Reno Saint Patrick Daze

Well, here I am in Reno. Stopped to refuel and saw a Starbucks, so decided to use their WiFi and upload a few more 3D images, and rest a bit before taking on the Sierra Nevadas.I took this photo of the 600 South freeway on-ramp in Salt Lake City earlier this week. This image was taken at the lip of the spillway at the Tooele Reservoir.
This photo was taken at the north shore of the Tooele Reservoir looking south.
This one was somewhat experimental, and I like the way the clouds glow.
Above is an image of my stereoscopic photography device. The cameras are at an extreme position, (I don't usually position them so far apart, especially for such a close-up shot).

I'll be back home to Santa Cruz, CA in about four hours. Yay!!!

More Snow Behind the Zion Curtain

I'm at McDonalds again. This time I'm inside, and for some wonderful reason, they're playing Brian Eno Music. The piece currently being played is from the For All Mankind soundtrack. Mighty Mo and I saw that movie when we lived in Madison,Wisconsin. That's where we were when our son, Mason decided it was time to be born. That was 21 years ago next week.

Snow came to Tooele in a big way Monday. Before it was over, we had accumulated about six inches of fluffy whiteness. I rolled naked in the fluffy white powder after a long hot bath.
My 91 Ford 4X4 getting covered.
I drove to the location of the old Anaconda Mine today, and took this photo of the old slag pile because I liked the contrast between the black slag and the white snow.
There was plenty of snow for me to create a sculpture. Since there was plenty of food coloring in the cupboard, it seemed like the proper thing to do was to colorize my sculpture.

On Saturnday, my old high school buddy, Jon, accompanied me to the Utah State Fairgrounds where we attended the Belly Dance Festival. I met lots of nice folks, and got some lovely photos too. The above stereoscopic image is of a collection of masks that were being sold by one of the vendors there.
On the way to the event, I shot this stereoscopic image of some power lines near Salt Lake International Aeropuerto.

My WiFi Woes Behind the Zion Curtain

I'm writing this post whilst sitting in the parking lot at the Tooele McDonalds, because it is the only place in town to access WiFi. I'll fill in the blanks later when I'm more comfortable, meantime, enjoy a few 3D/stereoscopic images.

Here's a shot I took of my great little car as an approaching storm rolls in engulfing the Oquirrh Mountains in the background.

I nearly got killed at this rail road crossing many years ago as I was taking my girlfriend home from a date in Salt Lake. Not long after that near calamity, a friend of mine was killed here along with his one-year old baby. The Union Pacific RR finally installed lights, a crossing gate and other improvements to prevent more unnecessary deaths here.

The Great Salt Lake is a place shrouded in mystery. I've always been curious about this square building on the south shore. I assume that it had something to do with the old railroad line that brought folks from Salt Lake City to the old Saltair Resort that burned down at least twice before being abandoned. A new Saltair Resort exists nearby now.

Forever and Forever in Tooele... in Pictures

Xtra Files 9: Picture Picture - Stereoscopique

This is not a post about Mr. Rogers Neighborhood

Back when I was a teen, one of my favorite, after-school pass-times was Mr. Rogers Neighborhood* on PBS. My dad was disgusted every time he found me watching the program, and would, without fail, utter some derogatory remark about Mr. Rogers. Strangely, I experienced great pleasure in these predictable remarks. The poor guy couldn't understand why a high school kid would be watching a show for little kids, especially that show. I loved Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, and why not? I wouldn't know how marbles are made without Picture Picture.** Didn't all high schoolers watch Mr. Rogers in the late-disco/early-punk/pre-metal era?

Strange Segue

I started a summer job the Monday after I graduated from high school which meant that I wouldn't be hitching trains across the country like my friends and I had planned*** to do. Instead, I spent three months working for the United States Geological Survey on a resurvey of the Stansbury Mountain Range, Skull Valley, and small portions of Tooele Valley and Rush Valley. I was perfect for the job - strong, agile, proficient in hiking and climbing mountains, plus I already had about eight years land surveying experience, and was also somewhat familiar with the area... my home county that I had been exploring for as long as I could remember.

