Day 9: Gauchita in Bariloche

Day 8: Nahuel Huapi and Cerro Tronador

Day 7: Llao Llao (Bariloche)

Day 6: San Telmo (BA)

Day 5: Buenos Aires

Day 4: Iguazu Falls, Argentina

Day 3: Iguazu Falls, Brazil

Up very early this morning to fly to Iguazu. As we neared the airport, we saw a mist plume reaching out of a verdant canyon. John Fernandez met us, and soon we were off to Puerto de Iguazu!

John is an interesting guy. Maybe in his late 50's. Rather short, solid, tan and with graying hair. Originally from India, but has lived in Argentina for the last thirty or so years. Most of it in Buenos Aires, but he moved to Iguazu and opened his B&B, The Secret Garden, about 4 months ago. SG has gotten very good reviews in its short life, although his website is rather limited on info. One thing that stood out is his hobby of conversation. After regaling us with cryptic tales of quitting everything and just traveling every ten years or so, and how his wives (I think he meant consecutive, and not contemporary!) at the times just hadn't appreciated this particular outlook, we arrived in town, and he proceeded to give us a short tour. Not really much to say about the town, except that he considers it a frontier town, and that he keeps a dog and someone in residence all the time so that he doesn't get robbed blind.

Finally arrived at SG, and it is lovely. The wooden deck cuts through a luch garden area that houses many species of plants that are supposedly becoming scarcer in the area. Our room is warm, clean and inviting. After four days of communal hostel bathrooms, it is nice to have our own sparkling clean place to shower and wash/dry clothes. We sat for a moment, then were up and running again.

Walked to the bus station and caught the bus heading for Foz do Iguazu, in Brazil. I guess I should explain that we didn't have visas to visit Brazil. They cost $100 each, and everything we'd heard said that if you take the bus over and back, the boarder agents just slide over it because they're glad to have revenue coming into the city. Besides, JLITH wanted to do something risky, and who was I to deny her? When we got to the Argentine side, I did a Homer-esque "Doh!" because I'd left my passport back at the SG. What can I say, I like leaving it in a safe place. Had to cab it back to the B&B, and ended up taking the bus at Avenida Los Lapachos. When we arrived at the Argentinian boarder (again), JLITH asked the agent what we should do on our return. Agent replied that we'd probably have to pay 100 pesos to get back across, and left it at that. And at 3 pesos to a dollar, it seemed reasonable enough. And so we passed the Argentinian side just fine. On the Brazillian side of the boarder, the bus stopped again, and everyone started walking single file out of the bus and onto the sidewalk. I thought we were done for. As I watched, our busmates walked along the sidewalk for a few meters, made an abrupt left turn, then reboarded the bus. I was mystified. I then saw that everyone was stepping onto a wet rag with both feet, when I had supposed they were merely turning. Still mystified. Was this some sort of symbolic dusting off of one's feet, leaving one country for another? Well, whatever it was, we did it, and got back on the bus, and only started breathing normally after a few hundred meters.

Guided by Lonely Planet, we exited the bus on the main road just after the bridge. We didn't need to go all the way to Foz do Iguazu, and didn't want to waste any daylight. Several other tourists got off as well, and seemed to know where they were going ... but they didn't. JLITH noticed that there were on the wrong side of the road. Soon the tables were turned, and they started following us. But before they could make it over, we decided we'd waited long enough, and had found a cab to get us to the park entrance.

Time in the park was amazing.
Walked along paved path that had ever expanding views of the falls.
Went out along the catwalks to stand right in front of the largest falls. Pictures with waterproof camera to follow.
Walked back along path to adventure area. Rapelled down to the canyon bottom. JLITH went down really fast, but I took my time, savoring the exquisite views of the falls. However, by the time I got to the bottom, I had to hurry, because my hands were burning.
Went whitewater rafting with the most beautiful Brazillian boys. I don't think I've ever seen better tanned and sleek deltoid muscles. Rafting was very exciting, especially when we charged up the waves. When it calmed down a bit, we got out and swam/floated down the river a bit.
Left the park around 6pm and took the bus to Foz do Iguazu. Couldn't find the bus to get back to Argentina. The guy at the counter was no help. Said we should take a taxi. NOT what we wanted to do, but what else to do? So we took a taxi. Sweated bullets in the long line to get back across the boarder. Agonized over the two Argentine buses that whizzed past in the bus lane. And when it came down to it, the just waved us through on the Brazillian side. On the Argentine side, we had to have our passports checked, then we had to do the footwipe thing.
Back at the B&B, the American sociologist sighed at our being young and pretty and able to "charm the boarder agents." The guy said that the penalty for not having a visa is 30 days in jail. Don't know if he's correct, but I'm glad we didn't have to find out that night!

