The Thanksgiving Point Tulip Festival
Just down the hill from the low range of mountains dividing the Salt Lake valley from the Utah valley, known as Point-of-the-Mountain, is a newly established area of gardens and other attractions called Thanksgiving Point. With the nice spring weather coming on, their Tulip Festival started a few days ago. We purchased an annual membership and went to the gardens where many varieties of tulips were at their peak.

The gardens occupy a large area, maybe a mile long, and though not now as meticulously planted and attractive as the Japanese Gardens in Portland, Oregon, over the years Thanksgiving Point will become equal in fame. The garden area dips down a small valley and in part of it they have built a large pond with waterfalls cascading into it, and bridges and a walkway on the top with a metal moose by the upper stream. Huge pumps there must be to cycle the water up and over the falls again.

All in all, a very decent excursion, only about 15 minutes from the house, and on a sunny warm day just before the storms that have rolled in today.

Why They Call it Riverwalk
Springtime is coming to northern Utah and with it, 70 degree temperatures (in between storms) and lawns that burst into growth. We just planted 5 fruit trees in a great patch of lawn along the north front side of the house (2 peaches, an apricot, a 4-in-one grafted cherry tree, and a 4-in-one grafted apple tree. We also got the lawnmower started and found out just how much thick bluegrass we have in front of the house. In the back there are garden boxes, a patio, and an area with a playset left by the previous owners along with a fenced dog run that has been turned into a raspberry patch, but no lawn. Along with our culinary water, there is a second water line that has been newly installed for irrigation which is supposed to be turned on by now, but isn't yet. For a flat fee to the city, we can use as much irrigation water as we want. At least we don't have the water problems that existed in New Mexico, though I did hear of one dry year when they cut back on use.

Riverwalk Drive runs right along the American Fork stream which comes out of a mountain canyon a few miles north of here, and one of the nice things that has newly happened is the city's construction of a walking path along the river, with railings and gabion (wire baskets containing rocks) emplacements along the bank where needed. The Santa Fe County public works department used this type of construction to contain erosion when I was there. The stream is twice the size of the Santa Fe river, and we gave some thought to possible floods when we bought our house in the top picture, but it is high enough above the stream that it was not considered to be in the flood plain.

Links in this Life and Beyond
Friday was a really busy day for us, starting early in the morning. All of Marolynn's family assembled at the Salt Lake Temple at 9 in the morning for two important ceremonies dealing with the binding together, or sealing of families. The first ceremony was for Marolynn's father and mother (by proxy as they passed away a year ago) and then Marolynn and two of her three sisters were sealed to her father and mother, making permanent and eternal this link in the family. The second ceremony and the object of festivities all day was the sealing or marriage of Milissa Butler, Marolynn's niece. All of Milissa's 12 brothers and sisters were present except Tyler who is serving a LDS spanish-speaking mission on the east coast. Afterward, the family retired outside for the photographer and cold, cold windy conditions (they call it "conference weather", with snows each night and cold days just before the April LDS conference)

Then at noon to a wedding lunch which was held at a meeting house. There is a popular restaurant here called Cafe Rio which challenges even the Santa Fe eateries for good food; particularly its pork salad; shredded pork with black beans and salad goodies with a lime-ranch dressing on a tortilla, topped by thin-cut tortilla strips. The recipe for this is making the rounds and the wedding lunch featured pork salad which was virtually the same as what the restaurant serves. Sooo good.

In the evening Marolynn helped out with the reception. I had noticed in the newspaper that there was a North German missionary reunion of those who served in my time period, 1961-63, and through 1970. I ran up to that but was disappointed in that the few that were there served after I did. I wondered about that because my Mission president had to be nearly 100 years old, but he's passed on, so that hopeful link to the past didn't materialize. The president after him (a younger man) was there). So back to the wedding reception and so many rich goodies to eat. I had to back away, saying to myself no more because I can't handle the sugar content. Marolynn, her neice Christie, and youngest sister, Susan are in the picture above. We got home late in the evening and tired.