Playing hooky from Education Week

After day four of BYU Education Week and a visit to Home Depot for supplies, hubby and I made the decision to "play hooky" from day five. Our trips to Utah each August are not just to attend Education Week, but also to clear the debris away from summer family visits and prepare the townhouse for the school year and student tenants. We had procrastinated those chores, so decided to work hard in the morning before it became hot and then head to Thanksgiving Point for lunch and a movie instead of BYU for classes.

It was a good choice. We walked the gardens before having lunch at the Trellis Cafe followed by a viewing of the movie "The Help." We very much enjoyed the movie by the way. I am often disappointed when the movie based on a book I've read just doesn't match up to the timber and tone of the book. I thought "The Help" movie was spot on. I might have changed an actor or two who didn't match up, in my mind, to a book character but overall I found it to be worthy of the audience's applause at the end.

It was a beautiful summer day at the gardens complete with blue skies and glorious clouds. I couldn't help but to keep pushing the button on my camera. Enjoy!





It appears that you can rent the gardens for an event. They were setting up tables, chairs, lights, and there were catering vans out front.







Some of the biggest red blooms I have ever seen. I took this picture with the flowers below for contrast.













Can you believe that we still run into Utahans who don't know about this place or have never visited it?

In the Utah Mountains

Most of August thus far has been spent in the mountains of Utah. It certainly has greater charms than the deserts of Arizona this time of year.

Our first mountain stop, Big John's Flat in the mountains above Beaver. There we found Glen's Baker relatives camping and visiting, something they do the first full weekend of August every year.

Glen loves to visit with his maternal uncles and their spouses up on the mountain. This year there were no maternal aunts. Sometimes it's hard for them to be comfortable at such high altitudes. Big John's Flat is not far from the tree line. They were discussing another location for next year as the road leading to the Flat will be closed for repairs and stabilization next summer.

Fortunately, the following weekend we were able to visit with the maternal aunts and spouses at the Smith family reunion at the new Smith Park in Draper. We also received a copy of "The Adventures of Ralph Smith" from his sister, Reva. Ralph and Reva are both Grandma June Baker's siblings. It was actually his life story, but there is enough material there for me to write a children's book series, "The Misadventures of Ralphie." Ralph will celebrate his 96th birthday tomorrow.

We also visited with their other living sibling, Wanda, and Ralph's wife, Barbara. I was also introduced to a few cousins, including Carl Baird whom I had heard about for years. It was a nice afternoon at the park, which is located on land originally farmed by the Joseph Lauritz Smith and Melissa Fitzgerald Smith family and which Ralph took over at the death of his father.

Joseph Lauritz Smith and Melissa Fitzgerald Smith family

This picture was taken in Red Lodge, Montana in June of 1934 when some of the family went to visit with daughter, June Smith Baker and husband, Raymond Baker when Raymond worked there for a time. L to R standing back: Ralph, Ruth, Arnold, and then Melissa. Wanda is standing in front of Melissa and granddaughter, Elma (June's youngest at the time) is standing in front of Wanda. Verla is standing in front of Ralph. Joseph is seated and holding his youngest daughter, Reva and granddaughter, Rita ( June's oldest). Reva and Rita are just 23 days apart in age.

Glen worked during the week along the Wasatch Front, but the next weekend found us on the back side of the Wasatch Mountains.

We enjoyed a barbecue up on the mountain at Sundance.

Followed by a summer theater production in the amphitheater.

Can you guess what musical we were watching?

Your right! That's Maria singing her way down the mountain on her way to meet the children of Captain Von Trapp.

It was a perfect setting to watch the "Sound of Music" as the hills were truly alive with the sound of music. We loved every minute of the performance, even the sudden rail squall. It occurred during the scene where the children are all landing in Maria's bed during a thunderstorm. Perfect timing!

We began BYU Education Week classes the 2nd week. Monday was a short day, so I tagged along with Glen to Park City for a late afternoon appointment. It was a stunning drive through Provo Canyon, Heber, and on into Park City from the east. The "Tour de Utah" international bike race over the weekend was held on this same route. I couldn't resist this picture of hollyhocks in front of an old miner's home now painted purple.

Nor this sunflower back lit by the sun.

The best place to be in August has to be the Utah mountains.

Quilts to see in Utah Valley

There are two contrasting quilt exhibits currently on display in Utah Valley. The BYU Museum of Art has Heart to Hand: Africian - American Quilts in the basement. These quilts are on loan from the Montgomery, Alabama Fine Art Museum's permanent collection. These are quilts of Alabama quilters from 1945 to 2008. They are bold and graphic and outside the box.