Day 2: Colonia, Uruguay

Day two, and time to get a new stamp in my passport. I got a late start, and we had to really move it to get to the Buquebus terminal on time. We got up to buy our ferry tickets, only to find to my dismay that I had left my passport back at the hostel! Took a taxi back and retrieved it. Semi-relieved that the fery didn't leave until 0900 (not 0800, as we'd thought). When we finally boarded, it was to find that the interior resembled a very large bus ... loads of chairs that reclined. Exceptions were the gambling machines and the louge deck for VIP's, not for us plebians. Anyway, we grabbed a stand alone chair to stretch our legs out onto, reclined, and fell asleep. Arrived in Colonia three hours later.

One of the first things we saw in Colonia were billboards proclaiming, "Colonia - no es poco." I found this incredibly ironic, since it is incredibly small! Colonia del Sacramento, was the only Portuguese settlement along the Rio de la Plata. It was founded in 1680 by Manuel de Lobo, and was the focus of struggle between the Spanish, who founded the settlement at Montevideo, and the Portuguese over control of the area. For years it operated as a contraband port, evading the strictures imposed on trade by the Spanish crown. The Barrio Historico (historic quarter) was named a UNESCO heritage site in 1995.

We walked over to the Puerto de Campo to start th walking tour. Fabulous old fortification walls, rocky remains of a convent, a lighthouse. There were a bunch of museums we'd planned on seeing, but they were all closed today, in straight defiance of my Lonely Planet guide book. The only one that was even slightly accomodating was the tile museum, whose glass doors allowed us glimpses of the wares inside.

Had lunch on the open-air second story of a restaurant with a good view of the cafe au lait sea. Janet ordered chivitas, which is a typical Uruguayan dish. Typical in this case meant very unexciting ... grilled hamburger patty with fried eggs on top of french fries. Rather deflating experience. However, there was a singer/guitarist who played live music downstairs that was quite good, and made up for the unexciting fare.

Other things of note ... school children running around the yard with white frock coats and large blue bows on front ... an iron grail with a vine artfully twisted around it ... peaceful, cobbled streets ... quick gander at the fruit market. And really, that was it. Made our way back to the ferry office and waited for it to reopen so we could buy our return tickets. Found out that we'd waited by the wrong office. Made our way to the rapid foil ferry office and were back on our way to Argentina.

Back at the hostel, we cleaned up a bit and walked over to an intimate trattoria nearby, Abril. Good food. Particularly enjoyed the butternut squash ravioli and the creme brulee sampler. Got back to the hostel and packed to leave for Iguazu in the morning.

Day 1: Buenos Aires

Arrived in BA at 0920. Taxi over to the Sandanzas Cultural Hostel in San Telmo. JLITH and I have had such good experiences in hostels ... cheap, clean, lots of interesting people from around the world, and group activities. Talked with Fernando (not his real name, I'm awful with names ... however, he was the pasty guy with the shaggy light brown hair and the goatee), who made reservations for us to go to a tango dinner show with a brief lesson on Argentine tango. He also shared his ma-te tea with me. When he handed the cup to me, I went to stir it with the straw (which is actually metal with a filter at the base), and he nearly fainted at my indiscretion. Apparently only the pourer is allowed to stir the mate. It was warm, but bitter, and one sip was enough for me. Before we left, Fernando warned us to be ready to leave for the tango show at 1845.

JLITH and I walked down to Avenida Paseo Colon to catch the bus. Spent the first little bit trying to find the bus we wanted, missed a couple, then had to run to catch one. Turned out we needed a different bus, and the driver obligingly dropped us off at the right place. After learning that it's the custom to flag down the bus you want, we finally were headed to La Boca ... a colorful area of town, both figuratively and literally. The houses are covered with brightly painted corrugated metal sheets, and has a decidedly French Quarter feel. Tango is the scene, and there were artists selling tango drawings and paintings, dressed up dancers who posed with tourists for a minimal donation, and a number of those painted boards with head cutouts for the truly cheesy. Fun, but apparently not the best place for out-of-towners to be after dusk.

We next headed over to the train station to get to the delta region near Tigre. Once there, we took the boat bus out to Tres Bocas, where there are supposed to be a bunch of bridges passing over the multiple waterways. Unfortunately, the water is not blue, but a rather cafe au lait color. The neighborhood was very quaint, everyhouse being elevated over the land, with many having little picnic areas under the houses. Almost every place had a little dock, although there were not many boats or dinghies in evidence. We walked over one bridge. Searched for another, but didn't have time to go too far. Returned to the boat bus launch and comforted ourselves with flan icecream. Jetted back to the hostel, all the while worrying about being late.


