UTAH 24/7

So this post is about the State of Utah and some of the great places that you can go to when you visit the Southern end of the state. Rainbow Bridge is located in Arches National Park. It, along with Bryce Canyon and Moab are all 3 places in Southern Utah that you can find things to do 24/7. Moab is one of my favorite locations in the state and I along with my husband, spent LOTS of time at Slick Rock, known primarily for it's UHMAZING mountain biking trails. The dirt samples all look the same, but I assure you they are all very different. A coworker named Wade Bridges gave me the dirt from Rainbow Bridge some time ago. Jerry, my husband, collected the Moab sample while on a mountain biking excursion with the young men in the ward, and the Bryce Canyon dirt was given to me from a guest at the hotel this past year. The publication, UTAH 24/7 is one of a series of books published by Rick Smolan and David Elliot Cohen. They are the authors of The New York Times bestsellers America 24/7 and A Day in the Life of America. The book truly shows Utah telling it's own story in pictures. The thing I love most about Utah is the fact that it has 4 distinct seasons. Southern Utah has ever changing beauty during all 4 of them. For more info on tourism in Utah, www.discovermoab.com as well as www.utah.com and my personal favorite, www.utahvalley.org will all get you started. Be sure to book your rooms in Orem, www.oremhamptoninn.com , drop off some dirt and say hello!

There's No Place Like Home

From coast to coast and sea to shining sea, MY travels have taken me to quite a few places over the last 47 years or so. But one thing is for sure. No matter where my travels take me, it is always nice to go back to the place where the mountains are ominous, the skies are clear and beautiful and the dirt is...well...dirty.

Utah.

Orem is home to so many things....

Orem Owlz Baseball: http://www.owlzbaseball.com/

University Mall : http://www.shopuniversitymall.com/

where this sample was collected

Utah Valley University: http://www.uvu.edu/

Orem Hampton Inn & Suites: http://www.oremhamptoninn.com/

and most importantly, the Ridley Clan: http://www.ridleyclan.blogspot.com/

There's no place like home.

Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe has always been special to me. I spent my 21st birthday there and even before that, fell in love with the town. My highschool had great ski trips to Tahoe and I learned so many things about the environment when visiting over the years.

The buildings all look like cabins...even the 7-11, gas stations, and grocery stores. Everything is green and lush and resembles a giant camp ground. And the best part of the city, however, is the lake itself!

http://www.visitinglaketahoe.com/ has all kinds of info on the area inlcuding ski areas, hotels, (you know which one would be my choice!) casinos, restaurants and just about anything else you want to know or places you want to visit.

This sample was collected on 11/3/83. Wow, it sure took me a long time to give it the respect it was due! Tahoe could be ranked as my favorite city of all time...move over Oahu!

Hang Ten in Hawaii

The page says it all, but some Tid-bits the picture doesn't show are as follows:

Judge is a great Cabana Boy. (and very cheap)

Holli can not catch a rooster no matter how hard she tries. (but it was fun to watch)

Meagen is beautiful when on a beach. (and anywhere else for that matter)

Madison is allergic to the sun. (who knew?)

Jerry plays a mean game of frisbee football. (poor locals)

Brenda can swim better than the turtles. (at least till the rescue squad arrives)

Our feet are always somewhere right? This particular shot was from Hanauma Bay. This was my 3rd trip to this location. What made it the best one yet was the fact that I shared it with my family.

Anchors Away in Galveston, Texas

Anchors Away indeed! Galveston Texas for me, was the equivalent of opening an oven door after reaching a temperature of 400 degrees and sticking my face in it. Jerry had always told me of the humidity in the south. I can't imagine this being any worse than there, however, fortunate for me, the conditions were only temporary. We quickly boarded the Rhapsody of the Seas operated by Royal Carribean shortly thereafter. Of course, that is after I snagged this sample of sand from across the street from the boarding area.


I kept the sand and while on the actual cruise in the actual class, I used the actual sand I collected and created this layout. The thing I remember the most about the class was that we had so much FUN! As the ship turned at one point, we even had several ladies, well....let's just say, make a run for the restrooms! Good times.

Nothing to do with dirt!

ONLY because I have so much respect for the Angry Georgian, am I going to post on here about my first picture in my photo folders. This is Ms. Holli. She is SO beautiful and one of my three pride and joys! This was a photo shoot Holli and her friend Megan did at UVU this past fall. The thing about Holli is, she could be covered in sand, dirt, mud, or anything else, she would still be beautiful! I suppose I now need to tag three others so here it goes...Clayton, Neisha, and Madi. Let's see how far this challenge travels!

Bahamas

While a scanning coordinator at a local grocery store here in Orem (one of my many jane of all trades gigs) I worked with a great person named Shawnie Drury. Shawnie and I became very good friends. She actually was the reason I started listening to country music! If only Kenney Chesney was around in the 80's! Shawnie and Andy, her then boyfriend, eventually got married and traveled to the Bahamas for their honeymoon. I just happened to be the recipient of some great sand from one of the beaches they visited. Like most samples given to me from a beach, it arrived in a water bottle. The consistency was that of baby powder. Beautiful sand from what I am sure is a beautiful location. Ain't love grand!?

Surf and Turf in Key West, Florida

The beach has always been a favorite place for me. When "Croppin and Cruisin" several years ago, one of the stops we made was in Key West, Florida. Of all of the traveling I did while teaching scrapbook classes, this may very well have been the best place ever.

About 50 yards from the dock was a bike rental kiosk. One sailing pass and $24.00 later we were on our way! A Cuban grocery store was the next place we stopped and picked up some essentials...Sun tan lotion, granola bars, lottery tickets and some H2O.

Before the day was over we sunbathed next to a military base, saw Ernest Hemingway's home, went to a little shop and ate real Keylime pie, rode to Mac's Sea Garden to get gifts and before we returned the bikes even got caught in a HUGE rainstorm. All this fun, and I still managed to get some sand from the beach we were on.

Haha! It was even a topless beach! The funniest thing about it all, was the fact that we were the only ones willing to go in the water. I just figured it was because all the locals had been there done that attitudes. Little did I know (until we were leaving) that the beach had been closed due to a hazardous spill . (This one event may very well explain all of my issues eh?)

The entire trip was a great experience and I love the feel of the sand. Right around this same area is the Southern most point of the United States. Sooner than later I will blog about all of the "mosts" in the United States. From coast to coast and everywhere in between, there's is always great places to gather dirt from.

Romine Territory

I was so excited to get this little sample from the Romine Family who are located in Lake Forest, California. We met the Romine Family via their son Andrew who is a phenomenal, yes, unbelievably phenomenal baseball player. Andrew lived with us during the 2007 baseball season during which time he played for the Orem Owlz, the rookie team to the Anaheim Angels. Andrew was so much fun to watch and the best short stop ever to take the field at the Brent Brown Stadium in Orem. (okay, so as his host mom, I may be a little biased). Andrew's family, mom June, little sister, and his dad Kevin, came and visited with us too! If the name Kevin Romine rings a bell, it is probably because he was a Major League player himself. Pappa Romine played for 12 years with the Boston Red Sox. * Yes, I even have dirt from the field at Fenway too. This dirt was from their yard and is now holding a special place in the collection.

I miss Andrew. He no doubt will be in Arizona very soon. He, along with all our past players, will be sweating it out during spring training . For this baseball fan... not soon enough!

Thank you Romine Family! Thank you Andrew. L.L.s