MidJanuary I went to Salt Lake City to attend the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. I studied land records for a week. Some miscellaneous tidbits follow. Click the Utah label on the right to see pictures from this and previous trips.
Salmon are a BIG deal in the Pacific Northwest. They even inhabit the floor at Sea-Tac Airport. The salmon often lead you to a water fountain. Many of the fountains in the airport make gurgling sounds - don't know if that's to help the people or the fish find the water.
January weather in Salt Lake City is always cold. I was prepared. I took my long down coat. It goes almost all the way to my ankles and does a good job of keeping my whole body warm as I walk to the library. Mittens and a long, wide scarf protect other parts of my body. I don't travel light when I'm on a genealogy trip. The roller bag is for hauling genealogy materials to and from the library. The navy blue bag in the middle is a purse/backpack that has served me well since I purchased it to go on our mission in 1996. That beat up brown suitcase has been on many, many trips. It's missing most of its zipper pulls.
It was snowing when we landed. As we drove to the hotel it started snowing harder. By the time we got to the hotel, you could barely see across the street.
The view from my room right after I checked in and then later in the day.
Here's the view on a clear day
The TRAX electric train is a very convenient way to get around downtown and around the valley. Emma and her family live in Draper, about 45 minutes south of Salt Lake City. It was easy for me to hop on TRAX. They picked me up at the station at the other end of the trip. This TRAX stop is right next to Temple Square and a block from the Radisson hotel where I was staying. The tall building in the background of the bottom picture is the Radisson. In the top picture you can see buildings on Temple Square (top left side of picture).
Quite a bit of snow fell in Salt Lake City just a few days before I arrived
My roommate's favorite restaurant is the Melting Pot. A group of us always goes there at least once during the week. Cheese fondue is topped off with chocolate fondue. This Ying & Yang chocolate is a yummy way to finish off a meal. The long walk back to the hotel was good for our bodies after that delicious but heavy meal.
I like Brian Kershisnik's art. With the permission of the art person at Deseret Bookstore I photographed these pictures. I especially like the artist's depictions of the help we received from people on the other side of the veil.
This is Kershisnik's Nativity picture. Mary nurses the baby. Joseph kneels behind her.
Heavenly hosts surround the family.
A woman who is weighed down receives support from people on the other side. One of my favorite pictures by Kershisnik shows heavenly beings accompanying a baby into the world. I asked the art curator if Kershisnik has painted anything showing the heavenly beings helping us as we leave this world. She wasn't aware that he'd dealt with this subject. I think the artist shows what a friend calls the "thin place" - where the veil is very thin and we feel the presence of people on the other side.
For 76 years this was the Hotel Utah. After a marvelous restoration it was reopened as the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. The lobby is often filled with beautiful piano music. See the pianist on the left of the top picture.
MichaelT and I often met here. He liked to sit in the lobby
- enjoying the peace, the beauty, and the music.
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and looks beautiful lit up again the dark night sky
"Latter-day Saint temples are considered houses of God, a place of holiness and peace separate from the preoccupations of the world. They provide a place where Church members make formal promises and commitments to God. ...Temples point Latter-day Saints to Jesus Christ and their eventual life with Him, their Heavenly Father and their family members on the condition of faithfulness to Christ’s teachings." source
The ordinances and instruction in the temple remind us
that there’s much more to our lives than this time we have on earth.
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I've been going to Salt Lake City to do genealogy research for decades. I used to look at the "little old ladies" with their roller bags and wonder if some day someone would look at me and think the same thing. I do have the roller bag. I am past my mid60s. I am short.
But I don't feel like a "little old lady!"
That's enough for this post of miscellaneous tidbits! Click on the Utah label to the right to see more about this and previous trips.
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