MoaBlog

Brooklyn (top photo), who turned 16 yesterday, recently participated in a dance festival in Grand Junction, Colorado. The event, sponsored by local church groups, featured hundreds of performers. Dozens of teenagers from Moab learned their 1960s-themed dance over a period of several months, then performed at the festival. The event, called "A Celebration of the Family," consisted of two back-to-back performances the evening of July 17 at the basketball arena at Mesa State College. These photos are from the July 15 dress rehearsal in Moab.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Boy Scouts of America. As part of the year-long celebration, approximately 50,000 Scouts and leaders are gathering for the National Scout Jamboree in Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia. The 10-day event begins today. Among those attending are a handful of people from Moab, who are participating separately. They include lifelong Scouter "Doc," 83, (top two photos), who is attending his 12th consecutive national jamboree dating back to 1964, and Jeff, 45, (bottom photo), who is attending his first national jamboree. Other participants from Moab include another leader (David), and two young Scouts (Andrew and Alec).

This past Saturday was the April Action Car Show in Moab. Hundreds of classic vehicles of all ages came to town, and folks lined both sides of Main Street to watch. Saturday in the park, large crowds gathered to view the cars up close. Many of the vintage automobiles had been meticulously restored by their owners, often with added modifications to their appearance or performance.

Last week, there was a Donkey Basketball game fundraiser at the local middle school gym. Teams of faculty members and students from the high school and the middle school played each other while riding atop donkeys. First, the high school faculty beat the middle school faculty 12-6. Then, the high school boys beat their middle school counterparts 18-4. Then the high school boys beat the high school faculty 8-5 to win the championship. Jeff scored a total of 7 points, including a three-point shot in the final game.

Becky, who once worked for the DHC U.S. Office in Moab, got married this past Saturday in Ogden, Utah. She and her husband Scott will make their home in Texas.

Christy, a former DHC U.S. Office staff member, got married last Friday afternoon at the county courthouse by a local judge. Christy's husband Bill is a lawyer. A few close friends and family members were on hand to witness the special occasion.

Top photo: School principal Brandy congratulates the six finalists after the 5th grade spelling bee last week. From left: Ellie, Jonathan, Clare, River, Jayelen, and Alexa. These will compete against the top spellers from the 4th and 6th grades at the district bee on Feb. 4. River and the others spelled all seven of their words correctly to advance to the finals. River's words were, in order: super, happiest, holiday, extinct, immature, article, and scruple. In the bottom photo, Alexa, River, and Jayelen show off their medals.

Brooklyn rang in the new year at midnight with dozens of other teenagers at a local church building. When 2010 officially arrived, hundreds of balloons came cascading down to the floor, where they were promptly popped by the exuberant partygoers. The even featured karaoke, dancing, a late-night breakfast, and plenty of snacks and games.

Jeff's 95-year-old grandmother died on December 25. Her funeral was yesterday in Provo. Top photo shows Grandma's six children, including Jeff's mother, Ann (in light blue dress). After the hour-long service, burial took place in the snow-covered Provo City Cemetery. Grandma was buried alongside her husband, who passed away 30 years ago, on Christmas Eve in 1979.

Saturday evening was Moab's annual Electric Light parade, which featured nearly 30 entries. People braved the cold weather and lined both sides of Main Street and watched the brightly lit vehicles go by.

Today was the 95th birthday of Jeff's grandmother Hazel. A total of 16 family members gathered at Aunt Joyce's home this afternoon to celebrate the occasion.

Baby Sydney is the new daughter of Jeff's cousin Alesha. She is now a little over a month old, having been born on the lucky date 09/09/09.

The local chapter of the League of Women Voters sponsored a candidates forum last night. Candidates running for the upcoming city council, mayor, and water and sewer district elections were asked selected questions by a moderator and by audience members. School district officials also talked about a county-wide tax-related issue called a voted leeway that will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot. The event was televised and will be shown again on local cable television. The LWV is a nonpartisan organization devoted to voter education, awareness, and support.

The 15th annual "24 Hours of Moab" mountain bike race was held this past weekend in an area south of Moab called Behind the Rocks. Some 4,000 people, including riders on more than 350 teams, participated in or attended the weekend event, which officially began with a 300-yard footrace at noon on Saturday (just before the riders hopped on their bikes to start pedaling) and ended Sunday afternoon, over 24 hours later. The winning four-man team completed a total of 20 laps of the 15-mile course in just over 24 hours. The top solo rider finished 17 laps in around 25 hours.

Twice a year, on the first weekend of April and October, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as the Mormon church) holds its worldwide general conference. Thousands of members gather for five two-hour sessions over the two-day event, which is also broadcast to church buildings around the world. These photos show the Salt Lake Temple and the LDS Conference Center in downtown Salt Lake.

Paul and Bethany were married yesterday in Salt Lake City. They celebrated with a reception tonight at Moab's Rotary Park. The newlyweds plan to make their home in Logan, Utah, where they will continue their studies at Utah State University.

Penny and her classmates celebrated their 20-year high school reunion this past Saturday evening in Salt Lake City. Following a catered dinner ($55 per person, but absolutely delicious) and a short slide show program, folks visited with their high school friends and their spouses for the remainder of the four-hour event.

More photos from Moab's Relay for Life, which ended at 8 a.m. Saturday. Many of the participants walked several miles each, and a few even made it to the 20-mile mark (80 laps around the track).

Tonight was Moab's annual Relay for Life event, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. Several hundred people attended the opening ceremony Friday night. More than 40 survivors ceremoniously carried a torch, then walked around the track to start the event. Many of the participants planned to keep walking throughout the night until the event was to end at 8 a.m. Saturday. Check back Monday for more photos!

Brooklyn turned 15 on Saturday. She celebrated by opening presents with her family. She got a new sofa bed, which Jeff put together in her bedroom. Later, she and Penny went to the new Harry Potter movie together. After they got back, everyone had cake and ice cream to cap off the eventful day.

More than 100 people attended last Saturday's Owens Reunion at Panguitch Lake. Early Panguitch settler William T. Owens, Sr. (1854-1941) had three wives and more than 20 children. Jeff is one of his oldest great-great-grandchildren. One highlight of the annual event is the footraces to determine the winner of the "Fastest Owens Alive" trophy (bottom photo).

More photos of the July 24 parade at Panguitch (from top): the parade royalty atop their float, the Panguitch High School graduating class of 1949, one of several classes to hold a class reunion in connection with the Pioneer Day holiday, and the parade's last entry, a firetruck that sprayed water high in the air, soaking many of the young parade watchers in the street.

Last Friday morning, the southern Utah town of Panguitch held its annual Pioneer Day parade, Hundreds of people lined the streets as dozens of entries went by, including floats, four-wheel ATVs, and horses. Star Wars characters Darth Vader and Boba Fett (bottom photo) even made an appearance. Candy and prizes were tossed out to those watching the parade. Check back tomorrow for more parade pictures.

During last week's family reunion, Jeff turned 44 years old. Two days earlier, his father-in-law George (middle photo) turned 79. George's extended family enjoyed a three-day reunion at a cabin in the La Sal Mountains near Moab, including a talent show around a campfire on Friday evening.

Last night, Jeff's family ate out at Pizza Hut to celebrate his birthday. They had cheese and pepperoni pizzas (on hand-tossed crust), bread sticks, and raspberry lemonade. They paid with a gift card, courtesy of Penny's parents.

Jacob received his Eagle Scout award, Boy Scouting's highest rank, at a court of honor tonight. Jake, who loves playing football and riding horses, recently graduated from high school. He completed his requirements for the Eagle Scout award just before he turned 18 a few months ago.

Baby Geneva turned 1 year old yesterday. She celebrated by opening presents on her front lawn with her family, and having a cupcake afterward. She's almost ready to start walking!

Approximately 105 seniors graduated from the local high school tonight, including John (middle photo). The graduates were encouraged to keep a positive attitude as they move ahead in pursuit of their dreams.