Best Job Ever

For three months, our team of USGS engineers physically located every road, structure, spring, and mine, in addition to recovering every extant section corner and then electronically tying everything to triangulation stations on mountain peaks**** and benchmark monuments throughout the area.

We regularly used a strange looking device called a stereoscope along with aerial photographs to orient ourselves. This was the first time I had seen or used a stereoscope - a device that makes it possible to tie two images of the same thing together in 3D. Mountains, crevices, and even buildings appear to be three dimensional but exaggerated when viewed through the stereoscope.

I'll never forget the first time I peered through the stereoscope. We were on site, parked in the shade of a large concrete building near the point of the Stansbury Mountain Range. Jack, the chief engineer, spread out some maps and aerial photos on the hood of the truck and demonstrated how to match up the two aerial photographs, (something he had obviously done a million times). Then he told me it was my turn, and when I looked through the stereoscope, I saw a white cube, at the base of a mountain. The cube was obviously the large concrete building we had parked next to while we enjoyed the small sliver of shade it afforded us on that hot June afternoon. I was impressed how the image came alive in 3D, and became rather proficient at doing it myself.

What makes this story incredible, is that the next time I returned to this site - less than a month later, in the spot where the large concrete building once stood, was an 80' wide crater. Apparently, the building was an explosives manufacturing plant and warehouse, and according to the official story, in the early morning hours, static electricity**** caused an explosion that vaporized the entire building, a semi truck and a few employees. There was nothing left. Nothing!

When the blast occurred, I was sleeping soundly in Tooele, all the way across the valley, more than fifteen miles away. I recall that the explosion woke me from my sleep. The following morning, we talked about it at the office. Apparently, one of the engineers had learned what had happened, and most of us reported that we had been awakened by the thunderous boom.

What makes this story even more incredible, is the fact that one of those fateful employees had been working with our USGS team, and had left for better pay at the explosives plant. A few weeks later, he was gone forever.

How strange, (to me at least), that the very first thing I viewed and focused on through a stereoscope would end up in such tragedy. I'm glad that nothing else I've viewed through a stereoscope has met a disastrous fate. That'd be a good X-Files episode, though. Speaking of X-Files, I've always been a bit suspicious about that event back in 1981, and the official story. I've often wondered****** what really happened there?

Stereoscopique

I had heard of people being able to view photos in 3D without the aid of a stereoscope, so I gave it a try and found it quite simple to do. I even started creating some of my own 3D images. I possess so many wonderful and rare objects, I figure that they can be better appreciated when viewed in 3D. Therefore Zenberg Blog will periodically feature 3D images, and will attempt to be thematic about the selection of photos.

Here's how you do it

Sit at a comfortable distance from the screen and look at the point where the two images come together. Slowly begin to cross your eyes. As you do, you will begin to see a third image forming between the others. The third (middle) image is actually both images that, when matched up perfectly, appear three dimensional. It may take some practice, but is worth the effort, and my ophthalmologist tells me that it is good exercise for the eyes. Have fun.

Jello

Lately I've been eating lots of jello, (homemade with juice and Knox), because of health issues that prevent me from enjoying good food, (not that jello is bad, I've just been eating a lot of it).

This is an image of one of my favorite artifacts. I found this Anasazi makeup spoon on private property on the Colorado Plateau east of Hurricane, Utah back in 1996. Much of the red powdery makeup is still caked inside the concave area, and visible in the photograph.

Look for more 3D images in the near future.

*Recently, Mighty Mo dreamed that she was in the Land of Make Believe, and when she told me about it, I was a bit jealous. Especially when I found out that she got to hang out with Lady Elaine Fairchild inside the Museum Go-round. I wish I could rent Mr. Rogers Episodes on DVD, but unfortunately, they're not available. My favorite episode was the time we went to the Other Neighborhood, with emphasis on the hood.

