Another Sunday autumn drive....
This time north east of our house.
We were not expecting sheep traffic!
(Scenic views...tasty too!)
There was no wind blowing but this grove looked like it has endured a lot of wind over time.
The hills behind this ranch really had that salmon orange soil.
Sometimes I feel like I live in a calendar picture. 
There are so many great rural scenes just minutes from my house.
I get the great views without having to bear agriculturally related odors!
Not sure what would happen if this water gate was opened. With the water flowing past, it felt like I was on a bow of small ship.
Another week and these trees will be in outstanding autumnal color.
Goldenrod: that and the sunny yellow small sunflowers along the road side are glowing brightly in the warm sunlight, as if unaware that winter is coming. It is hard to imagine these scenes buried in snow.
Even the tumbleweeds look cheerful, blooming with a magenta hue before drying out to a weak straw tone.
Wavy fencing looks so poetic compared to well tended straight ones.
I appreciate it when landowners go to the trouble to create natural fencing like this.
I imagine some of the wild life does too.
(I'd love to paint this scene...in four seasons.)
So we stopped for a bit of fishing (a few bites, no hook ups) and I noticed a sign that said Evanstone Wyoming was only 38 miles away.
I had never been to Wyoming before.
We had the time...soooo....
Ta-DAH!!! Wyoming: Forever W...is that "West" or "Wild"
Seems kind of stupid to declare itself forever west. It can't exactly move around on whim now can it? The word must be "Wild" right?
(Hmmm...what I can I do to help this state live up to its motto?)
Seems like the whole place is about fireworks. 
Selling Fireworks AND liquor at the same place?
Now that's wild! Even crazy old Texas doesn't sell fireworks and beer together.
Well, OK then! What would be the wildest thing I could get at this shop?
Midori, because I like the melon liquor with a bit of lemon lime soft drink, and Clamto Beer, because that sounds totally crazy and wild.
(Truthfully, I still haven't gotten wild enough to give it a taste.)
The way up to Wyoming is amazing. The red rock areas aside the road will definitely be getting some exploration by us later.
We want to hike it...
And I want to photograph it in snow.
Wouldn't this be an amazing shot with snow frosting each layer?
With that little jaunt, I have now officially visited 34 of the 50 states.
(I did the tally on a paper sack we had in the car.)
I still have 16 states that I have not yet visited, and Bernie only has two states left to visit (Rhode Island and Maine.)
We agreed that he definitely needs to get those two states checked off before he turns 60. (He'll be 57 next month.) And we will try to get to a few more of the northern tiered states for me.
I think visiting each of the 50 states is a worthy goal to have. Laura visited all 50 states before she even turned 30!
More autumn colors...this time grandkitty Cheeto who looks like he will start spouting ancient Chinese wisdom at any moment. (check out those curly whiskers...that has to count for something right?)
Thank you to all of you who commented on the Polygamy post. I knew none of my readers would be personally inclined to dabble in group marriage!
But I had deep reason for posting my thoughts than just wanting to confirm that fact; what I really wanted to find out was how you would vote if legalizing polygamy becomes a ballot issue.
To repeat: Except for the scriptural passage about pastors only having one wife, I am hard pressed to make a Scriptural argument against it as a Christian, regardless of how much polygamy doesn't appeal to me.
I'm praying about my position, mindful that if polygamy is legalized, it does open the door to Muslim immigrants who wish to come to America with their wives.
I truly do believe in freedom of religion. The Fundamentalist Mormons really do believe that their salvation is tied up to plural marriage; for them it is a religious issue.
On the other hand...what sort of impact would plural marriage have on our state and local situations? (I really have no idea how Social Security payments would be handled to three wives: would the husband's SS be split between the wives, or each wife receive as if they were an only wife?)
Since the Sister Wives show is airing and the Utah authorities are trying to decide whether or not to press charges, I have a feeling this issue will enter into public debate. I also suspect that The Learning Channel has promised to cover Kody Brown's legal bills if this situation goes to court.
There is a lot a stake if it goes to trial: Right now there are a lot of practicing polygamist, the estimate is around 50,000 people, and the number has doubled each decade.
