Spiral Jetty

I don't remember when it was that I first heard about the Spiral Jetty. But since that time, it's been on my bucket list. It's a bit of a drive to get there...in terms of time spent and rocky back roads. And it's pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Tips for visiting include making sure you have plenty of gas and water and whatever snacks you might want or need, because there are no facilities anywhere around.

This piece of land art is located on the northeast shore of the Great Salt Lake. Straight shot up the freeway just past Brigham City, then west to the Promontory Point (Golden Spike National site). This is where the pavement ends. Then you are off roading it, winding around admittedly very pretty scenery, on gravel trails continuing west until you finally (FINALLY) make it to the lake.

A little history: the Spiral Jetty was created in 1970 by Robert Smithson with 6,000 tons of black basalt rock. in 1972, only two years later, the Great Salt Lake rose and the whole was submerged by water for the next 30 years. In 2002 after a few years of drought, the lake receded and the Spiral Jetty has been visible ever since. Depending on the year or season, sometimes the Jetty is covered thinly with water, other times the Jetty is dry as can be and the shore of the lake is quite a ways out.

This last scenario is what we found when we decided to make the drive out over fall break. It was amazing to be able to walk out on the Jetty and around it. It was almost otherworldly. And yet, I'd love to go out again some day when the water line is closer, or actually covering slightly. The salt in the water colors the rocks and the earth interestingly, from what I've seen in pictures. Maybe some day I'll head out in spring after a wet winter and see how the two experiences differ.

We found an abandoned chair out in the lake bed, to the side of the Jetty. Seemed like as good of time as any for a photo op?

Random

Some random shots of random goings on around here....

Came outside one day to find this angel on our driveway.  Julianne drew it with chalk one afternoon while keeping Lilian entertained.  Umm....wow?!!

 The Friday before Labor Day we were surprised and delighted to find a bunch of hot air balloons flying over our neighborhood.  They were practically skimming the rooftops, they were so low.  This one, apparently, was having some problems and landed in the field right behind our house.  Try as they might, they couldn't get up and floating again and eventually they pushed it onto its side to deflate it.  It amazed me how quickly they got it all put away. 

 Our last summer day spent at Cherry Hill was a marathon one with a grand total of 8 hours swimming, splashing, floating and sliding.  A new record for us!  We came home sunburned and exhausted but still smiling.  This picture of Lilian was taken about a half hour before we packed up our things....

 Casey, Rebekah, Patricia and Brianna....

This is Rebekah's group of "besties."  Patricia is from Brazil and talked the other girls, and a fair share of boys, into joining her in some sort of traditional Brazillian dance that her parents were hosting.  The girls spent hours working on their dresses.

 This is a common sight at our house....Julianne and her friends engaged in a "homework party."  Probably a common site in more homes than just ours.

What's different about homework parties at our house is this:

 At out house, usually "Dr. Who" is invited.  Slowly but surely they are working their way through the whole "Dr. Who" universe...Weeping Angels, the Empty Child, Daleks and all.

*Our favorite quotes from the Matt Smith "Dr. Who" seasons.  (Shhh....Julianne's friends haven't got there yet...they're still obsessed with David Tennent.)

Doctor:  "Dr. Song, you've got that face on again."
River Song:  "What face?"
Doctor:  "The 'he's hot when he's clever face.'"
River Song:  "This is my normal face!"
Doctor:  "Yes it is..."   
River Song:  "Oh shut up."

Oh, oh!!  And also...
Doctor:  "I'm being extremely clever up here and there's no one to stand around looking impressed!  What's the point in having you all??"

(Throw in a British accent and Matt Smith's funny facial expressions and I guarantee you'll giggle for days...) 

New York City: Day 3

Ever see the movie "The Thomas Crown Affair" with Pierce Brosnan? Or read the book "From the Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler?" The Metropolitan Museum of Art plays heavily in both of them. And both of them were going through my head as I spent hours wandering that same museum today. As I have been doing with every other place I have visited this week, I decided to walk. And first of all let me say, it was a beautiful walk...up glamorous 5th Ave and then along the edge of Central Park. But oh...it was a lot further than I had anticipated. "Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" my two feet kept asking. From 51st Street all the way to 82nd....we made it. But it was worth it (besides being good exercise) because that museum is phenomenally amazing. From the art it houses down to the actual architecture of the building itself, I had chills the whole time I was there. I got lost. Often. It was literally a maze of rooms. I didn't come even close to seeing everything there, but what I did see....wow:Look! It's Picasso's signature!

