Utah Hoodoos

On a road trip, it is often the unexpected attraction that exceeds the more famous ones. When you see an iconic sight, even for the first time, it is as if you’ve seen it before, because of pictures, but with the unexpected attraction, it is all new. Such was the case one afternoon on our Utah trip last summer. We had pulled up stakes that morning in Moab and were driving across the state to Zion, by way of Capitol Reef. On the way to Capitol Reef, we passed the cutoff to Goblin Valley State Park. There were some roadside plaques there. Even though we had miles to go, we stopped. Soon afterwards, a young German couple pulled up in their rented VW. Like us, they were touring the West. We all must have been on the road long enough that some social contact with someone other than our spouse was needed. We ended up standing there by the side of the road, talking to each other for a while. We had a nice visit. It all made for a totally delightful, unexpected roadside attraction. 

Prickly Pear Buds

I’ve already thrown up this blog’s New Year’s header, just in case I don’t make it all the way to midnight tonight. I figured that it would be best to do it earlier, when there was still no doubt that I was awake. If I waited until later, I’d either likely forget about it altogether or post it around my bedtime and thereby signal to the world just how much of a wuss I am. This course of action eschews that. I’m looking forward to the new year. In part, because there is not much of the old one left yet to savor, but more so, because of all the plans that we have made for it. We have places to go, people to see and things to do.

Dave has already jetted back to Boston and Dan will depart later this week to NYC. Then Anne and I will be left home-alone again. Dan has been reading the script for the movie that he will be working next year. Apparently, it will involve scenes in a small boat. As if winter on the coast of Maine wasn’t going to be cold enough, they are going to take the show out on the water. Online, I caught a Boston TV weather forecast. As expected the highs were in the single digits, while the lows were negative, but the water temperature was 45 °F. Still deadly cold, cold enough to “freeze” sharks, but still much warmer than the air. The water even moderated the air, making it warmer near the coast than inland. He will be a set dresser, which in show biz parlance means a carpenter. We asked if he could be the best boy, but he told us that the best boy is usually a gaffer or electrical worker. I hope that he has plenty of long underwear.