Up the White Pine Trail

We've been stuck indoors for most of the week.  But, thanks to Mark, EDO enjoyed a good hike at White Pine on Thursday.  It rained a little as we started up, but when we got to our turn-around point, the sun was bright again.

Drawing a Crowd

The new Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA) is one of the best venues in the state.  Last year, when it opened, VSO was featured as a member of the Arts Afire paint-out that was originally hosted by the Cedar Breaks National Monument.  This year, it evolved into a 12 person juried event called Chasing Light.  Whatever they want to call it, I always enjoy seeing VSO's work on the big stage, so to speak.  Here she was last night, drawing a crowd.

Best You've Seen

Sometimes you get home, download the pictures from your camera, and realize that they are some of the best ever:  Some of the best you've ever made and some of the best you've ever seen.  And it is no credit to you.  As I've said before, with a digital camera it is simply a matter of being in the right place at the right time.  After that, the software does the rest.  In any case, Cedar Breaks has never looked this good.

Magazine Quality

A couple of months ago, a friend of a friend described one of my pictures as "magazine quality."  I like the scenery in that one too, but the subject is the little-engine-that-could.  What if I made one with great scenery, plus a truly photogenic subject?  Like the old man?  No?

OK.  How about this one?

Or this?

BHF

For the past two weeks, we've been able to watch the Brian Head Fire from our front yard.  The fire perimeter has reached 60,000 acres and, while I don't think it will grow much larger, this is probably the largest fire we've had on the Markagunt for about the past 200 years.  The easy answer, and the one that local politicians enjoy spouting, is that fire is the result of mismanagement.  If you've ever walked in these woods, though, it quickly becomes obvious that they were shaped by fire:  Every inch of them has burned in the past.  And every inch of them will burn in the future.  It is not a matter of if, just when.