WinKing: June 2013

UTAH

In Utah we have our son, Lee, and Sheila's sister Cathy's family. We are staying with our friends, the Taberts. While here in the SLC area we want to attend our niece's wedding, do some work at the Family History Library, finish a paved tiered patio for the Taberts that we started last visit, see Lee and Cathy, and parts of Utah we haven't seen before.

Our niece Rebekah (Bekah) was married on 1 June 2013.

With her are Sheila's sisters Val from Arizona, Cathy from Utah and Sheila.

Bekah with the groom, Nick, and her family:

David, Dad (Brian), Joseph, Moriah, Mom (Cathy) and Anna

Cath's children are involved in many extra-corricular activities that keep them all busy.

We were able to

attend some of their end-of-year presentations.

Anna plays piano, flute and saxophone, and as here - sings.

David plays the trumpet.

Joe, middle, is the family's handyman.

I think he would have loved to have worked on the Tabert's paved patio with us.

Here are the steps going in. Two more sections to go in.

Thom gives a lesson on replacing sprinkler heads

Sheila helps to stain the fence

The steps are finished.

Our son Lee with his friend Jenny.

Utahns love the great outdoors.

We try our hand at horseback riding with Cath's friend.

Thom walks his horse, Doc

Sheila on Flo, our host, and Sheila's sister Cathy

We take a short cut; Flo sinks into soft sand and drops to the ground but Sheila stays on

until Flo starts to roll to the side - then she's off in a flash!

Thom doing yard work at Cath's

Sheila at Cath's

Joseph, Cath and David plant their vegetable garden

Sheila at the Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah

Sheila at the FHL, SLC

Thom, Sheila, Cathy and Joe at City Creek Park

We meet up with the Buckner Family for lunch at the Porcupine Restaurant

HUFF TO BLUFF MARATHON, UTAH

15 May 2013: We set off from SLC for the great Utah outdoors with the destination of Blanding for the Huff to Bluff Marathon on the 18th. Our first stop was Capitol Reef National Park, where we camped in the orchards of Fruita after driving through this spectacular area of Utah.

Capitol Reef National Park

A small community was settled by Mormon pioneers, who planted fruit trees.

The village eventually became known as Fruita.

Visitors still reap the benefits today!

16 May 2013: We take a spectacular drive from Capitol Reef NP through the rugged area of Glen Canyon, Natural Bridges, and Valley of the Gods.

Indian cliff dwellings at Natural Bridges National Park

We walked to three of the main natural bridges in the park.

There was a time horses and wagons were allowed to drive over the natural bridges

We leave Natural Bridges NP and see the road we need to take, but how do we get down there?

It's called the Moki Dugway, and as soon as I saw it I recognized it from Lee's photographs.

It is a three mile unpaved road of switchbacks.

Thom at Glen Canyon, Utah

Sheila at Glen Canyon, Utah

Once down the mountain, we took a detour into the Valley of the Gods.

Navajo Twins formation at Bluff, Utah

17 May 2013: We arrived at Hovenweep National Park last night, and spent the morning walking to the Indian dwellings.

Hovenweep National Park, on the border of Utah and Colorado.

Thom at Hovenweep NP, Utah

Sheila at Hovenweep NP, Utah

18 May 2013: We arrived in Blanding the night before and Thom was up early to start the Huff to Bluff Marathon, Blanding to Bluff, Utah.

Thom at the 23 mile point.

Thom takes first place in his age bracket; time was 3:46:38 and qualifies him for Boston.

We head back to SLC through mixed weather - this is hailstone!

TEXAS

10 April 2012: We arrived at our son Tom's home in Waco, Texas. This is the town where Thom's uncle Tom, Chief of Police of Gloucester NJ, is buried next to his Texan wife.

Tom and Thom at Uncle Tom's grave in Waco, Texas

The grave inscription appears to be a replica of Uncle Tom's signature.

Sarah's grandmother is buried in the same cemetery.

We visited the Waco Zoo.

While we were in Waco, our other son Lee visited from Utah. He got stuck at Dallas Airport due to an AA computer glitch, so we picked him up. While in Dallas we visited the historic "grassy knoll."

On Elm Street there are two X marks on the road overlooked by the building where the shot/s were made that killed President Kennedy: one marks the "first" shot and the other marks the "fatal" shot.