Silver Lake: Another Fabulous Saturday Hike!

The Hiking Guide book featured the Silver Lake hike as "moderate", which is one step up from "easy". After last week's hike, we were up for the challenge! We decided we would get up early Saturday morning and hit the trail bright and early.

So around eleven o'clock, we backed our Subaru All-wheel drive vehicle out our driveway and headed south. About an hour later (stopping for picnic goods along the way...fried chicken strips, crispy apples, cheese and energy drinks), we were driving up a rocky road through the forest to the Silver Lake trail head.

Our timing, in the end, proved perfect! Oh what we would have missed if we had headed out any earlier!

The guide book said the hike up would take about two hours and we would go through alpine meadows with frolicking moose.

We didn't see any moose....we did share the trail with a few dogs, a returning Boy Scout troop and a few toddlers though.

You take what you get...moose apparently do not feel obligated to frolic just because they were touted as doing such in some guide book. They probably don't even get paid when they do appear.

I'm such a SoCal girl: I still stop and take pictures of any falling water.

We were looking closely for any signs of fall.

This one small aspen was strutting its colors, but it was a one tree show. Everything else was stubbornly summer green. (In the distance: Mt. Tipanogas, with glacier snowfield atop.)

Our destination was the foot of this Lone Peak. The trail was manageable, but the final ascent had me ready to give up if the lake didn't appear just around the bend.

Happily...ta da!

Silver Lake!

The water was quite low, which allowed the submerged rocks to reflect beautifully upon the lake's surface.

Rocky beaches, either oceanic or lake, are so much more interesting than plain sand beaches.

Bernie hiked on around the lake's edge as I angled for just the right shot to capture the lake's beauty.

I kind of like this angle...

Across the way the mountains seemed determined to shed down into the forests. How long will it be before that ridge is no longer above the timber line?

We assisted with a family photo shoot early on the trail; Mom, Dad and "three in December" baby boy got to the lake just a bit after us. The boy had his very own hiking stick which he sort of used as he raced about. Most of the hike he had enjoyed the scenery from his high up seat on his dad's backpack. No wonder he still had energy at the end of the trail!


Later a couple of college age loons, er, I mean guys were jumping off that tall rock, their splashes were immediately followed by screams. The Scout Master we passed on the trail told us it had been below freezing at the lake the night before. You think that water was a tad cold? I suppose some people would have considered it to be invigorating. To each their own!


Bernie tossed a lure at the fish, and in a few minutes the first catch of the day was reeled in.

The fish were fighters, you can see the fish at the base of the rock.

Nice brookie!

I shot about a hundred pictures....

Thought about what a nice watercolor picture this scene would make...


Followed the tiny eight inch wide and half inch deep feeder streamlet up into the brush.

Got high up enough to get both B. and another Nimrod plying their skills upon the lake fish.


Then I found a comfortable rock on the shore where I plopped down an inflate able pillow and took a snooze.


Not a deep sleep mind you. I just enjoyed being a few feet from the stream so the sound of the water clicking over tiny pebbles lulled me enough to relax.
Each time I opened my eyes, the lighting had changed slightly and I'd take another picture.

My pillow and rock chaise lounge. It fit my body perfectly! No bugs either!

Bernie caught four fish, which was the daily limit. I love it when he wears an orange tee shirt with gray pants: it is such an artistic backdrop for freshly caught fish portraits!


Now I could just swear that ridge has gotten lower while I slept...

As I mentioned earlier, I was not bothered by any insects at the lake. A few little black bugs landed on our gear, but none pestered me at all, and I didn't even have on insect repellent.

Then...suddenly...in the blink of an eye...the air was filled with tiny white insects that seem to drift through the air.

Bernie called out to me, rousting me from a slumber: "Jill...it's a hatch! The mayflies are hatching and there is a rise!"

We had never seen the phenomenon before: the lake now had become the stage of a fish ballet. Trout were leaping everywhere on the lake, their mouths opened hugely as they lunged through the air at the passing mayflies.

The white specks in the photo above are the mayflies. The vertical white things are jumping trout!

The hatch followed the edge of the setting daylight on the water. I raced to the far shore to get as close to the fish as possible.

Each ring in the picture above marks the movement of a rising trout.

These feisty fish got air borne!

Five fish leaping at once in this shot: Fish ballet indeed don't you think?