**Mr. Rogers' magical framed wall painting that transformed into a movie screen and transported viewers to all kinds of interesting places.

***We practiced jumping on trains and riding them to Salt Lake and back.

****We even used a helicopter to reach the highest peaks. When we got to Deseret Peak, (now a wilderness area), the chopper couldn't land because a bush was in the way. I had to jump out and trim the bush so the pilot could touch down. Then, while balancing on two rocks over a crag on the highest peak of the Stansburys, the chopper stayed long enough for Jack, (Jesse C, Dyer - Engineer USGS), and I to remove the boxy and awkward Electrotape, a bulky survey instrument, (probably from the fifties), that uses microwaves to measure long distances.

***** Didn't they blame the Hindenburg disaster on static electricity?

****** I've ran lots of possibilities through my on-board scenariographer, and boiled it down to these. They are all rather far-fetched, but every scenario should be examined, and no doubt has. Someone may know exactly what happened there. If I could time-travel, I would surely go there to find out.

1) A rogue/underground/terrorist organization may have stolen explosives, and the building may have been destroyed to eliminate evidence and silence witnesses. There was supposedly a fully-loaded semi-truck inside ready to leave, but no physical evidence of the truck was ever recovered.

2) Perhaps the site had been targeted by a governmental agency for national security reasons. Is it a coincidence that the explosives plant had been precisely located by my team of USGS engineers only weeks before the event?

3) Maybe it was a robbery gone bad. The building was located not far from a convenient Interstate 80 exit, and someone bent on ill intent could have easily made their way to the remote building, not knowing what they were getting in to.

4) A small meteor may have fallen from the heavens and hit the explosives plant, detonating the whole shebang.

5) It could have even been a staged event designed to create new identities for the individuals involved.

6) Static electricity? Oh, the humanity!

8) Other?

Salt Lake Temple Stones - Not For Sale

Back in 1992, scaffolding was erected around the historic Salt Lake Temple. It seemed strange to see the beautiful landmark shrouded under a framework of planks and framed tubing. At first I was worried that the mysterious symbols were being removed. The mainstream LDS had been looking more and more like mainstream Christianity, and I feared that someone in the Mormon hierarchy may have decided that "those symbols just don't seem right anymore."

Fortunately, they weren't removing the symbols, and when I discovered that some of the old granite stones were being replaced, I figured that there must be lots of pieces of granite laying around and being discarded. As a freelance rock hound, in addition to being a chronic accumulator of rare antiquities, I couldn't resist this once in a lifetime opportunity to acquire some of the stones from the original Salt Lake Temple. What a uniquely finite and invaluable thing to possess... a tangible piece of sparkling white granite from what millions of people consider to be one of the most holy edifices on Earth. The House of the Lord.

2"x2"x6" granite shard and 3.5" granite sphere

I found the telephone number for the Salt Lake Temple President* in the US West Direct White Pages. The three-inch-thick phone book contained literally hundreds of listings under Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, so it took some time to narrow down the correct number to dial. The temple president graciously took my call but informed me that there were no stone fragments of any substantial size being removed, and that mostly powder was coming out after all the cutting and sawing.

I thanked the man, but his explanation didn't ring true to me, and I couldn't forget about that granite. I knew that there must be some stones being removed. "It's a lot easier to remove pieces of granite than to reduce an entire granite stone to powder," I reasoned. A few days later, I was spending some time with my father, and told him of my unfruitful conversation with the temple president. Dad perked up and informed me that he knew "head-honchos"* involved with the restoration project, and told me that he'd find out about the stone fragments I was seeking. The next time I saw my dad, he presented me with two large sparkling pieces of granite that exhibited visible blade marks from the powerful saw that had cut them away from the Salt Lake Temple. I had my stones.

In those days, I had a strange looking machine that turned stones into smooth spheres, so I prepared a piece of the invaluable granite, and placed it into the machine where it spent hundreds of hours being refined into a perfect 3.5" sphere. One of a kind, and NOT for sale!