Back at Sandanzas, we quickly showered off the stickiness of the day, and changed for dinner. We were ready at 1845, and went into the main lobby to wait for the ride service. Met Tony, a half Polish half Latino New Yorker wanna-be-player type who's travelling in Argentina to meet face to face girls he's met on-line. Or at least, that's the way his semi-geeky bragging came off.

At 1915, ride still hadn't come. Started chatting with Mr. Clean (not his real name either, but as apt nomiker, as he head was clean-shaven). Mr. Clean is originally from Ukraine, but is now living in Chicago. He's a travelling nurse, and has also lived in a number of US cities, including LA. He's worked in the SICU, but is now currently working in the ED. He will be travelling for three weeks total, and was leaving for Tucuman and Lake Titicaca. I'd be jealous if we weren't going to Iguazu.

Finally around 1945, the ride service came and drove us over to Tango Complejo. In American standard ballroom dances, the women always start with the left foot (generally moving backwards), and the men always start with the right foot (generally moving forwards). However, it's completely opposite for the Argentine tango. For the follows, the footwork is
1) L foot forward
2) R foot forward and brush to side
3) L foot to close and brush to back
4) R foot back
5) L foot back, cross in front of R foot (with weight change)
6) R foot back
7) L foot back, brush to side
8) R foot brush to close with L foot.

A little disorienting, but very fun. Everything is kept very squared off (at least for beginners). The teacher danced a bit with everyone, and did some turning and directions changes with me and JLITH. And, given the great lack of male leads, I did a bit of leading with JLITH.

Went in to dinner next. Food okay, not great, but not horrible. One of the tango dancer couples came out to pose for pictures with the dinner patrons. JLITH and I both posed in a "closed with right leg entwined" position with the male lead. I left my sneaker-ish hiking shoe on the floor, but the photograper got it in the picture anyway. Almost bought the picture just for the laugh of it, but decided a mental shot would do as well.

Tango show was wonderful. The band was spectacular, the singers wonderful, and the dancers skilled. Dancers were a bit off during the synchronized portions, but these were rather rare. Tango is such a sophisticated, passionate and dramatic dance ... and I love the fancy footwork and lean-turns.

Returned to the hostel around 2300, absolutely knackered, and we went to bed. A little pathetic, in a city where people party on until the wee hours of the morning, even on weekdays, but we just needed a day to adjust.

In transit

Flying to Argentina today. Meeting JLITH in Buenos Aires. She used all her frequent flyer miles to get our tickets, so there isn't much use in my whining about having to fly all the way out to Dulles, Washington DC, then connect to Ezeiza airport in BA ... even if it entails about 17 hours of flight time and a two and a half hour layover. It's extremely generous of her, and I'm extremely grateful. Hopefully I'll find a good enough way to make it up to her sometime soon.

On Rush Blogging

Woke up early to practice hymns again. However, I've been doing so much lately that I felt an urgent need to get it in before I leave for Argentina in the morning. So, rush blogging for events since 4/15. Hope to have more time to fill in later. Must get back to practicing!!!

Rush Blogging: Sunstone West

Sunstone West Conference today.

Mormon Studies as Cultural Studies: The Americanization of Mormonism Reflected in Pop Culture … R. Dennis Potter, respondent Scot Denhalter

Outside and at the Bottom of the Ladder: How Mormon Studies Lookes to a Non-LDS Young Scholar … Seth Perry, respondent Dan Witherspoon

Toward a More Authentic Sisterhood: Unmasking Hidden Envy and Competition Among LDS Women … Mary Ellen Robertson, Julie Mounteer Hawker, Jana Remy and Anne Arnold

Big Love, Big Issues … Anne Wilde, Mary Batchelor, Richard Dutcher, Doe Daughter

The Kingdome of God or Nothing?: Jacob Taubes, Joseph Smith and Mormon Political Theology … Peter Leman, respondent John Remy

Mormon Women and the LDS Bloggernacle … Jana, Caroline, Dora (me!), and Brookewill.

The Book of Mormon in Light of DNA Studies: Where are we now? … William Lobdell, Angela Campbell, Armand Mauss, Clifton Jollye.

So many comments, but these will have to wait

Rush blogging: marriage debate

To UCLA for co-sponsored (BYU and UCLA/Williams Institute law) marriage debates specifically on same sex marriage. Stephanie Coontz (Evergreen State College in Olympia, I think) was the runaway hit of the day. Also liked the presentations of Lee Badgett (visiting Prof, Williams Institute), Allan Carlson (President, Howard Center for Family, Religion and Society), Shannon (man, not woman) Minter (Legal Director, National Center for Lesbian RIghts) and Andrew Pugno (Chief Consel, Prop 22 Legal Defense and Education Fund). Lynn Wardle (Prof, BYU) was rather a yawn. And Monte Stewart (President, Marriage Law FOUndation) was terrible.

