Philadelphia a Historic City

Philadelphia is a great place for anyone interested in US history. This was my second visit to Philadelphia and once again I was drawn to the historical buildings, especially Independence Hall. Where else can you stand where our country was, quite literally, created? Thinking about the Declaration of Independency and the Constitution reminds me of two “literary” works; Miracle at Philadelphia and the Broadway musical 1776. I read Miracle at Philadelphia when I was taking a US history class. It was a good read and I enjoyed it. The musical 1776 is one of my favorites. I’ve always been interested in the people who helped form our country and the musical is an enjoyable way to look at these people with a lively and human twist. I only spent an hour or so at the hall and would love to spend more time enjoying the history, finding the perfect picture, thinking about the past, and contemplating the future. (Right - Independence Hall)

Assembly Room - Independence Hall

Assembly Room - Independence Hall

Detail in Independence Hall

Stair to attic in Independence Hall

Detail in Independence Hall

City Hall - Philadelphia

Library Hall - The first public library (1789). The building in my photograph was built in the 20th century based on the 18th century building. Unfortunately it was closed when I was there... You know I like a good library. :)

Chilly in Philly

Friday night I had the pleasure to go for a walk around town with my brother-in-law's sister. She lives in Philadelphia and had some great things to tell me and show me. It was nice to have someone just to walk around with and talk about this and that. Here are some night pictures that I took. Oh, and it was pretty Chilly in Philly that night. (Above picture - Near the Old Philadelphia Exchange and City Tavern)

Old Cemetry

Second Bank of the United States

"The Signer" a statue by Evangelos Frudakis

Philadelphia - City of Brotherly Love

I'm in Philadelphia for a few days. I'm speaking at two workshops here in town. It is nice to be back; last time we stopped in Philadelphia it was too short of a visit. :) My hotel is at Penn's Landing and my room has great views of the Ben Franklin Bridge and the city (you can even see Independence Hall from my windows). After getting settled in I went for a little walk past some of the historic buildings. It was very cold though so I didn't stay out very long. My main destination was Independence Hall (picture to the right). I think this is a very cool building; it was here that the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were debated, created, drafted and signed. Right across the street is the building that houses the Liberty Bell; it is arranged in such a way that you can see the bell from outside as well as inside (see last picture).

Philadelphia from my hotel window

Ben Franklin Bridge from my hotel window

Liberty Bell

Presidents' Day

I took this picture in honor of Presidents' Day and Lincoln's 200th Birthday. It is a very large bust of Lincoln that sits in the Utah State Capitol Building.

Fillmore and Cove Fort

On the way back to Salt Lake City we stopped at a couple historical places. We stopped at Cove Fort which was built in the 1860's and is a charming place. We stopped in Fillmore as well. It was the territorial capitol of Utah for a while. I like the basement (to the right). They have portraits of people who used to live in or around Fillmore; it was a striking place with the stone foundation walls, the pipes and the black and photographs.

Old State House - Fillmore, Utah

Hinckley family log cabin - Cove Fort, Utah

The inside of Cove Fort; twelve rooms, twelve fireplaces, toilets out back - Cove Fort, Utah

Hoover Dam and Italian Gelato

The Hoover Dam is not far from Las Vegas. We decided to drive out there and check it out. The dam was completed in 1935 and has some great Art Deco details (like the statute to the right). The dam serves for many things. It supplies electricity and water for the surrounding area. It provides space for water activities. It is a tourist attraction and it is one of the major routes from Nevada to Arizona. The traffic was backed up at least 6 miles; there is only one lane each way going across the dam. They are currently building a bridge just south of the dam. It looks like it will be a very cool bridge. They have both ends finished and have started the huge arch! It is fun to see them working on it. I'm sure it will have a great view of the Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and Colorado River.

The Hoover Dam

On the way back to Las Vegas the idea of a treat came into mind... GELATO! And what better place to get Gelato then Venice? In our case, being in the middle of the desert and not in Italy, we had to settle with going to the Venetian on the Strip. The price was a little high, but the selection was very good. It was so hard to choose that I ended up with three flavors. The first was a kind I had never tried, Pumpkin. It was really good and summoned memories of Thanksgiving. The other two are two of my favorite and great together, Hazel Nut and Pistachio. After being in Italy I fell in love with those two favors, but I that combination doesn't always make me think of Italy. More often it makes me think of Barcelona and a pleasant warm evening walking through the park while eating some of the best gelato ever! :)

The Venetian - Las Vegas, Nevada

Ghost Town! - Grafton, Utah

Grafton, Utah - Along the banks of the Virgin River, just outside of Zion National Park, down a long muddy dirt road, you'll find the remains of the town of Grafton Utah. It was founded in the 1860's in an attempt to grow cotton in Utah's Dixie. The town was literally washed away only a few years after it was founded. The people of Grafton moved upstream a couple miles to where the remains of town are found today. By the early 20th century the town was abandoned and became a ghost town. It is an interesting experience visiting a ghost town. It makes one think about why we build things and why we abandon things. It shows that some things last much longer than the people who build them and yet much of what we hold dear is actually very fleeting and fragile.

