Manzanita Trail

The City of Brian Head has been building a trail on the north side of town above the highway.  Actually, a student conservation corps from Arizona is doing the digging.  But, either way, they have named it the "Manzanita Trail."  Based on these pictures, I would have called it the "Limber Trail."  Whatever you call it, it has several nice features.  First, being on the north side of Brian Head means that it is much closer to The Homestead than, say, Sidney Peaks.  Second, because the trail is on an east facing slope, it is generally shaded during the hot afternoon.  Third, though the slope is steep, the trail itself is moderate to flat, providing easy access to groves of limber and bristlecone.  And manzanita.

Burden-Come to Me

VSO really took the lead on this one.  She was enjoying some Amos Lee, and loved his lyrics.  But they also inspired her to respond; to tell the other side of the story as she imagined it.  EDO helped with the vocals, and I think the whole thing turned out very nicely.  Not really country or gospel, but more of a folk song.  It will bring a tear to your eye.  Listen here.

Smoking a Hog

The best way to deal with heavy smoke in town is to close the windows and run the A/C.  Unfortunately, there is no A/C at 420 Grand, only a swamp cooler.  I can't shut that off because it is 97F.  So, I'm sucking a lot of smoke.  The smoke is a product of the Hog Fire.  It makes me think that I'd rather have a smoked hog making dinner good than the smoke from a hog in the neighborhood.

DIY Carpet

The final flooring project at 420 Grand is the living room.  It has been in limbo for several months because I have not had a plan.  Everything I've researched is expensive and time consuming.  I finally settled on carpet tile.  The very cheapest tile options appeared to be thinner than a mouse pad, so I bought some Floorigami.  The brand claims that you can "transform your room in an afternoon."  This will take me several days, and I don't know that it looks very good—the tiles are not uniform.  But, it is something I can do and it isn't too expensive.

Moon Burst

I'm not sure I've ever watched fireworks along-side a full moon.  But, last night, just as the moon came over the ridge, the city display launched, too.  I suppose, if we had been up on the fairgrounds like most of the crowd, the moon would have been behind us, and would not have been competing with the show.  On the other hand, the moon was simply going about its quiet business, and was still doing so as the fairgrounds cleared out 30 minutes later.

Hard to Find a Place to Go

I know I've mentioned this before (probably many times), but I find it difficult to go outdoors during July.  The sun is relentless; there is no escaping its beating rays.  Even on the ridges, at 10,000 to 11,000 feet, the air feels hot.  Plus, for some reason, other people like to be out.  This is the season for swarming RVs and motor people.  There isn't any quiet corner, even in the back-country.  I guess you do what you can, and then spend the rest of the day under the air conditioner listening to Margo Price.