South Side

A winter storm warning is part of the forecast for tomorrow.  (Finally!  The good season returns.)  But, yesterday I was out on the South Side Trail in my t-shirt.  I think it will make a good mountain bike ride if we don't get too much snow.

Title Defense

The painting competition at the Escalante Canyons Art Festival includes a junior division.  EDO has participated for each of the past three years.  Last year she won best in show for her entry.  This year too!  Unfortunately, all I've seen so far is the thumbnail (above).  But, it was a successful title defense.  Pretty cool.

Texas Swing

One funny thing about Bob Wills is that he would often keep up a running background commentary on the Texas Playboys while they were singing.  Listen to him on "So Long, I'll See You Later" or "Roly Poly."  It just cracks me up.  But, it actually sounds pretty good, too.  It is very melodic and well-timed.  At any rate, we took our inspiration from Bob on this one.  I think the girls did a great job of coming up with a sweet little harmony.  I tried to imitate Wills with the background commentary, but I have neither his timing nor his melodies.  Listen here.

Scouting

Tony said that he would help me get my wood.  I will definitely take him up on it.  But, today was not really the day.  I did go out scouting near Poison Lake, but it was too late in the day and too hot for any wood cutting.  Until I saw this one.  A dead, dry, down, ponderosa pine, with no bark.  And I could drive to it.  Too good to pass up.  I made twenty cuts and loaded the rounds.  It was hot work, but I was done in ninety minutes.

Can't We All Just Get Along?

Maria says that she really likes the pictures from northern California (Sep 8 post, for example).  EDO doesn't think they are anything like as good as the ones from southern Utah (e.g., Sep 2 post).  Hopefully the two of them can agree on this pair.  I got turned around yesterday and ended up on the western cusp of the Great Basin, out towards Horse Lake.  I climbed a little ridge where I could look out towards the lake, above, and back towards the Honey Lake Valley, below.

Walker

The wet winter and lightning-free summer combined for a quiet fire season.  Until this week.  On Monday and Tuesday, storms brought several thousand strikes and ignited a few large fires.  The Walker Fire, above, is burning south of Antelope Lake and sending a steady flow of smoke over the valley.  Fortunately, its primary effect around town is to improve the picture making.

Labors

Today the girls labored mightily at the Iron County 5K:  VSO registered runners and collected fees while EDO did the running and collected ribbons (second place).

Afterwards, EDO drove me to Brian Head Peak (top, she passed her driver's test this week) and then we walked for a mile or two along the Breaks (bottom).

Lund

In the Escalante Desert there is an abandoned railroad depot that used to serve Cedar City, Utah.  We wrote a song about it.  EDO got most of it together, and then I added some lyrics for the third verse.  It is a fun little country number.  Listen here.

EDO Has a Motor

Today we made our annual pilgrimage to the Navajo Lake Loop Trail.  (Note to self:  The entire city of San Bernardino will be at Navajo on the Sunday of Labor Day Weekend and you may no longer go there.)  VSO is a good mountain bike rider and was probably the third fastest rider on the trail.  I took second place.  But EDO, who is on the high-school cross-country team and runs five or six miles per day, is suddenly riding at a different level.  I think the last time we rode Navajo together, I was in her group.  But, not anymore.  She was at home doing laundry before I reached the finish line.