* Names of the temple president who lied to me and the "head honchos" who supplied the stones, are intentionally withheld.

Gentlemen Broncos Pleases Santa Cruz Midnight Movie Goers

Applause erupted in the old art-deco Del Mar Theater in downtown Santa Cruz late Friday night (actually early Saturday morning), as the final credits began to roll for Gentlemen Broncos, a movie that only a few lucky folks have had the opportunity to view.

More than half of the audience members in the Del Mar weren't even aware that there would be a final scene after the credits had run, but they stayed anyway, and again, expressed their approval with more applause as the house lights were turned on, and the movie was officially over. A midnight movie is tough for an old-phart like me to endure, but I decided to attend the following night too, because who knows when I'll get the opportunity to see Gentlemen Broncos again? The Saturday night crowd was equally as enthusiastic about the movie.

When I saw this movie for the first time last Thanksgiving, I assumed that it would become as commonplace as Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre, but that didn't happen. Gentlemen Broncos should have been a mainstream hit, but bad reviews and poor earnings in the first days of its release, caused Searchlight Pictures to panic, and they hastily reacted by canceling national distribution of the film that I and so many had been looking forward to seeing again or for the first time. Those coming soon posters and trailers suddenly became sad and empty promises, and it seems that now only a handful of people will see Gentlemen Broncos in a theater.

The reaction of the Santa Cruz crowd last weekend gives me hope that Gentlemen Broncos will catch on as an underground midnight movie sensation. Everyone I spoke with after the show liked Gentlemen Broncos very much. Everyone seemed surprised at its obscurity, and lack of attention. Gentlemen Broncos has all the makings of a cult-classic - great acting, intentionally awkward, ridiculous, & quirky scenes, and some really intriguing cinematography too. There's even a theater cry room in one of the scenes. Popcorn balls appear throughout the film, therefore if Gentlemen Broncos does become a midnight movie sensation, popcorn balls should surely become part of the pageantry of the attendees. That would be fun to clean up.

Unfortunately, what should be, isn't always what is, and Gentlemen Broncos may disappear forever. Hopefully, there will be a DVD release of Gentlemen Broncos in the the near future, otherwise, this pseudo science fiction oddity may become another Whiffs* (1974), and dissipate like a cloud of Hollywood Smoke... forever.

So if Gentlemen Broncos comes to your local midnight movie house, be sure to don your grandmother's nightgown, grab a pink cape, fake moustache, and long blond haired wig, then mount your battle stag and head over to the cinematic yeast mine. Don't forget the popcorn balls... two in a bag. And beware Younglings donning mammary cannons intent on probing the mysteries of the Human mind. I hate those.

*Like Gentlemen Broncos, much of Whiffs was filmed in Tooele, UT and it also should have become a mainstream hit. Whiffs featured big names like Elliot Gould, (his role following M*A*S*H), Eddie Albert, Jenifer O'Neil, etc. Whiffs even received an Academy Award nomination for its title song, but only a few folks actually got to see Whiffs before it was swept under the rug. There was a limited VHS release of Whiffs, but the film has never been released on DVD, and probably never will be.

Whiffs Trailer from 1975 - sorry about the commercial!!!

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The Salt of the Earth

Some of you knew her as Fae Ann
Many of you called her Fae
Others knew her as Aunt Fae
Lots of people remember her as Mrs. Rosenberg
A few kids called her Grammy
Three of us were fortunate to call her Mom.

When I think of my mother, I think of love. In fact, she was the personification of love in my world. If you knew her well, you no doubt feel the same way.

Mom's life was all about love.

Mom loved fluffy white cats. Dad always pretended not to like them, but I think he was just a little jealous of the attention the cats got.

Dad didn't need to be jealous though, because Mom loved my dad and regularly mentioned how happy she was to be married to such a wonderful man.
She loved his dark wavy hair, and when dad turned gray, she loved that too. They had the happiest of marriages. I recall that they never argued in front of the kids and I never heard either of them raise their voices at one another. I'm sure they had their moments, but not in front of the kids. We were fortunate to grow up in a stable, and peaceful loving home.