The sound of the fish leaping was simply wonderfully amazing!

The lake was nearly completely in the shadows when we left. The temperature quickly dropped and we packed up for the hour long hike back down the trail.

Now remember I said earlier that we had been keeping an eye out for any fall color change as we hike up the mountain?

Remember I said that we only saw one golden tree? Well, this is how the mountainside looked on the way down.

We kept looking at each other, stopping and staring. Did we really not see all this color on the hike up? No...my photos proved that the hillsides were green just hours earlier.

Now there were pops of yellow interspersed in with the green.


Could the trees really change color that fast? Apparently so!
Absolutely astonishing! Had we hiked up earlier in the day we would have hiked down earlier. To think that we could have missed both the hatch and the color change!

This time we shared the trail with pack horses lead by hunters heading out with goat permits. They would all spend the night at the lake before heading high up into the terrain. Several older teens also passed us by; we told them of the hatch and they quickened their pace in hopes of seeing a bit of the display too.

At the trail head, the forest floor had also picked up some more color.

Really...compare this shot with the first one of Bernie on the trail. Do you see any of this kind of color around the trail before?

At the trail head we went back to sign ourselves out from the trail registry book.

I had to laugh at the last folks that had signed in.

It was 9/11 after all.

I can remember escaping from the 47th floor of One Shell Plaza in Houston on that fateful day.

The streets in the city teamed with people rushing to get home, to get away from all the high rises in that oil industry town.

I remember Bernie driving to the curb to pick me up; us driving to the freeway, and watching gridlock form behind us, trapping commuters inside the city boundaries for hours.

What a day that was.

What a day this was.

God is Good.

And all is safe and well in America for now.

OPA! on a Sunday Afternoon

September through October in Salt Lake City is "Fest" season.

The Annual Greek Festival was a FOUR day event this year; the thing just keeps growing and growing.

This past weekend it was possible to attend a Beer Fest, a Brazil Fest, the Utah State Fair, Craft Sabbath at the public library (where artisans would be on site working on their art) and the re-opening of a local sculpture garden all within two or three miles from each other.

That is, you could attend those events, or a crazy list of plays, concerts, and art gallery openings.

Well, for me, Greek Fest was at the top of the list, and while I really would have liked to have seen the Craft Sabbath, I will be able to work in the sculpture garden some other time. I didn't have a problem with skipping the state fair this year as I had just gone last year.

The newest fair food was to be deep fried batter dipped bacon drizzled with chocolate, and deep fried whole dill pickles.

Thanks but no thanks. I'm good with just having Greek food this year!

Here's the scene at 4 o'clock Sunday, the last day of the festival. Packed to the rafters, still.

People eat while enjoying the Greek dancing. I was so impressed when I learned that the dancers are only allowed to be part of the dance presentations during the Fest if they have had 75% Sunday School attendance all year. The dancing is nearly continuous; children begin to dance at about age three. The college age kids are not under Sunday School attendance requirement however. Bernie suggested that perhaps the college kids continued to dance in order to meet girls or guys?

Our table mate said no, in fact she has a 26 year old son who still dances, but when she suggested that surely there was one or more suitable girls in the mix, he owned that since they had all grown up dancing together, it would now be like dating a cousin or something.

Such a problem is not uncommon in small ethnic communities. The Greek community is SLC is the largest Greek community west of the Mississippi however. Maybe the Greek communities need more travel/visit opportunities?

OK...I'll confess: We go to the fest for the food.

My jaw dropped when the Master of Ceremony's said that the Greek Festival is made possible by the work of FIVE HUNDRED volunteers!

I know they make the food and the pita bread and souvaki is barbecued right before our very eyes. The line for the food snakes back and forth half way across the tent four or five times. Funny thing: Each time I have gone to Greek fest, I wind up killing time (even though the line is very fast moving, these Greeks know what they are doing!) by noticing the shoes on the feet around me. Everyone seems to wear the most interesting shoes!

This time, I showed a little maturity and didn't take pictures for the blog. Aren't you proud of me?

Obviously the thing to do is to have lunch and dinner there, every day for the full four days. We got a nice plateful of things, and three kinds of pastry, but really didn't scratch the surface of possible treats. Next year I will try to remember to clear the calendar for some serious Greek food consumption.

(Don't those Greek fries sound like a tasty treat? I didn't get any, but think I might try to find a recipe to make them some time.)

