Wow. It has been quite awhile since I have been on here. I can't believe it has been 6 years since we made the move to Utah. What were we thinking? Our families and friends thought we were nuts. I am convinced some didn't even really know where Utah was. It was "somewhere over there". This from people who live all over the country.
I did my research and tried to come up with things to support the move other than our joy at leaving smog, traffic and time spent in traffic inhaling smog. So to my Jewish Mother (JM) I mentioned that we could go to the Symphony during the summer outdoors at a ski resort and the Ballet during the winter in the Big City. That sold her. My mother beat me to the punch and had a list of the great restaurants in our little town, information about the Catholic Parish and the numbers of all of her friends who own vacation homes here. We convinced both of them that we weren't moving off the grid or away from civilization aka the Unabomber. Or that the Unabomber would be our neighbor for that matter. Like all good mothers, they both spread the word to everyone else. Those who weren't sure were willing to support our 'alternative lifestyle'. Interesting choice of words since we didn't know that bigamy, oops polygamy, is apparently alive and well in certain rural parts of this state.
After we moved here it was definitely an adjustment. What do you mean no Chinese food delivery? Wait, no Chinese food or food delivery for that matter? Where is the valet parking station at Nordstrom? Umm, actually - where is Nordstrom? And what is PC time and why does that mean we have to wait all day for a guy who is coming to finish painting when he said he'd be here at 9. According to the painter he said 9 ish which meant noon and lunch. We definitely had some adjustments to make. To us, not Utah.
Somehow we convinced C, the Bonus Boy, to join us here. He was a trooper and actually, he and I share more stories about year 1 than the SO and I do. The Bonus Boy tagged along on many adventures in finding grocery stores, drycleaners and colleges for him. As payback I drove him when he was looking for a certain tatoo shop in the Big City down the canyon as well as a reputable "piercer" for his nose. And no, that last thing never happened. We tried to navigate the slopes together and he was a saint one day at a certain ski resort while helping me with my yard sale (ski term). Naturally he got Child of the Year that year. His sisters still don't understand it.
It was a learning curve to be sure. First of all, the if/then algorythm that applied to liquor at the time. State liquor stores and their strange hours; club memberships and the Wall of Zion required in restaurants to shield diners from seeing the creation and pouring of libations. Don't get me started on the state holidays that cause everything to shut down. Life is rough if you don't have access to one of those special calendars. And when you move here with dogs from out of state that need to be licensed the first time you license them you have to drive to the County Seat and do it in person. (Yes, we are a rarity; we license our dogs.) The directions I was given to get there included passing The Spring Chicken Inn and some ranch whose name escapes me. This was a far cry from Southern California or any of my prior life except maybe college.
We bought the gas guzzling four wheel drive vehicles much to the chagrin of our so-called support group. They became believers after visiting us during the winter and trying to navigate our driveway in rental cars. Over the years the liquor laws have become more user friendly. And we now get pizza delivered. A new Nordstrom opened and when I went to their pre-opening Gala they had valet parking. The dog licensing is done at the vets and painters, among others, actually show up when they say they are going to.
So here we are six years later pondering potentially a move which I was game for until I started thinking about how great living here has been. You see, Utah is the type of state where you can get involved and actually make a difference. Today I shared a lunch table with a gubernatorial candidate and some very successful business people. (I still am not sure how I fit in, I am thinking I was there as the entertainment.) He is an engaging and terrific guy, very earnest about the quality of life in this state and improving it for the citizens. We talked about community needs and our interests in the community. The group talked about how tough it is to run or own a business in this economic environment. And we talked about family. Which took me back to my own and their support for this life the SO and I have made here. Now, when they bring up Utah and their wishes to move here we really enjoy hearing the envy in their voices. It is our home, not a home away from home but our home.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Friday, September 3, 2010
Waning Summer Days and Waxing Poetic
I can't believe it is Labor Day weekend. Where did this summer go? Where we live people are still using their golf clubs as they talk about ski season. I just want to stop time and cram a whole summer into this weekend. And my version of summer, like most peoples, goes back to childhood. So here it is:
1) Go to the beach, get tossed around by waves and stung by jellyfish. (Most summers were spent on an East Coast beach.) The best I can do here is go to our sports club pool, maybe get splashed a lot by kids as they come off the slippery slide and burn my bare feet on the concrete deck. Actually, maybe I should go down the slippery slide for the wave effect. That is if the weather cooperates. And does Old Bay Seasoning reduce the sting of the burn just like it did that of the jellyfish?
