The Nativity Play--Dress Rehearsal

The kids will be in a Nativity play on Christmas Eve, playing an angel and King Herod. We had a dress rehearsal the other day, which is one of my favorite times to take photos because I don't have to stay in my seat. The play begins with Gabriel announcing to Mary and then Joseph what is to come. Then they sing O Come Emmanuel (with the help of the Innkeeper).

Meanwhile, the Wise Men were busy finding wise things on their smartphones. Ha, ha.

 The kids were really into singing. Desert Girl added a little stretching. She has a really hard time sitting still for 20 minutes. I'll just pretend she's fluttering around like an angel.

The little kids always add some comedic relief to the play. Thank goodness they have the older kids to hold it all together.

Of course, sometimes the older kids have their fun too. Mary decides her feet are sore, so she puts them up on the makeshift manger. I remember putting my feet up a lot when I was pregnant.

Later, Joseph and Mary had a little tussle over who got to hold the improvised Baby Jesus. It was funny to watch.

My angel!

The shepherds hung out on their hill, tending their sheep. Actually all their sheep were missing (the cast is a little small due to families being out of town), so they just played with their imaginary sheep.

And tried out some wrestling moves. The angels didn't approve.


Meanwhile, King Herod waited patiently on his throne, running shoes ready to make a mad dash if need be.

The three Wise Men came to visit him and find out where the newborn King was.

Later, King Herod died.

And the play ends with Joy to the World. It is so joyous to see the kids better understand the Nativity play and the true meaning of Christmas.

We'll see what interesting expressions transpire on Christmas Eve as they do the play with a big audience and lights and microphones. It's always good for a few chuckles. Thanks so much to Sharon for organizing it and directing the aspiring actors.

Wishing you a joyous Christmas!

A Drink in the Road

This last week has been a whirlwind of activity, including leaving for our spring break trip. It was a dark and windy day when we headed down the highway in a fully-loaded truck. We had to hit the brakes when we saw the sheep--and then take a photo when we saw what the sheep were doing.  Rumble strips aren't just to jar you awake, as these sheep discovered!

Desert Destination: Antelope Island

 We visited Antelope Island over Memorial Day weekend, and it blew away my expectations. Anyone visiting the Salt Lake City area should take a trip out here. Antelope Island is one of ten islands in the Great Salt Lake, and it's the largest, covering about 42 square miles.

 To reach it you cross a seven-mile causeway. During really low water years, the island becomes a peninsula. During really high water years (like in the early 80's), the road was inundated and the island closed for many years until funding could be found to rebuild.

 Once we got to the island, we went to the visitor center and checked out some interesting exhibits, picked up a junior ranger booklet, and watched the park film. Then we decided to head out and check out a trail.

We chose the Buffalo Point Trail, 0.3 miles long but a little steep and rocky. The kids thought we were hiking to the moon, they weren't very cooperative.

For those a little more enthusiastic about hiking, Antelope Island has about 20 miles of trails. It also has trail runs! I might have to come back for one of those! Some of the trails are open to horseback riding and mountain biking. (Another good reason to return!)

 The views were great. The Great Salt Lake is so large you can almost feel like you're at the ocean. And the high salt content (about 25% at times) makes it even smell a little like the ocean, although it's too salty for fish to survive in the lake.

 Birdwatching is a major attraction on Antelope Island. We had closeup views of some chukar. (Here's a bird list for Antelope Island.)

 At the top of the trail were some really cool rocks, Cambrian Tintic Quartzite. These rocks are old (550 million years old), but there are even older rocks on the island. Precambrian rocks (Farmington Canyon Complex, 1.7 billion years old) are found in the park, and they're as old as the rocks at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. (You can download a geology map of the island here.)

 It was a little windy, but oh, so beautiful. Sitting up there on the rocks, looking out over the Great Salt Lake made me feel quite serene. It's a little piece of peace so close to the hustle and bustle of the Wasatch Front.

