BEAUTIFUL CITY

Blue skies, picturesque puffy clouds, and the Seagull Arch in downtown Salt Lake...behind the camera I view the whole thing with a new appreciation. The air smells good, too.

We drove into town to see the sights, and the first to meet our eyes was the historic BEEHIVE HOUSE, home of Brigham Young and one of his wives and children. Our tour was conducted by a young female missionary from Hong Kong. Hearing her say "polygamy" was worth the drive in. You can barely see the beehive on the top of the house.

And on to dinner in the Lion House, site of my West Coast wedding reception (one of the 3) back in 1995. Home of another of BY's wives and children, back when "we" did that. That's Maddy in the foreground.

And the kiddlies in front of the enormous statue of Joseph Smith found in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, formerly the Hotel Utah.

We happened to be there mid-march, and after a wrenching movie about the trials and persecution of the early mormon pioneers and the murder of Joseph Smith, Dylan asked "why did they hate Joseph Smith so much?" I thought I gave a pretty accurate but simple explanation. Dylan processed it and still looked perplexed. I could never have anticipated his next question: "And is St. Patrick the Lord of the leprechauns (notice his St. Patrick Day tee-shirt...)?"

Well, that one is a little harder...