Jeff and Penny celebrated their 16th wedding anniversary tonight. They had dinner at the Sunset Grill, with Jeff having filet mignon steak with baked potato and Penny having salmon over noodles. After arriving back home, they shared some Ben & Jerry's ice cream out on the front lawn. They have now lived in Moab for three-quarters of their married life (12 out of 16 years).

A spectacular double rainbow was the backdrop for Zane and Kemrey's wedding in Castle Valley last Saturday evening.

Penny's grandmother (her mother's mother) died recently at the age of 97. Her funeral was last weekend in Provo. Many family members and friends attended the funeral service, which was held in a local chapel. After the hour-long program, the mourners then traveled via car to a cemetery several miles away, where the burial took place. Songs were sung and prayers were given at both locations. Everyone gathered together again at the church afterward for lunch.

The 18 students (nine girls and nine boys) who had been named the high school's "Student of the Month" during the past nine-month school year were honored at a pizza luncheon at the local Elks lodge last week. Also attending were members of the National Honor Society. Two 11th-graders also received "Student of the Year" honors -- Jesse and Tailor. Believe it or not, there actually were enough pizzas to feed the group of over 40 hungry teenagers!

Here are a few more photos from Estefania's quinceañera celebration Saturday in Moab. The evening concluded with dinner and a program with dancing and live music. The boys who served as escorts for the day (seen here dressed in military style uniforms) practiced their dance three times a week for the past several weeks.

An event called quinceañera, or quince años, which means "fifteen years" in English, in Latin American culture, is a coming-of-age ceremony held on a girl's 15th birthday. Here are a few photos from Estefania's 15th birthday this past Saturday in Moab. Hundreds of people attended the event, which lasted for several hours throughout the day. Check back tomorrow for more quinceañera photos.

Selena and John were married last Friday in Monticello. The newlyweds also hosted a wedding luncheon in Moab that afternoon, then posed for pictures at Sand Dune Arch afterward.

River celebrated her 10th birthday last week with two parties: one with her school friends at a local park, and another one at home with her family. She and her sisters didn't mind having cake and ice cream twice!

On Easter Sunday afternoon, Jeff and Penny's five daughters hunted for Easter Eggs in their yard. The girls all wore their new skirts that their mom made for them to wear to church earlier that day.

Hundreds of children and their parents gathered at a local park on Saturday morning to participate in an Easter Egg hunt. The park was divided into sections according to the age groups of the children. All of the plastic eggs were found within a few minutes. The eggs had candy and prizes inside.

Groundbreaking ceremonies took place last week for two new schools to be built in the Moab area. One is a vocational and technical center located next to the high school. The other is a new elementary school (kindergarten through 6th grade) located behind the current intermediate school, which will then be torn down. Both buildings are being constructed simultaneously at a total cost of $31 million, and are expected to be finished in time for the 2010-11 school year.

It's Easter Jeep Safari Week in Moab once again. Hundreds of off-road enthusiasts bring their vehicles to the area to enjoy the many trails and rock formations, which offer a wide variety of challenges. The obstacle shown here is called Potato Salad Hill. Monday afternoon and evening, numerous vehicles succeeded in climbing up and down the hill, including the red Jeep in the second photo. Only a few drivers failed in the attempt, as crowds of spectators watched the fun.

More than 4,000 runners completed their respective races in Saturday's annual Canyonlands Half Marathon and Five-Mile Run. A 25-year-old college student from New Mexico (originally from Kenya) shattered the course record in the five-mile race by over 34 seconds -- the old record had stood since 1990. His time was 23:55, an amazing pace of 4 minutes 47 seconds per mile. These photos show other runners crossing the finish line of the 13.1-mile half marathon.

More photos of Saturday night's Junior Prom, which featured the theme, "Wonders of the Night." The high school's gymnasium was decorated to resemble various geographical wonders.

At Saturday night's Junior Prom, a total of 32 couples participated in the promenade dance. The boys wore tuxedos, while the girls wore gowns, many of which featured bright colors. Parents and family members watched from the sidelines and took pictures and video of the event. Check back tomorrow for a few more pictures of junior prom.

The local high school's Junior Prom was held Saturday night. The theme was "Wonders of the Night," with the gym decorated to resemble several wonders of the world, including an Egyptian pyramid, the Eiffel Tower, the Great Wall of China, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, and Stonehenge. Students and parents spent countless hours decorating and preparing for the dance. Check back tomorrow for pictures of the event itself!

River (top photo) was one of 18 finalists in the school district's spelling bee this afternoon. The contest went 23 rounds, with winner Delaney spelling "espionage" correctly to win the event. Second place went to McKinleigh and third place went to Jonathon. The trio is pictured in the bottom photo with their trophies. River lasted until the 8th round, when she misspelled "mozzarella," and finished in a tie for eighth place. She plans to enter the event again next year.

At the local library this past Saturday afternoon (February 14), 20 students in grades 2 and 3 performed their own songs and poems that they had written with the help of noted author and poet Sid Hausman (top photo, with London). London's poem was titled "Way Out West," was about a cowboy who dressed funny. "Other cowboys laughed, but he didn't care ... 'Cause the cowgirls were everywhere ..." In the middle photo are two of London's friends who also participated (Auburn and Mary). The bottom photo shows the entire group of students with Mr. Hausman in the back. This is the third straight year that Hausman has worked with the kids from the elementary school in conjunction with the annual Moab Western Stars Cowboy Poetry Gathering.

Here are the front pages of today's newspapers, detailing yesterday's inaguration of Pres. Obama.

Barack Obama of Illinois became the 44th President of the United States of America today at noon Eastern time. After taking the oath of office on the steps of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Pres. Obama then gave a 17-minute inaugural speech. An estimated crowd of 1.8 million were there in person, and millions more watched it via television or the Internet.

River and London's Girl Scout troops, along with others in the area, kicked off the annual Girl Scout cookie sales campaign on Saturday morning with a "Cookie Kickoff" party. The theme was "Imagine If You Could Change the World." The girls started selling the cookies that day and will continue to take orders until Feb. 1. Everyone got to sample the eight different varieties of cookies. The favorite flavor was "Samoas" (the nearly-empty plate in the bottom photo).

The local high school recently held its Sadie Hawkins dance, where a girl asks out a guy and takes him to the dance. Many high schools around the country hold this informal, western-style dance, which has reference to a boy-crazy character from a comic strip called Lil' Abner. November 13, 1937 is the day that Sadie Hawkins Day made its appearance in the comics, and this date is still known as Sadie Hawkins Day. Most Sadie Hawkins dances around the USA are held in mid-November, but some are held in February to coincide with Valentines Day. The middle photo shows Jesse and Mikayla getting "married" for fun by Ron, who is portraying the justice of the peace.

Democratic Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois won yesterday's presidential election, and will become the 44th President of the United States when he takes office in January. Nationwide, Obama got 52 percent of the popular vote to Sen. John McCain's 46 percent.

Jeff's new nephew Austin was born last night just before midnight. He is the first child of Jeff's sister Audrey and her husband Chris.

Today was Penny's birthday. She celebrated at home with her family, who all enjoyed cake and ice cream. It is also the seventh anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The "M" on this children's block stands for the Roman numeral 1000. Today's blog entry is the 1000th one since MOABLOG was started on November 1, 2004.

Jeff's side of the family gathered up Big Cottonwood Canyon near Salt Lake City last weekend for a family campout. Not everyone stayed overnight, but all 16 grandchildren (middle photo) and all 16 adults (bottom photo) in the family were all there Saturday evening for barbecued hot dogs and hamburgers. The adults in the bottom photo are Jeff and Penny (standing at far right), Jeff's parents, plus all six of his siblings and their respective spouses. Click on photos to enlarge each image.

Penny's niece Carina and her new husband John were married today in South Jordan, Utah. They posed for pictures after the wedding, then had a family luncheon followed by a reception in Payson, Utah. Their wedding date of 08-08-08 is considered lucky in some cultures.