Mom loved peace, and harmony in her home and in the world. Recently, when President Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, I mentioned that my mother would have been a more appropriate recipient. She hated seeing young men go off to war, because too many of her own friends never returned from battle.

My mother loved her children.
She always said that my older brother, Lynn, was the most beautiful baby anyone had ever seen. When Lynn got killed in a car accident in 1973 Mom was never quite the same. I'm sure that their reunion was a joyous occasion for both of them.

She loved her little curly-haired daughter, Karen, and made sure that her pretty little girl always looked just right. She frequently mentioned to me what a wonderful person Karen is, and how thankful she was for her.

I'm pretty sure that she loved me too.

Mom loved all of her five grandchildren, and enjoyed spending time with them more than anything else. She told me that Karen's oldest son, Lynn, named after my late brother, is the nicest young man she has ever known. Mom had a great sense of humor, and often mentioned how clever Jedd is. She was also impressed with Jedd's intelligence and ability to express himself. There was a special place in Mom's heart for Michelle. The two of them were fortunate to spend lots of time together, and developed a special bond between them.

My son, Mason, was special to Grammy too. She always said that he was the smartest little boy she had ever seen, and was thrilled that he was pursuing a career in music. I know she would have loved to see Mason's band play.

Grandma loved Kirsten too, and cherished every precious moment they were able to spend together. Last month, Mom taught Kirsten how to make Grandma's Famous Noodles, a favorite of kids and grand kids alike. On Christmas Eve, the day of Mom's death, we all shed a tear when Kirsten unwrapped a present that turned out to be a rolling mat for making Grandma's Famous Noodles.

I asked Mason what he remembers most about his grandmother, and he said,

"My favorite things I remember about Grammy are when she would sing and play piano for us and when she would make her homemade noodles."

She also loved her sons- in-law and daughter-in-law, and always made them feel loved, comfortable, and accepted - destroying the mother-in-law stereotype. She loved Karen's husband, and was crushed when he suddenly passed away at 44 years of age. When Karen remarried, Mom embraced Art with all of her love and acceptance. She loved my wife, Heidi as if she was her own daughter, and would confide in Heidi things she wouldn't even tell me.

There's a pretty little town in Southern Utah that played a special role in my Mother's early life. Mom loved PANGUITCH, and the people there so much. She always said the the finest people in the world come from Panguitch, and from my own experience, I wouldn't want to argue that point with her. Panguitch was her favorite place in the world, and always referred to it as home. The folks in Panguitch all remember Mom as Fae Ann, everyone's best friend.

Mom loved her schoolmates, and she looked forward to her regular class reunions in Panguitch. She said that her high school days were the most fun time in her life and I know that she cherished seeing her surviving schoolmates that she loved so much. They will miss her at their 2010 reunion. I'm so happy that Karen, Kirsten and I were able to take her to the reunion in 2009.

Mom was the youngest in her family, and grew up in a small house with two wild brothers, and four beautiful sisters who all adored their sweet baby sister. Mom loved her rowdy older brothers and had nothing but praise and adoration for them. She loved to hear Jim sing, and said that Grant was the funniest and most witty person she knew.

Mom loved her sisters too. Before Grace died, mom stopped by to see her whenever possible to visit her sister who spent the last part of her life crippled with arthritis. I remember the good times they had conversing for what seemed like hours to me, an energetic child.

Mom always said that Gwen was the most beautiful woman, and best mother there ever was. Gwen's husband, Lynn, was so beloved by my mother, that she named her first-born son in his honor.

Mom loved Jean. Mom has happily traveled great distances, to California, Arizona, Idaho, and Saint George to spend time with Jean. I remember how thrilled mom was when Jean moved to Tooele, and lived close bye for a short time.

