky and breath some clean crisp air.

Tis The Season:

 The Christmas Season is here and with just a week to go, I am finally getting into the spirit of things.  Last night, following Ana's Christmas recital program we drove to the local park to take pictures.   I wanted to roll down the window, but Roger insisted that I actually do the work of getting out of the car and into the cold. 

Our First Big Storm:

The U.S. is experiencing all the joys of winter early this year.  The northeast is seeing massive snow storms and my favorite of all, "ice storms", which we experienced both in New York and Texas.  Airports have seen delays or closures and there is more to come.  Often what starts here in the west sweeps across the central states and causes major problems in the highly populated areas back east. 

I think I am just repeating the same photos I posted last year at this time, but it is Winter once again - coming all too soon for my liking.  While Roger shovels the 13" plus off our driveway, I stay inside finishing up my quilt projects.  I don't think Roger considers that quite a fair exchange, but....

Kim's Got Me Beat, But.....

 OK, I must admit that I haven't seen any outdoor Christmas displays going up around town, but by the looks of Target (above), Home Depot and JoAnn's, (below) Christmas is right around the corner - like next week!

Another This and That Post:

 As you all know by now, we live in the foothills north of SL overlooking  Antelope Island and the Great Lake.  While I have gotten used to the amazing sunsets we get here (below), one morning I got up to see the moonset, above.  It was a full moon, huge and so amazing hanging over the island that I had to run and get my Coolpix from my purse.  I was able to get a few shots before it vanished behind the island. 

Bonneville Speed Week:

The Bonneville Salt Flats is a densely-packed salt pan in Tooele County in northwestern Utah.  The area is a remnant of the Pleistocene Lake Bonneville and is the largest of many salt flats located west of the Great Salt Lake.  Geologist Grove Karl Gilbert named the area after Benjamin Bonneville, a U.S. Army officer who explored the Intermountain West in the l830s.

In l907 Bill Rishel and two local businessmen tested the suitability of the salt for driving on by taking a Pierce-Arrow onto the flats.  A railway line across the Bonneville Salt Flats was completed in l910, marking the first permanent crossing.  The first land speed record was set there in l914 by Teddy Tetzlaff.

Ever since the setting of that first speed record, the Salt Flats have played host to hundreds of drivers each year willing to test their cars, motorcycles or trucks against a time clock in the quest for the elusive world speed record.  There are five major land speed events that take place each year, the first one being the Bonneville Speed Week which takes place during the month of August.

 This year, Roger, Rob, Daniel and Ethan took a day off from retirement, work and play to take in the races and view the race cars up close.

 It was a hit with all the "men".  Ethan, below, has decided that next year they will arrive earlier and camp over so they won't miss a single race or opportunity to visit the drivers in the pits.  Bringing bicycles was also mentioned as a means to travel quickly from one pit to the next.  I think we have a new annual "Tea" event on our hands.

2nd Annual Tea Family Cabin Reunion:

 We held our second annual Tea family reunion (even though we see each other plenty throughout the year) at the cabin last weekend.  Everyone was able to come and relax, though the grandkids kept grandpa busy with requests (demands) for rides on the four wheeler at every turn.  Now you might think we had lived in Thailand too long given the above photo, but no, that was just for a photo op.  Only two besides Grandpa and each with their helmet were the rules.  All of them were anxious to show off their skill at driving unaided down the dirt road.  Thank goodness Roger has good reflexes!!

Fire on the Mountain:

 We knew it would happen eventually.  Every summer we have at least a couple of local fires on the foothills along our stretch of the freeway  and with this summer being especially hot and dry I guess I am surprised it took this long to happen.  This photo is looking north from our home and the fire is serving as a backdrop to the home two houses down and across the street from ours.  Our son-in-law woke us up with a phone call around 12:30 to let us know that there was a fire.  Heading out the front door I didn't see anything immediately, and then, smoke, fire, there it was.  We knew it wasn't nearly as bad as it looked and with no wind to change the normal inclination of fires to head up the hill rather than down, we took out our lawn chairs to watch.  I was, after all, concerned enough NOT to go back to bed before I knew it was completely out.   Some of our neighbors took the concern a notch higher and began to fill their cars with valuables in case they needed to make a fast exit.

Summer Solstice:

We have just passed from Spring to Summer, celebrating the Summer Solstice on June 21st.  Sadly, we weren't able to make it to Stonehenge this summer (and no, we've never been there, though it is on our bucket list), but I was able to get a great shot of the full Strawberry Moon from our front doorstep.  The name comes from the Algonquin tribes of North America who saw it as a signal to gather ripening fruit.

A Perfectly Lazy Summer:

 While Roger and I have planned a number of great vacations (holidays for you Brits) and short road trips this summer , all of the "in between" time is spent around family, cabin and, yes, quilting.

Our home is a great destination spot for our five grandchildren and we often meet them at the park across the street from us, in the back yard for trampoline time or for the most part on the front drive way with the grandkids turning it into a canvas for their chalk and water art.  We adults pull up our lawn chairs, grab our beverage of choice, gossip, solve the world's problems and simply enjoy an amazing Utah evening.

What I Did on Memorial Day:

 What happens when you combine five, age eight and under, grandchildren with an adult sized croquet set and minimal instructions?  Oh, yes, and add a playing field that practically looks over the edge.  You get a great evening of entertainment!

What I Miss:

 Yesterday we went by Daniel and Grace's home to pick up Ethan for a shopping date.  They bought our old home (remember my chicken story?) and though we visit often, it's on days like this I really miss the place.  It has been raining off and on (the photos are darker because of the storm) and the
snow in the mountains is melting.

Every spring the creek at the side of the house would run fast and deep as it heads towards the Great Salt Lake.  I loved it.  I especially loved the sound of it; a built in water feature.  It was a little unnerving when we first moved there with four small children, but rules were firmly set (though often broken) and now Daniel and Grace have to set the rules for their little ones.