Today is Brooklyn's birthday. She bought some new school clothes with her birthday money and is planning on getting new contact lenses next week. Tomorrow, she'll have her first stint as a volunteer DJ for a local radio station. She'll do one hour-long program once a month.

Today is Pioneer Day, a state holiday in Utah that commemorates the anniversary of the Mormon Pioneers' initial arrival in the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847. Folks in Moab celebrated with a community breakfast, along with a few pioneer games in the park afterward. Some people (like London, top photo) dressed in pioneer style hats or other clothing. The middle photo shows Kyle doing a traditional hoop-rolling game.

Salt Lake City held its "Relay for Life" event at This is the Place Park beginning June 6. The fundraising event, sponsored by the American Cancer Society, is one of around 5,000 similar events held in the world each year. Pictured here are cancer survivors making a "victory lap" to start the evening. Moab will host its own Relay for Life on August 8. The money raised goes toward cancer research, along with awareness and support programs.

After a two-day stay, Penny and the baby were released from the hospital this afternoon. They used their new carseat to transport the baby to Penny's parents' house, where Jeff and Penny's family plans to stay one more night before returning home to Moab tomorrow.

With the arrival of baby Geneva yeterday, Penny and Jeff now have five daughters, ranging in age from almost 14 years old (Brooklyn) to 1 day (Geneva). Here is a photo of Penny surrounded by all five of her girls.

Geneva, baby daughter of Penny and Jeff, was born shortly after 4 o'clock this afternoon in Murray, Utah. She weighed 7 lbs. 10 oz. and was 19.5 inches long. Geneva's parents and four older sisters are excited to welcome her into the family!

Tonight was high school graduation. A total of 117 seniors received diplomas. Mr. Radcliffe, a popular math teacher who is retiring after a 32-year career as an educator, was the commencement speaker. Following the hour-long program, the graduates celebrated with family members and friends.

Jeff and Penny celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary today. Here are two recent photos that they took of each other.

Jacob (a boy) and Mia (a girl) are two of the new babies that have been born in Moab recently. Can you tell from looking at their faces which one is which? Answer: Jacob is the bottom photo, while Mia is in the top one. The two children are not related, but both families are mutual friends of Jeff and Penny's family.

Rusty turned 50 years old last weekend. His family and friends surprised him with a birthday party, complete with gifts and games designed to make fun of his "elderly" status. The top photo shows Rusty using a walker in a relay race. Middle photo shows him wearing his new "flying pig" hat. Bottom photo shows two of his daughters dishing up cake and ice cream for the guests.

The funeral for Jeff's 87-year-old great-aunt Reta was a couple of Saturdays ago in Salt Lake City. Following an hour-long memorial service at a local chapel, family members gathered at the graveside and held a prayer as the casket was brought to the burial place. After burial, numerous flowers and wreaths were placed on top of the grave.

Yesterday was Mothers Day. It has been 100 years since Mothers Day was first observed in 1908. Jeff and Penny and their daughters spent the day in Salt Lake visiting their extended family. Pictured here are Jeff and his mom Ann, and Penny and her mom MaryLynn.

Indy turned 3 years old last week, and celebrated at home with a party, including presents and cake and ice cream. She also got some money in a card from her grandpa.

Last weekend was the annual April Action car show, an event that brings hundreds of automobile enthusiasts to Moab to show off their classic cars. These photos were taken at the city park on Saturday afternoon, at the height of the car show's main public event.

River turned 9 years old on Sunday, and celebrated with her family at a neighbor's house. After opening her presents, she blew out the candles on her cake, and then everyone ate cake and ice cream.

It is prom time in the United States. Many high schools all across the nation schedule Junior Prom dances this time of year. Boys usually wear tuxedos and the girls wear formal dresses. Although many schools have dropped the traditional Promenade dance, Moab continues the tradition. At the beginning of the program, each couple makes a formal entrance and is introduced by an announcer. After all of the couples are on the dance floor they perform a choreographed dance while their parents and other family members watch from the audience.

London's birthday party last night had an insect theme. SHe and her guests made antennas out of pipe cleaners and wore butterfly wings. The cake was shaped like a caterpillar (each segment was a chocolate cupcake covered with green icing, and gummi worms were used for the antennas and feet). London and her friends went on an outdoor scavenger hunt and played bug-themed games indoors. The kids each made their own personal pizza (bottom photo). Cake and ice cream capped off the evening!

Competitors as young as three years old (top photo) ran the shorter five-mile race, but most of the runners elected to run the half marathon. The top female half marathon finisher (second photo) was Kris Lawson, who ran it in 1 hour, 23 minutes, 41 seconds, or around 14 minutes behind the overall male winner. Dozens of race volunteers -- many of them students from the local high school -- helped ensure that everything ran smoothly.

Nearly 4,000 runners completed last Saturday's Canyonlands Half Marathon (13.1 miles) and Five Mile races. It was the 33rd year that the races have been hosted by Moab, which traditionally kicks off its spring tourist season with the event. Most of the runners were from Utah and Colorado, but some came from other areas around the country. Check back tomorrow for a few more race photos.

The middle school choir gave a half-hour singing performance tonight in the high school auditorium. Eighth-grader Brooklyn (in white blouse at far right) and her classmates sang a total of four numbers that they had been practicing in school this trimester.

Heather Anderson, Miss Utah USA 2007, visited the local high school this morning and delivered a speech about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse. She had a volunteer put on goggles that distorted vision (to simulate drunkenness) and had him try passing her a basketball. The throw went wildly to the side, almost into the audience. Anderson also spoke about her own younger brother who died of an accidental drug overdose a few years ago.

Other peformers at the Dec. 13 talent show included (from top): Ivy, Sylvia, and a rock band consisting of five high school students. Prizes were awarded to the top winners in each of five different age categories. The highly popular show was a fundraiser for the high school music department.

Last Thursday night was Moab's Got Talent, a two-hour talent show featuring more than two dozen acts. Pictured here are a few of the performers, including (from top): Sheena and Aaron, Jesse, and Dayton and Daniel. Check back tomorrow for more photos of the talent show.

Last night, around 100 youth aged 12-18 gathered at a local church to play a version of "Fear Factor." Teams participated in three events. The first two events were a rock climbing wall, followed by a timed race where team members got small candies from a plates covered with flour using only their mouths. The final event involved eating and drinking disgusting foods (green gelatin with anchovies, and a blended mixture of buttermilk, sardines, navy beans, and peas). A few of the participants became nauseated, but the two-hour event was a fun and entertaining evening!

Moab welcomed the beginning of the Christmas holiday season with the annual Electric Light parade down Main Street last Saturday evening. Santa Claus (bottom photo) rode on the fire truck at the end of the festive parade, which featured dozens of vehicles adorned with lights, including bicycles, golf carts, automobiles, trucks, and even a boat on a trailer.

Today is Thanksgiving Day, a holiday that many Americans spend by getting together with family members and sharing a feast. A total of 30 people assembled at Penny's parents' house in Salt Lake this afternoon to dine on turkey, vegetables, and rolls. Check back tomorrow for photos of some of the food!

Several hundred people attended Moab's second annual "Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival" last Saturday. Several groups built trebuchets or other devices designed to fling pumpkins. The teams were judged on both distance and accuracy. The "Super Slingers" (top and middle photos) didn't achieve much distance, but they hit the target dead center to win the accuracy contest. A different trebuchet managed to fling a pumpkin over 300 feet, but it was a pressurized air cannon that achieved the greatest distance (over 1,500 feet)! In other action, Penny (bottom photo) took second place in the pumpkin seed spitting contest, winning a T-shirt (Jeff took first place in the event last year).

A few of the more interesting costumes seen during yesterday's Halloween activities (from top): Sarah dressed as a slice of pizza, baby Sydney as a pod of peas, and Joshua as a member of the classic rock band KISS.