Dad joined me at the lecture. Talked to him later about how to ask a question, then actually let the respondents give their own responses.

Went over to the ward building to give a swing lesson to the ward. Very fun, even though I was very disorganized. About twenty people at the most. Can always tell the newly marrieds ... they never rotate, and are queer about touching other people. Exasperating. Wish there was some way to tactfully tell them that dancing with a non-spouse does not constitute infidelity. Youth girls seemed to have a lot of fun, and I taught them a few things after all the official teaching done. Glad to have Wonderwoman and White Boy there to demo with, eventhough they came and left at disparate times. Gave the youth girls the cd I made for the night so that they would have something to practice with. Would love it if they continued.

Rush blogging: Day off before the deluge

What is wrong with this picture? WhenI finally figured out why my glasses were hurting, I went over to L.A. Eyeworks and got them fixed. The optician who fixed them was the same one who helped me pick them out a couple years ago. Handsome, but flamboyant in a way I've come to associate with gay men. Anyway, he has the most gorgeous eyes ... cerrulean blue. Or, maybe it's that I can look at his eyes without feeling self-conscious. After all, he is examining how the glasses fit, and isn't discomfited by my gaze. Maybe everyone's eyes would be as lovely if I had the opportunity to look.

Went over to Bel Aire Camera to get a waterproof case for my camera. No more accidents like in Hawaii or Havasupai! Also saw that "Take the Lead" (http://imdb.com/title/tt0446046/) was playing, and caught a mattinee showing. It was okay. Really liked the PTA meeting scene, the hot tango scene, Banderas' gentlemanliness, and the red-head's fro at the competition.

Los Angeles Lindy Exchange. Marvelous. Danced for 5 hours. Best was DaveG, such a lyrical and thoughtful and creative dancer. More later

Rush blogging: Last day of work before vacation

Out of the six days I've worked this payperiod, I've precepted five. Three with A and two with B. Funnily enough, those are really their first initials, and not some random way for me to differentiate between them. I think A (new grad RN) will be an excellent nurse. Very verbal about questions and areas she doesn't understand, good critical thinking, safe practice. Plus I'm rooting for her since she's waiting for her (newly wed) husband to finish his current armed forces training stint on the east coast to end before he can move onto his next stint over here. B I think will also do well, although she doesn't seem to pick up things as quickly.

After today, I am off work until May 5th. Lots of fun in the next few days

Today is Big Bean's 4th birthday. Unreal how fast he is growing up ... developing those little personality quirks that make him into a real person. His fascination for the grotesque shark toy, stubbornness in shoe choice, his funny, air-sucking laugh, his accent as he asks, "Dowa, whacha doin?", and the fact that he's doing really well at phonetics and speaking English AND Korean.

Rush blogging: flowers

Came home from another challenging day of precepting at work, to find a beautiful bouquet of flowers on my dining table. Just turned on the light, and there they were, in all their loveliness. Blush roses (my favorite rose) and red mini-roses. Was rather shocked. Even more shocking, they were for me.

Rush Blogging: Swing into Salsa

Woke up in the middle of the night at my parent's home. Contemplated driving back to my apartment to sleep in my own comfy bed, but stayed so that I could spend some mom-time. She brought me to tears today by talking about some of the circumstances around my birth, specifically how she thought she might have soon been a widow except for a miracle. More on this later.

Drove Dad down to UCLA. Now that he's retired, he's just as busy attending lectures and being involved in community service as he was with his career.

Boardgame Fanatic came over in the afternoon for a swing lesson. Easy to teach, since he already knows salsa. Surprisingly, those who learn partner dancing easily are those who 1) have musical training, 2) have training in martial arts, and 3) are good at math. The athletes seem to have rather a more difficult time with it. The incident of swing dancing in the train station with Mad Dog comes to mind. More later.

Ended up doing some salsa as well. BGF is very good. I'm still having trouble with the ducked-head turns.

Went up to New Indian Grill for some food. Bengam Barta for me. inexplicable craving for eggplant these days.

Rush Blogging: Happy Easter

Had to wake up extra early to practice songs for today. Ugh. Who's the "unprepared virgen" now?

Church music okay. Doc Martin does the best she can with the choir, and she's a fantastic director, but she's working with a dearth of quality singers. Maybe one good soprano, two goos alto's (on a good day), and one good tenor. And these can't alsways drown out the perpetually off-key singers.

Need for good Easter music not fulfilled, Stayed for the LA 1st sacrament meeting. Again, music okay, not stellar. Until the 6 person men's acapella group sang, "Were You There." Gospel spiritual song. Amazing. Made the whole day's church attendance worthwhile. Music is one of the primary ways that I am uplifted by the spirit. Must better incorporate it into my life.