Mom loved her sister Mae. They were fortunate to live in close proximity for many years. This closeness has afforded them many opportunities to get together. Mae and Mom were close to the same age, as were their children, therefore they had quite a bit in common, and our families shared many wonderful Thanksgiving dinners together.

Mom also loved the spouses and families of her brothers and sisters. She loved and accepted everyone, and genuinely enjoyed their acquaintance.

Mom loved her friends. She was always genuinely concerned about the well-being of her neighbors, and would do anything for them. She loved the good times they spent together, whether talking on the phone, playing pinochle, or attending Sons of Utah Pioneers' activities.

Mom loved music. There was always a song in her heart, or being quietly hummed or whistled as she went about her daily routine. Mom knew so many old-time songs, and now that she's gone, it's like a music library has burned down.

Everyone knows that mom loved to play the piano, but most folks are unaware that she was an excellent accordionist and even played clarinet and ukulele.

Mom loved to sing, and was honored to be one of the Joy Singers. Her angelic voice brought joy to every occasion. She loved singing with her grandchildren, and teaching her favorite songs to them.

She loved her job at West Elementary School where she worked as a teachers aid, librarian, and everyone's favorite class, music with Mrs. Rosenberg. The kids and faculty all loved her there.

In Conclusion:

My mother was the salt of the earth. Everything was a little bit better with her there. She made the bitter bearable, and the sweet even better.

I think it was David O McKay who said:

"Every person we come in contact with effects us to a greater or lesser degree."

Those of us who have been fortunate to know my mother have been effected in the greatest degree. We are all better people for having known her. Her loving spirit has touched us all, and we will never forget her gracious life.

noodleZ

Pseudo Psi-Fi Classique- Gentlemen Broncos

When the movie ended, a twelve or so year old girl sitting couple of rows behind me said to her family,

"That was officially the weirdest movie I have ever seen. Mom would have hated it."

My mom would have hated it too, but my own opinion of the strange movie was less immediate than the twelve year old's. I knew that I had been thoroughly entertained, but was still a bit unsure how much I really liked the awkward comedy about Benjamin Purvis, a home schooled teen with aspirations of someday becoming a published science fiction writer.

The story was simple enough. When Ben attends a writer's camp for home schoolers, he is thrilled to discover that one of the guest presenters there is Dr. Ronald Chevalier, his favorite science fiction author who announces that he'll be judging a science fiction writing competition resulting in the publication of the winning entry. Ben enters his own, hand-written sci-fi novel, titled Yeast Lords, and is later disappointed when he discovers that his work has been plagiarized by Chevalier.

An imposed friend of Ben's named Lonny Donahoe also has interest in Yeast Lords and creates a short film starring some of Ben's friends. Donahoe's modifications and interpretations of Yeast Lords cause Ben to regret his decision to allow the film to be made.

While browsing in a bookstore, Ben stumbles across Chevalier's newly published interpretation of Yeast Lords titled Brutus and Balzaak, and is furious. Ben takes matters into his own hands and after a whirlwind of events, procures poetic justice for himself, and a happy ending for the audience. Formulae, but still fun.I remained in my seat until all of the credits had run because I suspected there would be a final scene... I was glad that I waited because I was rewarded with a splendid scene that I won't reveal to any readers who may not want to know how it ends.

I didn't have many expectations for this movie even though I have been anticipating its release for a year or so. I first learned about Gentlemen Broncos while interviewing Alan Bradshaw for a post I wrote last year. Alan told me that a scene from the movie had been filmed in the lobby of the Ritz Theater and that other scenes had been shot at his dome shaped home near the Motor Vu Drive-In Theater in Erda. When I watched Gentlemen Broncos, I paid close attention to the lobby scene, and was a bit disappointed that the early 60's era velvet Mexican clown paintings hanging in the Ritz lobby weren't featured. However, I was happy to see that the door to the cry room was in full view. When I was very young, my mom had to take me into that cry room during my very first big-screen experience, when Mary Poppins became too much for me. I had hoped to see Gentlemen Broncos at the Ritz when I was in Tooele last week, but found that it wasn't playing there. In fact, it was only playing at one theater in the entire Salt Lake area.