Go to the pool, let kids splash me, go down the slippery slide and burn feet. Done!
2) Attend a crab fest. Now this one I can cross off my list. There are a group of folks here in Utah that grew up in Maryland, Delaware or the Jersey Shore. We order a bushel of crabs and have them shipped out for an end of summer crab fest. 36 hours from the Chesapeake Bay to our tummies. We go a little upscale for my taste, no newspaper on the tables - brown wrapping paper. And some decor too. Wine, bottled water and beers; it used to be just beer. One of the hosts made hush puppies which I could go on and on about (I just love them.) There is some competition regionally. I uphold the SMIB (Southern Maryland In-Bred) traditions even though my parents were not from Maryland at all but upstate NY. Well - we could give my father credit for being a Marylander, being a Naval Academy grad and all; thus Mom gets a default claim too.
Old Bay seasoning rules the evening for SMIBs as do paper towels and the aforementioned newspaper. The Jersey Shore folks (not Snookie or her lowbrow friends) somehow eat everything without the huge mess, wearing white pants even. The Delaware people are the good conversationalists while the Marylanders don't talk, don't leave the table and don't really move come to think of it. The SMIBs in particular could do this for hours on end.
Crab fest - done! Need I say more?
3) Roast marsh mellows on the beach and make s'mores. This I can do in my backyard except again the darn beach part. I guess we could turn on the sprinklers or maybe put on one of those soothing "Nature Sounds" Cds, looping ocean noises. That might be the better way to go, more green.
Mmmm, s'mores. I need to go to the store for fresh supplies. Done!
4) Complain about the masses of people at the beach and the lack of parking. On a much smaller level we can easily do this here. In our town Labor Day is known as Miner's Day and it is a HUGE deal. Miner's Breakfast in City Park, a fun run, a parade down Main Street and the Running of the Balls.
The Running of the Balls is an event where they release something like 2000"sponsored" tennis balls from the top of Main Street in a race to the bottom. The winning balls get prizes for their "sponsors" and are a source of local pride. We learned the hard way not to take a lab to this event. They go crazy trying to chase the balls. The Brown Dog aka the PC Purebred couldn't care less. But I digress. The local festivities create parking nightmares and masses of people in small places. And that doesn't include the whole weekend's festivities such as the famous sheep herding dog trials or Swiss Days.
We've got the complaining covered. Done!
5) Run around with sparklers at the end of the night while the adults visit and have a cocktail. The S.O. bought Tiki Torches this summer so I am thinking lighting them counts. It is times like this that he totally channels my father who never thought it was a party or holiday unless you had Tiki Torches going. And we could have a fire going and enjoy a cocktail or maybe some leftover beer from the crab fest (keeping the SMIB traditions going.)
So it is a more adult version of the sparklers and the same visiting traditions of years past. Done and done!
6) Go to bed exhausted and sun kissed from all of the activities. Exhaustion is easily covered, I can do that well. Sun kissed is not that politically correct but I have tons of sunscreen and will sneak in a little summer color one way or another. It'll be a fitful sleep, just like the old days. Dreaming of ocean waves, Maryland crab, having a visit. All the best parts of summer for me.
Exhaustion and appearance of sun kissed. Done!
I feel much better about my summer having jotted all of this down. So it is possible to recreate a childhood summer or Labor Day weekend, even 2000 miles away, minus the ocean. Now if we could fly in the brothers for the ritual family fights, food fight and softball games I'd be set.