There is just something about seeing kids dressed in a folk costume. Especially if the kid in question is actually from that "folk" group!

The kids seemed to really enjoy the rhythm of the classic Greek music and put a lot of energy into their performances. I could imagine their great, great grandparent's dancing the dances while making eye contact with the boy or girl they were sweet on.

Each Greek area has its own style of dress. The red and white with the gold coins must have been a rather prosperous area, compared to the simple white frocks with blue sashes and lacy head scarves.

All the costumes were quite charming.

I have to wonder why Greek costumes have had little impact on the fashion industry, aside from the classic Greek fisherman's cap and shoes.

I do understand why the Greek men's white skirt and red vest costume has not had much a following, but serious, don't you think the full sleeved and gathered yolk's men's shirt are kind of nice looking?

So practical, especially when Greek wives are making such delicious foods for their enjoyment.

A few pounds put on over the years wouldn't matter; those full shirts would still be fitting quite nicely!

We would have probably needed to have gone up a size after our tasty meal if we hadn't spent Saturday as we did...

To be continued!

Come on, blow that trumpet!

Happy New Year everyone!

(Photo above is of loading dock gate here in SLC that I thought was especially nice for a gate.)
Yes, today is the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana, a day also known as The Feast of Trumps.
If you are up on your Bible, you might have noticed that Jesus had a "thing" about fulfilling Jewish festivals.
He hasn't finished up yet though. The Feast of Trumps is still awaiting His fulfillment.
Tonight Jewish people will be dipping apples in honey to celebrate this holy-day.
I so admire the way the Jewish people party:

so simple!
so memorable!
so do-able, even for a very busy person or small children.

If you haven't put the pieces together as to why we Christians might be fond of this holy-day, consider this article below.
I'm not saying that this is absolutely the last word the subject, but it does provide some interesting thoughts to think about, and maybe chat about with your family while noshing on an apple slice dipped in honey.

Here's the article:

Rosh Hashana

The rapture of the church of Jesus Christ has been something that all true "Spiritual Christians" have anticipated since the day of our Lord's death on the cross for our sins. Here we will give a "possible" solution to knowing at least what time of year this beautiful event will take place.

One verse that is always at the forefront, or ends a discussion, of every rapture discussion is our Lord's words in Matthew:

Matthew 24:36 "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only."

However, lets look a little closer at what is being said here by our Lord and let's also understand something of Jewish thoughts and traditions.

The phrase "But of that day and hour knoweth no man" is a common Hebrew idiom for the Jewish holiday of "Rosh HaShanah". Jesus' audience may well have fully understood that what Jesus was possibly saying was "I will come again on Rosh HaShanah at some point in the future". It would be like saying in America, "I'll see you again when we gather together to exchange presents." We automatically know that we are referring to Christmas. In like manner, can we expect to see our Messiah on some future Rosh HaShanah?

We find in Leviticus 23 that the Festivals of the Lord were appointed times established as yearly rehearsals that taught both historically and prophetically the whole plan of God concerning the coming of Messiah and the redemption of man.

The first four feasts have been fulfilled and the Jewish community celebrate them historically. They are Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits and the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot) or Pentecost. These four Spring Feasts are considered to be an interrelated whole where Pentecost is the completion of the process begun at Passover. (see link at end of this post to see a chart showing how Christ fulfilled the spring feasts.)

It is significant that the spring events that are associated with those feasts are considered a unit and are quite distinctive from the Fall Feasts. The last three feasts; Trumpets, Atonement and Tabernacles are celebrated in the Fall season and are yet to be fulfilled so they remain prophetic in nature.

The final three feasts are Trumpets (Rosh HaShanah), Atonement (Yom Kippur), and Tabernacles. Prophetically, the feast of Trumpets is tied to the coming rapture of the church. Yom Kippur will find its prophetic fulfillment when all Israel is saved at the end of the tribulation. Tabernacles will find its prophetic fulfillment when God once again tabernacles or dwells in the midst of His people at beginning of the millennial reign. (some Messianic scholars believe the Jesus was born during Tabernacles and rather than a "manager" was actually put in a "booth" as He dwelled for the first time with his people.)

The "Feast of Trumpets" will soon find its prophetic fulfillment. Why do we associate the Feast of Trumpets with the rapture of the church?