The Broadway Theater in Salt Lake City was empty when we arrived for the 9:30 show on Thanksgiving. Mighty Mo, Mason the Punk Girl and myself took our seats while a handful of movie goers arrived as previews of coming attractions played on the big screen. I was surprised how few people attended.

Four days later, I find myself thinking about Gentlemen Broncos quite a bit. Much of the thirteen hours traveling home yesterday was spent discussing the so far relatively unknown pseudo science fiction comedy, and all four members of our family agree that Gentlemen Broncos is an excellent movie, and all of us look forward to watching it again soon.

.

DI Joe

The Deseret Industries (DI) in Tooele, Utah has yielded many of my favorite items. I always find something unique when I have the rare opportunity to shop there. Last July, I found my latest favorite shirt that features an image of Godzilla wearing three-D glasses while thrashing buildings as military aircraft fly overhead. I think I've had more compliments on this shirt than every other shirt combined.

Pretty Great State

Yesterday, I returned from a lengthy, three-week vacation behind the Zion Curtain.

My trip was a good reminder how awesome the State of Utah truly is. No other state boasts such a variety of beautiful scenery as the Beehive State, and I feel fortunate to have traveled there again.

The 1,200 foot tall Kennecott smoke stack reflects in a colourful pond near the harbour at the Great Salt Lake.


Swallows make their mud homes in the security of the towering Saltair Resort on the shore of the Great Salt Lake.
Obsolete phone booths at the entrance of Saltair Resort are a reminder that we are solidly rooted in the wireless age.

At sunset on the edge of the Saltair Drive right-of-way, about a half-mile east of Saltair Resort.
Sailboats return to the harbour as the sun sets over the Great Salt Lake.

The old grain silo on Highway 36 near the southeast corner of Tooele County still stands as a familiar landmark on the desolate and lonely landscape.

I was thrilled that I could legally travel at 80 mph on Interstate 15 south of Meadow, Utah.
At an elevation of 10,000 feet, Cedar Breaks in southern Utah is one of the most beautiful spectacles on Earth.
At the Panguitch Cemetery, Meadowlarks sing, "Panguitch is a pretty little town" near the grave of John D. Lee, an early Mormon pioneer who was executed for his role in the infamous Mountain Meadows Massacre.
Lichens grow on an old sandstone headstone in the Panguitch Cemetery. The name and epitaph long since eroded away.
The old gate at my dear old grandmother's home in Panguitch still stands. As a child, I had lots of fun swinging on this gate and walking on the old wooden fence, some of which still stands.
Near Bryce Canyon, the elevation is 7,777.
Sap oozes from a young Pinion pine cone at Red Canyon in Garfield County.
With hundreds of huge surrealistic towering Silly Sand-like sandstone monoliths, Red Canyon is always a joy to visit.
A 1" long Dragonfly rests peacefully on a flower moments before being attacked and eaten whole in a matter of seconds by a vicious Yellow Jacket.
Evaporation ponds on the southern shore of the Great Salt Lake bid me adieu as I departed the most beautiful state in the US. I hope to return soon.

Garbage + Trash x Rubbish = Art

Where I grew up, in Tooele, Utah the Garbage collector knew to pick up the Trash if there was an official decal of the letter G, displayed in the front window of the home. The decal indicated that the occupant had paid their fees for Garbage service. To the North of Tooele is the cowpoke town of Grantsville. This little redneck town in the shadow of Tooele, displayed a decal of the letter T, in the front windows of their homes. I always wondered why they didn't use a G, like we did in Tooele. I've entertained the idea that Grantsville didn't want to be associated with Garbage, so they retaliated against Tooele by using a T instead.


Not long ago, Mighty mo took these photos at our local Santa Cruz landfill... perhaps the most picturesque landfill in the nation.