Had a brief bite to eat with Wonderwoman and Gadget Boy. Really delish gourmet food, eventhough she said it was really caj. White Boy showed up really late, which was not polite. Hmmm.

Trekked up to the valley to spend time at the homestead. Watched Baptists at Our Barbecue with Dad. Mom still at H&R Block working on even later lat minute tax payers, since apparently tomorrow is the last day to file. Fell asleep waiting for her.

Rush Blogging: Tax Day

Tax Day. Nation-wide, the "unprepared virgens" are filing their state and federal taxes and flooding the post office to get them postmarked today. Luckily for me (and my siblings, and a few close friends), my mother prepared my taxes for free earlier this year and electronically filed them through work.

Didn't precept today. Got report, and my 0800's were done and charted by 0830. How fabulous.

After work rushed over to Miller-Eccles for Karen Torjeson's lecture, "Early Christian Life - Women, Family, Teaching and Organization." Torjeson is a/the (?) Dean (History of Christianity; Women's Studies in Religion) at Claremont Graduate University. Wonderful lecture, and a good representative of feminist shcolarship.

Came home and played Catan when I should have practiced piano.

Home is where the heart is

Talked with Perky last night. She turned me onto findyouspot.com. And while my home is definitely in Los Angeles for the moment, it was fun to see where I could potentially fit in in the future. Out of the four pages, these places seemed the most likely areas that I would consider. Lots in the Pacific northwest, although there are some entries for the east coast. There were some inland areas, but I won't be including them here ... I've always found great comfort in living near large (and insect-free) bodies of water, and would generally choose to live near the coast rather than not. Sadly, Hawaii was not listed, although maybe it was because of the prohibitive costs of owning a home. Anyway, it;s something to think about, as the time to become landed gentry dries nigh.

Seattle, Washington
Bellingham, Washington
Norfolk, Virginia
Cincinnati, Ohio
Charleston, South Carolina
Olympia, Washington
Kent, Washington
Chesapeake and Virginia Beach, Virginia
Jacksonville, Florida
Tacoma, Washington
Portland, Oregon
Long Island, New York
Denver, Colorado

2006 Curry, Catan and CD

White Boy and I collaborated on a Catanning CD Mix. And to celebrate, I threw another CCC party.

Beginner Table: Me (teaching C&K), Drummerboy, KJa and Boardgame Fanatic
Intermediate Table: White BOy (teaching), Perky, Theodore, SEE and Minnie
Cutthroat: Wonder Woman, Precious, Superman, Pretty Lady ... later joined by Improv-er, Dave, White Boy and me for some late night Catanning.

Especial thanks out to:
White Boy for the cd (along with the fantastic label!), and for teaching at the gruelling Intermediate table
Wonder Woman for chopping and making the yummy dessert
Lovely Lady and Theodore for bringing drinks
Precious and Superman for doing dishes

And now, for the lineup ... songs without artists are the ones not available on itunes ...

Brickhouse ~ Commodores
Knock on Wood ~ Amii Stewart
Roll of the Dice ~ Bruce Springsteen
We Built This City clip
Wonder Wall ~ Oasis
Ain't No Mountain ~ Play
Desert Rose ~ Sting
Yo Ho! Yo Ho! ~ Disney
Sheep ~ The Housemartins
Drink Up clip
King of the Road ~ The Proclaimers
In A Big Country ~ Big Country
Jeff Jeffty Jeff clip
Roadblock ~
Bad Medicine ~ Bon Jovi
No Friends clip
Sabotage ~ Beastie Boys
Play the Game ~ Queen
Offer clip
Mony Mony ~
Fields of Gold ~ Sting
The Aqueduct clip
Win Some Lose Some ~ Robbie Williams
Bo Peep clip
Sheep Go to Heaven ~ Cake
Norwegian Wood ~ Beatles
Oliver's Army ~
Knights of the Round Table clip
Build Me Up Buttercup ~ The Foundations
Do Again clip

So, two big pots of curry, at least seven games and several cd's later, we were replete until ... next week?

The tell-tale heart

Floated over to the cardiothoracic ICU today to get in my ECMO (extra-corporeal membranous oxygenation) hours in. It's so rare that we have a case in the pediatric ICU , and the CTICU has been staffing their own, so it's been a while for all the PICU nurses. Anyway, the patient was a couple of days old, and had had reconstructive cardiac surgery. The surgeons left the chest open, which is not uncommon, covering the vital organs with a patch and an occlusive dressing. The night shift said that the team was planning on taking the baby off ECMO, so G and I were prepared when the surgical team rounded.

