Church hopping

I've mentioned that I can hear church bells from our apartment from the Greek Orthodox church on the west end of town, and that I also hear church bells as I walk from my car to my office at the other end of town (a three to six minute drive, depending on how I hit the traffic lights.)

You might recall the picture I posted the Catholic church towers in the snow fall. In that post I mused that I hoped to go inside the Cathedral some day.

Well, last Wednesday turned out to be the day.

I needed to hike up the block on a work related errand, and since I need to get some addtional exercise to clear my mind...I decided to cross the street and pop in on the Cathedral of the Madeleine on my break.

Yes, those are gargoyles peering out from the sides of the building.

Cheery little gargoyle, huh?
The church has a total of eight of them guarding from the four corners of the two towers.

(I managed to "borrow" this close up image from another blogger who was visiting from Texas...figured she wouldn't mind being neighborly to another ex patriot Texan...)

The front door is unlocked, but the one I entered wasn't the only one.

Doesn't it look cool?

I'd love to know why the two circles are designed to be different.
They must have some special meaning, don't you think?

Inside: oh wow. wow. wow. (said very quietly...)

A woman was kneeling in the aisle. I thought she was having a moment of reverence, but it turned out she was setting up a shot with her camera, and her head was bowed as she figured out her camera settings.

The church broke ground in 1899 and the Cathedral was completed 10 years later, at a cost that near broke the 3,000 Catholic congregants, although most of the funding came from wealthy local mining operators.

I thought I recognized the art style as coming from that decade. It is so similar to the cover art of books published during that time.

The big window that graces the front of the church as view on the outside seemed rather minor compared to the organ pipes.
I found it very comforting to see the Scriptures written out.

I miss seeing that touch in modern churches.

I sure wish my camera did better with the far away shots...
And that I had taken a picture of the baptistry in the entrance. It was deep enough to submerge an adult...and I had always thought Catholics were only into the sprinkle baptism.

The Cathedral was lovely, even on a rather ordinary Wednesday early afternoon.
And while I am not Catholic, our shared scriptures and foundational faith was evidenced in the art and beauty of the place.

Well worth the walk, and I'm sure I will drop by to reflect upon the images on occasion there again.
(Probably when I have visiting friends with better camera than I have!)

What soothes, what breaks

The sound of a rushing stream burbling over rocks sedates and calms me.
Watching the water's shimmer, scanning the edge for dragonflies and flowers refreshes my mind.
Beside such dappled waters I find peace, and joy, restoration and strength.

There are plenty of such streams flowing through the mountains that surround the city where I now live.

Dropping by an open house, I was surprised to see this unexpected stream bed just outside the kitchen window.

I went outside and stood on the deck of the house watching the graceful river run into a quiet pond beneath me.

I felt all the pressures of my life melt away.

With the home owner's permission, I sat for awhile and marveled at its design, became relaxed and became renewed.

The house itself was marvelous both inside and out.
(You can see all of it by clicking on the picture tab rather than the video tab on the highlighted linked word house above.)

Every inch of the almost 4,000 square foot home had recently been remodeled to perfection.
And home owner shared that the landscaping alone had cost $100,000.

"How much did the stream bed cost?" I quickly asked.
She didn't know; the cost was included in the entire landscaping project.

We could afford the house, with some really tight budgeting.
What we couldn't afford is the upkeep on such a place over the long haul.

"You wouldn't need to use the basement" the real estate agent offered.
(The basement was as elegant as any luxury hotel that you have ever visited...with a second kitchen, living room and deck...)

We pondered the possibility of buying the place, and renting out the basement to another family.
And yet we still felt a check against encumbering ourselves with so much space.

It was such a beautiful home.
We found ourselves lingering, mesmerized by the relaxing stream.

"If I may ask, why are you selling it?"
"The house was my husband's parent's. After we got it, we spent six years remodeling it. We had six children living with us here. It is too large now."

I told her that I too was an empty nester. And that it was too large for me as well.

I looked around the elegant marble countered kitchen overlooking the stream, the beautiful dining room with chairs for eight at the table, and the beckoning stone fireplace just beyond.

It was all too easy to imagine cozy evenings, bright mornings, and holiday gatherings with family and friends.

Then she added wistfully: "My husband is divorcing me. I love this house, but now it must be sold."

I looked into her empty eyes, and told her how sorry I was that that was happening to her.

I told her I would pray that she would soon find a place that would sooth her heart, and allow her to feel a peace again.

Outside the sound of the stream continued, and the sunshine through the autumn hued trees turned the garden grounds golden and bright. Nothing more could be more appealing. Nothing could be more soothing.