Tonight was Halloween, and kids and parents roamed the streets of town "trick-or-treating" for candy. Virginia dressed as a witch and sat out on her porch to hand out goodies. Jeff's family also stopped at Mary's parents home later for a bowl of homemade chili. Jeff and Penny's four daughters were dressed as a mermaid, a pirate, and two fairy princesses (bottom photo, from left).

Around 30 members of Jeff's family, including his parents and all of his siblings plus numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins, gathered at the Panguitch Lake area this past weekend for the annual deer hunt. Even the non-hunters are wearing bright orange clothing, which is required when outdoors during the hunting season. Saturday afternoon was spent eating dutch oven chicken and potatoes at a place called Horse Knoll. Even if nobody gets a deer, everyone still has a good time enjoying being outdoors in this popular family tradition. Click on top image for a larger version of the family picture.

Early this morning, a total eclipse of the moon was visible throughout most of the Western Hemisphere. The weather in Moab was cloudless and clear, offering a perfect view of the astronomical event. The full moon passed completely inside the Earth's shadow at about 3:52 a.m. local time and remained totally eclipsed for about an hour and a half, until 5:22 a.m. Jeff shot this tripod-mounted digital photo at around 4:13 a.m. The moon turned a dark reddish brown color during the period of totality. The next total lunar eclipse visible from Utah won't happen for another three years, in December of 2010.

Baby Sydney was born August 10. She is the daughter of a local dentist and his wife. At just over one week old, she recently posed for these black-and-white photos taken by Penny.

Jeff's sister Audrey and her husband Chris were married in Salt Lake City last weekend. She is the last of the seven siblings in the family to get married. After the reception, the couple spent a few days in Cancun, Mexico on their honeymoon. Best wishes to the newlyweds!

Yesterday morning, a free community breakfast was served at Old City Park, in commemoration of Pioneer Day. The menu included ham, hash browns, and pancakes with syrup.

Shortly after midnight Saturday, the much-awaited "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" books were released to customers. Brooklyn had reserved and paid for her copy in advance, saving $7 off the $34.99 list price. By late Saturday night, she had finished reading the entire 759-page volume. Penny then finished it the following night. They both enjoyed the book tremendously, and said it provided a fitting and satisfying conclusion to the series. The book, which had an initial press run of 12 million copies in the U.S. alone, sold around 8.3 million nationwide in the first 24 hours.

A local bookstore held a "Harry Potter" party tonight to celebrate the release of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," the seventh and final book in J.K. Rowling's popular series about the boy wizard and his friends at the mythical Hogwarts School. An estimated 200 people crowded the small store, with most of them waiting until after midnight, when the book officially went on sale. Jeff's daughters were among the many fans who dressed up as characters from the books.

Among the presents Jeff opened on his birthday this week was a new two-liter hydro-pack that enables the wearer to carry a half gallon of water on their back while hiking, walking, or biking. The water is dispensed via a special no-leak valve at the end of a tube near the wearer's mouth.

When Trevor and Sarah were married this past Saturday, the bride followed tradition and tossed her flower bouquet over her shoulder and into a crowd of unmarried girls and women. According to superstition, the person who catches the bouquet will be the next one to get married. In this case, it was Geneava (bottom photo).

Today was the Summer Solstice. The shadow cast by this stele in downtown Moab marks the passage of the seasons. The shadow was the shortest today. In the background of the photo you can see Sam standing on the spot where the shadow hits when it is the longest at Winter Solstice.

Sam enjoys following the news about the space program. This week he has been watching news about the space shuttle’s mission to the International Space Station. Last night he was able to see the space station and the shuttle pass over his home. They appeared as two bright objects moving quickly across the night sky. He is looking forward to watching a future mission to add the Japanese Experiment Module, or JEM, called Kibo.

Photo:NASA

Last Saturday (the last day that a three-day professional rodeo performed in town), a rodeo parade was held. Many participants rode horses, ponies, or mules, and threw out small candies to the children watching the parade along Moab's 400 East street.

More photos from last weekend's Heaton reunion. Activities included (from top) building a castle in the sand and mud, playing horseshoes, and cooling off by soaking in a kiddie pool filled with water.

Penny's parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary last week. To commemorate the occasion, they and nearly three dozen family members gathered for a three-day campout in southwestern Utah last weekend. The weather was hot and dry, but everyone had a good time. Congratulations! Check back tomorrow for more reunion photos.

When Jeff was out of town last weekend, he witnessed a felony traffic stop during which three people were arrested at gunpoint. The trio were apparently driving a stolen car with Alabama license plates. Jeff took these photos from inside his own vehicle a short distance away as the incident was happening. One of the photos appeared on the front page of the local newspaper the following day.

Today (the last day of regular classes at the local high school) featured the "Devils' Challenge" for two and a half hours in the afternoon. The high school students competed against their peers (and some of the teachers) in a variety of events, including (from top) pie eating contest, a water relay, and a skateboarding competition.

Here are a few more pictures from Saturday's car show. The bottom photo shows a vintage Whiteman cement mixer mounted on a Dodge truck alongside a matching pickup truck from the same era.

This past weekend was the annual April Action Car Show, an event that brings hundreds of classic car enthusiasts to Moab every spring. Here's a sampling of some of the many unique vehicles that were parked at the local city park on Saturday afternoon for the public to enjoy, free of charge. Check back tomorrow for a few more classic car photos.

Indiana turned 2 years old yesterday. She celebrated by opening her presents, including several toys and books featuring the educational cartoon character "Dora the Explorer". She also had cupcakes and ice cream with her family.

River celebrated her 8th birthday this past weekend by opening presents, eating cake and ice cream, and hosting a party that nearly two dozen family members attended.

Jeff's new niece Brynne was born on March 30. She is the fifth child of Jenn and Paul, who live in the Salt Lake area.

The high school's annual junior prom was Saturday night. The event had a "James Bond: 007" theme, and several of the boys entered the room by sliding down a rope in secret agent style (top photo). Some 50 couples (all 11th-graders) participated in the promenade dance, which was to the theme of "Casino Royale." Kourtnee and Garrett (bottom photo) were named the queen and king of the prom.

On their way to Colorado, Jeff's family passed a cattle drive taking place on the road to the town of La Sal. Traffic had to stop in both directions as the cowboys on horseback (accompanied by a couple of trained dogs) moved a few dozen steers along the road.

Last weekend was also the beginning of Moab's annual Easter Jeep Safari, which brings hundreds of 4x4 enthusiasts to town for nine days of off-road driving on assorted trails in the area. The group pictured here was getting ready to leave on the Flat Iron Mesa trail yesterday morning.

The local high school and middle school teams attended the regional Quiz Bowl academic competition at Green River High School on Wednesday. The teams answered questions in various categories, including history, science, math, geography, trivia, and popular culture. The middle school team tied for firth place (out of eight schools), while the high school team from Moab placed third overall and took home a nice trophy (bottom photo).

Nearly 100 green-clad residents walked or rode bikes down Moab's Mill Creek Parkway trail during Saturday afternoon’s St. Patrick’s Day parade. Local Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts (and their leaders) served as the grand marshals, and proudly carried flags and banners along the winding path.

A couple of circus performers did impressive bicycle tricks on Monday night. First, a clown (top) did a series of humorous stunts involving a trick bike that could be taken apart and reattached in several interesting ways. Then, another performer (middle and bottom) did several stunts involving a high level of skill, including landing a back flip off a small ramp.

More images of Monday night's circus performances (from top): a man balanced himself on a stack of several wooden chairs that reached as high as the arena's ceiling (over 20 feet, or about 7 meters); performers juggled a variety of items including torches, knives, and small swords; and the lion tamer held a large python snake during intermission. More photos tomorrow!

A traveling circus came to town yesterday and performed two two-hour shows. The show featured a variety of human and animal acts. Pictured here are trained tiger jumping through a flaming hoop (top), an aerialist who climbed up to the arena's ceiling via two long pieces of fabric and did a variety of tricks while suspended (middle), and trained elephants doing tricks (bottom). Check back tomorrow for more circus photos!

