Adventures at Mule Creek

An earthwork is art in or on the earth. It works with nature and can disintegrate as soon as it is made. The purpose of this assignment is to meet the other students in our classes on an informal level. So, we gathered on a warm September afternoon after connecting on Group Me. I chose a spot up Manti canyon for the project. It's near a stream and can be washed away if we get any rain.  The group was excited. They're so young. I call them my grandchildren. We brought them apples and cookies. Only J wanted to eat. He's the same boy who told his future date he is bisexual. I asked him if things worked out with the date. He said it's better than he ever imagined. Good for them! We decided to create the face of a young woman in the sand. We used sticks for her hair. J got really upset that we hadn't chosen a color pallette. He was worried we would send it into the gallery and they would want a color palette. I assured him we were okay. We worked ...

  Probably the most iconic building in the Sanpete Valley is the Manti LDS Temple.  Sitting on the brow of a hill and visible for many miles, it presides over the valley with quiet dignity.  It was completed in 1888 by early Mormon pioneers.  It was built on what was at the time described as a "rattlesnake infested" bluff.  Just behind the temple, there is a replica of a dugout home that represents the difficult circumstances the pioneers lived in while building this beautiful building. Last week we visited the temple on a cloudy, breezy afternoon.  We climbed the hill and walked around to the rear, east side of the building.  This provided a different perspective than the more often photographed northern and western sides.  From the east, it is easier to see the temple's relationship to the farming community below and to imagine what it might have been like in the 1800s.

 I still haven't found it - a job.  Last Thursday I had a great interview with the CTO of a company I really wanted to work for.  It went well, I thought, but I got a "Thanks but no thanks" email on Friday.  Still haven't gotten a decision on the contract proposal we presented to the USDA Food and Nutrition Service on Sept. 2.  I'm still applying, getting very few responses.  It's very discouraging.  It sometimes feels like a person without a job is invisible.  But I'm still hopeful that something will come through.  I have the experience, the education and the desire.  Just have to have patience. On a lighter note, here's what a dinner feast in the trailer looks like - lettuce wedge salad and Trader Joe's veggie panang curry. Dinner for 2 in the trailer

Stormy Ephraim Main Street We spent most of Labor Day building plywood skirting around the bottom of the trailer to protect and insulate it in winter weather. We did that because we knew what was coming - a cold wintery storm.  The north portions of Utah got hurricane force winds that knocked out power and tore out trees. We didn't get that - just cold temps, rain and snow on the mountains. The moisture is desperately needed and gratefully welcomed.  High temp yesterday was around 50 F, and the low last night in the upper 20s.   The trailer performed great - furnace and water heater kept us cozy, not too much condensation, no problems.  We've got this.

  Graham, Kendra and their family came down for the Labor Day weekend. We camped with  them at Lake Canyon along the Skyline Drive.  It is very high - nearly 10,000 ft. elevation.  As she mentioned in her last post, Kathy got altitude sickness and couldn't stay at that elevation,  She returned to Mount Pleasant to sleep, but came up during the afternoon and evening to enjoy explorations and campfirres. Grandchildren are the best.  They had a great time biking, kayaking and just playing in the dirt.  It was very dry and dusty.  We haven't had rain for many weeks.  But it was beautiful. Moon Set The hillside above our camp The night skies were fabulous.  We brought a telescope, and we were able to clearly see Jupiter with his moons and Saturn with her rings, as well as fabulous Milky Way vistas that dominated the nights. Jupiter is the bright planet in the middle left. Saturn further left. Now time for a little rant...

Luckily, Mount Pleasant has a laundromat. My family came down for Labor Day weekend. We were camping happily above 10,000 feet and when we all went to bed, it started. I get altitude sickness. This is really a problem when you want to camp. The Skyline Drive is so fabulous to explore and play in. My body just simply says, NO!! I laid in bed, fell asleep three times only to awake each time feeling overwhelmed and like I couldn't breathe. So, at 2 am I drove down the mountain in a panic. The minute I dropped below 9,000 feet, I could breathe. I returned to Mount Pleasant to drop into bed in my familiar little trailer.  Yesterday I was drawing in one of the art rooms and two young people came in to have a date. They were not bothered by my presence and wanted me to join in the fun. They were answering questions on cards to get to know each other. We all laughed and had a good time until the boy told the girl he was interested in men and women. She didn't seem as intere...