Desert Flowers

Utah’s desert areas generally occur in valleys and plateaus at elevations between 2500 and 5000 feet. This relatively high elevation, in combination with a continental climate and a northern latitude, make for temperatures are hot, but less extreme than adjacent deserts to the south. They produce 92 types of flowers. We enjoyed just a few.

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Nephi, Utah

We are on our way home, traveling a much as practical on blue line (not on the Interstate) roads. Traveling this way means we pass through small places.

Today's surprise was Nephi, Utah. How one small town, population of about 5000, can have two, great mansions? I don't know. But I enjoyed both of them.

I happen to know this1888, 8065 square foot home, has 8 bedroom, 5 baths is for sale for $319,775.

The Whitmore Mansion, established in 1898, is now a Band B.

Paria, Utah

Paria, is a ghost town on the Paria River in Grand Staircase-Escalate National Monument in central Kane County, Utah, United States. It was inhabited from 1870 to 1929, while there is nothing left but a cemetery the drive was spectacular!

A River Ride

 At Page, AZ is the Glen Canyon Dam which is a concrete arch dam on the Colorado River  The dam was built to provide hydroelectricity and flow regulation from the upper Colorado River Basin to the lower. Its reservoir is called Lake Powell, and is the second largest artificial lake in the country, extending upriver well into Utah. The dam is named for Glen Canyon, a colorful series of gorges, most of which now lies under the reservoir.



The trip continued with turns and bends and ever-changing geology. We had the opportunity to view the famous “Horseshoe Bend” from the water. Many had seen it from the top of the canyon, but we were part of the fortunate group who actually navigated around it.

 The boat, is a motorized raft with two huge pontoons.

Lee's Ferry is the end of the line. It received its present name after John D. Lee was asked by Mormon church officials to establish and operate a ferry that could be used by church emigrants traveling south on colonizing missions. Now, with bridges over the Colorado there was no need for a ferry service. The bus that took us down the tunnel in the dam was there at Lee’s Ferry to drive us back into Page.

River House

We hired a guide, Robbie, to take us to ruins. River House is a stabilized ruin along the San Juan River. It was occupied by Ancestral Puebloans between AD900 and the late 1200s. At the ruin you can walk among stabilized ruin walls, admire rock art, painted and etched on the overhang walls and ceiling, and examine fragments of pottery and stone tools.

River House was a multi-room dwelling with rectangular rooms used for both living space and for storage. Circular rooms, or kivas, were used primarily for religious purposes. Rock art motifs at the site include human hands, and a large snake figure. Human figures, spirals, and mountain sheep are also depicted. Many figures are abstract or their meaning is open to interpretation. People who lived here were farmers, growing primarily corn, beans, and squash.

A hike to ruins

Monarch Cave is a beautiful Anasazi (sometimes called Ancient Pueblo or Ancestral Pueblo) cliff dwelling tucked high into an alcove above a shady desert pool of water. Several interesting pictographs and petroglyphs line the nearby cliff walls.

Charles at work!

It is believed that Monarch Cave was inhabited during the 12th and 13th Centuries. The main ruin is located in an alcove on a ledge 2/3 of the way up a small cliff face. It is classified as a Pueblo III site.

I Love southern Utah

In case you haven't noticed, I love the scenery of southern Utah. We are here for a few days of recreation after spending time in SLC visiting the grands (kids).

Cottonwood Canyon in the U.S. state of Utah is a water-carved canyon that has eroded along weak locations in the Earth's crust at the joins between major geological regions. To the east are the lower steps of the Grand Staircase, which is not visible from the road and to the north is the Kaiparowits Plateau.

A drive through Cottonwood Canyon reveals a shifting landscape of open wilderness, rock formations, and rugged canyon. The unpaved Cottonwood Canyon Road, which winds through the canyon along Cottonwood Wash for most of the way, cuts a path through this remote region of the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument.

Happy Mother's Day

From Kholton, Caila, Jaelyn, Mia, Sydnie and Drew!

Hi From Salt Lake City

My favorite was this Kinetic art piece.

Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC has an estimated population of 191,180. The city was founded in 1847 by Mormon followers, who extensively irrigated and cultivated the arid valley. Due to its proximity to the Great Salt Lake, the city was originally named "Great Salt Lake City"—the word "great" was dropped from the official name in 1868.

We took the opportunity to do an assortment of different things:
The award-winning Utah Museum of Contemporary Art exhibits groundbreaking artwork by local, national, and international artists. Four gallery spaces provide an opportunity for the community to explore the contemporary cultural landscape through UMOCA’s exhibitions, films, events, classes, and presentations.

To round out our day, we visited a boot store. Watched George block cowboy hats. Blocking is the hand process by which a hat is given its shape. The Stetson hat, recognized as the American cowboy hat, is a high crown, wide brimmed, fur felt hat. Some consider the design to be a modified sombrero. Today a Stetson type of hat can be made out of straw, leather or felt. But the original Stetson hat was, and still is, made from a highly complex felting process using the fur of domestic rabbits, mink, chinchilla, wild hare and beaver.

Retreat List

Retreat means different things to different people. For some it is the opportunity to learn from a teacher. For many it is a time to sew. For me it is time spent with friends.We sew, eat, talk and sew some more. Over the years I have developed a list of must haves:


sewing machine
extension plate for machine, foot pedal and power cord for my sewing machine  (I put these on the list because I may or may not have forgotten to bring one or more of them once or twice in my life…
light
extension cord
paper sack for garbage

sewing kit
seam ripper
extra needles and bobbins
extra thread – which usually means I’ll bring 6 or 7 spools  (I have a tendency over-estimate how much I’ll actually get done.)
rulers – I always bring a 8 1/2" square and a 6″ x 12″ rectangle
rotary cutter and extra blades
small rotary cutting mat
seam ripper
snips and scissors
pins
one or two pens, graph paper and some scratch paper
re-fillable water bottle
camera

projects! Lots of them, I like choices AND the directions to complete them!

A Workshop with Thom Atkins

I'm all for supporting my local quilt guild, Evergreen Piecemakers.  They had Thom Atkins present a beading workshop. What fun!

The Quilt Show

While I was filming at the quilt show, we filmed this 2 minute video!