Happy Birthday Maddie!

We hope to spend more time with you this summer as you become a big sister again!

SUN TUNNELS

Our weekend adventure took us to the middle of nowhere...literally.  Our friend Dave picked us up in his truck on Friday night and we drove 3 1/2 hours to the ghost town of Lucin, Utah.  Just outside of this abandoned town is an artist installation called the sun tunnels.  This work of art was created by Nancy Holt, the wife of the Robert Smithson who created the spiral jetty.  The sun tunnels are four massive concrete tunnels arranged in an "X" configuration.  Each tunnel reacts differently to the sun and is aligned with the sunrise, sunset, or the summer or winter solstice.  Each tunnel has holes drilled that form each of the famous constellations. These four concrete tunnels are stunning in the desert landscape. 

We arrived just after the peak of the sunset and enjoyed sunset's tail end.  I found quite a bit of meaning in these four concrete tunnels.  Circles are symbols of eternity, unity, perfection, etc.  Few natural items in the environment are circular...but when we look at the desert through these concrete tunnels we are able to recognize the beauty and perfection in the world around us..  

It was windy and luckily we had packed our kite and were able to enjoy the wind.

It was so windy that we decided not to set up our tent and opted to set up camp in one of the sun tunnels.  I loved being protected from the wind yet still out in the open.  I wish I could have gotten a picture of the night stars.  I have never been so far away from a city and could not believe how big the sky looked.

Here is a shot from inside the tunnel just as the sun was beginning to make an appearance.

We cleaned out our tunnel around 5:30 am and then waited for the sunrise.

When it came it was spectacular.

This is my favorite picture from the day.

After the sun came up we ventured back to the abandoned railroad town of Lucin.  Lucin was founded in the late 19th century as a water stop for steam locomotives.  All that is left in Lucin is a spring and a few abandoned cellars.
 

We also explored a rock quarry near Lucin.

On our drive back through Wendover we stopped at Danger Cave...unfortunately someone deemed it a little too dangerous and gated it off.

Our last stop was the Bonneville Salt Flats.  We had a blast driving on them although the salt was a little to wet to really see how fast the truck could go...maybe next trip.

NBA Draft Party

This week we joined these three guys at the Energy Solutions Arena for the NBA Draft Party.  We loved watching Benny as he enjoyed his popcorn bucket...oh the simple joys in life.  

Summerfest

Last weekend we headed up to Hyde Park to visit Seth's family.  We met Jacque and Reed at Summerfest in downtown Logan.

Saturday we worked hard in the yard...and then we played hard at a park.

Seth challenged our nephews to a game of croquet...they got two hits for every hit he got.

Then they challenged him to a hill rolling contest.  Seth is in the blue on the left...you can see his flip flops flying off.

Here you can see him rolling through the mud.

Hannah was named the winner...but Seth still disputes the results and requests a rematch later this summer.

Oquirrh Mountain Temple

Last week we visited the Oquirrh Mountain Temple.  We loved the view of the Salt Lake Valley as we exited the front doors.  This was just the first of many temple trips to come...we are going to take advantage of the many temples that surround us this summer. 

Reunited...

My work finally wrapped up last Wednesday.  On Thursday afternoon I was scheduled to fly out at 4:10 pm.  Once I arrived at the airport I was told that my flights had been delayed and I wouldn't get into Salt Lake until almost 2:00 am.  It was like telling a kid on Christmas that they would have to wait until the next day to open presents.  I waited as patiently as I could and was delighted to have Seth meet me at the airport in the wee hours of the morning.

On Friday night Seth and I ventured out for a date.  We decided to climb down the gully behind my parents house to get to the spot where we got engaged.  It was much steeper than I remembered.  We got a few thistles in our socks but we survived.

We walked downtown and enjoyed a concert at the Brigham Young Historic Park.  Then we walked over to the Gallivan Center for the outdoor movie of  How to Train your Dragon.  The movie was much better once it started to rain and lots of people left. 

We are excited for the summer of adventure that waits for us.  If any of our Utah friends are up for an adventure, please let us know...we would love some company. 

Blackberries

Today I visited the Happy Berry Farm and picked over 4 lbs of blackberries.  This was my first time picking blackberries.  My fingers were dyed red and covered with little thorns when I finished.  It was worth it ...when I came home I made some blackberry ice cream.  I could have used Seth's help as all the really ripe berries were up very high.  Seth has started his summer internship and I am still here in South Carolina.  I can't wait to be done with my work and back with my handsome husband.  By the time we are reunited we will have been apart 21 out of 25 days.

As a side note I forgot a little story about Charleston.  On Saturday night we went out to dinner to Rue de Jean.  We ordered the Plateaux de Fruts de Mer (crab cocktail, oysters, shrimp, clams, lobster and a trio of sauces).  It looked a little something like this... 

After one oyster each we discovered we do not like oysters...Seth dared me to eat one more and I chocked it down.  It was sad to see so much food go to waste.  I later discovered that most people swallow oysters whole...am I the only one that thinks this is totally weird.  Oysters are expensive and most people don't even taste them.  Seth and I hope to never taste one again.