In contrast, the Springville Museum of Art is hosting its 38th Annual Quilt Show. It showcases the quilts of quilters across Utah which are precise, of new materials, mostly color coordinated, and full of beautiful and detailed stitching.

I liked both exhibits as they displayed their creators' artistic abilities and sensibilities but in strikingly different ways.

Historical fiction in Paris

I blogged earlier this summer about David McCullough's newest book, "The Greater Journey, Americans in Paris." Having never been to Paris, I felt like the book gave me a very good sense of the history of Paris as well as a 'feel' for Paris. It was great preparation for some historical fiction with Paris as the setting. When I reserved these two books online, I truly had no idea that each story would take me back to Paris.

"Sarah's Key" begins in a mind numbing way as a young Jewish girl locks her little brother in a hidden closet hoping that it will bring him safety as the girl and her parents are taken away in a round up of Jews. This particular round-up is not organized by the Germans but the French, making it all the more horrific.

The author goes back and forth between the 1940's in German occupied Paris and the present day. An American in Paris, who has married a French man, finds herself inexplicibly drawn into the tale of Sarah and her key as she researches and writes an article for a current magazine. Then the story takes another turn when she finds that her French family also has ties to Sarah and her story. We also learn that the French are finally taking ownership for their part in the actual round-up of Jews that occurred under their watch.

I discovered through Google that a movie entitled "Sarah's Key" which is based on this historical novel was released in July. I hope that I can see it soon.

A former American aviator who was shot down over Belgium and rescued by the French resistance, returns to Paris after a forced retirement from his job as an airline pilot in "The Girl in the Blue Beret." It is 1980 and he is only 60 years old, a widower of two years, and now finds himself feeling a need to find out more about those who were willing to risk their lives to save his. As his research takes him into the lives of those who once helped him, he finds that there are many twists and turns in their stories and for one man in particular a life of great sadness.

What about the girl in the blue beret you may ask? Yes, she, too is found and the reader learns that she is the true survivor of this tale who in her own way rescues the American aviator once more. The author wrote this book after learning of the experiences of her grandfather during WWII.

Both books provided another glimpse into the complicated maze that is World War II and gave this reader another glimpse of Paris in a more recent time.

Vagabond daughter (and mom)

Today is my only daughter's 8th wedding anniversary. She blogged about it at Vagabond Mother today. She included a picture from each year of her marriage, but neglected 2011. So, here you have it, a recent picture that I "borrowed" from her blog. Go visit her, for she is so much more entertaining than her mom. She will make you chuckle and sometimes downright belly laugh, but she also will make you ponder as she writes well while being very honest about her life.

Congratulations on your special day Andrew and Janae! The years have flown by from my perspective and Janae, I absolutely love the three men you have brought into your and my life!

8 years, 3 little girls, good job!

Happy anniversary to my middle son and his very sweet wife. What did they do on this their wedding anniversary evening?

They watched the little girl in red sing her heart out. Ruby participated in a show choir this summer and we were invited to hear them sing Broadway tunes at their final performance.


Ruby even had a little solo part from "Les Miserable."

As you can see, eight years can produce a pretty cute little family.

I was so happy that they invited me to join them.

I hope Dave finds a minute to give his "best" girl a kiss!

Dave was thinking ahead this year. He purchased tickets to go see David Gray while we were all in Utah a couple of weeks ago. The concert held special meaning for David and Sally as their first date was hearing David Gray at Kingsbury Hall so it seemed appropriate to celebrate their anniversary early at the same venue and with the same artist. Wow! Two very different concerts to celebrate a special day!

July's Civil War Blocks

Once again, I'm caught up with the Civil War Quilt blog. There were five Saturdays in July, thus five blocks were introduced. This is Block #27, Irish Chain.

Block #28, Next Door Neighbor. The directions said to use as many different fabrics as possible.

Block #29, Railroad Crossing. I used one of my striped fabrics and changed the dimensions on the railroad portion of my block. I have also been fussy cutting flowers from some fabric which was included in a Lewis & Clark commemoration fabric pack from 2004.

Block #30, Peterson's Stars and Stripes. I finally got brave and appliqued this larger star on top of various stripes.

Block #31, Empty Spools. I recently picked up the wood grained fabric as a remnant. I thought it was fitting for an empty spool.

I have been busy with other sewing projects, but finally got to the July blocks over the weekend. I never skip reading the Civil War History part each Saturday, but I often postpone making the quilt block.