Today is Groundhog Day, a strange and unofficial holiday involving a rodent's prediction about the length of the winter. If a groundhog sees his shadow on the morning of Feb. 2, it supposedly means that at least six more weeks of winter lie ahead. The country's most famous groundhog is Punxsutawney Phil (pictured here), who reportedly did not see his shadow this morning from his home in Pennsylvania, which apparently means that spring will come early this year. For more information about Groundhog Day, visit the the Punxsutawney group's official website at www.groundhog.org.

More images from the kindergarten celebration Wednesday morning (from top): mountain men showed how a black powder rifle is loaded and fired; kids were given tractor-pulled "hay rides" around the playground; London and other children made butter by shaking up jars filled with cream; and kids mashed grain into flour using grinding stones. Happy Thanksgiving!

As part of their annual pre-Thanksgiving celebration, the 110 students in the local kindergarten classes sang and danced in a short musical program this morning, then participated in a variety of Thanksgiving activities, including cracking nuts (second photo) and roasting marshmallows. Check back tomorrow for more pictures of the kindergartners' activities!

One of the activities at the recent "Pumpkin Chuckin" event was a pumpkin seed spitting contest. Two separate contests were held: one for small children, and one for teenagers and adults. Jeff (far left in top photo) won the adult division by spitting his seed a distance of about 30 feet (9 meters). He won a $20 gift certificate to a local restaurant. Photos by London, age 5.

Saturday was the inaugural Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival, which was held at an old airport runway several miles south of town. Teams used a variety of devices to launch pumpkins weighing 8-10 lbs. (3.5 to 4.5 kg). Categories included trebuchet, catapult, and slingshot. Children even lined up to throw softball-sized gourds as far as they could into a nearby field. The best toss of the day was by a truck-mounted trebuchet resembling a small oil derrick, which launched one pumpkin an amazing 364 feet (110 meters)!

Jeff and Penny attended a surprise birthday party for their neighbors Jim and Karen last night. More than a dozen friends and family members attended the party, which included sloppy joes, chips and salsa, and cake and ice cream. One of Jim's gifts was a small wooden cradle, a joking reference to his "robbing the cradle" when he married Karen, who is 17 years younger than he is (she turned 43 this week while Jim turned 60).

River's Girl Scout troop performed the flag ceremony at a local political candidates' forum last week, sponsored by the League of Women Voters. The young girls led the audience in reciting the "Pledge of Allegiance" to start the meeting.

More pictures from Friday night's homecoming game. Top photo: homecoming queen Maggie (at right) with junior attendant Margo and their respective escorts Matt and Stephen. Second photo: a cheerleader dressed as the Red Devil mascot. Third photo: drill team performed a dance routine at halftime. Bottom photo: fireworks lit up the sky after the Devils won the game.

Several dozen cases of E. coli bacterial infections have been reported across the country in recent weeks. At least two people have died, including one young boy in Utah. Officials attributed the outbreak to contaminated fresh spinach grown at certain farms in California. Nationwide, bags of fresh spinach were pulled from supermarket shelves, and people were told not to eat any until it was once again safe to eat the leafy vegetable. The above picture is being circulated via e-mail as sort of a morbid joke (the cartoon character Popeye, known to be an avid spinach eater, is shown here lying in a coffin).

This week is fall homecoming week at the local high school. A variety of activities are planned, including the honoring of all senior fall sports athletes either during their respective homecoming games or at the school-wide assembly on Friday afternoon. Later that afternoon, a parade with floats will make its way through town, and the football team will host its game against rival Gunnison that night. Pictured here is the homecoming queen Maggie (center in front) surrounded by her four attendants (L to R): Caitlyn (a freshman), Oceanna (a sophomore), Margo (a junior), and Mirtha (a senior). The royalty will all dress up in evening gowns for Friday's events.

Today was the International Day of Peace, an annual observance that was started in 1981 by the United Nations. Several dozen students and faculty members showed their support by forming a human peace symbol on the high school football field right after lunchtime.

Jeff's parents had a new section of sidewalk poured in front of their house in the Salt Lake area this Wednesday afternoon. Cottonwood Heights city workers used jackhammers to tear apart the old section, which had become misaligned because of large tree roots growing under the sidewalk. The bottom photo shows Jeff's folks standing on the freshly laid concrete after it had hardened.

Penny, who turned 30 on the day of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, celebrated her 35th birthday today by having chocolate cake and chocolate ice cream with her husband and four daughters. Although five years have passed since that tragic and eventful day, many painful and vivid memories still linger for many Americans.

Uncle Ned, Jeff's dad's only sibling, turns 60 years old today. He is the same age as President George W. Bush and former President Bill Clinton, along with many other notable baby boomers. To celebrate the occasion, Jeff's parents took Ned (on the right in the photo) out to dinner yesterday at the East Sea restaurant in Salt Lake City. Happy Birthday, Unk!

The renowned Shidara taiko drumming group from Toei, Japan peformed back-to-back in-school assemblies for nearly 1,500 schoolchildren and teachers in Moab yesterday. The highly entertaining musicians played with amazing expertise and precision, and the audiences greatly enjoyed both performances. Tonight, the group will perform a sold-out concert at the high school and then stay one more night in Moab before traveling back to California to continue their six-city U.S. tour. Check out the group's website at www.shidara.co.jp for more information.

Noted pantomime artist Cary Trivanovich performed two one-hour routines at the local middle school and high school yesterday. The rubber-faced comedian combined various humorous skits with a positive message about building self-esteem and giving encouragement to others. Cary performs at schools, colleges, corporate seminars, and churches around the country, in addition to cruise ships overseas.

Brooklyn, who turned 12 earlier this month, celebrated with a few friends at her birthday party last week. The group made their own personal pizzas and cooked them for lunch. They also played games and watched Brooklyn open her presents. At the end of the party, Brooklyn blew out the candles on her cake and everyone had cake and ice cream for dessert.

Members of the local high school football team showed up Friday afternoon to help lay about 20 pallets full of grass sod to create a new lawn for the elementary school in just over an hour. A sprinkler system will help keep the lawn watered until the grass can take permanent root in the soil underneath. The sod was grown about 100 miles away in Colorado and shipped to Moab via truck.

Jeff's younger brother Steve and his wife Angela became the proud parents of their first child on Saturday morning. Baby Olivia weighed 7 lbs. (3.17 kg) and was 20.5 inches (52 cm) long. Mother and daughter are both doing well and went home from the hospital yesterday. Congratulations!

Today is Pioneer Day, a state holiday that commemorates the Mormon pioneers' initial arrival in the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847. At Moab's Old City Park this morning, dozens of people observed the occasion by eating a hearty breakfast of pancakes, ham, and eggs. They also played various pioneer games, including a hoop and stick game where you try to keep an iron hoop rolling along the ground by using a stick (bottom photo).

Another fun activity on the Fourth of July was the "dunking booth," where folks of all ages lined up for a chance to throw a softball at a target and send someone into a large tank full of cold water. In this sequence, Mayor Dave (the town's top elected official) gets dunked by a young boy's accurate toss. People paid $1 for three tries (children got five throws for $1).

Penny and Jeff both participated in a watermelon eating contest at yesterday's Fourth of July celebration in a city park. Jeff took third place after managing to swallow four large slices in four minutes (about a half slice behind the winner). These photos were taken by their 5-year-old daughter London.

Jeff and his family attended a family reunion in Huntsville, Utah on Saturday. Some 65 people gathered there that afternoon for a barbecue lunch, outdoor games, and visiting with extended family members, who are descendants and kin of Jeff's father's mother and her siblings, including 86-year-old Aunt Reta (top photo, left).

To view the summer solstice sunset, Sam and Virginia visited a place in Arches National Park that has solar alignment properties. At sunset on summer solstice a shaft of light shines far up into a box canyon. At other times of the year this phenomenon does not occur. Near the winter solstice, light from the setting sun projects through the opening of an arch into an alcove on the rock wall behind the arch. Click here to see our blog entry for the winter solstice.