The Hebrew name for "Rosh HaShanah" is "Yom Teruah" or the "day of the awakening blast". Following are the Days of Awe. This in itself presents a strong case for a pre tribulation rapture. The coronation of the King, the resurrection of the dead, the joy of the Messianic kingdom, and the wedding of the Messiah are among the many themes associated with "Rosh HaShanah". A strong theme associated with Teruah is to "awake". Teruah can also be translated "shout". These themes are reminiscent of some verses in 1 Thessalonians which say:

1 Thessalonians 4: 15-17 "For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."

This passage is filled with Hebrew idioms that are expressly associated with "Rosh HaShanah, the Feast of Trumpets" and therefore this passage lends itself as "possible" cultural evidence that "Rosh HaShanah will be the appointed day of the rapture of the church and the resurrection of the dead."

Since a significant theme of "Rosh HaShanah" is that of the wedding of the Messiah, let us now examine the ancient customs associated with the Jewish wedding ceremony to see if there are practices that correspond with many themes of this festival.

Jewish Wedding
Messiah's Wedding

The Jewish woman indicates acceptance of a man's marriage proposal by drinking a cup of wine
Jesus passed the cup of wine at the Last Supper and when we drink we accept being His bride
The Jewish man would pay a price to the parent's of his new bride
Jesus Christ paid the price for us as His bride with His life
The Jewish man would then give his betrothed gifts
Jesus Christ gave us, His betrothed, the Holy Spirit
The Jewish man would then go a build a place for them to live once married
Jesus Christ said, "I go to prepare a place for you."
The Jewish man then goes for his bride at midnight with a host of people, shouting and blowing the shofar for his bride
The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God:
The Jewish man and wife then spend 7 days alone to consummate the marriage in their wedding chamber
The Lord and his bride, the church, shall spend 7 years alone to consummate the marriage, during the 7 years of tribulation

Note that 1000 years is like a day to the Lord. Within 2 days or 2000 years Jesus will return for His bride!

Notice above that the Jewish bride is taken from her familiar surroundings to a place she has never been - the home of the bridegroom. They would immediately go to the marriage supper and then enter the bridal chamber for a period of seven days to consummate the marriage.

Rosh HaShanah is also known as the "Day of our Concealment". Note that the seven days that we are concealed within the bridal chamber correspond with the "seven years of tribulation" that will be unleashed by God the Father upon an unbelieving world. Notice again the strong evidence for a "pre-tribulation rapture" based on the Jewish wedding ceremony. When the seven days are completed, we will return with Jesus and then "Yom Kippur" and "Tabernacles" will find their prophetic fulfillment.

We believe that all end time events are divinely planned and are not occurring randomly. Furthermore, we believe that the rapture will occur at an appointed time and God has revealed to us what the appointed times were and are in Leviticus 23 in His Festivals. We believe that all true Christians, on some "Rosh HaShanah"will hear the awakening blast of the "shofar" and the "shout" of the archangel and we will dwell intimately in the presence of our Savior while the Days of Awe are unleashed upon the earth.


Above from THIS site.
Interesting, no?

Pre, Post, or Mid-trib...regardless of when and how it all goes down, I am just thankful to know that a lot of us will eventually be gathered into the Lord's presence forever.

Date Night: Hot Dog!

Dollar hot dogs at the ball park!
The summer is almost over and we hadn't made a game yet, so off we went last week.
Someone should have warned me about the blue sno-cones though.
That blue syrup tongue dye job lasted a couple of days. Yikes!

The ball park setting is gorgeous.

As the sun sets behind us, the mountains turn that gorgeous shade of reddish purple. I always feel like I am in a small town movie set when we sit watching the game just a few rows up from the dug out. Players toss inning used balls to the kids around us when they retire from the field. Seeing the grinning kids holding up their caught balls makes me feel like all is right in the world again.

I know I shouldn't have noticed, but I did. This one particular player for the other team had on really tight white pants.
When he bend over to take his batting stance, it was difficult to tell what I was seeing: was his pant seat seam or ???
(Laura: It brought back swimming team memories of Jim M. and his speedo. You girl swimmers! Bad...bad!)

The Bees were having a great season, but didn't quite make it to the playoffs.
Next year. There is always next year!

(You didn't enlarge that previous picture for a closer look, right? Oh come on...I know you did!)