Reflection in Grafton, Utah - Ghost Town

Grafton, Utah - The Ghost Town
(I love the ghostly shadows and clouds in this photograph)

Happy New Years!!! 2009

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! This year I was in Las Vegas for New Years Eve. After walking around, seeing the sites, and people watching, we stood in front of the fountains at Bellagio. This is by far my favorite place in Vegas. One of my first Spring Break trips was to Vegas and the fountains are as amazing now as they were then. The fountains are set to music and are a simple and refreshing form of entertainment. I love watching people's reactions to the fountains. Looking around at the other people was like looking into the humantity; there were people of all shapes, sizes, colors, nationalities, backgrounds, social positions, etc. There were people singing to the music, dancing, laughing, smiling, and watching with wide eyes. The song doesn't last more than a couple of minutes, but during that time life is good and humantity is happy. I hope that 2009 brings more happiness to humantity and that we can stop and see the beautiful things around us... and that we don't forget that humantity is one of the most beautiful things around us... HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Fountains at Bellagio - My favorite spot in Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas Boulevard

Las Vegas, Nevada

Happy New Years! 2009!

My Family Cabin in the Unitahs

We went to my family cabin today to close it up for the winter. We have to do this every year so the pipes do freeze, windows don't get buried and broken in the snow and to do some light cleaning. I had not been to the cabin this year... So, I was very happy to be up there for a bit. It is a very pleasant place to be; full of beauty and childhood memories. Most of the colorful leaves were gone, but the willows have changed to beautiful reds, ambers, yellows, rusts and purples. I'm afraid the lighting wasn't the greatest, but I did manage to get a few good shots. I hope you enjoy them. (The picture to the right is from the river bottoms looking east at Gravel Mountain.)

The Weber River

The Willows

Tree below the cabin

The Weber River

Gravel Mountain - I love the sky in this picture.

The Weber River

Atlanta, Georgia - World Languages Presentation

I went to Atlanta, Georgia, for a presentation I gave and was there for the last few days of Fall Break. The presentation went well and there were some important people from several important southern universities there. I've flown through Atlanta a lot, but this was the first time for me to actually stay in town for a few days. I was busy during the day, but was able to go out a bit at night. An old buddy of mine from USU works in GA now and so we hangout a little and luckily he was fine with me taking a lot of pictures. :) A few of my favor things were the Magaret Mitchell House (She wrote Gone with the Wind), the High Museum, the Midtown skyline, the Thai food, and have a little time to unwind. Here are some pictures of the highlights from the beautiful Atlanta.

The High Museum of Art - Atlanta Georgia

These three pictures are of an awesome statue outside the High Museum. The larger figure is made up of smaller figures that look like the little wooden figures artists use. It looks incredible at night with the lighting. Hope you enjoy!

Statue outside the High Museum

Statues ouside the High Museum

Midtown Atlanta, GA

Port Angeles, Washington

My sister and her family just moved to Port Angeles, WA. It is a nice little city that is very close to some amazing natural beauty. This was our home base during Fall Break as we explored and had a great time. Apart from the great picture oportunities, I really enjoyed hanging out with my sister and brother-in-law and playing with my adorable nephews. The three pictures I'm posting are on the water front in/near Port Angeles. It was a beautiful morning and the lighting was incredible.

Port Angeles, Washington - The Docks

The morning mist hanging over Port Angeles

Out on the boat look back toward Port Angeles

Canada! Victoria, British Columbia

Today is Thanksgiving Day in Canada. We took the ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria (British Columbia). As we walked out of the customs house, we were greeted by three ladies all dressed up in Victorian clothing. They welcomed us the Victoria wished us a Happy Thanksgiving and even gave us some treats. It was a nice welcoming party and made me think about what kind of welcome people receive when they visit the USA. I also think it is fitting that they were wearing Victorian dresses, and that we were in Victoria, and that we soon found a statue of Queen Victoria in front of the Parliament Building. (See photo to the right)

The British Columbia Parliament Building is very stately with its copper domes and impressive stonework. It was built in 1893 and was designed by Francis Rattenbury who was only 25 years old at the time. There are totem poles that tower above the grounds and not far away there is another kind of tower… We here it before we saw it… The Netherlands Centennial Carillon (see last photo) was built in the 1960’s and has 62 bells.

British Columbia Parliament Building - Victoria

Parliament Building with Totem Pole

Netherlands Centennial Carillon (Bell Tower) - Victoria, British Columbia

***

One of my favorite spots in Victoria is Beacon Hill. It is a huge park on a hill. It gets its name from the beacons that shine out to sea. It is a photographer’s and walker’s paradise. It also has a pretty cool play ground. I’m including a couple of my favorite pictures. You’ll notice that they all have a common theme which is leaves and water. They say a picture is worth a thousand words so I’m going to let these three do the talking. Hope you enjoy!

Beacon Hill Park - Duck Pond

Waterfall - Beacon Hill

Rain Drops on Leaves - Beacon Hill Park