You’re wondering how I am going to tie all that together in a way that makes sense, right? Don’t worry. I won’t.
This is just one of those blog posts that aims to catch you up on the happenings of the last few days where no one event was really enough to warrant it’s own post. And besides, I enjoy the randomness. And that is a pronghorn in the opening photo.
This is just one of those blog posts that aims to catch you up on the happenings of the last few days where no one event was really enough to warrant it’s own post. And besides, I enjoy the randomness. And that is a pronghorn in the opening photo.
RIP, Smokey.
Let’s start on the sad note. One of our pet rats, Smokey, died. We expected this as she had a malignant lymph tumor and we knew her time was near. In fact, we are headed toward Las Vegas and I had planned to find a vet there who could ease her passing. She chose not to take a gamble on Vegas (rimshot) and passed away while we were, where else, in a national park. This presents a problem: you can’t bury pets on public lands and even driving outside of Bryce, we were pretty well surrounded by public land. Also, we no longer own a shovel.
We’ll spare you the details of her funeral arrangements, but we can sum up by saying she got a nice memorial and final resting spot and it turns out wheel chocks have many uses.
One of the delights of our travels has been to worship all over the country with other congregations. We really loved Grace Church in Durango (on Florida Street!) last weekend and this past Sunday we visited a small church in Tropic, Utah. (There is also a Hurricane, Utah but they pronounce it “hurri-cuhn”)(as a Floridian this is bothersome because while I’ve weathered a few hurricANES, I’ve never seen a hurriCUHN)(and final silent e makes the vowel say it’s name -- it’s hurri-CANE).
(I guess since they don’t actually experience hurricanes here we should let them off the proper pronunciation hook.)
Anyhoo, back in March when we made a mad dash to Bryce Canyon to see snow (See. I’m not from a place where it snows, but I know how to spell it) we were invited to worship at Bryce Canyon Bible Church. While we were gone back to Zion by that Sunday, we remembered the church and drove to Tropic when we were in Bryce again this past week. This was probably the smallest church I have ever been to and I liked it so much I could become a real devotee of the house church model. You can’t hide behind a crowd because there isn’t one. You have to be real and honest and participate instead of faking interest. I bet when there is a need everyone gets to step up and help. Everyone welcomed us warmly and we enjoyed talking with them all before and after the service.
We’ll spare you the details of her funeral arrangements, but we can sum up by saying she got a nice memorial and final resting spot and it turns out wheel chocks have many uses.
One of the delights of our travels has been to worship all over the country with other congregations. We really loved Grace Church in Durango (on Florida Street!) last weekend and this past Sunday we visited a small church in Tropic, Utah. (There is also a Hurricane, Utah but they pronounce it “hurri-cuhn”)(as a Floridian this is bothersome because while I’ve weathered a few hurricANES, I’ve never seen a hurriCUHN)(and final silent e makes the vowel say it’s name -- it’s hurri-CANE).
(I guess since they don’t actually experience hurricanes here we should let them off the proper pronunciation hook.)
Anyhoo, back in March when we made a mad dash to Bryce Canyon to see snow (See. I’m not from a place where it snows, but I know how to spell it) we were invited to worship at Bryce Canyon Bible Church. While we were gone back to Zion by that Sunday, we remembered the church and drove to Tropic when we were in Bryce again this past week. This was probably the smallest church I have ever been to and I liked it so much I could become a real devotee of the house church model. You can’t hide behind a crowd because there isn’t one. You have to be real and honest and participate instead of faking interest. I bet when there is a need everyone gets to step up and help. Everyone welcomed us warmly and we enjoyed talking with them all before and after the service.
From there to here, from here to there, disturbing things are everywhere.
We had another one of those really incredible campsites just a short walk from a wonderful view. A bonus was being an even shorter walk from the restroom. There are a lot of French tourists in this part of the country right now and I keep finding men in the women’s restrooms. While it’s a bit annoying, I don’t find it scary for myself, but for my girls this is another matter. I’ve been told unisex facilities are the norm in France but I say, “When in Rome...” and it’s not normal here. Stick to your own neighborhood, gents. My young daughters don’t need to see your um....specifics.
Ahem. Soooo......
Ahem. Soooo......
Collared Boar, the Seasoning Chickens pose with celebrity orange, Wang.
One of the highlights of our week was meeting Wang and his buddy Scooter. Scooter and Wang are also full-timers and they have a hilarious blog, Life with Wang. Wang is an orange. Scooter is a human. Wang is something of a historian. We needed Wang at Mesa Verde. I bet he could make that blog post sound exciting even without a horny toad. Scooter came for dinner and conversation and the two of them reaffirmed for us that one of the best aspects of the traveling life is the people you get to meet. I hope our paths cross again, but until then we will be cracking up at their blog.
Wang also inspired the kids to get busy on their own blog page here on our site, featuring a little pal we picked up way back in Big Bend National Park and whose daily antics we have come to love. We are still working on a title, but it takes the place of the “Postcards from the Road” blog, which we (pathetically) have not updated since Tucson. Based on the current level of enthusiasm (and the fact that a certain high schooler is going to get Technology and Writing credit for this), I think it will be worth the wait.
-Jenni
Wang also inspired the kids to get busy on their own blog page here on our site, featuring a little pal we picked up way back in Big Bend National Park and whose daily antics we have come to love. We are still working on a title, but it takes the place of the “Postcards from the Road” blog, which we (pathetically) have not updated since Tucson. Based on the current level of enthusiasm (and the fact that a certain high schooler is going to get Technology and Writing credit for this), I think it will be worth the wait.
-Jenni