Abandoned

In addition to hunting for barns across Utah and Texas, I have also acquired a great love of old, abandoned homes.  Craig and I saw this one last weekend while we were in Morgan, UT.  Isn't it amazing?  Wouldn't you just love to know the people who lived in it?  And built it?  And worked the farm that it sits on?  And wouldn't you just love to see what it looked like 50 years ago?

We drove down the main road and almost missed it because nature has just about overtaken it.  But I caught a glimpse of something in the rearview mirror and screamed for Craig to stop and go back.  yep, I actually did scream  And then I couldn't just sit in the car and take a quick picture; I had to get out and wander all around the entire property while Craig patiently waited for me to take ten million pictures.  

I'm sure this house was absolutely spectacular in its prime.  And I was really, really tempted walk into what used to be the front door and just look inside.  There was an opening in the front gate, too, so I could have.  But there was SO much overgrowth and the bushes were so full of animal life that I didn't dare disrupt anything by walking in.  And, honestly, it was hard to tell if all the shufflings coming from those bushes were human feet or just really big squirrels.  Unfortunately, I couldn't talk Craig into trespassing with me, especially with Conference blaring on our radio, so I had to be content with just exterior pictures this time.  

I can't even explain my love for this new hobby I've taken on since the summer.  What on earth was I looking at all those 45 years before now?  It's shocking really to think of the things I must have missed.  What a huge blessing, though, to be able to have the time, the inclination and the equipment these days to wander around America and find treasures like this.  

Porterville Meetinghouse

While we were on our barn hunt last weekend, Craig and I found the most amazing treasure.  This beautiful thing is the Porterville Ward Meetinghouse in Morgan, UT.  It was constructed in 1898 and later dedicated in 1908 by Joseph F. Smith and housed a congregation of about 300.  In the 1940s, it was sold and converted into a private residence.    It was abandoned sometime after the 1970s, though, and heavily vandalized,  Later, in 2000 it was almost entirely destroyed by fire.  Only the exterior walls are still standing. The building is currently for sale...and don't think the thought didn't cross my mind a couple of times that we should purchase this amazing thing and attempt to bring it back to life.  :)

This is a picture I found of the church with its roof in tact...

And this is a painting of the building that was done in 1948 by LeConte Stewart...

This beautiful historic building and one other abandoned house that we also found in Morgan were my two favorite finds of the whole hunt.  I lingered with both of them for a really long time, and would have LOVED to have gone inside and taken a few pictures.  Too bad I wasn't brave enough...or skinny enough...to wriggle through that wrought iron fence surrounding the whole thing.  

Utah Barn Hunting

While Craig and I were in Utah, we planned an extensive barn hunt. 

We got up early and spent the entire day driving through parts of Utah that neither of us had ever been to before. It was an absolutely gorgeous day and it was so much fun to just wander aimlessly.  

Here are a few things I discovered on that adventure, in addition to the barns and beautiful scenery...

1.  I'm convinced that I would never get tired of driving around, exploring and taking pictures.  Ever.  We left the hotel at 7:00am Saturday morning and got back at 3:00ish that afternoon, and I was disappointed to have to stop.  That's how you can tell you really love something, I think...when you could just keep doing it for hours and days at a time and never grow tired of it.  

2.  It was hard to concentrate on hunting while General Conference was on the radio.  You'd think putting two things that I love together would equal something proportionately great, but it was actually a bit of a conflict in my head.  How do you choose between listening to an awesome Conference talk or stopping to get out and wander through some beautiful abandoned thing? Impossibly difficult.   

3.  I like what I like.  Craig tried to point out things that were interesting to him.  He really likes windmills, rivers, and those beautiful homes that sit on the benches up in the mountains.  I like interesting-shaped barns that sit all by themselves in the middle of fields with mountains and sky behind them.  Uncluttered.  I like flowers, fences, farm equipment, and houses that are falling apart.  Oh, and as of this trip, I have added cows, sheep and llamas to that list, but not herds of them...just their cute faces.    

4.  The more I hunt, within Utah and outside of it, the more I realize that there is no place on earth as beautiful as Cache Valley.  There just isn't.

Cub Scout Farewell

Today, I made my last official treats for my last official Cub Scout event.  The boys had the annual Rain Gutter Regatta for their pack meeting tonight, and since I've officially been released as the Webelos den leader, and since McKay is no longer a Cub Scout, this is my LAST CUB SCOUT EVENT.  I'm not entirely sad about that.  I really loved being in there with McKay, but as soon as he graduated to Boy Scouts, I was a little bit ready to go with him...well, not to Boy Scouts.  Thankfully that wasn't an option.   