A bit of research told me that the American Indians practiced polygamy, as did Scot/Irish and Welsh immigrants in early America; it was not a "new" thought with the Mormons, although they undoubtedly were the only group to tie the practice into religious doctrine.
There is an awful lot of "bad press" on the topic; THIS paper (note it is Humanists reporting) is quite disturbing. There is also writing about this subject going before the Supreme Court along with same sex marriage.
I'd like to hear your thoughts on this topic. I'll be researching, but in the end, I know I have to find a way to balance my belief in religious freedom and my belief that "Two shall be come one" is the end of marital equation.
So...how would you vote, and why?
(Incidently, Wyoming's state motto is "Equal Rights". If I remember correctly, it was the first state to grant women the right to vote. Wonder how it will vote on polygamy if the question comes up?)
7 comments:
Beautiful country! Wow only 16 states left. I was happy to add Georgia and South Carolina to my totals. Now I need to count them...
I have to say that Polygamy does not sit well with me on many levels...I never was real good at sharing :0)
Well, at the creation God created one male and one female (as opposed to one male and three or more females or vice versa). When He flooded the earth he chose Noah, who only had one wife, and his three sons, who each had only one wife to survive this catastrophe, and he had them take a lot of animals with them, only one male per one female each. He obviously did not design his creation so that it was necessary for multiple sexual partners in order for his creation to go forward or to survive - so that pretty much knocks out the humanistic rationale (or excuse) for doing so. And to be fair, even though we always think of polygamy as one man and multiple wives, it would have to be allowed the other way round, too, one woman with multiple husbands. If some of the wives can help support the family financially in the one scenario, then some of the husbands can help raise the children in the home and cook, etc., in the other scenario.
When you mentioned in one sentence two issues before the court, gay marriage/rights and polygamy, i had a flash of horror. I saw free for all groups of both sexes all claiming to be married to each other, all clamoring for their "rights" (to retirement, health care, housing, various government benefits, freedom to move uncensored through society, etc., etc., etc.) Because if both homosexual marriage and polygamy are legal, how could one ban homosexual/heterosexual polygamist family groups?
Debbie
If the question did come up. . it certainly would stir up many emotions on either side of the debate.
I wonder how your church would handle the discussions surrounding that kind of question.
Your photos are beautiful. . .just lovely for soaking in God's beautiful creation.
Loved your scenic fall drive...beautiful photos! 34 down and 16 to go? You are well on your way to conquering the list. We pretty much have all the eastern states left to visit...but they are on the 'bucket list'!
Polygamy?...I'm voting no. You asked.
Even the question that polygamy would be a ballot issue allowing its legality makes me want to retch. You're a brave one for raising the topic. I've never read anything positive in the Scripture about polygamy in either the Old or the New Testaments. Just a whole lot of heartache that it causes. If I want help in the home, I'll hire a maid. ;D
So let's, instead, discuss your beautiful photography and imagine what those rock formations would be like in snow...a giant layered cake of a formation? Yes, lovely.
Well, I would vote NO on the issue. I explained my reasons the other day when you first brought up the subject. There is just something deep inside of me that screams 'this is wrong'!
Your photos are beautiful and I too would like to see them in full autumn splendor.
Have a GREAT day!
Debbie M. (from B.C.)
I loved your photo journey! The dry hills are breathtaking.
May I weigh in on the polygamy question? I lived in a Muslim country for a decade. The group of people among whom we lived were all Christian but many had been animistic and were tribal people. They had multiple wives. I never saw ANY happy situations where there was more than one wife in the family. There were spats between wives, obvious favoritism, and divorce. Of course, none of it was 'official' because at the time there was no govt presence in the area.
In the city, my househelper was a 'put away' ie divorced wife of a Muslim man. Because she objected to having the second wife, he simply divorced her and threw her out with the infant. The older children stayed with the father (my memory is that they were all boys).
My observation was that women and girls were certainly treated with less respect and they had very few rights.
At this point in western society, fewer than half of the adults are married. But the number of people living together is increasing. So if a man is married to one wife but has other women in the home, how is that different? They are just 'living together'.
I've heard it said that divorce and remarriage is 'serial polygamy'. This does NOT mean I believe it is wrong to divorce and remarry under certain circumstances. It's just a way to describe the serial marriages.
This is a tough one to be sure if it gets put on a voters ballot.
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