Kennecott Utah Copper

Took a trip out to the Kennecott Copper mine last weekend. Oddly enough this was my first visit, despite growing up in Utah and living only a 30-minute drive away. I wasn't really sure what to expect, but found it fairly impressive and surprisingly educational.

Kennecott is the largest copper mine in the world and has produced more copper than any mine in history (18.1 million tons to be exact). It is also one of the only man-made wonders that can be seen by the space shuttle astronauts as they pass over the United States.



I never really thought about all the vast uses of copper. It's used in a myriad of electronics such as phones, computers and televisions. It's also used in automobile and airplane construction, as well as in the construction of our homes in our pipes, electric wiring and fixtures. None of this was actually news to me, but I never really appreciated how much we depend upon copper in our day to day lives.

Copper is even used as birth control in modern-day IUD's and is currently used by 160 million women world wide. That's not actually on the tour, I learned that somewhere else...but just goes to show that copper really is everywhere!



Inside the visitors center are many artifacts and relics from the mine's history. This is a miners paycheck from 1917.


Carbide gas lamps were used to provide underground light in the mines.


General Electric manufactured locomotives that were used in the copper mines from 1928 until the last one was phased out in 1980.


This was probably my favorite part of the visitors center....the Victory Flag Society Correspondence Collection from 1943-1946. The Victory Flag Society provided World War II service persons with news from home and of friends stationed around the world.

This collection of letters from service people was stored in a copper time capsule and buried beneath a war memorial that stood at the entrance to the Old Bingham High School in Copperton, Utah. When the school was closed, the memorial was moved and Kennecott Copper took possesion of the letters. They were very captivating to read, as I noticed that a some of these correspondence letters turned into romantic love letters as these men and women wrote back and forth.


I also loved seeing these old World War II propaganda booklets for women. So classic.

Kennecott definitely has that "field trip" kind of feel about it, but I really enjoyed learning about our states greatest resource and also some of it's history. If you've never been, it's definitely worth checking out.

What I Did On The Plane To Keep Me Sane

This is my first cross stitching project and all I can say is, I'm hooked! Now that I feel comfortable with it, I'm ready to move on to more advanced swear words and objectionable designs.

Vermont - Day Five: Reflections

We spent our last morning in St. Albans having a wonderful breakfast with Violet, Dan and Marie. Scrambled eggs and ham, fresh apples and berries and something called Breakfast Bread by Pepperidge Farms. I've never seen this bread back home, but it is absolutely delightful. We enjoyed a cinnamon apple variety...toasted with some melted butter. Lovely.

I've been noticing the great care that these folks put into setting the table. The forks, spoons and knives are always out and arranged in the proper manner. There are virtually no cartons or packages on the table...the sugar is in the sugar bowl, the cream in the creamer, the coffee in it's carafe. A place for everything and everything in it's place. For every meal. I think they do this, not to impress, but because this is how it's always been done. The art of setting a welcoming family table is a lost one, going the way of the Dodo along with the family meal. And I have to say, that these small efforts and details really do go a long way in creating a delightful setting to gather around as a family.

After breakfast, Dan shared with us his experience in the military during World War II. He regaled us with tales for at least an hour and we looked through old photo albums. It was a really pleasant way to end our visit.

It was hard to leave today. This trip has turned out to be much more than we ever expected, and I am leaving with a whole new clarity and with a sense of contentment and optimism. I can't wait until the next visit, but until then we will take advantage of technology to keep us in touch.


Dan, Violet, Marie, Jack, Pam, Brian, Kristin, Mike and Chris,

Thank you all for your enormous generosity and hospitality and for making us feel so very loved and welcome.

Vermont - Day Four

Today was a girls day of lunch and shopping in downtown St. Albans. Marie took Amy and I on a tour of the best shops where we found some great clothes, scarves and kitchen items to bring home!

We also enjoyed an in-depth and very illuminating conversation over lunch in which Marie filled us in on a bit more family history, particularly with the women. This was kind of the missing piece to the puzzle that we've been looking for and it answers a lot of questions about our recent family history. Though I've only just met Marie, I've formed a real connection to her over the last few days. We share so much in common and she is a very open-minded woman. I'm gonna miss having her around.

Dan, Mike and Nick also enjoyed a boys afternoon of lunch and who knows what. Whatever boys like to do. According to Nick, though, they had a very nice time.

Later that afternoon I took a small jaunt around town where I explored the very old St. Albans cemetery. I am completely fascinated by old cemeteries...I could have walked around that place for hours.

We spent our last night in Vermont hanging out with our cousins Mike, Brian and his wife Kristin, enjoying wine and music and good conversation. We all had a good laugh over the fact that none of us expected each other to be so close in age. From the way Dan and Violet talked, we expected them to be young children and they expected us to be in our sixties. We've all had enormous fun getting to know each other and I'm just so sorry we don't have more time to goof off together. We'll definitely be keeping in touch and tonight was a really great way to spend our last night here in Vermont.














