Home update continued

We have started the next phase of the renewal process. All of the furniture and pictures were taken out of the front room and put in the dining area, the hallway and the back bedroom. The ceiling and walls were painted and new carpet was laid down.






























The pictures show the crowding that ensued.

The hallway



















The upstairs bedroom














Additionally, the family room was emptied to receive new carpet also (except for the computer desk).














The downstairs bedrooms and the utility area were used for storage.

Play the music fantastic

Sarah gave Mary a great birthday gift, that we used on November 13. She gave her two tickets to the TransSiberian Orchestra Holiday Concert in Salt Lake City. I developed an eye condition, we just couldn't "see" staying at work in the afternoon (still it was taken as the necessary vacation hours). John and Maria came down for the concert also. With Sarah's date, the six of us went to a great dinner at the Market Street Grill, near Sarah's apartment. Following the dinner, we drove to the concert, with several other hundred cars trying to arrive just-in-time.

The concert was fabulous. The music and musicians were outstanding. The staging was wonderful. The light and laser show added to the magic. I was entranced with the great story being told by music and by the engineering necessary to bring the show, instruments and voices to life. It is definitely a show worth going to each holiday season.

Thank you, Sarah, for such a great gift!

Moab vacation

Clark, Chelsea and Pearce flew in to Salt Lake on Friday, October 10th from Alaska for a vacation. Mary and I joined them, and John, Maria, Angela, Emma, and Keller, for a weekend in Moab. Mary and I were the base camp with our tent trailer. The evenings were cool, so the heater in the trailer was very welcome. Most of our meals were cooked outside and eaten in the trailer. I even did some biking in Moab ( on the paved roads, not on the trails - my bicycle is not a mountain bike). We left on Monday, October 13 to return home. A few pictures from the trip are below. More photographic evidence is available on my children's blogs. All in all, we had a WONDERFUL time. We hope to do it again next year over Columbus Day.

Mom and Dad at Delicate Arch in Arches National Park. This natural arch is on one version of the Utah license plates.











The cooking area next to the tent trailer.













The tent trailer, our home away from hard ground camping.












Breakfast in the trailer for Angela and Emma on a cold morning.












A lookout point that we rode our bikes to, from the base camp (after all, it was almost a mile away.











Views at sunset.