I'm so grateful that McKay and I had an awesome experience in Cub Scouts together.  And I'm equally grateful that he's now ready to move on to the next stage of scouting.  What a great group of older boys he gets to associate with.  And that Scout Master is pretty great, too.  

Lens Envy

Last Christmas, Craig gave me the lens of my dreams.  It's practical.  it's compact.  It's versatile.  It's efficient.  And since then it has lived on my camera 90% of the time.  

Over the weekend, we flew to Utah (I will write more about this trip later) and since I knew the weather was going to be beautiful, I brought my camera with my favorite lens, and we planned an extensive barn hunt for Saturday.  

I woke Craig up at 6:30 that morning and then hurried him through breakfast and out the door to chase down the sunrise which, according to my phone, was happening at 7:26am.  We drove about 10 miles to the Saltair Pavillion on the Great Salt Lake.  With camera in hand and iPhone in my pocket, I jumped out of the car and immediately started wandering the vast parking lot looking for the perfect view of the sun coming up over the mountains. 

I had asked Craig if he wanted to come with me to explore, but he said it was too cold.  (I totally should have been suspicious...since when is the Scout Master too cold to explore the great outdoors??)  After about 10 minutes, I saw Craig wandering across the parking lot toward me carrying what I thought was one of my other lenses.  He suggested I try a few shots with it.  Why would I want to do that?  I argued about how comfortable I was with my 50mm.  I argued that I sometimes don't trust my ability with those other lenses because my pictures are notoriously blurry.  And I argued that even if I was farther away than I wanted to be, I could always fix that with some good editing.  But he insisted that I change lenses.  Ugh...since when did he elect himself my lens caddy?  I reluctantly took the lens from him and could tell as soon as I hefted the thing that it wasn't one of mine.  It was way too heavy and completely unfamiliar...  

Do you know why???  Because it wasn't one of my lenses!  Craig bought me the 300mm Zoom lens that I have been asking for since 2011!!!  He really did.  He bought it on a business trip last week, and then he packed it secretly and carried the thing around with him until he found the perfect opportunity to surprise me with it.  Isn't that the nicest thing ever??  I almost cried right there in the parking lot.

And look at the amazing pictures I took with it for the rest of the day... 

That balloon was at least 1/4 of a mile in the sky.  And those sheep were NOT close enough to touch...it just looks like it because I now have a 300mm ZOOM lens!  Holy cow!  New photography doors and windows have all of a sudden been flung open.  I can't even wait to show you the rest of the amazing shots I got this weekend!  I love this new lens.  And I love my sweet husband for always being so thoughtful and for wanting to surprise me.  
Best. Surprise. Ever.  

Responsible Kids

It might surprise you to know that Craig and I haven't taken a trip alone together in...um, a few years?  I think the last time was when we went to Hawaii in January 2011.  And you might also be surprised to know that we've never left our kids home by themselves...not even overnight.  

So our trip to Utah last weekend was a pretty big deal.  

Mostly, I was really excited about it the entire three months that we planned it...until about 24 hours before I left.

There's no logical reason for me not to love packing, but I really just don't.  Too many decisions.  Too hard to choose just a few things to bring.  I procrastinated until the last possible minute, and then had to leave for the longest DMCO rehearsal ever in the history of rehearsals.  Which meant that I had a lot left to do when I got home at 10:45 Thursday night.

I divided up the absolute necessities for the weekend and put one child in charge of each category.  Savannah was in charge of the schedule and transportation.  

Megan was in charge of food...

Emma was in charge of trash and Family Prayer.  And McKay was in charge of security and feeding Fishy.

But I let them all know ahead of time that the only expectation I had for their weekend was that they all still be alive at the end of it.  I told them no one was in charge; they just needed to be responsible for themselves.  I told them not to worry about chores, or getting to bed on time, or even watching General Conference.  I left all that stuff entirely up to them.  

And guess what...not only were they alive when we came home...they were happy.  Not only was my house still standing...it was cleaner than I had left it at 4:00 Friday morning. 

Savannah found a game on Pinterest so that Conference would be more fun to watch.  Everyone made it to all their activities on Saturday.  They ate decent food.  They took their jobs seriously.  They had a giant sleepover in the TV room because they watched the entire 3rd season of Monk together on Friday night.  Craig and I got exactly ZERO texts from distressed or arguing siblings.  Our neighbors didn't have to rescue anyone.  And the kids all missed us so much that they haven't left our sides since we got home Monday afternoon.     

It's such a relief to know that our kids do better on their own than they do with us here.  We had a great long weekend in Utah, and now that we know how capable our children are, we may have to fly around on a few more adventures in the future.