Sunday, January 14, 2024

A New Emmett Home

Announcing a new Emmett Home (Beit Emmett). 

I initially created this blog to document the year our family spent living in Jerusalem. I used Beit (pronounced like bate/bait)--the Arabic word for home (very similar to the Hebrew word Beth) because our home for that year would be at the BYU Jerusalem Center. After that year, I kept the blog and the name as an ongoing record of the Emmett family at home and away from home. 

This past summer we sold our beloved home in Springville. While that home was on the market, I scoured the Salt Lake Valley for a new home for me. At my side was realtor Ken Hansen whom I met years ago in Chicago. Together we spent many days touring homes from Day Break to Rose Park and from Holladay to Taylorsville. My ideal was a cute, updated bungalow in Salt Lake City with a garden and two bedrooms. My reality was that any home like that was beyond my budget. I missed out on a twin home in Holladay that fit the bill. For a while it seemed like condo living was my best option, but then one sunny July day we stopped at an open house in South Salt Lake. The home looked bungalow-ish and it had a lovely yard. I wasn't sold at first, but the more I looked, the more I realized it might be my best option. In my head I could imagine a back yard of tomatoes, peach trees and a raspberry patch. I could also imagine enough room for family gatherings and an extra room for kids to stay in when needed. 


First photos--to help in my decision making. 



When I returned for a second viewing, the brother of the owner, both of whom had grown up in the home, had stopped by to water the yard. He was very friendly. From him and later from his brother, I learned about the history of this home. It was built in 1927 and first used as a barracks. Then in the 1950s, it was scheduled to be demolished to make way for I-15. The make-do Mackie family decided to buy the structure and move it to their property on what was at the time a fairly rural and open part of the valley between 33rd and 39th south and State Street and 300 East. They were living in a small home (where the two sheds on the left are located) and needed more room--at the time several of the boys were sleeping in the white shed in the far right corner. The tan shed in the center was a barn used for cows, pigs and chickens. Behind it was a big vegetable garden. Their mother lived in the home until she passed away a few years ago. Then one of her sons and his wife moved in. They sold the house so they could retire to St. George. 

The cute mother's green house--needed to go before the pressed wood sides and corrugated roof all crumbled. 


The barn-turned-shop, not my thing. Also needs to go. 


Lovely porch, but the corrugated green siding also needs to go. 


Cozy living room. At the suggestion of many, it was decided the tan walls should become white and that the curtains should come down.


Back bedroom--added on along with the laundry room after its relocation. No heating or AC vents--hence the window AC for the summer and a space heater in the closet for winter use. 


Functional kitchen. Nothing is the house is plumb. Floors rise and ebb from room to room. 


I signed all the papers for the home on August 21st, but didn't plan to move in until the beginning of October after Will left for Mexico. That gave me time for some fixen up. 


My longtime friend Chad Godfrey arranged for a crew he uses in his work to do the demolition--with some help from me. First to come down was the green house. It was easy. The barn and the cemented in steel poles of the covered patio were a little harder. I kept three of the sheds for storage--since there is no garage and few closets in the home. 


I pulled nails and stacked much of the barn wood against the back fence to use in an eventual fire pit. 


Taking down the green house, patio and barn really opened up the yard. 


We filled this huge dumpster to the brim twice. That's cement from the floor of the barn. 


Next step was a fresh coat of white paint throughout the very tan looking interior. My brother Tom spearheaded this week long project with his son Alex and my brothers Bill and Bob helping out with all the prep work. 


White walls, followed by white shutters brightened up the whole house. 


Bob installed new streamline LED light fixtures in every room. 


For moving day I hired The Other Side--a non-profit that gives recovering addicts a place to live and a job to keep busy (highly recommended). They first emptied out my Provo Apartment--big job was the player piano which they moved with great skill. 



Then my storage unit. And then some final things from the Springville home. The truck was stuffed full. Too many books. Anybody want a free set of 60 years of National Geographics? 


The nice family offered to leave behind the beige couch, red rug and red leather chest-- I accepted. 


It took a few months to get everything unpacked, sorted and settled. Plus pictures and photos hung and having blinds installed. It's an eclectic mix of things from my parent's home, from our Springville home, from my BYU office. 






Guest bedroom


 Office


Office and back bedroom.


Primary bedroom. 






I had a big stump removed in the front yard. 


I planted a columnar blue Atlas cedar in its place. The first tree of what will be many in the yard. 