And yet there was a sadness that clung in our hearts as we bade her farewell and walked away from a house that had seemed to me to be a place like paradise.

The Blues

First off, let me say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who offered advice for driving and living in snow. It was so interesting to get tips from as far away as Sweden, and as close as right here in SLC.

If any other tips come to mind later, just add them in on what ever post is up. I'll take all the help I can get!

Right now it is sunny outside, and the sky is quite blue, as are the mountains in the distance.

Some times blue is a lovely color. I myself am fond of the aqua shades of blue, the shade of blue that graces these lamps. They matched the carpeting in the house perfectly.

I just can't decide if I think the lamps are horrid, or very cool retro. One moment I like them, the next I don't.

That is pretty much how my whole life is right now...I seem to be unable to get a handle on much of anything.

And because of that, I find myself sinking into the blues.

Stress will do that to you. Even if you think you are just hunky dory, even though you pray and have faith, having so much change going on messes with your mind and emotions.

Making decision about anything becomes almost impossible. Buying a down coat, a house, a kind of cat food...all of it starts becoming very difficult.

As to the lamps, whether I do or don't like them doesn't really matter; the house they hung in was a serious no, and the over head lamps were not enough to make up for the rest.

This blue building is a good example of what life is like for me right now.

I stare at it, and think "Why did they build such a skinny high rise? That just doesn't make sense. I like that it is such a pretty shade of blue though."

Later I look at it again, and realize that actually the building is a triangle shape. Just going a few blocks towards it allows the rest of the building to come into view.

And then it also become apparent that the building isn't blue at at.

It is glass; and blue is just the reflection of the sky.

My mom remembers swimming off the Saltaire Palace as a child. I hear the building is still standing, but in terrible condition. I have to wonder why such a beautiful structure would not have been preserved.

The picture illustrates another enigma: The swimmers actually don't concern themselves with sinking; instead they struggle to push their feet down enough so that they can walk out of the water! Floating actually becomes an issue.

So confusing to think about.

This beautiful building...with a buffalo head for adornment. Curious. Why a buffalo head? Did they sell buffalo? What did the buffalo mean?

I don't know.

I do know the building was there when my grandfather lived here.

Today would have been his 104th birthday.

Today marks the 33 year since he left us.

Today we would have celebrated his service in WWI.

Three events to consider, each embedded on one calendar day.

Emotionally...it is confusing.

And I find myself teary again.

Sometimes I think the opposite of blue is gold.

Like this door...so huge and bright, powerful and strong.

It once led into a bank.

(You can still see the night deposit opening on the side of the building to the right)

I can imagine how secure people must have felt opening that door, and depositing their cash.

But what did that door look like to those people during the bank runs of the Great Depression?

Today it is the door to an architecture and engineering firm.

(Their sign is painted on one of the building's side windows.)

The banking hours are still engraved on the gold door though.

Unless you turned the corner and read the sign, you would never guess it wasn't actually a bank.

So here is how that skinny building looks from another view. How could anyone possibly know this just by looking at it from the first picture?

The building doesn't just disappear into the distance either.

It is there, and real.

You just have to be in the right place to get the right perspective to have it all make sense.

That's what I keep telling myself about all this house hunting and mind changing and government changing and all the other changing going on in my life.

Eventually...all this will have come merely to pass.

The confusion will pass...

Eventually all this will make sense.

Eventually blue will just be a color again.

CG asks NG for advice

You remember the song don't you?

"The Northern Girls, with the way they kiss,

they keep their boyfriends warm at night..

I wish they all could be California girls...."

Even though I am a CG, I think I can manage to figure out how to kiss so as to keep my boyfriend/husband warm at night...but I do have another question to ask about this current gig of being a "Northern Girl."

What do you NGs know about life with snow that I don't know, but should?

Especially in terms of driving.

(I'm a bit freaked about driving in icy conditions...)

However, I am interested in anything else that you could share about living safely and wisely with snow.

I am serious.

Help out this new member of the NG sisterhood.

Former CG now Coloradan NG BGF Gail has given me her best tips gleaned during her two decades of life with snow.

They are as follows:

1. Always have a warm coat, sleeping bag, hat and gloves in the car at all times.

2. Leave your windshield wipers point up when you stop them to make it easier to de-snow/ice the windshield later.

3. Wear the slip-on anti slip things on your shoes when you go out.

4. Get your car washed and waxed to prepare for winter.

5. Wearing silk long underwear is better than heavy layers.

Bernie lived in Chicago for a year, and advises:

1. If it is snow slippery, take the foot off the gas and let the car inch along on its own.

2. Steer into a slide. (DON'T take hands off the wheel....my first inclination...)

3. Jackets with zippers need to have something covering the zipper, preferably a flap with snaps and not Velcro.

My own advice to myself:

1.Wear a brimmed hat so the glasses don't get snow on them.

