Back in Bend

(Note to Bendites) Web access it limited, so if, for any strange or nefarious reason the phone might be faster – 815-5531)

Can’t believe it’s been so long since we’ve written. We be behind!

We loved the Cadillac Ranch at Bluff, Utah. Took a 500 mile side trip to Flagstaff to the fabric store and stopped to look at the Grand Canyon on the way. It was okay. After the spiritual intimacy of Canyon de Chelly, the Grand Canyon is sort of … grand, I guess. It is so big it reminded me of what my little brother said when he saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time – “where is it?” We are accustomed to having edges on our space; edges define our world. The edges of the GC are hard to see, especially on a hazy day. There is a lot of haze in the Grand Canyon, apparently blowing in from southern California.

But the fabric store was great, and I’m stocked up on project material, and the side trips from Bluff were really good. Jason has been great about putting captions on the pictures we send to the website. A lot of them are a little screwy, and end up even screwier. That’s okay, though. I do keep meaning to edit his comments about Canyon de Chelly, however, as we were pretty profoundly impressed by its beauty and it wasn’t screwy. (But we didn’t tell him that until later.)

We left Bluff on May 18 and headed up to Northeastern Utah. Going from Page, AZ to Duchesne, UT, we found ourselves going up Indian Canyon, 8,500 feet up!! Cygnus did really well; Dave did really well; I did so-so. It was awful. The next day I hurt all over from the full-body clench and using the phantom brake.

We spent a couple of days in Vernal, Utah, finishing up our Indian ruins study at the Macreadie Ranch, looking at the petroglyphs. These ‘glyphs are on private property and the “trails” are very primitive – lots of climbing and scrambling over boulders. But worth it. Some of the most distinctive rock art we have seen; stick figures decorated with headdresses, breast plates and jewelry.

Our daughter-in-law comes from this part of Utah, and we were glad to see it. We had no idea it would be so agricultural. This country is probably greener than usual because of heavy rains and a flood-warning runoff, but it’s really beautiful. Jamie’s family lives two towns away. We couldn’t hook up with them this time,but will catch them next trip. (Jamie remembers riding the bus down Indian Canyon for basketball/volleyball meets in high school and just lying down on the seat and praying!)

We got to Logan in time to help Susie turn nine. It was a great visit. I got to cook for a family of more than two, and Jamie let me dig and plant wherever I wanted. Jason’s shop (with Davey’s old tools) is next to the bus, so he puttered happily. In early June we had a snowstorm that made us remember January, but it passed and the weather was mostly sunny. Logan is a pretty little town; it’s nice to walk on sidewalks. Dave rode with the Cache Valley Veloists.

All the Swan girls are very artistic. Becca’s drawings show how she viewed our visit. Grampa was definitely busier than Gramma! We got to go to both Susie and Becca’s end-of-year school conferences. Katie helped me cook. And we got the best baby-fix with Xander. He is a beautiful baby – looks like Katie except boyish – very strong and such a happy baby. Jason and Jamie can be very proud of their family.

J and J took us to Pickleville to eat barbecue and see the P’ville Theatre’s summer fare, a musical melodrama. It was a real hoot; we loved it!

So here we are, 5,084 miles later, back in Bend. We’re doing our annual doctor visits, facing up to taxes, replacing the refrigerator, and giving Davey time to train for the Idaho Bike Ride July 3lst. I’ll be spending a week or so with my Mother in early July and we’ll be visiting son Kevin and friends.

We’re at the Scandia RV Park on south Hwy 97, lucky to find a space anywhere in the county for a six week stay. The RV Rally in July has booked everything solid. The Scandia (formerly Lowe’s Trailer Park) suits us. It has a newer addition and the old funk part where I delivered Jason’s paper route when he was on the ski team in high school. Same trailers! We are in the newer addition, right next to Wendy’s parking lot. It is nice to be back in the pines, although we haven’t missed it. Dave is trying hard not to complain about the cold, but we can’t take the quilts off. The Bulletin delivery starts tomorrow and I have a place to hang a bird feeder. Life is good.

Love to all,

Sam