I also planted two curl leaf mountain mahogany trees, plus iris from our Springville home in the front yard. I plan to xeriscape the whole yard. Anyone want to haul away some free sod next spring? 


Had two loads of top soil/mulch delivered, which now fills in where the shed and patio were located. 


I can hardly wait for spring planting. 





Sunday, December 10, 2023

New Mexico and West Texas (including four National Parks)

 


I took a New Mexico and west Texas road trip the week before Thanksgiving. My quest was to visit four national parks (three for the first time) and whatever else along the way looked interesting. I drove to Chama, New Mexico the first day.


I think I was the only guest that night in the old Chama Hotel. 


Most people come to Chama in the summer and fall to ride the old railroad .



Day two I headed south on highway 54. Destination the beautiful (setting and structure) Monastery of Christ in the Desert. It is tucked far away 13 miles down a dirt road that follows the Chama River.








Benedictine "Prayer Roll". 






Love the yellow layer. 



Next stop was the Ghost Ranch where Georgia O'Keeffe lived for part of her life. 


I hiked up to get a good view of Chimney Rock. 



Then I took a guided tour that explored part of the ranch not opened to the public--except on a tour. It led out to the home where O'Keeffe live. Along the way we stopped and our guide showed us paintings by O'Keeffe and then the location that inspired the painting. The dead tree in the lower left center of this image inspired the next painting. 










O'Keefe used the depression between two mounds for this painting but chose to leave out the plateau and cliffs in the distance to focus more on the sky. 





Pedernal Mesa is sacred to local tribes and was loved by O'Keeffe. Her ashes were scattered on top of the Mesa. 



O'Keeffe's home.















The lower grey strata of rocks in the area are home to many dinosaur fossils--mostly the Coelophysis, the state fossil. 



This is the local church in the town of Abiquiu where O'Keeffe had a second home. I didn't buy a ticket to tour that home. 


I then drove back roads to get to see the Rio Grance Gorge to the northwest of Taos (where I stayed that night) which sits at the base of the mountains in the distance. 



Day three I started out at the Taos Pueblo. 





Workers refreshing the mud walls. 








The cemetery is located where a Catholic church once stood that was destroyed by the Taos Puebloans in a 1660 uprising to expel the Spanish conquistadors (often under the guise of religion). The Spanish pulled out for two decades before slowly taking control of the restive pueblos in New Mexico and Arizona.


The bell tower of the destroyed church stands as a reminder of Spanish colonial control that sought to wipe out Puebloan culture and religion.  


Our guide is from one of the families that still maintain homes in the pueblo--used mainly on ceremonial days. She is a nursing student. 


Most families live beyond the world heritage site core so that they can have electricity and other modern convinces. 






 
Drove up into the nearby mountains to see Taos Ski Resort. I've always wanted to ski here. 



 
Took this photo for my brother Bob who likes to make chairs and hat racks out of old skis. 


At the recommendation of a friend, I drove the scenic high road from Taos to Santa Fe in part so I could visit the sacred Sanctuary in Chimayo. 


 

The two main churches in this Catholic shrine have walls inside covered with photos of people who have been healed by coming here. I dutifully did not take photos of the inside of the two churches. 



The Children's chapel was very touching--full of photos of children who have been blessed by this church. 




The three cultures of Mexico and New Mexico--Indigenous, European and Mestizo (mixed). Adding to the fun of this trip was seeing so much Mexican culture and influence--knowing that Will was in Mexico seeing it all too. 


More photos of people blessed by the shrine. 


Next stop Los Alamos and the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. The visitor center was closed but it provided a map to an interesting walking tour. Earlier this year I visit the Hanford, Washington site of this three-site historical Park. Guess I need to visit Oak Ridge,Tennesse next. 



Just a few weeks earlier I had watched the fascinating movie Oppenhimer which follows the creation of nuclear weapons--much of which coordinated by these two men (Oppenheimer left and Groves right) and the secretive team that set up shop in a boy's school in isolated Lo Alamos. 





Exhibits in the Los Alamos history museum



The home on Bathtub Row (the only accommodations in town at the time that had bathtubs) where Oppenheimer lived.


Exhibits in the Bradbury Science Center. Scale models of the Hiroshima bomb (black) and Nagasaki (yellow).






While driving I listened to this excellent book about the bombing debate of WWII--should the Allies develop and use pinpoint bombs that could knock out strategic installations or stick with nighttime high altitude bombing that terrorized the populous (think Hiroshimi and Nagasaki). I couldn't help but also think about the current bombing over Gaza that claims to be pinpoint, but in the process is killing and terrorizing the whole population. 