2. Don't drive if you don't have to if it is wet and icy out.

3. Remember to button up before going out the door.

4. Always have something ready to blot nose drippies.

5. Mittens really are warmer.

My co-worker suggested that on heavy snow/freezing rain days it is a good idea to put a tarp over your car in the parking lot when you get to work, and put a brick on the top of it to hold the tarp down. She says it is easier to whisk off the tarp later than try to scrap ice and snow in the dark.

While you are mulling over what you want to tell me, you can enjoy these pictures from yesterday.

The Catholic church is across the street from our school's parking lot.

It is just a gorgeous building, and photographers are photographing it all the time. I keep meaning to bring a tripod and get going on shooting all the interesting details of the structure. And I want to go inside too to see that massive round stained glass window from the inside.

White trees look so good in front of red brick buildings.

This snow storm happened on Wednesday; it was so hard to go to work when I wanted to do was to walk around and take pictures, or sit in front of a fire and stare out the window.

I guess there will be time for in the future...after all, I do actually live here now. This isn't a vacation, I get to stay for keeps!

Autumn was spectacular, and there still is plenty of color around.

I want to make sure I know all the insider tricks to making life in winter's snow as pleasant of an experience as well.

Got any tips for me?

Advice?

Suggestions?

Cautions?

Come on all you Northern Girls.

I know you learned how to keep yourselves safe and comfortable in the snow.

Share with me, OK?

It is getting colder at night.

Your "boyfriend" will be willing to wait for you...cuz he knows all about that signature NG Kiss!

Snakes On The Carpet

There is a bonus to house hunting right now.

I get to see the fall colors on display in the various neighborhoods.

Aren't these two trees just awesome?

So bright and colorful against the rainy clouds of Mt. Olympus.

I have a little story to tell about when I was growing up in a place where we rarely got much in the way of rain showers. A "shower" was always something that happened in a place where there were handles on the wall, and the water temperature could be adjusted at will.

Now where I grew up was next to the beach, and we spent a lot of time down at the beach swimming and playing in the sand. Such fun, but not so much fun when that same sand got tracked through the house on the way to the bathroom shower.

My dad, being a clever man, realized that it would be much better if we could shower off outside. So he built a small shower in our garage. Because it was just to shower off beach sand, he decided he would build it as cheaply as possible. The tiles were acquired for free if I remember right, tiles of every color of the rainbow, a mis-matched collection that we artlessly called the Mexican tiles.

(We lived near Mexico, and knew that in Mexico, interior design sensibilities bows to financial sensibilities. There it doesn't matter what it looks like, as long as it works.)

Sometimes we would have guests and they always thought our "Mexican" shower was a hoot. I think we were the only family on the block that had a shower that made people laugh.

But....

Apparently we weren't the only family in the world with a Mexican Shower though.

Get a load of this!

This was the shower INSIDE the "Snakes On The Carpet" house.

I couldn't help but wonder if they had somehow heard about the shower in our garage!

Isn't it just GREAT?

So happy, so fun....so funny.

Lord knows that house needed a bright spot.

Take a look at the "family" room:

Aaaaagggghhhhhh....

Mommy, I'm scared! There are SNAKES on the carpet! I don't wanna go down there to play.

Oh come on. Be brave.

Up close, don't you actually LOVE the fall colors that are found in this carpet?

Seriously....it has orange in it.

And all of you know how much we like the color orange!

*****

(You can see how this house looked on line. You can see that this room was actually the "Farmily Room Down." Makes sense to me. A room that is a cross between a farm room and a family room, and it is definitely down. )

*****

Bernie LOVED this house. I HATED this house.

It did have killer good views. But the front door was over that crazy ugly carport! The downstairs was a separate rental unit, and B. is convinced that we could enclose the garage, redo the inside of the house and it would give us great views in two directions.

I say you would still have to hike up an awful lot of steps up to get to the house.

And so it goes.)

The rest of the Drivers License story....

So....
The next thing that happened in my attempt to get a Utah Drivers License so I could vote in today's election:

I drove down on a Thursday two weeks ago, and arrived to find the line snaking out the door of the building.
Sigh.
I got into line, and after a few moments, just happened to look up at the ceiling, where I saw a sign saying I needed to fill out a form before getting into line.
I got out of line, and stood at the table area and filled it out.
Then got back at the end of the line.
Sigh...

Ahead of me were African ladies, Pacific Islanders, Girls with low slung pants and low slung tops...and a man and his teenage son.