Today was the funeral for Jeff's former church group adviser and youth basketball coach, who died last week at age 85. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy, and had been injured in combat during World War II. At the cemetery in Salt Lake County, Navy personnel took the flag off the casket and folded it neatly while the song "Taps" was played. They then presented the folded flag to the man's widow (bottom photo).

The new Grand County Public Library officially opened this past Saturday, as officials and staff snipped the ceremonial red ribbon with a pair of scissors. Nearly 1,000 patrons visited the library that day, taking tours of the new 14,000 square foot facility, built at a cost of $2.1 million.

About 120 high school seniors graduated from Grand County High School last night. Kimber (second photo) was one of two class valedictorians, and gave a commencement speech. The third photo shows fellow graduate Paul with his parents Sam and Virginia after the ceremony. A short fireworks display capped off the evening.

Another event held at the local high school Tuesday afternoon was a head-to-head skateboarding competition. Competitors raced down a short obstacle course and back. The overall winner was Herschel, a 9th-grader (bottom photo).

A dozen students competed in a pie-eating contest on the high school football field yesterday afternoon. Contestants had to keep their hands behind their back while eating the pies, which were simply aluminum tins filled with chocolate pudding and whipped cream (no crust). Steven (bottom photo) was the first one finished.

The final design for Utah's 25-cent piece, the 45th coin in the popular series of 50 U.S. state quarters was announced today by Gov. Jon M. Huntsman. Utah's coin will feature the driving of the "golden spike" that completed America's first transcontinental railroad line. That event took place 137 years ago today, on May 10, 1869, at Promontory, Utah, where the governor made today's announcement during a re-enactment of that historic event (bottom photo, taken from a local TV website). The U.S. Mint is scheduled to produce the Utah quarters in late 2007.

Indiana celebrated her first birthday last week by opening presents out on the side lawn. After unwrapping several cute outfits, articles of clothing, and toys, she went inside and had birthday cake (bottom photo). Her mom had to keep her from touching the candle with her fingers (she didn't know that it would burn her).

This weekend is the 14th annual April Action Car Show, which attracts hundreds of classic car owners and fans from around the country. Many different types of vehicles are represented, including the sampling seen here.

River turned 7 years old last Thursday, and celebrated with a party with several friends on Saturday afternoon. The girls played games, had a water balloon fight, and ate cupcakes and ice cream cones for dessert.

Brooklyn's 6th-grade class held a Greek festival this afternoon. Each person in the class had to give a short oral report about a character from ancient Greek history or mythology. The rest of the class then had to guess who each character was. Brooklyn portrayed the famous philosopher Socrates (bottom photo), finishing her talk by pretending to drink a cup of hemlock. The class snacked on gyros and other Greek food while listening to the speeches.

Zephyr recently turned 16, and he celebrated by going out to dinner with his dad Hugh, along with Yoko and two of Zephyr's high-school aged friends (Sam and Ari). After dinner, he was brought a big plate of chocolate brownies and ice cream, after which he and Sam extinguished the numeral-shaped candles with their fingers.

Yesterday, three schools from Grand County traveled 55 miles to Green River to participate in the regional Quiz Bowl competition. Students in grades 6-9 competed against each other in answering questions in a variety of categories, including math, science, history, literature, popular culture, and trivia. Each game lasted less than 20 minutes, but with 12 teams competing, the double-elimination tournament took six hours to complete.

Last Friday night, there was a "Pinewood Derby" event at a local church. Families had been given a car kit (a block of wood, four nails, and four plastic wheels) a couple weeks before the races and were told to create a race car. Each car had to be a certain width and weigh no more than 5 ounces, but there were no other restrictions. Pinewood Derbies are usually held among Cub Scout troops, but this one was open to anyone who wanted to compete. A total of 32 different cars participated, with Darin's taking first place in the double-elimination tournament. Jeff and his daughters made their car (which won three races and lost two) look like the Loch Ness Monster coming out of the water (bottom photo).

Brooklyn (top photo) did well in the regional spelling bee held at Green River high yesterday, taking home a trophy for finishing third-place overall in the five-event pentathlon (which included both the main spelling bee itself and a preliminary spelling bee). The top 12 spellers from four counties participated (middle photo), each winning various trophies and prizes. In the final event, Kunal (right, bottom photo) beat Kira by spelling "impeccable" correctly to earn a trip to the national spelling bee in Washington, D.C. at the end of May.

More than 3,500 runners participated in the 31st annual Canyonlands Half Marathon and Five Mile Run races in Moab last Saturday. The runners came from all over the United States and a few other countries to run in either of the two races (the 13.1 mile half marathon or the 5-mile race). One runner (bottom photo, at right) was so happy about finishing that he did a forward flip at the finish line!

Members of the Utah Army National Guard recently came to Moab to participate in a mock disaster training exercise. The scenario involved the pretend dispersal of a chemical or neurological agent at an outdoor athletic event (a marathon race). Soliders and local law enforcement officers teamed up together to practice their tactical response to such a situation. The soliders are part of the 85th Military Support Detachment Rapid Assessment Initial Detection unit, trained to respond to domestic terrorist attacks involving weapons of mass destruction (WMD) including biological, chemical, or radiological materials.

Auggie had his famous long hair cut at a local elementary school today as a reward for the school's fundraising efforts. The school raised over $10,000 for playground equipment, and Auggie matched that amount with another $10,000 solicited from local individuals, businesses, and organizations. First, Santa Claus cut off Auggie's long braids, much to the delight of the approximately 400 schoolchildren in the audience. Then, a hairstylist shaved Auggie's remaining hair into a Mohawk style and dyed it bright red, as the children had requested. Auggie once worked for the DHC U.S. Office several years ago.

Baby Indiana (nearly 8 months old) got her first tooth today, at the right front of her lower jaw. She has been doing a lot of chewing on her fingers and salivating.

Last night was the first night of the local high school's three-night production of "South Pacific." The popular musical, written for Broadway by Rodgers and Hammerstein in 1949, is set in the islands of the South Pacific during World War II. Sam's son Paul played the part of Tom O'Brien, one of the navy seamen. The cast included nearly 40 students in grades 9 through 12.

After winning the state 2A football championship last Saturday, the Red Devil football team and its thousand or so fans returned from Cedar City to Moab after the game, a trip of about five hours by car (Cedar City is about 300 miles from Moab). The team's charter bus arrived back in town about midnight, only to be welcomed by hundreds of townspeople who lined the streets holding signs, cheering, honking their horns, and flashing their car headlights. The football team and coaches rode down Main Street to the high school aboard fire engines with their lights and sirens flashing. It was a great celebration in honor of the town's first state championship in 85 years of playing football.

Last Friday night, there was a pep rally at the high school to support the local high school football team, which played a home playoff game the following day. During the rally, players and fans made up cheers, sang the school song, and watched the burning of a large wooden letter "G" (which stands for Grand County High) on the school grounds. The team won its game on Saturday afternoon 42-0, and will play in the state semifinals this coming weekend in Salt Lake City.

Members of a local dance group and their parents and other family members are staging a four-night "haunted house" fundraiser this week. Last night was the first night of the event. Organizers decorated the dance studio with scary props and secenery, and dressed up as frightening characters. People aged 10 and up paid $5 each to take a 20-minute tour through the building. Scary sights included Freddy Krueger from the "Nightmare on Elm Street" horror movies (top), a chainsaw-wielding madman (middle), and an indoor corn maze (bottom).

While in Cedar City, Sam and Virginia also attended a Saturday afternoon Pumpkin Festival, which featured a variety of activities, including pumpkin carving and painting, a pumpkin toss, and even a pumpkin seed spitting contest. Various pumpkin recipes were also tried and shared.