The procedure began in earnest later that morning, in the patient's room. The scrub and circulating nurses wheeled in all the equipment, we all masked and bonneted up, and the surgeons proceeded to remove the patch and we crossclamped. We started some epi, but the srugeons soon decided that today was not going to be the day. They cleaned up some clot in the chest wall, sewed on another patch, put on a new occlusive dressing, and that was that. We soon got the patient back to the previous ECMO settings, and had a really boring rest of the day.

However, I will note that the sight of this baby's beating heart under the new patch struck me as particularly amazing and awesome. Tiny thing, this premie baby, and small for its gestational age. However, that will to live still manifests itself. Don't know how things will turn out, as the baby still has a long way to go, but I'm rooting for this one.

Overarching desire

Dinner conversation with Scout and JLITH convinced me to take Monday and visit Arches and Canyonland National Parks. Ginger was initially going to come along, but was unable to when he remembered an important appointment. Thus it was that I had no constraints whatsoever on my time. Woke up a little late, and enjoyed the ride down in the early morning light. Arrived at Arches around 10:30. Sad that the Fiery Furnace hike was all booked up until Wednesday. Comforted myself with being amazed at the towering and brilliant red rock along the twisting initial roads. Took some time to view Park Avenue and the Courtroom, but hurried along to the Devil's Garden for some real hiking. Went out to Landscape Arch, and decided that I felt strong enough for the trek out to the Double O and Dark Angel.

Double O was quite breathtaking, especially the view from the far side. The day was mildly warm, and a bit overcast, but the skies seemed the most brilliant from behind the Double O. The smaller O on the bottom is quite small, and gives one the feeling of looking through lopsided binoculars.

Again, felt good, and continued on Primitive Path out to Dark Angel, which I suppose could look like a heavenly being to some, but looked mostly like a natural phallic symbol ... or maybe I'm just preoccupied. The trail was soft and silty for the most part, with several traverses over rocky areas. Friendly little cairns marked the way, magically appearing whenever those now-where-in-the-dickens-am-I-supposed-to-go-now moments popped up, which happened quite frequently. Today was a good day to be hiking ... populated enough that I felt safe going alone, but knowing that somebody would be probably be along within an hour if I got injured. For most of the Primitive Path, I hiked within shouting distance of a nice couple about my age. They were faster hikers, but I was quicker about figuring out how to manuever tricky spots. About four hours for the whole thing

Drove over to the Delicate Atch trailhead. Rested for a bit, but got restless, so I stopped. For some reason, this trail was more difficult for me than the other. Might have been that I was tired out, dehydrated or that the heat radiating from the rocky paths wore on me ... had to take frequent rest stops as I followed the cairn markers. Must say that the view from the Delicate Arch is amazing. Or else I was breathless from treading the slippery slope around to the base. The arch sits on the opposite end of a funnel-like path, rather eerie, but if the granpa with the cane could do it, so could I. I've heard that sunset is the best time to see the Delicate Arch, so I set in to wait. Then I got restless again. Besides, the idea of hiking back in the dark grew less and less appealing, eventhough I had Bork's flashlight in my pack.

So, I left Delicate Arch (about 2.5 hours roundtrip) and sped my way to catch a few last minute glimpses of Canyonland. Photos don't do it justice. I caught the low angle sunlight on the brilliant red rock, and was dazzled. Drove around and saw a larger view of the canyons, which from that height look like a fantastic, phantasmic hand reaching out of the earthly deeps to grab a bit of the fleeing sunlight.

Left as the sun was bidding its last adieus to the day, about 2000. Must admit that I am a poor night driver, especially when the roads are twisty and unlighted. Again I realize how dependant I am on vision, for learning, pleasure and safety. If I had to do it over, I wouldn't. I would have found any old motel along the side of the road, never mind potential Normans and freaky mothers, and slept it out. But, lacking that perfect hindsight, I plowed on. Found a congenial anonymous caravan buddy and followed her/him, eventhough 75-80 mph is a little bit outside my comfort zone on dark and twisty roads. Had to keep my gaze on the tail lights and reflectors because whenever I lifted my gaze, I imagined vast cliffs in the darkness ahead. At one point, as we passed an industrial area, I hit an animal as it ran across the street. Didn't mean to, I just wasn't able to stop at that particular part of the road. I think I heard it yelp. I felt awful, but didn't stop because I was too terrified off losing my CACB. Is it terrible that I hope it was a fox instead of a dog?

Was so relieved to get near civilized areas nearer to Provo, where there was more light. CACB veered off to get gas, and I gave her/him an unseen salute. Gave another nod to Ginger as I passed Provo, and a thankyou in Scout's direction as I passed Draper. Finally arrived back at JLITH's home and collapsed into bed sometime after midnight.

