What??!!!

I thought I had seen it all.  Boy, I am so wrong. 

On the way to the library on Friday, I passed the Bountiful Cemetery and my eyes about popped out of their sockets.  There was a Coca Cola drink/food wagon sitting in the drive of the cemetery with large trashcans on either side.   I have seen flowers, flags, and special items placed on family members graves commemorating holidays but never a vending establishment in the cemetery.

I was going to stop at the cemetery office but there was a line of people waiting to talk to the caretaker.

The cemetery was really busy with with people placing mums on graves, cleaning grave markers, and two funerals.   

My only guess is that many people visit the cemetery Memorial Day weekend and someone decided to make a profit off everyone visiting or the cemetery has some sort of memorial service.  Whatever the reason, I just find it strange.

Below are some photographs I took and I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend.

Driving Me Crazy

One of the biggest things my spouse and I noticed while driving across the country to our new home in Utah is how people drive.  As we moved further west, we noticed that people in different areas drive differently.  I really don’t know how to describe it so I won’t.

Now, I have to admit when I first moved to Pennsylvania I was not used to the way people drove.  If you were driving 80 mph, you were slow.  The rule to keep a car lengths between you and the car in front of you is non-existent.  If you want to move into another lane, you better haul ass when there is even a slight opening or you will miss your turn.  

This is the normal driving habit of people between New York City to Washington D.C.   Drivers in other parts of the country would consider this “aggressive driving.”  In my new environment,  I learned how to drive and now I love it.  It has helped me quite a few times while driving on I-15 around Salt Lake City.

My father, a southern gentleman and driver, hated when I was driving at home (in Alabama), and he was absolutely terrified when I was driving in PA.  On the flip side, it drove me crazy that he accepted the aggressive driving of my spouse (even though he didn’t like it).  I can only guess that the age-old idea that women are worse drivers than men will never die in the south.

In PA, I always got a kick out of the traffic reports because they would add the phrase “gaper delay.”  For example (and very much paraphrased from what the traffic reporter would say), traffic is slow as usual on the Schuyllkill at 4:30 p.m. with a car pulled over at the  Conshohocken exit and extra slow because of the “gaper delay.”  It is so true.  People would slow down just to see what was going on even if it was on the other side of the road (with a concrete barrier between them).  

I believed this to only be a Pennsylvania and Jersey thing but not so.  Utahans make Pennsylvania and Jersey look tame.  The “gapers” might as well stop their car and go over to the parked car to see what is going on.  They might actually need help. 

Two weeks ago while driving up to see my sister in Idaho, we came to a complete stand still on I-15 so we assumed it was an accident.  We were so wrong.  Traffic was creeping along because of all the “gapers!”  A guy had pulled over to the side of the road and he was bent over looking under the hood of his car.  The “gaper” affect multiplied!!!  We were creeping along because of THIS!

If you live in Utah please do not be offended.  I’m just finding it humorous the differences between the two areas of the country.  I really do like it here and I love that there is no humidity.

Till next time.

Walking Salt Lake City

Once again, I have neglected to write on my blog for months.  The main reason I have not been writing is because of a simple move from Allentown, PA to Bountiful, UT, a move that turned into the move from hell on multiple levels.  I’ll write about the move on another post but not today.

I technically live in Bountiful, UT which is a few miles North of Salt Lake City.  My spouse and I love old Salt Lake City and the distinction of the various neighborhoods.  With this thought in mind and wanting to get to know Salt Lake City, I found a great book at the Bountiful library, technically the Davis County Library (I don’t understand why they call it the Davis County Library when all the other branches are referred to by the city they are in, baffling.)  The book Walking Salt Lake City by Lynn Arave and Ray Boren is great for this architecture and history loving person.  There are a total of 34 tours in the book which I plan to walk everyone!

The first walk I decided to take was walk number 13 – Lower Avenues: A Pioneering “Suburb”. It was a really nice walk with a few hills but not too bad.  I did cheat and at 3^rd Ave. and S. Street cut over to 4^th Ave instead of continuing the walk uphill to V “Virginia” Street (the book doesn’t explain why V Street is labeled Virginia Street). I didn’t walk the whole 5 mile loop but I figured I only cutoff  a quarter of a mile.  Plus, I was tired and I had been walking for 2 hours at that point.  I was ready for some downhill action.

This neighborhood has been able to keep its charm and many of the 1930s and 1940s homes but needless to say modern condos, 1970s style apartments, and a myriad of other architectural styles.  Some background information out of the book states, “The streets and blocks were the first to deviate from the valley floor…and the people who built there houses here were ….not farmers” and it is considered Salt Lake Cities first suburb. (Arave and Boren).

While walking, I did find gems such as these homes.

Cute house not the car! 

I also found a few eateries that I will definitely go back to when they are open.   This Indian and Pakistani place, Indian Market & Grill, looks really good.  Another place I’m going to try is Café Shambala that serves Nepalese and Tibetan food.  It makes me hungry just thinking about these two places.

I found it fascinating reading about some of the history, such as why most businesses are along 3^rd Ave., the east-west trolley line went down 3^rd Ave. It makes sense.

One establishment I really got a kick out of was “Jack Mormon Coffee Co.”  In Utah parlance, a Jack Mormon is someone who goes to church but does not follow the rules such as not drinking coffee, no alcohol, having sex before marriage, etc.  I was really sad they were closed but I’m assuming they don’t get enough business on Sundays.  The phrase “This is the place” is a play on what Brigham Young supposedly said when overlooking the Salt Lake Valley, “This is the place the Mormons will settle.”

 That about sums up my walk.  Walking down hill, 4^th Ave, towards the beginning of the walk and the car, Salt Lake Cemetery is on the right  The only notable building is a Mormon church house that was built in 1902.  It was beautiful but my pictures don’t do it justice, so no pictures. 

While on this walking tour I was surprised to find this 1902 Mormon church house and another one built in 1927.  I was astonished because the Mormon decision makers usually tear down older churches (even if they were on the National Register of Historic Places) for the new modern style church buildings.  Have they had a change of heart?  Who knows.

Well, that is it till next time.  I hope you enjoyed my post of my new home.