Russian cosmonaut Sergei Avdeev visited Moab last week, speaking to students at local schools. Avdeev has spent a cumulative total of more than two years in space. His visit was part of the Association of Space Explorers' XIX Planetary Congress, held last week in Salt Lake City. On Wednesday, astronauts and cosmonauts in Utah for the conference visited all 40 of Utah's school districts. Jeff (left in middle photo)sat next to Mr. Avdeev and his wife on the front row before the presentation.

This weekend marks the 11th Annual "24 Hours of Moab" mountain bike race, the largest such race west of the Mississippi. More than 400 teams of four or five riders (along with up to 100 solo riders) will compete for cash and prizes. The race begins at noon Saturday and ends exactly 24 hours later. The winner is the team or person who covers the most distance. The 15-mile course is a loop that covers rugged desert terrain, including sand and slickrock. Some competitors in past races have completed as many as 17 laps, covering more than 250 miles and climbing nearly 19,000 feet total. More than 5,000 people from around the country (riders, vendors, and support personnel) are expected to camp out at the race's staging area this weekend. Both of these photos are from past races.

Today is Labor Day, a federal holiday that commemorates not only organized labor unions but also "the social and economic achievements of American workers." It is traditionally viewed as the end of summer vacation, and for many folks it offers the chance for one last camping trip or barbecue. In Moab, the Moab Music Festival holds a free family concert at Old City Park on the afternoon of Labor Day. Here are a couple of pictures of this afternoon's two-hour concert, which featured a variety of musical styles, including a couple of Venezuelan classical pieces.

Jeff's younger brother Dave and his wife Shawna are the proud parents of a baby son named Logan, born shortly before midnight on Aug. 27 in Salt Lake City. The boy weighed 6 lbs. 7 oz. (2.9 kg) and was 18.5 inches long (47 cm) at birth. He is their first child.

Saturday, there was a watermelon eating contest at the county fair. Jeff, Brooklyn, and River all participated. Entrants had to eat a slice of watermelon as fast as possible down to the rind (no red showing) withhout using their hands. The winner (a young teenager named Timm) and the top two runners-up all received small cash prizes ($5 to $20). Timm ate his slice in 49 seconds! Everyone else just got a bellyful of delicious ripe watermelon!

Dozens of Harry Potter fans of all ages gathered at Arches Book Company in Moab late Friday evening, about an hour and a half before J.K. Rowling’s latest Harry Potter book went on sale at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, July 16. “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” the sixth book in the popular series, reportedly sold a record 6.9 million copies in the United States alone in its first 24 hours. Many of the fans at the bookstore were dressed as Hogwarts students or other Potter characters. The party featured magic tricks, a trivia quiz, and a raffle for prizes. A bookstore employee even read part of the first chapter aloud shortly before the $29.99 hardcover books went on sale.

Parades are a common sight in many American small towns, particularly on summertime holidays or in conjunction with rodeos or town celebrations. In Moab, parades usually start at Swanny City Park and end at the local grocery store about seven blocks away. These photos were taken at the rodeo parade earlier this month.

Other rodeo events include saddle bronc riding (top), bull riding (middle), and barrel racing (bottom), a timed event where female competitors race their horses around three barrels placed inside the arena and back to the starting point, usually in about 15 seconds.

Thursday night was the first night of a three-day professional rodeo competition at Moab's Old Spanish Trail Arena. Competitors come from all around Utah and neighboring states to try to win cash prizes. The event is part of the annual tour of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). Rodeos typically consist of several events, including those pictured here: bareback horse riding (top), steer wrestling (middle), and team calf roping (bottom). Check back Monday for more rodeo event photos!

Last weekend was the 13th annual “April Action Car Show” in Moab. Hundreds of car enthusiasts gathered to show off their fancy vehicles, many of which had been modified with custom paint jobs, high-performance car parts, and various accessories. The show, which was free and open to the public, featured vehicles of many different makes, years, styles, and colors. There was even a stainless steel 1983 DeLorean sports car, much like the one featured in the “Back to the Future” movies (bottom photo).

Staff members at Technica Pacifica (the DHC U.S. Office) recently held a hot dog party at lunchtime. Jacci brought her indoor electric grill to cook the weiners (both all-beef and vegetarian dogs were available). A variety of toppings was placed on the table, and people decorated their own dogs to their liking. The middle photo shows one hot dog coated with guacamole, sour cream, and shredded cheddar cheese, and another hot dog smothered in chili (a thick and spicy meat soup), with red onions and tomato slices added.

Indiana, baby daughter of Jeff and Penny, was born at 12:57 p.m. yesterday (April 25) at a hospital in the Salt Lake City area. She weighs 6 lbs. 1 oz. and is 20 inches long. Indy has three older sisters.

Every spring, most high schools across the United States hold a formal dance called a “prom.” In Moab, this dance is called the junior prom. Students in their third year of high school (11th grade) are called juniors, and the junior prom celebrates the students in this grade. In Moab, there are several special traditions that make the local junior prom unique. First, the students spend two months learning a choreographed waltz-type dance. Then, the week of the dance, they decorate the high school gym. On the day of the prom, the students spend the day with their chosen dates in group activities such as hiking or playing frisbee. That evening, they dress up in tuxedos and long dresses and head to the decorated gym. The evening culminates with the "promenade," when the students perform the formal dance they learned before an appreciative audience of families and friends, many of whom applaud, cheer, and take photographs.

A local bank in Moab recently built a new branch office across the street from the old one. On a recent Saturday afternoon, the bank held a "Grand Opening" celebration to mark their move into the new building. Festivities included free hamburgers and hot dogs, prizes and balloons, and a variety of entertainment. The middle photo shows a group of local taiko drummers performing, while the bottom photo shows a group of girls doing a dance routine.

Scoutmater Jeff's Boy Scout troop was among those who helped with the annual Boy Scout Barbecue dinner held March 25 at the Old Spanish Trail Arena during the Easter Jeep Safari trade show. Approximately 50 Scouts and Scout leaders served an estimated 1,700 plates of food in just over three hours. The event is the year's major fundraiser for the area's Boy Scout troops. The menu was as follows: a shredded beef sandwich (cooked with barbecue sauce), corn, baked potato, tossed green salad with dressing, and a can of soda pop. The cost was just $6 per plate.

Three years ago today, Christy (top photo) was among those who carried the torch through the streets of Moab during the Olympic Torch Relay just prior to the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City. Moab was the first community in Utah to see the torch pass through. Four days later, on February 8, 2002, the final torch runner lit the caldron at Olympic Stadium in Salt Lake City and the Olympic Games officially began. Jeff R. (bottom photo) took vacation time from his work at the DHC U.S. Office in Moab and stayed in Salt Lake for the duration of the Olympics, working as a volunteer reporter for the Olympic News Service. Sam also took a week's vacation and attended events in Salt Lake with his family.

A spelling bee is an organized spelling contest where children are given a word and asked to spell it out loud. Contestants who misspell a word are eliminated from the competition. The one who spells the most words correctly wins. Recently, Jeff’s daughter Brooklyn competed against 25 fellow students in her school’s 5th-grade spelling bee. She spelled “havoc” correctly in the first round, but misspelled “relieve” in the second round (she mistakenly transposed the “i” and the “l”). Even though she realized her error immediately, contestants aren’t allowed to change the order of the letters once they have started speaking the word. The top 10 finishers from each grade level will compete next week to see who is the best speller in the school. By the way, Americans began using the term “bee” in the 1800s to refer to certain social gatherings where large groups of people convened to accomplish a common task (other examples include quilting bees, cornhusking bees, and sewing bees). The term apparently came about because bees are commonly thought of as busy and social insects.

Jeff’s daughter Brooklyn was among the nearly two dozen kids who tried breaking open a piñata during a recent family party. Piñatas, which are a traditional Mexican game, are made of papier-mache. The inside of a piñata is a hollow receptacle that is typically filled with candy, small toys, and other prizes. Piñatas are usually brightly colored and can be found in many sizes and shapes (some are shaped like animals like parrots or donkeys). Usually, those trying to break open the piñata are blindfolded. In this case, after about 20 children each took three swings blindfolded, each child was given one more chance to hit the piñata without the blindfold. Right after Brooklyn (above) dislodged some of the candy with her final swing, her cousin Amber finished the job, scattering the remainder of the candy all over the lawn for the excited children to collect.

