The Crash!!!!!!

I don't know what to say other than a picture is worth a thousand words and it wasn't my fault.

Not So Much Is New

Not much has happened lately which is a good thing. I have aquired yet another church job so now I have 3. I happen to like all of them. I am getting ready for Thanksgiving and hope that a good movie is released in time for Thanksgiving Day. I did run 3.2 miles last Friday (for me this is a big deal o.k.) and I might run in a 5K on Thanksgiving Day if the weather is good.

The Unplanned, Planned Trip!!!

So.... we had planned this trip that we had wanted to do for along time. Take the California Zypher Train from Salt Lake City to Denver and go through this beautiful canyon that a person can only get through on a train or the river. It is supposed to be the most beautiful part of the train ride. But, as our vacation plans sometimes go, I was notified the day we were to leave that there had been a freight train accident west of Denver and the Zypher was being re-routed through WYOMING! Ohhh big wow, I have been there before and I don't know why because there is nothing there. We already had a hotel and airfare home from Denver so we went anyway. It was the first time on a train for us and we didn't know what to expect. The train was a little dirty and worn but we had a great time. We slept for the first few hours since we left at 4:00am and then we ate and played cards and other games in the lounge car for the whole trip. We met several nice people and the train was not crowded because so many people had to get off to be re-routed by bus to get to their destinations.

We pulled into Denver around 5:00pm. We headed for our hotel on 16th street in the middle of the Mall. It was a beautiful evening and we walked up and down the mall. We looked around the historic Brown Hotel. Such grandeur. We walked to a church and then headed for something to eat. We were really tired from getting up so early and not having much sleep so we headed back to our hotel and bed. When we awoke the next morning it was snowing and 18 degrees. Who knows what the wind chill was. BRRRRR!

We ate some breakfast and headed to Walgreens to buy a sweatshirt because all we had were light-jackets. The weather forcast stated that it would be around 60 degrees. Whatever. We walked around Denver and it being Saturday nothing of note was open so we viewed the U.S. Mint from the outside. We viewed all the State and Federal building from the outside. We did however catch a Columbus Day Parade, twice. It was only 10 cars long and was mostly advertising for the Italian population. We were only 4 of about 10 people that even saw the parade. It was pretty funny.

We grabbed a cab and headed to the airport for our flight. Played some cards while we waited and ended up in the last row of seats across from some really drunk guy. The flight attended spilled hot chocolate in my lap which was dry by the time we landed and I had jeans on so no big deal. Dallas left his phone on the plane and had to get a special pass to get down the concourse to retrieve it. We then headed to the car and home. What a fun unplanned trip.

New England Beauty

So, Dallas and I started off the vacation with the all night flight from Salt Lake to New York City on JetBlue Airlines. Everytime I take this flight I vow I will never take the flight again. It is like no sleep for 36 hours. We met up with our friend John in NYC then Dallas and I took a pedicab through Central Park. We had never really seen the whole park and I have to say it was beautiful.

Our first stop was Boston. It was much different than I expected and the amount of history there made me giddy. I love history! We visited all the usual sites while we walked the Freedom Trail. We even stumbled up the Cheers Bar from the television show.

Portland, Maine was my favorite place. Small, quaint and so beautiful. This is a famous light house but I forgot the name. We saw like 5 of them right in the harbor.

The following day we sailed in to St. John, New Brunswich in Canada. Not a lot there. Fundy Bay with the Reversing Falls is the big draw. Unfortunately we hit it right at calm time. Nice town with an interesting church that looked impressive in the fog. I really liked the fog when we were on the ship. You could here all the ships in the area blowing their horns to alert each other.

Halifax, Nova Sotia was very interesting and bigger than I expected. The Fairview Cemetary was a nice bus ride away with a ride through the suburbs. Again, not what I expected. The Titanic graves were located in the middle of the cemetary in the middle of Halifax suburbia. Something really cool was that as we left Halifax they had Scottish Pipers playing.

We had an amazing vacation and I saw things I have always wanted to see and they were unlike anything I have seen before.

Goin' Cruisin'

NO! Not Motorcycle cruising, but like a vacation cruise on a ship. I am so excited. We leave next week for 10 days. A couple days in New York City and then we board the ship and go to Boston Massachussettes, Portland Maine, St. John's New Brunswick and Halifax Nova Scotia in Canada. The leaves should be changing (that is what Carnival Cruise Lines says anyway) and the temperatures should be nice. BUT.... If you know anything about our vacations, anything that can go wrong just might. We have had some success the past few journeys, but still.... I just hope we don't get sick, lots of colds and crap going around and it would be just our luck to have some hurrican come up the coast and get us. Be sure to check back in a couple of weeks for details and pictures. If we survive that is!

My Friend Dick

Today was my friend Dick's 80th Birthday. He had a big, big party with lots of family and friends and food. I hope that Dick will at least have one more birthday before he has to go, but I'm not sure. I just love sitting outside on a summer evening with Dick. Sometimes we talk and sometimes not. It is just relaxing. He always tells me when it is time to plant something in my garden. In the winter I like to sit on the leather couch in the house with Dick. It is relaxing. I did this for several months a couple years ago when I didn't feel good. He would read the paper to me and tell me everything was going to be ok. Everything was just perfect today at his party.

Thanks for being my friend Dick!

In Honor Of The Grand Old "G"

I Am A Farmer!

After 103 years they have closed Granite High School. I have mixed emotions about this. Many members of my family are Granitians. It was the 2nd High School in the Salt Lake Valley.

I went to a Good Bye Open House last Friday to have a last look around the school. Not that I have been back since I graduated 31 years ago. Not much had changed. They had bricked up the opening over the entrance in the "S" building. I don't know why. Sometimes when you walked into the "S" building you would get hit by a paper ball or something, but nothing bad. It also let light into the upstairs hall. It was really hot. I remembered the hot days in the fall and spring. It was an old school, there was no air-conditioning and it was ok.

I have many memories because I lived so close to the school. There was open plunge on hot summer days, football games on autumn evenings. My friends and I would ride our bikes around the school and have water fights at the outdoor drinking fountain donated by the class of 1970. It was just a hole in the ground by the time I graduated in 1978. It is no longer there.

When I finally attended Granite High, every morning I was out the front door, down the street, throught the alley, across the student parking lot, down the stairs through the tunnel, up and outside to the "S" building. I had arrived at school and I loved it.

It is always sad to have things in your life leave but I will always have the memories just like The Song of the "G" states!

SONG OF THE "G"

When sight and sound of the campus
Fade in the long, busy years,
Yet will return in our memories,
Echoes of old Songs and Cheers...
You, of the field, track and diamond,
Fighters for clean victory,
You who love the fair, square sport,
You'll hear the song of the "G"!
Fo it Granite! Go it Granite!
Hear the battle cry;
Go it Granite! Go it Granite!
Yours 'til we die...
She will remember,
You'll not forget her,
Though you are far away
She is calling, calling to you ever,
Honor the Grand old "G"!

Sallie in the boys gym in the "A" building

Sallie and Dallas by the seal in the main entrance of the "S" building

Sallie in Sardine Hall of the "S" Building.

Dallas pointing at his Senior year locker #12.