Orem's Orchard

Like the Peninsula a few decades back, Salt Lake and Utah Valleys are rapidly filling with people and houses. Every time we are in Utah and drive I-15, Taylor remembers when the area was empty, full of fields and orchards and even rest stops (which aren't needed today!).




Orem still has one particular orchard, where we went yesterday with Leah (Sherry) Wright for a photo shoot -- Taylor's 5 year anniversary gift to me. Leah is extremely talented, with an eye for beauty and form. (She designed our wedding invitations more than five years ago, too!) The Sherrys are very close family friends, with kids all the same ages as the Ramptons. Leah and Anna are close in age, and their firstborn sons were born within days of each other. Matt, who has been my close friend since high school, also recently adopted, a beautiful baby girl that he and Jessica have named Sofia.

Leah and her husband Geoff are off tomorrow to Austria, Slovenia, and Croatia, so we may not get the full photo CD till she returns. But she was able last night to post a few of her favorite shots on her blog, so I "stole" them to post here too.

Mister Mouth

I love art!

Of late David has taken to stretching his mouth as wide as it will go. It is sometimes hard to know whether he's starting to laugh or cry -- he opens his mouth so wide and at first no sound comes out. Here is Mr. Mouth in action.

Anger issues? Nope, he's still our usual sweetie!

Here the gaping mouth is in appreciation of a water-fed machine
at the Springville Museum of Art.

And here, in appreciation of solids!

Horsie, Horsie

As I've mentioned, our Springville home has great toys for children, including a rocking horse. David is too young to stay on it himself, but smiles so big when we rock him on it!

Thanks for holding me on safe, Daddy!

Howdy, pardner!

I also sing to him the "Horsie, Horsie" song, which my dad sang to us, and give him a horsie ride on my legs.

Horsie, horsie on the way,
We've been together for a-many-a-day.
So let your tail go swish and your wheels go round,
Giddy-up, we're home, we're bound.

We're gonna take a horse and a buggy,
We're gonna ride 'em through the town.
We're gonna take a horse and a buggy,
We're gonna watch those wheels go round.

Oh! Horsie, horsie on the way,
We've been together for a-many-a-day.
So let your tail go swish and your wheels go round,
Giddy-up, we're home, we're biddly-biddly-biddly-biddly bound!

What does "biddly" mean anyway, Mom?

Just Me, Playing the Piano

The home we are subletting for the summer is wonderful for David. The owners have children themselves, so everything is childproofed. David has been enjoying their child-sized piano today. I think we have a future Rachmaninoff on our hands!

He'll maintain this intensity for 6 am practice as a middle-schooler, right?

Five Summer Solstices

Taylor and I were married five years ago yesterday, on Midsummer's Eve! We liked the idea of having our first full day married be the longest, most full of sunshine day of the year. I have to say that every day of marriage to Taylor has been one full of light and goodness. I've already raved about him for the Father's Day blog, so I'll just try to find a favorite or significant photo from each year together.

Catalina Island, November 2002: Admittedly, we weren't married yet!

Zion National Park, July 2003

Washington DC, Summer 2004:

Taylor reads for his quals & Lisa does Shakespeare!



Florence, Italy, March 2005

August 2006: Moving from beloved Bloomington to pricey Palo Alto!

2007: David makes us parents!

St. Paul, Minnesota, May 2008: Forever Family

I can't wait for the next five years together!

Taylor's Travels

California Hwy 4, top of the Sierras looking south (apprx. 9 am).

What follows is from Taylor's journal, a description of his long and scenic drive to Utah yesterday. The length of the drive would have killed me, but Taylor delights in seeing the wide world (even desolate Nevada!) and loved the entire drive. David and I fly today to join him!

I had a glorious day traveling from Atherton, CA to Springville, UT. I awoke before 5 AM this morning and was on the road by 5:30 AM. I headed towards the San Mateo bridge and was greeted by the beautiful sight of the morning sunrise to the east and a nearly full moon to my west.

California Hwy 4, top of the Sierras looking east (apprx. 9 am).

My route was towards California Hwy 4, to the 89, down the 395 to the north side of Mono Lake, then to CA 167, NV 359, south down the 95 from Hawthorne to Tonopah and from there following hwy 6 all the way to Delta and then north of Delta on Utah highway 132 to Nephi, then to the 15 up to Springville. Over 860 miles and 15.5 hours of driving with only the usual stops for food, gas, and bodily relief (but no napping).

California Hwy 4, heading east after Ebbett’s Pass

On the west side of Stockton I contemplated the orderliness and fertility of the agricultural land. In the foothills I reflected on the mining past of this area. And as I drove through the Sierras I felt awash in the beauty and grandeur of this land. Along my route, and throughout the day, I took pictures, many pictures. I took over 600 pictures throughout the day to capture time, space, the moment, the experience.

California Hwy 4, heading east after Ebbett’s Pass (roadside cut out of the mountain)

As I continued along Hwy 4 through the Sierras I was amazed at how narrow and steep the road became on the eastern portion of the Sierras. I had the windows down, the sun roof open and my Electronica music going. What a great experience it was.