Day three started out walking around downtown El Paso. Interesting round capitol building. 



Always grateful for the CCC workers who make so many of our hiking trails.


No explanation for this public art on the capitol grounds--but the names of many indigenous American tribes and perhaps names of battle grounds and the barb wire on top indicate it is a protest memorial to the harsh treatment of native peoples. 




St Francis Cathedral near the main plaza. 


It's patron saint.


And the first Native American Saint. 



Bagpipes welcomed attendees at a funeral. 


Meanwhile a new promotional photo was being taken of the newest member of r the fire fighting fleet. 


Excellent huevos rancheros for a late breakfast. 


So much cool art in town. Stopped in a few galleries to enjoy.


This was a nice stop--All about the life and work of O'Keeffe.







Final stop in Santa Fee was the Museum of International Folk Art. The largest exhibit hall was full of nativities, toys, dioramas etc from around the world.

Polish Nativity




A Mexican nativity


 Interesting exhibit about Inuit Parkas. 


And an exhibition about Mexican folk art. 



Spend the afternoon driving a lonely road through Vaughn to Rosewell.






Thai food for dinner and then on to Carlsbad. 


All four parks on my itinerary were located in the Chihuahuan desert. 


First park: Calrsbad Caverns. I visited here at age 15. Happy to finally return. Very impressive. 


I walked the steep switch back trail in and out. I first did the self guided Big Room tour (red line) then the ranger guided tour (green line) through the impressive King's Palace and Queen's Chamber. 


My i-phone was the camera of choice in the caverns. 



















I was underground for over five hours. A lovely visit. 



Stayed a second night in Carlsbad. Next day I visited Guadalupe Mountains National Park just over the border in Texas. I had orginally planned to hike Guadaloups Peek--the highest peak in Texas, but once there the full parking lot and the thought of a rocky steep climb motivated me (at the suggestion of a ranger) to head to the northern McKittrick Canyon section of the park which promised fall colors and a  less steep hike. I hiked the McKittrick Canyon Trail past the Pratt Cabin and the Grotto up to the Notch. It a a great day temperature wise. 












The ranger was right--fall colors in mid November. 








Favorite shot. 



The Grotto




The view from westward from the Notch. 




The view east. 



Looking back up at the Notch. 







Spent the next night in Alpine Texas, then next morning Park #3--Big Bend. 


I entered the park via Persimmon Gap. I drove via Panther Junction to see the Rio Grande first at Boquillas Canyon. 




Stopped first at the Boquillas Del Carmen point of entry between the US and Mexico. I didn't think to bring my passport. 












End of the trail looking east. 


Looking west. The canoes are on the Mexican side. 


I then drove westward across the park to the other main access point to the Rio Grande at Santa Elena Canyon. 











From the canyon entrance looking East. Mexico in on the right. 






End of the trail looking west. Mexico is on the left.



I enjoyed watching two young teens running and laughing through the river. They had hiked further upstream in the channel. Thier parents show up on the bank. Later as I exited the canyon the two teens passed me on the trail. I recognized them and showed them the photo I had taken. I told them I would be happy to share it with them. Later when the parents caught up to us the mom was happy to have me air drop her the three photos of their fun and adventuresome outing. 



Exiting the canyon I noticed people wading across the narrow neck of the river to the Mexican side. I decided to go check it out. 


In Mexico. There were no border signs, no border agents and nothing that said do not cross into Mexico so I (and others) waded (ankle deep) across.


It was a lovely visit south of the border. (Thanks to Sarah for the birthday gift. Happy to be the dad of a Simmons College graduate student. 







Second night in Alpine then next day I headed northward. First stop was for the geography geek in me. 


For years I showed this image in my political geography class as an example of how rivers as boundaries can be problematic when they shift courses. I knew the basics of the settlement, but not much more. While studying a map for my return journey I noticed this National Memorial to the peacefully resolved centruy long border dispute between the US and Mexico, I knew I had to visit. I learned a lot. 






The shifting channels of the Rio Grande. 

 

Standing in what was once Mexico. 


A fitting exhibit for the Monday before Thanksgiving. 








Final stop: White Sands National Park. I parked and started walking out across the dunes. Many kids were sledding. 

 

North of the National Park is where the Mahattan project detonated the first nuclear explosion. 















Sunset north of Alamogordo. Drove to Socorro for the night and then the next day drove the rest of the way back home. A grand outing.