Claude Monet

Auguste Renoir and Vincent van Gogh

Georges Seurat

Pablo Picasso and Edgar Degas

Piet Mondrian

Because I read "Loving Frank" by Nancy Horan recently, about the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright, I also thought it would be fun to visit the Guggenheim Museum that he designed. I ignored my complaining feet and walked a few more blocks up the road. But frustratingly enough, it is closed on Thursdays. Hmph.


I had lunch at Serendipity on the way home. Oh, who am I kidding. It was their famed desserts, not lunch that I was interested in. (Ever seen the movie "Serendipity" with John Cusack and Kate Beckinsdale? Also another reason, besides the numerous friend recommendations, to visit this place.) My Forbidden Broadway Sundae was absolutely scrumptious. And the restaurant itself was darling. (I can say that because Bryan wasn't with me so I don't have to worry about attacking his manliness by admitting he went to such a "charming" restaurant.) But it really was. Such a fun place.



We had dinner at this Irish Pub. The place was filled with very loud, very boisterous business men in suits drinking their cares away. Between the chatter and the live music, Bryan and I could barely carry on a conversation sitting across the table from each other! But it was great food and I loved the fun, jovial atmosphere....even if the server did think we were a little odd for not wanting to order a Guinness. (It is a business trip for Bryan after all.... He fielded calls each evening.)



The highlight of the day, though? "Wicked" on Broadway! Amazingly enough, I had never seen it. I'd tried and tried to get tickets when it came to SLC but to no avail. So seeing it was my priority of this trip. Bryan even agreed to come with me. I was starting to worry that my expectations were TOO high...that I would come away disappointed. I also thought that I knew the show extremely well, despite never having seen the show. I was wrong on both accounts. It was truly impressive, funny, amazing. And there were plenty of lines and plot points that caught me by surprise. Interestingly enough, Bryan LIKED it! Oh, I thought he would be entertained. Especially since he was familiar with the music and with "The Wizard of Oz." But he actually LIKED it! Does that mean other musicals are in his future? Probably not. I think I've spoiled him. He'll probably refuse to go to another show unless it's the caliber and quality of Broadway....

Dear Mom,

The pictures and information in this post I figured would most interest you, hence the title. I want to again thank you for sharing your love of this picture with me. As you know, I immediately went out and bought the book. Obviously I'm going to have to buy it again now that I've cut this picture out and had it framed! But, like you, I loved the picture enough that I wanted to be able to see it every day. Do you like how it turned out?

And the bookshelf. It was because of you that I decided I wanted a bookshelf in my bedroom like you had in yours. And so I bought that skinny one that fit so perfectly in the bedroom of my old house. But seeing as my bedroom is much bigger in our new home, that little bookshelf looked kind of lost on the wall. And so for the past 2 years I have been looking....on-line, in catalogs, at various stores...for a bigger bookshelf. Basically I was looking to buy a twin of yours. I found this one at Costco a couple of weeks ago and, much to Bryan's dismay, insisted on buying it immediately. Julianne was thrilled to inherit our skinny bookshelf which matches her bedroom furniture so perfectly. And don't you think the new one looks nice? Bryan has commented that it seems silly to have such a big bookshelf...that we can't even begin to fill it. Don't worry, I told him. We're still young with plenty of book buying still to come.

I found this quote at the elementary school library. They have vinyl quotes placed all around the room up near the ceiling...kind of like crown molding. It made me smile as I thought of your house. And how I am turning more into you every day with bookshelves in each of the kids rooms and throughout my own house.

"A room without books is like a body without a soul." Cicero

I love you, Mommy
Sarah

The Workings of Julianne's Mind on a Boring Sunday Afternoon

The Superb Stoppers of Injustice

Zeus: Makes storms for the good of humanity and to stop the evil villains.