California Hwy 4, eastern Sierras, random ranch


California Hwy 89, alpine flowers looking west towards the Sierras

I was also thrilled by the beauty along highway 89. Once in Walker I passed on the opportunity to buy $5.00 / gallon gas thinking that there would be other stations closer. I soon learned that the scenic 395 southward didn’t have any other stations until Bridgeport. At that point I had been driving nearly 7 hours, logged over 250 miles and was concerned that I would run out of gas so I was more than happy to pay the $5.33 / gallon!

California Hwy 89, Conway overlook, looking south over Mono Lake.
Boundary Peak is in the center left, the peak that marks the boundary between California and Nevada.

I loved the valley and beautiful meadows of Bridgeport. What an idyllic setting with the majestic eastern Sierras framing the backdrop. As I continued south I reached the breathtaking Mono Lake overlook. What a sight! Just a few years ago I had no idea this place even existed. Its stark, raw, earthy beauty is unique among places I have visited on the earth.

California Hwy 167, looking west towards the Sierras (apprx. 12 pm), just earth, sky, and me.

The next leg of the journey was to Hawthorne, NV, simply because I wanted to see what was out there (it did add miles and perhaps an extra hour or so to my journey). In Nevada everything turned to death and desolation from the living grandeurs of California’s central valley and the Sierras. Still, the vastness and openness of Nevada’s many valleys leaves the mind to wonder at time, one’s place in all this space, and to contemplate one’s own insignificance in it all. So I did love the long drive across the vast swaths of waste and openness in Nevada, imagining what these magnificent valleys would look like if water could be brought in to tame them.

On the desolate road to Hawthorne, NV (Nevada Hwy 359). The earth has died.


Hwy 95 south from Hawthorne towards Hwy 6. Looking west towards the Sierras


Ghosttown of Coaldale, NV. Junction of Hwy 6 and Hwy 95.


Hwy 6 heading east from Tonopah, NV.


Hwy 6 heading east through Stone Cabin Ranch Valley.


Hwy 6 looking west towards Warm Springs, NV. Picture taken just east of the Blue Jay Maintenance Station.


Hwy 6 heading east to Currant, NV


Currant, NV


Hwy 50 / Hwy 6 looking east at Wheeler Peak and the Great Basin National Park


Hwy 50 / Hwy 6 looking east through the Great Basin
and towards ghosttown Osceola, NV (which I drove through in 2007).


Hwy 50 / Hwy 6 looking west back through the Great Basin.

Like last year, one of my favorite portions of the drive was through Western Utah. For nearly 80 miles there is absolutely nothing but earth and sky, mountains and rock, sage brush and dry waterways. All of these astonishing features were marked by the lowering light of this nearly longest day of the year.

Hwy 50 / Hwy 6 looking west near the Utah-Nevada border.


Hwy 50 / Hwy 6 about 25 miles into Utah,
looking west-southwest towards Wheeler Peak and Great Basin National Park.

I took a different path this year, the 132 across the mountains from Delta to Nephi. I was amazed at the beauty of the upper hills and valleys that I encountered.

I finally arrived in Springville with satisfaction to have a comfortable home and to end the evening with a conversation with Lisa. (We had enjoyed a few conversations throughout the day whenever I could get cell phone coverage.)

Point Reyes

For years I've been told by those who know me that I would love Point Reyes National Seashore. We finally got ourselves there this past Saturday! Being there, I realized that I had kayaked in Tomales Bay State Park, bordering it, as well as hiked in Muir Woods nearby. We were amazed at just how large Point Reyes alone is.




We had time to walk the Earthquake Trail, which has a fence that was split in half during the 1906 (San Francisco) Earthquake.








Then we headed to the Bear Valley Visitor Center. We started up the Bear Valley Trail, but only walked about 1.5 miles before we turned back, in order to leave time to get to the Point Reyes Lighthouse. We only had time to barely touch the surface of this amazing area!





To get to the Lighthouse, one first walked about a mile to a lookout point. Then down (and later up!) about 300 stairs to get to the actual lighthouse.





It did make me think of how desolate one might feel as a lighthouse keeper. The responsibility was so great and so constant...and so unshared. It reminded me of a quotation we read in church, from Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith. A story was told of the relief Joseph felt after the Lord allowed witnesses to also see the golden plates from which he was translating what would be The Book of Mormon. Here is the story:

Joseph Smith’s mother, who was visiting the Prophet in Fayette at this time, recalled her son’s joy and relief after this manifestation: “When Joseph came in [to the Whitmer home], he threw himself down beside me. ‘Father! Mother!’ said he, ‘you do not know how happy I am. The Lord has caused the plates to be shown to three more besides me, who have also seen an angel and will have to testify to the truth of what I have said, for they know for themselves that I do not go about to deceive the people. And I do feel as though I was relieved of a dreadful burden which was almost too much for me to endure. But they will now have to bear a part, and it does rejoice my soul that I am not any longer to be entirely alone in the world.’ ”

I was struck when I read that passage; I hadn't contemplated the great burden it must have been to have seen something of such grave importance but to have no one else privy to the sight or knowledge. Similarly, these lighthouse keepers bore the whole burden of the safety of hundreds on their shoulders. Without their diligence lives could be lost. I hear about the loneliness of leadership, or of great knowledge, or of responsibility. But I don't feel it. This passage from Joseph Smith, and the visit to the Point Reyes Lighthouse, help me to understand it better.

I swear I didn't place this flower on the rock
(though it surely was put there by human hands).
It also gives me the sense of aloneness.