Battle Creek Canyon

Battle Creek Canyon is thus named because it is the the sight of the very first skirmish in Utah between the Native Americans and Pioneers. The Pioneers came down to settle the area in 1850 and were attrached to the grove of trees near the canyon. In the beginning the settlement was know as "Battlecreek" but it was later changed of course to Pleasant Grove.

For Quarterly Enrichment our Relief Society girls went and hiked up to Battle Creek Falls. A short but lovely hike. We made homemade granola(thank you Robin for your recipe) and the girls all brought their own mix-ins, and did the hike to the falls. It was fun, and we got a much better turn out than the normal Enrichment. So that was great!

My experience with Battle Creek Falls dates back 5 years ago when I was there with my 40 camp kids and two counselors, Sam and Tyler. Even though it's only a mile up to the falls, hiking with children, especially ones ages 10-14 is like herding hungry sheep. We did not reach the top...due to the fact that one of our children was deathly allergic to bees and there were tons of bees at one point on the trail, so rather than risk it we turned back. To the rejoicing of all my campers.

After that experience I did come back and make it to the falls many times over the years with friends, The Center for Change, even mom and dad doing some geo-caching! At the beginning of the hike is another trail head that leads to the "G" on the mountain. And you'd better believe that we, mom dad and I, hiked all the way up above it to find a geo-cache!

If you continue beyond the falls there is a lovely meadow, more falls beyond that and then it links up with the timpanokee trail. It's a lovely hike I strongly recommend it!

"Squint Your Eyes and Look Closer"

I was able to attend my second Ani DiFranco concert on Saturday night. I have been a fan of Ani's for close to 10 years and I have to say that seeing her live is a pretty awesome experience. She is full of energy, spark and she can play the guitar like no one I have ever seen.

For those of you not familiar with Ani here's a good description that I read in a SL Tribune article written earlier this month: "DiFranco is not easily pigeonholed or categorized. Calling her just a folk singer does her a disservice. Her music defines her as a literate, experimental multi-instrumentalist who melds the aggressiveness of alternative rock with the political scalpel of folk. She doesn't sing about being a hobo on a train but writes incisively about racism, sexism, poverty and abortion rights."

I'll be the first to admit that I don't agree with all of Ani's ideals and politics, but what I admire about her is her amazing talent and conviction to take a stand for the things that she believes in.

I have found that even though I have pretty conservative views I don't always agree with conservatives, the same goes for me with many liberal ideas. I find it interesting how much we can learn from all sides of the table, conservatives and liberal etc. Challenging the way we think about things helps us to better define what we believe. For me the key is knowledge.


The great thing about Ani is that she isn't trying to force feed anyone her ideals, she is just encouraging people to think, to stand up and be counted for whatever your cause may be. As I watched her preform and listened to what she had to say, I was struck with how amazing this country is, how awesome our freedoms are, and how much we can do if we try.

It sounds cheesy but it was kind of an inspiring experience for me. It really made me think about what I'm doing with my own life and how much more I can do with it. Anyone can make a difference, it's about believing in change, and I think that change can start within us. By becoming better people to positively influence those around us, to stand up for truth, to fight for good causes, to take the gift of life that we have been given and do as much as we can with it.

Here are some lyrics from one of Ani's new songs, I'd never heard it before this concert (she hasn't released it yet). I liked it a lot...a very beautiful sounding song and these lyrics will give you a taste of her style.


The Atom

The glory of the atom, begs a reverent word.
The primary design, of the whole universe.
The smallest unit of matter, let us bow our heads in prayer
At the magnificent consciousness incarnate there.

The smallest unit of matter with its orbiting electrons
Echoing off the solar system like a hawk in the hills at dawn
The smallest unit of matter, uniting bird and rock and tree and you and me.

Oh holy is the atom, a truly intelligent design.
To which all of evolution is graciously aligned.
The one single structure to which everything distills
The air, the wood smoke there and the hills.

Leave me here surrounded by everything that's real.
Far outside the boundaries of the digitized ordeal.
Leave me here awake, leave me here to heal.

Human beings are a cross between monkey's and ants.
You can see us from your spaceship
melting the polar ice caps with our arrogance.
Summon a congress of angels, dressed in riot gear
We've got a serious problem down here.

I have a great great uncle, who worked on the atomic bomb,
He got a noble prize in physics and a place in this song.
And I bet there were no windows and no women in the room
When they applied themselves to the pure science of doom.

Yes messing with the atom is the highest form of blaspheme,
Whether you are making weapons, or simply electricity.
Someone fashion me a pulpit we have been called to engage
With the maniacal heretics of the nuclear age.

Let the religious get religion
Let the consumers get a clue
Let the scientists get perspective
Let the activists get their due
Let the industry get a conscience
Let the earth inherit the meek
Let the divinity of nature speak.

The glory of the atom deserves a reverent word
The primary design of the whole universe.
Let us sing its praises, let us bow our heads in prayer,
At the magnificent consciousness incarnate there.

Scottish Fest -Lots of Good Music to be Heard

I visited the Scottish festival at Thanksgiving Point, and it was quite a big to do. Lots of Scottish food, crafties and clan tents. It was a good time although a bit pricey. The best part of course was the music. I love bagpipes, flutes, and best of all the drummers with the spinning mallets!!



There was a concert that night with groups such as Men of Worth(my #1 favorite), Wicked Tinkers, Hills of Glencoe, and Molly's Revenge(my #2 Favorite, shown here). The bands were a lot of fun, especially this one.

Finally!

Every time I have visited Bryce Canyon I have always had one thing that I have wanted to do: watch the sun rise over the canyon. An event that , I have been told, was breath taking. Even though I have visited Bryce Canyon at least 7 times, I have never been able to see it...until now. Usually the problems in the past revolved around not being able to get up at 5:20am and see it. Or the one time I did get up, the day was overcast. ("bad luck pamela")

But this last weekend on a camping trip which spanned Bryce and Zion's, while acting as a tour guide for the Kay family, I finally made it to this beautiful event.

...And it was totally worth it.

My Little Garden

I planted basil, Cilantro, forget-me-nots, and catnip (of course). The big basil plant came from mom...but it doesn't really look like it's doing as well as hers...? It's been a weird spring, but everything seems to be doing okay...it looks like I need to do some thinning though. (smile)

Thanksgiving Gardens

The first weekend in June Leslie and I picked David up and went for an "educational" outing. I chose to go to the gardens at Thanksgiving Point. This was my second time in the gardens and I have to say that they are pretty beautiful. I love gardens and I love plants. Thanks to my friend Pesto's influence I've started taking more notice of them and can now name most of the plants I come across. It was fun for me, but I'm sure it was a little tedious for Leslie and David, as I dragged them everywhere and talked about and quizzed them about every plant we saw.

There are several parts to the garden including a coy pond, rose garden, Italian garden, scent garden with herbs, waterfall area, children's garden etc. I got a little sunburned, but it was a nice day and I really enjoyed it.

Here are a few photos I took:

Part of the Italian Gardens, with a cascading water fountain.

Us in the "secret garden"

Chives in the Scent Garden

The Columbine were so beautiful!

At the Noah's Ark Fountain in the Children's Garden

The Bear Cave in the Children's Garden.

Pond in the Children's Garden

The Waterfalls

Japanese Maples (Of Course:)