Sonic Boomerang: Uses boomerangs to put a stop to all things evil. Can fly but has to come back to the same place within an hour, like a boomerang.

The Masters of All Things Hot and Cold

Steam'n Demon: Makes an endless supply of fire and uses it to wreak havoc within the city.
Isis: Uses her cunning mind and sharp shards of ice to assist her partner in crime (Steam'n Demon) in demolishing all happiness.

(I should probably mention that the descriptions are all word for word out of Julianne's mouth. She has a pretty amazing imagination and vocabulary, don't you think?)

The Symphony and The Library

I went, as a chaperone, on a fieldtrip with Julianne's class yesterday. Abravanel Hall, to hear the Symphony, was our first stop. We were late. Bus problems. So we were sent to the 3rd tier. 125 kids climbing those steps all the way to the top, giggling and chatting as they went. But when the usher opened the door and the kids got their first look inside the actual hall.... The giggling stopped and I could hear hushed exclamations of "Wow!", and "Look at the chandeliers!" and other such comments. And I thought, yeah, Abravanel Hall is rather opulent looking. I've been there numerous times....as a member of the audience and as a performer on the stage. It was rather fun looking at it through the children's eyes. Oh, and the music? Yeah, that was pretty good too.

Then we headed to the Salt Lake City Library. Have you ever been there? If not, honestly, you should go. It's so amazing! I had been there once before but it had been a LONG time ago when it first opened. I remember being impressed then and was impressed again now. At one point we stopped in front of a room that was an art gallery. Our tour guide told us how different artists locally could showcase their art there, how it changed every few weeks. The kids asked if they could go in and look at the art up close. I was impressed. The tour guide looked impressed also and said yes. I was glad. I wanted to look at the art too. There were ceramic sculptures and also paintings on the wall. I saw a group of boys standing in front of a particular painting. One boy was gesturing with his hands all around the painting. It was clear he could see something there in this modernistic piece. Again, I was impressed. I walked closer to hear what he was saying. I could see him pointing to specific things, sweeping his hands in the same direction as the paintbrush strokes as he shared his interpretation with the other boys around him. They were all nodding their heads and pointing. They could see it too. And when I got close enough to hear, I realized that these boys thought this painting looked a lot like....
a basketball court. "See? Here's the hoop! And over here? Here's the backboard. And right here is the free throw line!" I laughed and laughed. Was I expecting something more profound? These are 11 year old boys after all. And really, the fact that they wanted to look at the art, and took the time to actually interpret it was something to be admired and encouraged, I thought.

So it was a day full of music and books. Two of my very favorite things. And yet, what I found myself thinking about the rest of the day was more the architecture of the two buildings and all the little details that I saw fresh and new through the kids eyes. It was a neat day.

Monet to Picasso

Rebekah and I went to the Utah Museum of Fine Arts up at the University of Utah yesterday to see the Monet to Picasso exhibit. We had bought our tickets on-line a few days earlier...tickets that give you not only a specific day to come but a specific block of time so that they don't end up hugely crowded at any given moment. All the same, being that it was the last weekend for this 3 month visiting exhibit, we still stood in line for an hour before finding ourselves face to face with any paintings. It was kind of surreal, actually. We were looking at all these paintings, listening to the history of the artist and the work on our headphones and all the sudden it would jump out at me, "Holy Crap! I'm standing in front of an actual VanGogh!" or "That's Picasso's signature right there!" or "This Monet, that I could literally reach out and touch, (if I don't care about being hauled off by security guards) is probably worth millions of dollars!" It was awesome. Rebekah favorite was VanGogh's "Poplars at Saint-Remy." This painting was on the front of their posters advertising the showing. Rebekah said that she hadn't been all that impressed until she saw the actual work on the wall. And I second that opinion. This little copy that I've posted here really doesn't do it justice. My favorite was Monet's "The Red Kerchief: Portrait of Camille Monet." Not sure why this one stuck with me as much as it did. I loved how the red popped out of an otherwise neutral colored canvas. But that was the whole point. I would recommend that you all go see this awesome exhibit but sadly, it closes today.