The man and his son were talking to the authority person, but I couldn't hear what was being said.
But the body language was pretty clear: There definitely was p-r-o-b-l-e-m.

Moments later the man and his son headed over to a side table, where the man SLAMMED his fist on the table, and roared
"THIS SUCKS!"

Now he was a rather small sized man, but you could see the security guards watching him very closely.
The son was making phone calls to his mom...I tried not to stare at the drama unfolding before me.

By ones and by twos people would reach the authority figure where a short conversation would take place, various explanations were given, and then they too would walk away from the authority figure as well, clearly denied an opportunity to get a driver's license.

I got the feeling that they wished they had the courage to do what the son's dad did.

Then I was up to bat.

I smiled warmly walked up the official, and briskly whipped out my Texas drivers license and my car insurance, confident that I was completely prepared for my big moment of becoming an official State of Utah Driver.

The man glanced at my Texas Drivers license, and my insurance.
Then, like a robot, he asked to see two proofs of my mailing address AND my Social Security card.

Huh?
We are told NEVER to carry our Social Security card!
And what does my social security have to do with getting a driver's license anyway?

You can't argue with this authority figure.
No mail, and no social security card=no license for me today.

But.....I never say die.
I refuse to give up.
Never.

I checked the time, and the time that the office would close.
I had about an hour and a half before the office would close.
If I hurried, I could race home and get back before then.

I raced for my car, drove like crazy, and ran to our apartment.

I knew I already had a file labeled "Two pieces of mail with address" since it seems like everyone here wants to see two pieces of mail with our address on it for some reason or another.
(Actually it is Jeff's address on our mail...we know better than to get mail sent to a temporary apartment.)

Then I dug out my spanking new Social Security card that I had to get to start work here.
I had left my original Social Security card in Houston, as I didn't think I would need it right away in Utah.
(Ha. What did I know?)

I had just weeks ago gotten the new card in the mail; it was SO spanking new that I had not even removed the card from the form in which it was embedded.

I glanced at form around the card and saw that it said this:

Note the line that says:

"Any government agency that asks for your number must tell you: whether giving it is voluntary, its authority for requesting the number and how the number is used."

Oh yeah...it is pay back time!

Back at the Drivers License building the line was short; I walked up right up to the authority figure, who once again asked to see my Social Security card.

I retorted: "Certainly, once you provide me with the documentation proving to me that YOU are entitled to see it, and are in compliance with the law."

(Let's just say someone's eyebrows shot up....)

It took a bit, but yes, I refused to show them my SS card until they showed me where it said that legally I had to show it to them.

There were a few short meetings in the back room, some copying of materials, and then they got out the red ink, trying to determine exactly where it actually does say I have to show my card.

(There really was no line behind me...I wouldn't have been so cruel as to delay others if there had been a line waiting.)

Eventually they did find the legal passage.
I made them make a copy for me, then I handed over my card.

By then it was 20 minutes to closing. The authority (a nice widower who had a wedding ring that matched Bernie's wedding ring) handed me this book:

And suggested that I read it.
Then he pointed me over to the camera.
I didn't say a word, just sat down and got photographed.
Now get this:
I DIDN'T HAVE TO TAKE THE TEST!!!!
Bernie had to take the test.
Everyone else in the room had to take the test.
Me?
No test.
Go figure.

Yes, it is true.
This California/Texas girl now a citizen of the state of Utah, and a proud owner of a Utah drivers license.

And the kicker?

After all this rigamorole, as soon as I got my picture taken , I learned I had missed the deadline to register to vote by one day.

I am SO sorry...
I tried....
I really did.

But I did managed to leave the building without once slamming a table and shouting THIS SUCKS!!!!
But only because my momma raised me to be a Fine Christian Woman, and Fine Christian Women just don't do that sort of thing.
(We just put the screws to them legally instead.)

False alarm.

After much thought and prayerful consideration, we decided against getting either house.

One house we loved the view, the floor plan, size and the price, but there was more freeway sound outside than I could deal with. Freeway sound is usually part of any house that is set on the slope of a mountain, much to my dismay. In my mind I see us living in that house, but when I go to it and sit outside, I realize the sound would never go away.

For the record, that was the house with the deck, garden, fire place, red kitchen and yes, Bob Marley.

The other house, the one with the view to downtown: we loved everything except a very steep curving driveway up to the front deck. Way too scary steep to manage in snow or ice.

Then to reach the front door at the top of the driveway would have required climbing an additional 10 steps outside, or from inside the garage climbing the steps from the downstairs up to the kitchen and living area.