And we were finally able to enjoy a beautiful Vermont sunset.

Vermont - Day Three

Today we hit the road with Violet and Jack and headed out to Lake Champlain and the Lake Champlain Islands. The Islands are a peninsula that run through the lake from Burlington, Vermont to Montreal, Quebec. There are five small towns that reside on the Islands where there are homes as well as shops and restaurants for visitors to enjoy.

Also along the way is an eight-mile detour to a small bridge that took us into Rouse Point, New York. Rouse Point is another small
town like St. Albans and those on the Islands. We had a nice little jaunt through town before moving on.



After our tour of the Islands we moved on to Burlington where we visited Church Street. This historical street is lined with shops and restaurants all nestled into wonderfully preserved buildings. We enjoyed a lovely lunch and saw a few sights before heading back to St. Albans for the day.















That evening we were treated to yet another superb family meal courtesy of Jack and Pam, complete with delicious food and more family stories and laughs.


This visit has been so therapeutic. It's been so overwhelmingly amazing to get in touch with these luminous people. We've heard so many times on this trip that we are pretty neat for making the trek across country just to meet them, but they have really given us so much more than the effort we put out to get here. They have given my sister and me something we've never really had....family. And my God, is it ever fun!

Just A Quickie

I'm far too exhausted tonight to recap our day, though I will as we had yet another fabulous day. For now, I'll just leave you with a few pictures....

This is my cousin Mike, who is an enormously talented musician. He played and sang for us this morning after breakfast, which completely made my day (back up dancing and ambiance provided by Cloe, the dog).

Cousin Jack (Mike's dad) also plays the guitar beautifully. He played for us this morning as well.

Another cousin, Elie, who's just seven months old. He and Nick were having some fun playing bouncy. In the background there is Elie's mom, Kristin. Talk about a gem. I could be total friends with that girl and I can't wait to get to know her better.

Cutest baby ever?? I think he may be a contender!

This is Jack and Pam's backyard. Fabulous! This snapshot features only a snippet of their seven-acre property. I was told today that, now that the kids are gone, the house seems too big for just the two of them. I'm going to apply to be adopted. Or maybe they need some live-in servants.

Okay, time for some sleep. Tomorrow's adventure: a ladies only afternoon of shopping and Italian dining. I'm not sure what the boys will be doing, but I suspect it will involve beer.

Vermont - Day Two

Our main reason for visiting Vermont is family. Specifically, our Great Aunt Violet and Great Uncle Dan and their two grown children, Jack and Marie. Dan and Violet are just the sweetest, most adorable people you'll ever meet and we have wonderful memories of their visits when we were children and it's been years since we've seen them. We've actually never met Jack or Marie or any of their children (who are also grown) and we're taking great advantage of the fact that they all live within minutes of each other out here.

It's been overwhelming to meet all these remarkable people who, upon meeting us and learning we are family, began treating us as if they've known us all their lives. Everyone has been taking turns preparing family meals and coming up with ideas of things for us to do. And they just talk and talk and laugh and talk, and you can really see the connection and love between these people. It just oozes from them. Overwhelming. And wonderful. This is the family I'd always wished I had growing up. Of course, they've always been my family, but living on the opposite side of the country we never had the opportunity to experience them.

We got out and about today and we started off with an antique car show that was conveniently located across the street from our hotel. Nick, Amy and I all have a fondness and appreciation for classic cars, Amy and I having been inspired by our grandfathers passion. It was quite enjoyable to look at all the effort and care that folks have put in to restoring these memorable machines. As we walked along, Nick gave us a bit of design history here and there and pointed out details of interest in the engines...that kid really knows his cars...and we talked to a few of the car owners and eaves-dropped on the groups of old men who were gathering to "bullshit". Quite entertaining.

After the car show we met up with Violet, Dan, Jack and his wife Pam and drove to the Shelburne Museum located in Lake Champlain Valley. Over 150,000 works are exhibited in this remarkable setting of 39 exhibition buildings, 25 of which are historic and were relocated to the Museum grounds. Impressionist paintings, folk art, quilts and textiles, decorative arts, furniture, American paintings and an array of 17th century to 20th century artifacts are all on view. It was a most unconventional museum, I've never seen anything like it before.

The grounds are absolutely stunning, I could have spent days there walking around or just sitting in the various gardens and soaking in the history and serenity. We enjoyed a guided shuttle tour of the grounds, where we were given some information and history about the various buildings and what was contained in them. We took some time to experience the Mary Cassatt and the Warren Kimble art exhibits as well as a fascinating exhibit of rare carousel animals and painted canvas panels from the museums 1902 carousel. We also toured the historical Locomotive 220 and the private rail car The Grand Isle, which carried such passengers as Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Franklin Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower.

The afternoon, though loads of fun, pooped us out and after enjoying a bit of rest at our hotel we met at Marie's house for dinner where we were yet again fed a wonderful home-cooked meal and regaled with laughter and family tales.