Is it sanctimonious to love talks against sanctimoniousness?

Reset my watch before I went to sleep. Apparently JLITH and I were the only ones. As time drew nearer for the Sunday sessions to start, I couldn't understand why Bork and Genie were so complacent, especially as some of their friends had stayed the night to watch the morning session. When I finally asked them to turn on the projector, Genie gave me a strange look and asked why I was so antsy. In a minimum of words, I made my case, and we all rushed down to catch the beginning of conference. Genie shortly brought down some delicious breakfast quiche, and Bork woke up to join us.

Really liked today's subjects. The ones that stood out the most were Holland, Oaks and Wood. Can't wait until President Hinckley's (who was looking grimmer than I've ever seen him) remarks on racism from Priesthood session are available in print or on-line. I wonder if this has been motivated by events in Utah related to hurrican Katrina evacuees, or a natural progression of the church's being more worldwide and the members; need to be more open-minded in general. Anyway, I sensed a general feeling of anti-sanctimoniousness that I really connected with. Yes, there was a little napping, but that's what tivo is for back in Los Angeles. Sad that Elder Uchtdorf didn't speak, but he was the only one of my favorites that I missed.

Again regarding the prophet ... he has been ill. In January he had surgery to remove a cancerous growth on his intestine. I worry about him. Is it possible that this is his last GC? I don't know. All I know is that prayers the world over are asking for his continued health and strength, to which I add my own.

More Hinckley info

Later that night Bork, Genie and I played some Catan C&K. Sad that JLITH was on shift over-night and was unable to play, but it couldn't be helped. Actually, I should have skipped the games, but I am personally invested in getting as many people up to speed at C&K and the special rules that I couldn't refuse. Went to bed way too late.

A day with JLITH

Finally, some time with JLITH. Fortunately, she had today off, between changing services at the hospital.

We started the day by driving to Park City, mecca for all things snow and edgy in Utah. Went over to a shop where she bought me a VERY early birthday present ... a warm woven throw in colors like a peacock feather. Then went over to Wal-Mart and explored the perculiar things on sale there. Drove over to the downtown area and walked around, sharing a chocolatey, caramelly, nutty apple from the Rocky Mountain Fudge Company, one of JLITH's favorite things to snack on. As we walked around and admired all the interesting/kitchy/southwestern places, it started snowing ... a lot. The picture doesn't do it justice. Wish I could post the video clips of us actually catching snow on our tongues. This was the second time EVER that snow has fallen on me. The first was up at Mammoth with BWJ, but that was while I was ostensibly learning to ski, and the flurries drove us indoor. Anyway, by the time it started really coming down in Park City, we were running late, and left before we got trapped on the mountain.

Hurried back to the house to change and run up to the supernacle for the afternoon session of conference. Genie was so sweet ... she quickly packed us lunch and we were off. It started raining just as we were leaving, and Janet luckily grabbed some umbrellas. Traffic into the city was bad, which was funny, since we were far from the only ones running late. Took a while to get into the parking lot, and then we had to tread through the rather substantial rain to get into line at the conference center. We chose the line on the far right side, which definitely moved faster than any of the the central lines. The hold up was the metal detector and handbag check. I guess in any large gathering of people, this will be mandatory.

Sat way up in the balcony. I will say that the major benefit to being in the supernacle is that the music seems so much more moving live. It always bothers me when people talk and chat during the music when we watch the tivo'd sessions at my apartment. Music is one of the ways that I feel the spirit most, and I really enjoyed hearing the music live and in peace. As for the rest, we were so far away that the speakers were undistinguishable, and I had to watch the large screens on either side to get a good view. Also, there was a man behind me to the right, who intermittenrly snored. Not that I didn't dose off once in a while, because I did. But I hope I didn't snore.

Generally I like the Saturday sessions best, but this session didn't really connect for me. Was able to take part in the sustaining, didn't know any of the new 70's, duly noted the church stats, and was a little sad that there were no women speakers (at least while I was awake). I rather liked Evan's talk on misionary work, and grew rather contemplative over Paul's (sp?) talk. Perhaps the talk that stood out the most was Elder Nelson's. Then again, he did bring down the house with his emphatic, "Wake up man!" Also noted that this was the first time that I'd heard the "no blessings will be denies to worthy singles in the aferlife" stated without reference in gender.

After conference, we walked to the Sam Weller Bookstore to wait out the wave of departing conference goer traffic. Actually, we walked past the store. In BFF's email from long ago, he said it was at 4th and Main. So, to 4th and Main we went, with no luck. Had to call Genie at home and have her look it up on the internet. Sheepishly we walked back to 2nd and Main ... mostly it was just me who was sheepish, since JLITH's shoes were killing her.