The U.S. flag flies at half-staff in front of the Moab Post Office this week, as a sign of respect for the victims and survivors of the earthquake and tsunamis that devastated the countries around the Indian Ocean on December 26. At least 150,000 people were killed in the disaster, and millions have been displaced or left homeless. In addition to issuing the flag proclamation January 1, U.S. President George W. Bush has ordered $350 million in federal assistance and has called upon American citizens to contribute generously to humanitarian organizations and charitable causes involved in the relief effort. The response so far has been “wonderful,” according to the president’s father, former President George H.W. Bush, who is teaming with former President Bill Clinton in what is expected to be a long-term effort to solicit private donations. In our Moab office, several staff members have been involved in raising funds. As one example, Sam and his son John were among those who collected donations among their church congregation Sunday. Members were asked to fast (not eat) for 24 hours and donate what they would have spent on food to the tsunami relief efforts. The people of Moab have been most generous and many donated much more than the cost of the meals, Sam reported.

A community chorus of about 50 local singers performed selections from George Frideric Handel's famous oratorio Messiah in Moab recently. Virginia was the chairman of the chorus committee. Some of Moab’s most talented vocalists and pianists participated in the 90-minute performance. Messiah is Handel’s most famous work, written over a three-week period in the summer of 1741 using Charles Jennens’ text taken from Biblical passages. Messiah premiered in Ireland in the spring of 1742 to celebrate Easter, but now the oratorio is almost exclusively performed during Christmas season. The “Hallelujah Chorus” at the end of the second part is the most well-known piece, and audiences traditionally stand during this song. The term “Messiah” is derived from words meaning “The Anointed One” in Greek and Hebrew.

Loretta’s nephew Shaun (son of Kristina and Lee) was born Monday morning, December 6 at Allen Memorial Hospital in Moab. Shaun weighed 9 lbs. 2 oz. at birth and was 21 inches long. Shaun has an older sister named Myleigh.

Last Saturday night was Moab’s annual “Electric Light Parade,” which helped usher in the local Christmas holiday season. Hundreds of people lined up along both sides of Main Street to watch the 90-minute event, which featured dozens of entries festooned with bright lights. As usual, the parade featured a variety of different types of vehicles, including trucks, flatbed trailers, buses, bicycles, all-terrain vehicles, and even a boat. Each vehicle had its own batteries or generators to power its lights as it made its way along the mile-long parade route. At the very end of the parade was Santa Claus, riding atop a fire truck and waving to cheering children watching from the sidewalks below.

Sam’s 13-year-old son John received his Eagle Scout award at a ceremonial court of honor this week. John and his older brother Paul (also an Eagle Scout) are members of Troop 803 of the Utah National Parks Council, Boy Scouts of America. Sam and fellow DHC U.S. Office staff member Jeff R. have been active in Scouting over the years as adult leaders (Jeff also earned his Eagle when he was younger). The Eagle Scout is the Boy Scouts of America’s highest rank, similar to the Fuji Scout designation in Japan. According to BSA statistics, of the more than 1 million Boy Scouts registered nationwide, only about 4 percent reach the Eagle Scout milestone.

During separate visits to Salt Lake City recently, Jeff R. and Sam each took their families to a museum exhibit called “Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition,” located inside a downtown mall. The traveling exhibit features dozens of artifacts from the famous ocean liner Titanic, which struck an iceberg and sank on April 15, 1912. Since the ship’s wreckage was first discovered on the ocean floor in 1985, numerous artifacts have been recovered. Items on display in Salt Lake included a megaphone, a pair of binoculars, clothing, coins, paper money, papers, jewelry, bottles, dishes, silverware, leather bags, tools, and even one of the ship’s large steam whistles. In the first photo above, Jeff’s daughter Brooklyn poses by a sign outside the exhibit in front of a re-creation of the ship’s dining room. The second photo shows Sam holding a reprinted version of a 1912 newspaper. Other souvenirs included books, posters, toys, and a replica of a coffee cup like those used on board.

Approximately 30 students from Grand County High School performed in the school’s theatrical production of State Fair over three nights last week. Sam’s 17-year-old son Paul played the role of a carnival “barker.” The comedic musical, set in the 1940s in a small rural American town, was written by the famed composer team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, who also penned such popular classics as The Sound of Music, South Pacific, and The King and I.

Jeff R. was among the dozens of people who gave blood last week at the Moab Senior Center during a blood drive conducted by the American Red Cross. The entire procedure took about an hour, including about 15 minutes to withdraw 500ml of blood from Jeff’s arm (in the United States, a donor unit is 450ml; an additional 50ml is taken for testing). Although the body generally replenishes the lost fluid in the bloodstream within 24 hours, it can take up to two months to fully regenerate the blood cells. Blood bank officials estimate that 8 million people donate blood annually in the United States, with the average donor giving about two units per year.

U.S. Office staff members were among those who attended the second annual Moab Folk Festival last weekend. The two-day concert event drew numerous folk singers and fans from around the country. The concert venue was at a local baseball park. People sat in lawn chairs or on blankets in the outfield grass and listened to the various performers.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently honored the Moab area community as the first “Green Power Community” in the nation. In August 2004, residents and businesses in the Moab area exceeded the goal of having 4 percent of the area’s total electricity usage supplied by renewable energy sources. Technica Pacifica (the DHC U.S. Office) was among the many companies in Moab who joined in this effort by voluntarily purchasing blocks of wind-generated power through Utah Power’s “Blue Sky” program. In this picture, Technica Pacifica general manager Sam (right) is being congratulated by the director of the EPA’s Green Power Partnership.

Sam enjoyed a birthday yesterday and had a slice of chocolate cake in celebration. If you’d like to taste what Sam’s cake was like, here’s the recipe. First, mix 1 1/2 cups (360ml) flour, 1 teaspoon (5ml) baking soda, 1 scant cup (230ml) of sugar, 3 Tablespoons (45ml) powdered cocoa, and 1/2 teaspoon (2.5ml) salt into a standard-sized cake pan (23cm by 30cm). Next, stir in the following liquid ingredients with a fork until completely blended: 1 Tablespoon (15ml) vinegar, 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla, 6 Tablespoons (90ml) salad oil, and 1 1/4 cups (310ml) of water. After mixing, bake in oven at 350 degrees F (180 C) for 20 to 25 minutes. Note that this recipe includes no milk, eggs, or butter, making it suitable for those who avoid dairy products. If you are wondering how many candles were actually on his cake, Sam won’t say!

The results from yesterday’s nationwide vote are in, and President George W. Bush defeated Democratic challenger Sen. John Kerry in a close race. About 51 percent of 119 million voters nationwide voted for Bush and 48 percent for Kerry, but it was Bush’s close victory in Ohio that gave him enough electoral votes for re-election. In Utah, voters elected a new governor, Jon Huntsman, who defeated Scott Matheson, Jr. (son of a previous Utah governor). Utah voters also decided numerous other races, including three U.S. Congress seats, state house and senate races, and various amendment proposals and other issues. The ballot in Moab included initiatives to reduce the number of seats on the county council and to eliminate districts. Both measures failed. Pictured here are Pete and Joyce, parents of U.S. Office staff member Christy, eating turkey and mashed potatoes at the traditional Election Night dinner at St. Pius X Catholic Church, a place where many Moab folks like to gather to discuss the election.

DHC U.S. Office staff member Sam exits a voting booth at the Grand County Courthouse in Moab. Today (Tuesday, November 2) is Election Day in the United States, and Americans across the country are flocking to their neighborhood polling places to cast their ballots. U.S. President George W. Bush, who narrowly defeated Al Gore four years ago, is facing a formidable challenge from Democratic Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts. Voter turnout is expected to be high throughout the country. Check back tomorrow for results!