 We saw quite a few bison as we drove and stopped to take a few photos. The island was settled in the late 1840s, with the LDS Church controlling the ranch, which ran cattle and sheep on the island, until 1870. Then John Dooly, Sr. purchased the island. He set up the Island Improvement Company, which ran the ranches and managed the island for almost a century, from 1884 until 1981.  The State of Utah purchased the northern part of the island in 1969 and the southern part, including the historic Fielding Garr Ranch, in 1881, and removed the cattle and sheep. (Source)

Twelve bison were taken to Antelope Island in 1893 (or 1897--I saw both dates listed). This was the start of a herd that became the largest in the United States for a time (despite an attempt to hunt them all in 1926). Today, with a herd of 550-700 bison, it's one of the largest publicly owned bison herds in the nation.

Every October, they hold a bison roundup--and they let the public participate! If you'd like to round up bison, you can, with your own horse or a concessionaire horse (check out the Antelope Island State Park website for details).  Sounds like fun!

By the way, if you're like us and wonder how could animals survive on a desert island surrounded by water that is too salty to drink, there are several freshwater springs on the island that wildlife use. Other wildlife on the island include mule deer, pronghorn (the 'antelope' for which the island is named), bighorn sheep, bobcats, and porcupine.

We couldn't stay long, but we'll be back, just like the California gulls. Antelope Island has a couple campgrounds, and that would be a great way to experience the island. There's also swimming in summer and showers to rinse off the salt and sand.

If you do visit, remember insect repellent. This can be a buggy place!


To see posts about other great spots to visit in northern Utah, check out:
Golden Spike National Historic Site
Hill Aerospace Museum
Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge
Utah State Railroad Museum

Nativity Play Dress Rehearsal

Warning--this contains spoilers! Yes, you already know the story of the Nativity, but if you didn't know which kid had which part this year and don't want to know ahead of time, come back to this blog in a couple days.

Last Christmas Desert Boy had the chance to be a sheep in the Nativity Play. He played his role so well (Baaaa) that this year he is going to be a wise man. He even had to memorize a line, which was easier for him than for me. Ah, the flexibility of young brains!

We went to the dress rehearsal today, which is a much easier place to take photos than during the actual play. We could wander around and no one cared. We also had fun watching funnier moments of the practice, like the overly dramatic Joseph dreaming about the angel Gabriel informing him that his fiancee was with child, a child of God.

The very pregnant Mary was obviously uncomfortable, continually adjusting her giant bulge.

The angels always steal the show. They are so darn cute, and they have the funniest expressions.

For instance, get a look at the two angels' faces while the other one is saying her line.

Mary and Joseph were looking a little bored by the whole thing. I imagine that during performance night their adrenaline with a huge (by our standards) audience looking on will keep them looking peppier.

Here Desert Boy makes his visit to King Herod, perched high up on his throne, with the other wise men. He is carrying gold and is appropriately dressed in the same color. He looks so cute. Just wait, you'll see. My camera wasn't doing so great in the low light conditions, but they ran through the play twice, so I had two opportunities to photograph.

The shepherds, sans sheep today, look on as the action takes place.

They sang lots of songs, and it put everyone in the Christmas spirit!

Emma really liked bobbing to the music.

She managed to pay attention for short stretches, then got wiggly, especially when I wanted to take photos of Desert Boy.

Her expressive eyebrows show a little worry. I'm not sure why.

Desert Boy continued his trek.

Desert Girl filled in for the sheep for a little while. She's not too good at sitting still, so she made the shepherds do some work.

Meanwhile the wise men are saying their lines, and Desert Boy, once encouraged to speak loudly enough, nailed his line.

Proud mama beams.

The final number is Joy to the World. It sure was a joy to watch them!

Good job, Sharon, for pulling it all together! And being so patient with the kids--not many people could do that.

We hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

Unidentified Walking Object

We live out in the desert, with clear night skies that show off the remotest corners of the universe. We live near restricted military areas where secret things are done. So strange lights in the night, a.k.a. unidentified flying objects, might raise a few eyebrows and start some rumors, but they're not all that unusual.

However, sometimes we see something else out of the ordinary. We live on a cattle ranch, a cow/calf operation. The boys sold off the last of the sheep when their dad went on vacation (when they were teenagers), so the only animals on the ranch are cows and horses and cats and dogs and some 4-H animals.

So when I was driving down the main ranch road the other day, I saw a sight that made me pull out my camera. It was an unidentified walking object.

There was something unusual. (No, it wasn't my extremely dirty windshield. That unfortunately is common.) What I saw was something small and white and following one of the cows. The cow didn't seem to mind at all.

I pulled to a stop, rolled down the window, and waited.

And I got a good view of a sheep. The sheep that has decided it wants to be a cow.

Winter Grazing

I was driving down the road the other day and was startled when I realized that out in the inversion there were not only ice-covered shrubs, but also little lumps of animals.

Thousands of sheep were nearly blending in with the landscape. I really don't know why they all had their butts pointed at me.

They just meandered about, finding their preferred food. Sheep do particularly well at grazing in the desert in the winter because they can eat snow to obtain the water they need.

One sheep was on the wrong side of the road, so we were able to get a nice closeup of it. Then it decided it didn't want our attention and ran off to join the others. You can see how they manage to stay warm with that nice, thick wool coat on.

Desert Destination: The County Fair-Part One

Saturday morning we headed into Ely for the White Pine County Fair, where we saw Cousin Clay leading his steer in preparation to show it. He had been preparing all summer for this weekend by feeding, walking, and taming his steer so that he didn't have to worry about a nearly 1,500 pound beast walking all over him. 

He was soon in the show arena with six other steers. They walked them around in circles so the judge could inspect them, then lined them up one way and then another way.

I was very surprised to find that only seven steers had been entered in the fair. My husband explained that there aren't as many ranches anymore. That's certainly true--Southern Nevada Water Authority bought nearly all the ranches in Spring Valley in the last few years, taking away the opportunity of many young kids to get experience with farm animals and showmanship. It's one of the many unintended consequences of a huge water grab.

Cousin Alyshia had better control of her steer than she did just a few weeks ago. She obviously made good progress, and all her hours with the steer paid off.

It might have helped slightly that Alyshia's steer followed Clay's around and around. They already knew each other and felt comfortable. The steers didn't bat an eye when they passed the bleachers, which were filled with spectators.

Although the morning started off cool, the temperatures soon escalated into the high 90s. It made it much more of a challenge to stay cool and calm, but Alyshia managed to get a Reserve Grand Champion for showmanship. Way to go, Alyshia!

Meanwhile, Cousin Caleb was getting some words of advice from his dad for showing his lamb, Tony. 

Desert Boy liked petting Tony's soft wool.

Then Caleb let Desert Boy help walk Tony around. Desert Boy was enthralled with the experience. It won't be all that long until Desert Boy has his own sheep. I suppose I should try to learn a thing or two about sheep before then. At this point I think my knowledge would fill a thimble.

Although there was just one class of steers, there were many more sheep entries. They were divided into juniors, intermediates, and seniors.

The pigs were shown in a separate arena. We didn't get a chance to watch them there, but we did visit them in their barn. I love looking at the pigs. Apparently so did Desert Boy and Cousin Kayli.

Hey, look Mama, I'm right next to a big ole' pig!

I think Desert Boy would have brought that pig home with him if I had let him. 

But there was a way to distract Desert Boy--

--the bouncy castle! Desert Boy begged and begged to go into it, and finally it was time. He and Kayli jumped and jumped, scaled the ladders to go up to the high level,

and went down the big slide! They had a great time and ended up all sweaty with big smiles. 

I'm out of energy today, but tomorrow there will be more about the exhibit halls, auction, and booths. Although the White Pine County fair is small, it was fun!