The downstairs was simple; a family room with a great fireplace and downtown view, but no bathroom. There are lots of reasons why someone might not be able to climb stairs for awhile; and just staying downstairs would not be an option. The price point on that house was our absolute limit; adding a downstairs powder room would not be an option for us.

Sigh.

Sunday was B.'s 55 birthday. He had a miserable head cold, but rallied enough for us to go see eight more houses in the late afternoon. It was raining cats and dogs at first but cleared up a bit later.

There is something quite funny about looking at lots of houses: You get them mixed up in your mind if you are not careful. To prevent this from happening, we tend to re-name each house according to something that would stick out in our mind later. For instance, the first house I wrote about above has been called "The Bob Marley House" since the first time we saw it. The second house is "The house with the steep driveway and great view"

Sunday we saw "The house with the green rocks on the busy corner" (NATURAL turqouise green actually,not paint...the whole front of the house)

"The foreclosure house", where they had done a ton of work on the front of the house and kitchen, and were sadly in foreclosure. Small child sized clothing and other junk was strewn about in odd places, we felt so bad for the family._

"The Sick Realtor House" so named because when we arrived, the key box was opened, and we could see a purse on the kitchen table of the empty house. We knocked and knocked, speculated on what might be going on in the other wise empty house, and finally a young woman answered the door, saying she was the real estate agent for the house and she had been unable to answer the door because she was being violently sick in the bathroom. She gave us details (ewww) and then curled up on the carpet, holding her stomach. I offered to give her a ride if she needed to go home or to the hospital, she decline and continued to be on the carpet while we explored the house.

"The Snakes on the Carpet House" was so named because of the crazy carpet pattern.

"The Brownie House" was where the nice old couple showed us every nook and cranny of their beautiful house and lovely garden, and then offered us freshly baked brownies.

There were others, "The House with No View", "Too much noise house"...and so it went.

I am cheered that two houses were actually home and garden tour perfect. One was 4,000 square feet (too big for us) and the other is great but for the fact that they have it so the first thing you see when you walk in is the kitchen sink across the way didn't do it for B.

Oddly, the house reminded us so much of our Houston house we were someone taken aback. We had mentally gotting into a bit more rugged style house!

For fun...here's the link to the Brownie house, sans cute couple serving brownies. The kitchen is photographed from the front door.

It is too early in the day to post pictures of the snakes on the carpet house. I'll wait to do that later, when I can face seeing that mess again.

I think that makes us at 34 viewed houses now. Plus a couple of hundred houses just viewed on line.

It is a Colorful world: The house hunt is reaching a conclusion

The Sweet Gum (aka Liquid Amber) trees flanking the library have turned color now.

How this tree manages to have such variation in color is a mystery to me.

These are all the same kind of tree...all within a few yards of one another, and yet they are turning as if they want to show off their own unique colorful personalities.

I loved this tree while I grew up in San Diego. It was the only consistent color changing tree in the area. Here in SLC, it is just one of many color changing trees.

But it is still the only tree that I have seen that has color variation from tree to tree. Some turn red, others yellow, some orange, some are yellow and brown, others are red and yellow...some are red, yellow, orange and green all at the same time. That just amazes me.

Right now I long to walk about enjoying the autumn colors and the beautiful blue skies overhead. But I have other tasks ahead of me; searching for the house to buy is how my day will be spent instead.

Of course there are plenty of colorful things to see while house hunting too:

Blue sinks...

Blue toilets, tubs and wall, with a festive pink accent line added just for a bit of flair.

Colorful valley views.

Views all the way to the down town skylines.

Colorful people...

Making for colorful walls...

And more views across seemingly endless autumn tree tops.

Reds and gold, greens and browns...

A beautiful valley that soon will shift between seasons, and in a day (soon) will become a pallet of white and gray.

There are lively shapes too...both square and round...

And fireplace stones that draw out shadowy memories, and thoughts of another place, a place somewhere that I just can't quite recall.

Red are the leaves...and red are the kitchens.

I look and look, and yet autumn beckons me still, calling to me to sit and relax and enjoy the autumn day's gift of sunny warmth.

Perhaps I could walk in this garden....

Or come inside and find a place for reflection instead.

I will find time to walk and reflect and to ponder too, and by the end of this weekend finally decide which of these houses we should make an attempt to buy.

(We are down to two houses now. The above pictures were taken at five different houses; two of those houses are the ones now under serious consideration. I've visited 27 properties, and viewed at least a hundred more on line. It isn't easy...but feel free to vote for the pictures that you think would be part of the home that I would love. I will say this: the long valley views are from two different houses. And one of those two houses is actually out of the running!)