It was Christmas in Chicago
at Kelty & Duane's Palace in the Sky.

Our holiday breakfast
(made by Ms. K, ever the enthusiastic hostess!)
included hootenany pancakes garnished with fruit & cream.

Of course, there was little Miss Rella May
in charge of making the day
MERRY.

She did so with a flourish.

Kelty has found another venue for her equestrian avocation, out here in Illinois.

She owns a certain % of this noble beast.

My daughter fully lives up to her middle name of 'Grace' when she's on the back of a horse.
This is NOT my parental bias. Not in the slightest.

Here's the view taken from the 'Guest Room' window upon rising yesterday morn.

I am positively IN LOVE with the Windy City.

(So is my friend Bonsey who joined me to celebrate the season with us in the Midwest.)

Music for the Season

To hear selections from my sister Tricia's new Christmas CD, go HERE,

. . . and have yourselves a very

Family Dept. News

Arian and Jill have packed a lot of living into their time together.

TWO Graduations!
(Accepting their diplomas together.)

TWO Trips to Europe!

TWO Babies Born!

TWO New Hips! (Jill)

TWO Homes Purchased!

But now they are into THREEs.


There will be a THIRD graduation in 2012.

There will definited be a THIRD trip to Europe.

AND . . . there will be a THIRD baby.

THE NEWS - it's a GIRL!

I now have a six-pack of little granddaughters to BOOST my spirits in life!

BTW, here you see my ever-vigilant dog GUARDING the booties for our coming attraction.

Could there be a BOOTIE-THIEF lurking by the dining room table?

Gender is really only one factor here. Truly, my grandkids come in every FLAVOR under the sun! I like being situated two generations up the line and watching their little personalities budding without needing to do anything but thoroughly enjoy them.

Kenneth - With all these girls, are you going to feel like THIS?

Talk to your dad about this. He understands.

Wanna Know about Rock Canyon?

There is a NEW COMPREHENSIVE WEBSITE for people who love this awe-inspiring canyon:

RockCanyonUtah.com

The site is a loaded with:

Hikes * Climbing * Current Issues * Geology * Activities * Identification of Canyon
Wildlife & Wildflowers * Birding * Canyon History * Driving Directions * Trail Maps

Furthermore, it's the home of the Rock Canyon Preservation Alliance.

The majestic rock cliffs at the mouth of canyon - the nose of our Mona Lisa -
have been threatened by a proposed mining quarry.

You can read about the BREAKING NEWS on the mining conflict at RockCanyonUtah.com.

Senator John Valentine is actively working towards protection of the canyon.
He made a STATEMENT entitled "Where We Go From Here". It can ONLY be found at RockCanyonUtah.com.

****************
Every year, I fall madly in love with the canyon in the SPRING when the river is running . . .

It is protected watershed for our city.

I am also CRAZY about it in the SUMMER when dramatic thunderstorms pass through,

followed by awe-inspiring rainbows.

It's thrilling when the fall colors arrive and I can't wait to get on the trail.

Yes, AUTUMN is a spectacular time to be in the canyon.

But nothing beats WINTER when drifts of Uniquely Utah Powder Snow

cling to every single tree branch and all along the rugged cliffs, creating dazzling magic.

Wildlife is abundant in Rock Canyon.

Right from the trailhead parking lot, you can often spot Rocky Mountain Big Horn Sheep

They scramble around on the front cliffs . . . where there's that mining proposal.

In one short hike (during spring and summer months),
I can generally see more than two dozen types of wildflowers from the trail.

Wonder what kind of flower is picured BELOW?
Or what OTHER species of stunning wildflowers grpw in the canyon?

THIS LINK take you to some eye-popping photos with identification of wildflowers on the
RockCanyonUtah.com site.

There are MANY REASONS Rock Canyon is a DESTINATION for people from all walks of life.

This is how SOME people choose to have a good time in the canyon. Yes. They jump off the cliffs.

Technical climbers are drawn to the very rock walls that the miner wants to remove!

GO HERE for more about the Rock Canyon Climbers. Great photos and cool video.

Thanks for following me here.

Obviously, I'm just a tad bit PASSIONATE.

Please DO enjoy the new website:

RockCanyonUtah.com