Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Late posting, as usual

It's been a few days since last posting. I actually have an explanation for that, other than procrastination.
After getting back from vacation Monday, my wife came down with a sinus infection and mild bronchitis, I got an inner ear infection that I am just now getting over, with the aid of a buttcheek full of antibiotics and some pain pills and more antibiotics. My wife is still getting over her sinus problems, but is feeling better.

*********************************************

Our trip went fairly well; the temperatures were reasonable, and we didn't get rained on.
We went down to south central Utah, basing ourselves in the small town of Torrey. It's a quiet place that has grown quite a bit during the past few years, but is still small. It sits at the base of the Aquarius Plateau, which feeds the rivers in all directions in that area of Utah, so in a few minutes you can drive up to an alpine environment, or wander around in the desert, depending on temperature, time of day, and mood.

Double-click on any picture for full size.

This is a picture of the area from about halfway near the top of the Aquarius Plateau.



We did a bit of hiking in the river canyons by Escalante, and spent quite a bit of time in Capitol Reef.





At Capitol Reef, they have parts of an old community. There are a lot of cottonwood trees around, which are ubiquitous to the desert areas. Some are quite big, and very old, as you can see from this photo.



There are also a lot of these guys, who tend to hang out in the old orchards there. Since there is no hunting allowed in the park, they tend to get very tolerant of tourists.









This is the cabin of Elijah Cutler Behunin, built in 1882, for his family of ten. A rising river wiped out their crops and they had to leave.



This school house was built on land donated by Behunin; it operated from 1896 to 1941. I managed to get a shot through a window; they have tried to keep it looking like it once did.





Here we have remains of older settlers; the Fremont Indians. The Fremont lived in the area from 600 - 1100 AD. It is thought that the Fremont were the ancestors of today's Utes and Southern Paiutes.





*********************************************

Interesting political developments. I'm not really sure that Biden was a good choice for Golden Boy's campaign. Of course, I am fairly confident that The Coot will do just as badly at choosing a VP. If he doesn't, I'll be very surprised.

A few quotes on government; there are a lot of good ones out there, but we'd probably run out of room.

“Democracy is little more than the system by which 51 percent of the people can pee in the cornflakes of 49 percent of the people.”
-Jonah Goldberg

"It could probably be shown by facts and figures that there is no distinctly American criminal class except Congress."
-Mark Twain

"The difference between death and taxes is death doesn't get worse every time Congress meets."
- Will Rogers

"The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance.”
-Marcus Tullius Cicero

"We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office."
- Aesop

"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have."
-Thomas Jefferson

"It is terrible to contemplate how few politicians are hanged."
-G.K. Chesterton


*********************************************

Have been listening to a lot of dusty old songs, a lot of these in the top ten are probably way before the time of most of you. Anyone familiar with all of them?

"Sukiyaki" by Kyu Sakamoto
"Wichita Lineman" by Glen Campbell
"It's Only Make Believe" by Conway Twitty
"(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding
"Understand Your Man" by Johnny Cash
"I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye
"Baby Don't Do Me Wrong" by John Lee Hooker
"It Doesn't Matter Anymore" by Buddy Holly
"I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" by Hank Williams
"Both Sides Now" by Judy Collins

10 comments:

none said...

Glad you guys are feeling better.

those pics are fantastic. I'm going to make that one of my future driving trips.

That deer has a goofy look on his face.

AlanDP said...

I have some of those in the collection. Did you know the words & music for "I'm So Lonesome" and "Amazing Grace" are interchangeable?

gregor said...

Wichita Lineman is one of the most haunting songs ever written. The picture it paints is so vivid and real and the comparison between an seemingly endless task and seemingly unrequited love is astounding.

Anonymous said...

Sorry to hear you both were ill! I'm glad you're feeling better.

Those pictures are absolutely amazing and it looks like a place I would love to visit someday. Thanks for sharing. I feel like I've just been on a mini-vacation!

I guess it's a sign I'm getting old... I see a few familiar songs. "It's only make believe" is one I've always loved, as well as "Heard it through the grapevine."

"I'm so lonesome I could cry" brings back memories too. My uncle/godfather LOVED Hank Williams.

Anonymous said...

Im just getting over strep throat myself.

I never saw deer so up close and willing to be around people like that. In one photo a deer looks like she's talking to the camera! Thats my favorite picture!

Glad you had a nice time!

GeologyJoe said...

imagine a family of 10 in that little cabin. yikes!

JDP said...

Enjoyed the photos BobG.

JDP

Thud said...

yet more places to add to my next utah trip!

Thud said...

yet more places to add to my next utah trip!

Comrade Misfit said...

My brother lives in Sandy, I'm going to have to get out there some day.