Bought several books:
Nicholas, on JLITH's recommendation, as future reading for the beans
Maus, which I've wanted to "read" ever since I heard about it on NPR
Will I Ever Forget This Day: Exerpts From the Diaries of Carol Lynn Pearson, which I love. My old copy is falling apart, so I'm happy to have new one with all the pages intact
The Political Life of Children
The Little Green Handbook: Seven Trends Shaping the Future of Our Planet

Unfortunately, they didn't have copies of Ecology of Fear: Los Angeles and the Imagination of Disaster, or By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept, but the clerk in the basement desk was so cute and helpful that I couldn't stay disgruntled for long.

Finally made our way back to the house. Snacked, took a nap and was late to meet Scout at the linkup dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. There were a fair number of people, but JLITH, Scout and I just kept to ourselves. I've been so protein hungry that I ordered a steak, eventhough I knew most of it was travelling in a doggie bad for later consumption. Got caught up on news ... family, work, travel, etc. They convinced me that the hikes I wanted to do in Arches were do-able, and to save some time for Canyonland National Park. Scout even lent me his parks pass, which was extremely thoughtful of him. Hopefully more camping is in the cards this year, and am planning on going to Havasupai again if Scout plans it.

Getting a taste of Provo, with Ginger

Drove out to Provo to meet up with e-pal Ginger. Was going to spend some time with Bork over at BYU, but he was going to be busy all day and head to leave early. Anyway, in this case, Yahoo directions were poo, and I spent 25 minutes trying to right myself and get going in the correct direction.

Finally arrived at Ginger's apartment. It's always interesting to meet someone after having traded substantial )or even unsubstantial) emails. I sometimes wonder if people are over or underwhelmed when they meet me in person for the first time. Or if, like the girl in "10 Things I Hate About You" they're just simply and even-keeled-ly whelmed. Also met Rufus, Ginger's tall roommate, with an impressive collection of superhero figures. I thought if anyone would know the name of the movie I posted about in "Rebel Without a Cause?" it would be Rufus, but to no avail. Maybe I'm on the wrong track, and it's a graphic novel?

Decided to go hiking near the Y ... on the mountain, not the university (besides, what is it about putting letters on perfectly harmless mountain sides anyways?). Waited a little for Ginger to fortify himself with toast and butter and marmelade. Funny that, while I love oranges, I'm not particularly taken with marmelade. Could it be like jelly beans, an overdose sometime in my childhood that's put me off of it for (mostly) ever?

Drove out to the trailhead, which we were unable to find. The area where it was has been developed, and they are planning on moving on up the mountain, though not in the area under the Y. Finally started on a dirt road just before the tract houses started, and made our way across. Must say that Provo in the space between winter and spring is particularly unlovely. The mountain is gray and naked, except for beaten down long grass which makes the hillside look like a shaggy animal. The redeeming qualities of the landscape were in the distant snow-covered mountains. I'm impressed at how much snow remains at the start of April. Not impressed enough to want to live that close to that much snow, but impressed nonetheless.

Talked not so much about cabbages, but a lot of kings, or would-be kings. Mostly serious things about the world state of affairs. Wished I was more politically literate. However, I just continue to read "The Week" and listen to NPR and call it good. Ginger and Cogie do seem to have a better understanding of world politics than their American counterparts. Is it because they are European and have a better view, or just that it's a different view?

After hiking we were both hungry. Ginger was of the mind that Provo doesn't have good food, so we went over to Orem. If I told you he had me eat a rock, I wouldn't be lying. However, the rock is a mixed fajita dish that had lots of yummy things in it. Most interesting was the cactus, which I've never tasted. It was spicy, but I didn't know if it is intrinsically spicy, or that it just absorbed more of the spices from the sauce.

Tried to see a movie, but 1630-1700 is apparently the worst time to view anything of substance in Provo. Dropped Ginger off at his apartment, with plans to get together on Monday, then headed into the worst traffic I have ever been in ... which is saying a lot, given that I live in Los Angeles. By the time I saw how bad and far the traffic was, it was too late to exit. I toyed with the idea of getting off and going back to Ginger's, but it took me half an hour to make it to the next exit, and I decided that that ground was too hard won to give up. Pulled off, parked in front of a closed paint store and took a nap to wait out the worst of the traffic. Forty five minutes later, I was ready for another go, having been awakened from my nap by a call from JLITH. But to no avail. Traffic was still absolutely horrendous. Got off again, and tried to nap in front of a Wal-Mart, but it was a no-go. Played with dusk-dreams (because it wasn't really "day" anymore, was it?) for another forty five, and perservered on the freeway for the rest of the way back to SLC.