grandmasweat.blogspot.com: December Memories 2015

Whew! December, 2015 is in the books and it was a wonderful, memorable, unforgettable year.

Part of what made it seem so much like Christmas was the loads of snow we received. Last year we didn't really have winter, and it made it seem like memories of all the previous years came flooding down along with the heaps of snowflakes. And look at this beautiful sunrise out our window one December morning!

Here is Uncle Richard checking out Tony's painting. This is a painting of what Tony envisions it may have looked like when the boy Joseph Smith found his seer stone. Tony's painting was included in this year's Springville Art Museum annual showcase of spiritual art. Aunt Karla is a volunteer at the Art Museum and she and Richard and Dennis and I went to a panel discussion one night that Tony was asked to take part in.

I will never forget the evening! It was so far removed from what we usually experience. The panel consisted of the woman on the end who was the moderator; then our own illustrious Tony; next to Tony the artist with white hair, who, it turned out was Uncle Richard's missionary companion 40+ years ago in Washington! He was a fascinating guy, and has a long career of compelling art; then the woman with white hair, oh what a character. She is an accomplished artist, but her presenting style was so circular, she couldn't come to the point, and she was the first presenter and halfway through I thought oh boy, we're going to be here all night! But she had some pretty interesting approaches to art, including having readers from all over the world read the Pope's Encyclical out loud in different languages at one show; then the Native American artist next to her. He was fascinating and very fun to listen to. He has created pieces for O.C. Tanner and many other places. He began by speaking about being part of the LDS Indian Placement Program and speaking in Navajo, and talking about his life as a boy. He wove his Navajo narrative with the LDS narrative and it was unforgettable. The man at the end was another moderator, and had just received his PhD in Art History from Oxford, and thus, he said, made darn sure he would never be employable. But it was really interesting to listen to Tony present, and be part of this evening.

My artistic endeavors included putting up the village under the Christmas tree this year!

I also took TRAX to the conference center and continued my training. (or my Traxing).

I walk past a whole row of sycamores, my favorites!

When I walked outside after my first Friday evening of training, this was my view. I'll never forget it. Fun to have it dark outside, and everything lit up for Christmas. In the summer it will be hot and warm and packed with people, but for now this is what I'll remember.

And speaking of remembering, oh my, nobody who lived in Salt Lake will forget the Monday snow storm we received two weeks before Christmas. I don't remember the last time we got dumped on like this! Our back yard!

A guy in our neighborhood created this massive Darth Vader. Cars were lined up stopping in the middle of 13th West to take photos.

Our South windows are so nice in the winter time because they let in all that South light. So, does the sun change where it is in the winter, or does the earth move?

BYU and Utah also played in the Las Vegas Bowl. We had Tony's family come up and help us celebrate!

Good thing Calvin wore a BYU shirt because they are otherwise kinda a red family!

I always think Jane looks like my Grandmother Nan. Can't you see it?

Dennis added an extra couch behind the theater seating and boosted it up with cinder blocks so we had stadium seating! Amy says it reminded her of Utah State, where they did that in their dorm.

We also went to Temple Square with Tony and Cindy and the kids. I don't think we'd been down there with them for three or four years and it was so much fun! It was 40 degrees that night too so we could stroll to our heart's content!