Here's To You, emily kate...

So for those of you who are of a highly curious nature and have been after me from Day 1 for pictures of my life in Utah this is for you. If you haven't already made the simple assumption this photo is the home where I live. I will take a moment to point out various nuances that you might find interesting. For starters the lack of green grass. I do indeed miss the color green, especially where it should be covering the ground. More importantly I miss rain and cloudy days. I've grown rather accustomed to the weather here, for it is fairly predictable. One should always expect bright sunny days with highs in the upper 90's or reaching triple digits. The sky is always a nice shade of blue with a scattering of white fluffy clouds. Humidity is practically non-existent, so one can usually endure the high temperatures with relative ease.

Another point of interest you'll find in this photo is contraption coming from the roof that looks rather like a chimney (no I'm not speaking of the t.v. attenae). That box like structure is actually referred to out here as a swamp cooler. It is the replacement of the standard air-conditioning unit that most homes back east maintain. The function of the swamp cooler is to blow in the dry air from outdoors and pass it through a cold water system that produces a steady stream of cold air indoors. Personally, I find this system lacking (though Utah natives are particularly fond of their swamp coolers) in that the steady stream of air is only delivered to one local in the home. In the case of my residence it is the stairs leading to the upper bedrooms that receive this steady stream of frigid air. It is almost unbearably cold to be anywhere near the stairs with the swamp cooler turned on and at the same time it is almost unbearably warm in my bedroom. I solve this problem by leaving my window ajar and having a fan continually at work in my room. The only time of the day that the fan cannot compete with the heat is the early morning when the sun comes shining through my bedroom window, which faces the east side. I have found it by far more pleasant to become an early riser than to endure the first sweaty morning hours.


Speaking of my bedroom window this photo was taken from there just today. Now you have an idea of the quaint sub-burban neighborhood in which I reside. The mountains in the back ground were not as clear the day I took this photo, but you might still be able to see the snow that slightly covers the peaks of them (and this is mid-July). I love the view from my window and spend the evening hours admiring the sunset from the west and how the colors reflect off the east mountains (which are the mountains in the picture).


My home is located near two points of interest, the first and my favorite is the Olympic Oval. This building was the home of the 2002 Winter Olympics speed skating competitions. For me to walk down the corridors of this building is like stepping into a precious piece of history. To skate on the ice of this building is knowing you're gliding where great athletes have been before. It's a truly awe-inspiring experience for someone who appreciates skating as much as I do.


The second (and probably most familiar) point of interest is the local airport. Ironically enough I live near by to a rather small airport about the size of the airport near by parent's home where I spent my growing up years. It's still a comforting sound to hear the small planes fly by my home. This photo is one I took of several planes stationed in their hanger. This airport might even be a larger operation than the one back home since there are several more hangers than the one I was able to photograph here. My appeal to this photo is the idealic mountains in the background, it doesn't get much better than that.


This final photo I dub "my self-portrait". For as much as I enjoy the comforting sound of small aircraft over my neighborhood I have become rather annoyed by the larger jets that fly directly overhead as they come in for a landing at the Salt Lake City International Airport not so far north of where I live. I believe I've learned all the major carriers by their colors and symbols, so that when they fly overhead I know if it is Delta or American Airlines without too much trouble. I'm sure this is a skill I'll be able to take far in life.

For all these photos in my update you should give credit to my new digital camera that I purchased today. I know that the photos aren't the best, but I've never claimed to be a stellar photographer, that and I'm still practicing on my new camera. I'm sure there will be quite a number of more photos to come in the next while, so keep checking back for my updates.