1) Go to the beach, get tossed around by waves and stung by jellyfish. (Most summers were spent on an East Coast beach.) The best I can do here is go to our sports club pool, maybe get splashed a lot by kids as they come off the slippery slide and burn my bare feet on the concrete deck. Actually, maybe I should go down the slippery slide for the wave effect. That is if the weather cooperates. And does Old Bay Seasoning reduce the sting of the burn just like it did that of the jellyfish?
Go to the pool, let kids splash me, go down the slippery slide and burn feet. Done!
2) Attend a crab fest. Now this one I can cross off my list. There are a group of folks here in Utah that grew up in Maryland, Delaware or the Jersey Shore. We order a bushel of crabs and have them shipped out for an end of summer crab fest. 36 hours from the Chesapeake Bay to our tummies. We go a little upscale for my taste, no newspaper on the tables - brown wrapping paper. And some decor too. Wine, bottled water and beers; it used to be just beer. One of the hosts made hush puppies which I could go on and on about (I just love them.) There is some competition regionally. I uphold the SMIB (Southern Maryland In-Bred) traditions even though my parents were not from Maryland at all but upstate NY. Well - we could give my father credit for being a Marylander, being a Naval Academy grad and all; thus Mom gets a default claim too.
Old Bay seasoning rules the evening for SMIBs as do paper towels and the aforementioned newspaper. The Jersey Shore folks (not Snookie or her lowbrow friends) somehow eat everything without the huge mess, wearing white pants even. The Delaware people are the good conversationalists while the Marylanders don't talk, don't leave the table and don't really move come to think of it. The SMIBs in particular could do this for hours on end.
Crab fest - done! Need I say more?
3) Roast marsh mellows on the beach and make s'mores. This I can do in my backyard except again the darn beach part. I guess we could turn on the sprinklers or maybe put on one of those soothing "Nature Sounds" Cds, looping ocean noises. That might be the better way to go, more green.
Mmmm, s'mores. I need to go to the store for fresh supplies. Done!
4) Complain about the masses of people at the beach and the lack of parking. On a much smaller level we can easily do this here. In our town Labor Day is known as Miner's Day and it is a HUGE deal. Miner's Breakfast in City Park, a fun run, a parade down Main Street and the Running of the Balls.
The Running of the Balls is an event where they release something like 2000"sponsored" tennis balls from the top of Main Street in a race to the bottom. The winning balls get prizes for their "sponsors" and are a source of local pride. We learned the hard way not to take a lab to this event. They go crazy trying to chase the balls. The Brown Dog aka the PC Purebred couldn't care less. But I digress. The local festivities create parking nightmares and masses of people in small places. And that doesn't include the whole weekend's festivities such as the famous sheep herding dog trials or Swiss Days.
We've got the complaining covered. Done!
5) Run around with sparklers at the end of the night while the adults visit and have a cocktail. The S.O. bought Tiki Torches this summer so I am thinking lighting them counts. It is times like this that he totally channels my father who never thought it was a party or holiday unless you had Tiki Torches going. And we could have a fire going and enjoy a cocktail or maybe some leftover beer from the crab fest (keeping the SMIB traditions going.)
So it is a more adult version of the sparklers and the same visiting traditions of years past. Done and done!
6) Go to bed exhausted and sun kissed from all of the activities. Exhaustion is easily covered, I can do that well. Sun kissed is not that politically correct but I have tons of sunscreen and will sneak in a little summer color one way or another. It'll be a fitful sleep, just like the old days. Dreaming of ocean waves, Maryland crab, having a visit. All the best parts of summer for me.
Exhaustion and appearance of sun kissed. Done!
I feel much better about my summer having jotted all of this down. So it is possible to recreate a childhood summer or Labor Day weekend, even 2000 miles away, minus the ocean. Now if we could fly in the brothers for the ritual family fights, food fight and softball games I'd be set.
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