We have been told that tomorrow we will experience Jack's family famous Maine blueberry pancake breakfast. Complete, of course, with Vermont maple syrup.

Hello Vermont!

Okay, so day one in Vermont!

After a grueling day of travel yesterday, we finally arrived in the quaint historical town of St. Albans. Today was spent catching up with the family and meeting new family we didn't even know we had. And gracious, what an overwhelmingly remarkable group of people! Never have I been welcomed with such warmth and I am simply inspired by their infinite kindness and love. It breaks my heart that they are so far away but I'm so glad we decided to make the trek out here.

I plan to post lots of details and photos about my family and this charming little town. But for now....bed. It's been a long couple of days.

Goodnight everyone! And remember.....
















(needle-point by my great aunt Violet)

Tickled Pink

A lunch hour with nothing to do found me wandering into a new high-end consignment shop that opened down the street from work. I love consignment shopping. You just never know what you might find and it caters to my love of the unique.

I have been searching for a new purse for months, but nothing fit my criteria and I had given up my quest. As you can imagine, I was incredibly delighted to find this little gem:


It's everything I was looking for...compact size, top zip, not too many buckles and just the right amount of pockets. And, most importantly, hot pink! It's fun and it's practical...all for $19. *sigh* Life is good.

The one draw back to consignment shopping is that if you find something awesome and it's not in your size, you're out of luck. Nearly everything is one of a kind. I found the most adorable pair of pink flat shoes that matched this purse PERFECTLY! My heart was all a-flutter and I gasped in delight at the sight of them. Unfortunately, they were half a size too small. Just enough to make walking in them miserable. Bugger!

So now, of course, my new quest is a pair of hot pink flats. I think I know what I'm doing the rest of my vacation.

Kitchen!

Our big project for this week has been redecorating our kitchen. It was a pretty 'blah' room...white walls, white cabinets, white appliances. BORING!! So after a bit of paint and some new wall accents we've gone from this:


to this:


Much warmer! I'm just delighted with the willowy olive color. I've had the mirror for years, but we never could find a suitable place to hang it. It compliments that large wall nicely, I think and, according to Feng Shui, a mirror reflecting the dining table promotes prosperity. Still a bit unsure about the art on the east wall (on the right), but I'll look at it for a few days and see how I feel about it.

Still, it's nice to have some change. The dullness of that room had been driving me mad. I need color.

Tomorrow is my last day on vacation before returning to work. These past eight days have gone by in a flash, though I did get a lot accomplished (I ate a LOT more cookies than I had originally planned). However I am only returning for one week so another optician can go on her vacation. After which I am taking another eleven days off.

Yeah, I know....I'm getting spoiled this month with all my time off. I had originally planned to take the entire month of March off, but decided that wasn't entirely practical. This is a good balance. And I am very grateful.

My Vacation - Day 4

This is me and my new friend, R2. R2 belongs to my sister, Amy, and is just about the cutest bird ever. He loves to give kisses and is a real chatterbox. He says many phrases, but when he chatters, he really sounds like R2D2.

He's just super!

Amy and I spent the day together today shopping and just hangin' out. We started our day at the Hello Kitty store and bought ridiculously cute things like Hello Kitty Strawberry Gum, pens and temporary tattoos. Yay! We also enjoyed a lovely lunch at Paradise Bakery. Damn it, I love those chocolate chip cookies. All in all, a lovely afternoon shared by a couple of lovely gals, if I do say so myself. :)

Tomorrow, I paint the kitchen.

My Vacation - Day 1

Today kicked off a nine-day vacation from work. Having been with this company for eleven years now, I have earned a fair amount of paid time off, but over the past several years I've only used this time to be sick. So I'm taking some personal time. Time for me to relax, rejuvenate and have some fun. No vertigo. No vomiting. All body parts functioning. Word.

And so began my day. Started off beautiful...the sun was shining, it was 55 degrees and all the snow was gone. We turned off the heat and opened the windows, and I even pulled some skirts out of the back of my closet in anticipation of the Spring weather.

Then the winds came.

And a few hours later, it looked like this:

Bugger. Still, I enjoyed having the windows open while it lasted. And I enjoyed my afternoon of a bit of shopping for the house and lunch at Paradise Bakery with Nick. I also attended a baby shower for my friend Chiante', who is expecting her first child in a little over a month. I couldn't be more pleased for her.

This evening our friends Chris and Angie came over, who brought with them Thai food and Rock Band. The Thai was delicious, and the Rock Band...well...rocked!

Neither of us had ever played before, but we had a blast. Check me out. I'm rocking so hard I'm a blur! That's me on lead vocals, and I also tried my hands at the drums. Hitting things is awesome! Thanks again you guys for a super fun evening!

Tomorrow I plan to sleep until I wake up. No alarm clock. Then we'll see where the day takes me.

I'll leave you with this final thought: