Celebrating Peace, Love and Uncle Al

On August 28, 2009 we lost our Uncle Al at 63 years young to a dissecting aortic aneurysm, the same condition that almost took my dad's life 9 years ago. We have all felt such a profound loss in our lives now, but Al would want us to celebrate his life, not mourn for him. So that is what we have tried to do. This is my favorite picture of my favorite uncle- shining in the sun in Zion.
He was our mentor and was so fortunate to live in the most beautiful place in the world. We often took trips to Zion, staying with Al, and had the opportunity to explore this land that he loved in a way that most people never do.
Atop the peak next to Johnson, one of my favorite times hiking with Al. This is the area just behind his house, and from this view we pointed out many of the other peaks we would plan to bag together. We never thought our time would run out so soon.
His funeral was held at the Springdale cemetery, a beautiful place to be laid to rest. His wishes were to return to the earth in the most natural possible way- not embalmed, buried in a pine box, with no nails.
My father's tribute to his brother was very touching. He spoke about the reunion he hoped Al was having with his mother and other brother who preceded him in death. Half of my dad's family has now passed away.
An impromptu indian flute piece "Amazing Grace" by one of Al's comrades from the paramedic/ firefighter group he was a part of. Adrienne's husband Dave and daughter Davenne in the background.

Bench cousins.

Al's daughter Adrienne felt that it would be more personal if the members of the family helped bury him, rather than some random workers. It was very emotional but felt like the right thing to do.
Later that evening we had an informal gathering at the park where people from the town of Springdale and those that had traveled from very far away to pay tribute to Al by sharing memories and stories. This is Dick Dotey sharing a piece of amazingly detailed leather work done by Al, the artisan.

The Bench family reunion.

Avery, Adrienne's darling little boy was delighted to see his great-grandpa. Family connections.
Al's collection of cochina dolls from Hopi land. He traded cottonwood root and other goods with the indians. Al gave us one of these special pieces as a wedding gift.

Feeling the love in Zion.

We have been so lucky to stay here with Al at his house so many times. Coming to Zion just won't be the same again.
But we will always cherish our times with Al and know that his memory will be here forever.

Summer Climbing

A few weeks ago we took a trip to the City of Rocks in Idaho. It was a fun little get-away for us, and the dogs absolutely loved it! They ran around, got into some cactus again, and kept look-out in the tent at night for us. We got some great climbing in too!
Brandon loves his little Annie. He gave her a ride on his pack when she started getting tired.

We've been coming here together for 5 years. We love this place!
It gets a little chilly at night in the City of Rocks, even in the summer. Glad to have our coats!
After part of the Labor Day weekend spent in Zion (more on that later), we headed to Maple Canyon for some climbing. We love going there because it's only about 20 min away from Brandon's mom's house.
We've been climbing pretty hard lately, so we feel a lot stronger now.
Anthony had a good time climbing with us too. It was his first time out for the season, so he was done after the first day.
Brandon leading "Pipeline" 11.D
We met up with several friends and had a lot of fun with them. Michelle brought her dog Jude who could almost be mistaken for Cole. They all got along great. They played so hard that the next day all they could do was sleep.

Summer is my favorite time of year, and practically all our free time goes to climbing. It's always a little sad when the days get shorter and cooler because I know our time outside is coming to an end. But we have done a lot this summer and I hope to squeeze a few more trips in before the snow flies!

Zion

After our day of canyoneering we were ready for some food and music at the Bit and Spur.
The sky and majestic mountains in the evening in Zion are magical!
The locals say it's tarantula mating season now- here's a little one at the restaurant.
Modeling Al's Peaceday.com shirts. This is his next big endeavor- check out the website!
The moon coming out next to Johnson peak.
On our last day there we sought refuge from the heat in the Virgin River up the Narrows.
This is the only place to be on a hot day in Zion. We ran into Brandon's friends here and hiked with them for a while.
Last photo ever taken with our camera. On the way back down the canyon I decided to take a swim to cool off and forgot about the camera still in my pack. Although we were able to salvage the pics, our camera is toast. The next one will be waterproof!

Canyoneering in Zion

Brandon about to rappel into the dark slot of Spry Canyon
In the slot- this was a little tricky maneuvering into the next pool since we had prematurely pulled the rope.
So Brandon used what we called a "butt hold" to press himself up against the walls and slowly lower himself down into the murky water.
One of the longer free-hanging rappels out of the slot.
After hiking and down climbing for about 5 hours, this clear (although green) pool was so refreshing on this hot day! We dove right in and played around for a little while before we made it back to the car.
The pics got out of order, but this is the beginning of the hike. Uncle Al shuttled us up there and hiked with us until the point of no return. He doesn't really like to do any canyoneering or climbs that require gear or ropes.
Right before the descent into the slot canyon. Brandon decided we didn't need to rope up here, so we VERY carefully climbed our way down into this bowl, avoiding some really gunky, funky pools of water at the bottom.
We hi-jacked someone else's rope so we could go ahead of a large group.
Now we can see out to the other side of the canyon. Coming out of the notch next to Mt. Spry.
Our friend Nick joined in our adventure too. I was glad he was there to carry the rope!

We had such a fun adventure in Spry Canyon. It was SO hot in the beginning and felt really good to go down into the cooler temps and into the water. There is so much more to do in Zion, and I can't wait to go back!

Camping in the mighty Uintahs

This past weekend we went camping in the Uintahs and had so much fun! Here we are at Ruth Lake after some climbing, Cole is in the background swimming after sticks in the lake.
This was a nice shady wall, and we weren't the only ones trying to get out of the heat here. I love climbing at Ruth Lake!
Brandon collected fire wood, piled it up,  and almost immediately it was picked up and moved by the dogs. They love to chew on sticks.
Look how cute our little Annie is. Almost 3 months now. She definitely took to camping well.
We found a sweet spot to camp near Whitney reservoir, the only bad thing was the mosquitoes and flies are so bad up there this year! We doused ourselves with bug spray, and still came home with lots of bug bites. But it was nice to get out of the 100 degree weather in SLC to the beautiful mountains just a couple of hours away.

What summer is all about

For the 4th of July we went down to Mt. Pleasant and had a great time. We got up for the 7 am breakfast at the park, I know- shocking. I usually only see that side of morning as I'm getting off work and going to bed.  They had a carnival and "mountain man rondezvous" with fun games and yummy treats. I love small town holiday celebrations!
That night we had a BBQ and the best seats in the house for the fireworks show- right on the deck of the Fox's house. This worked out well because as soon as it got dark the rain storm rolled in. So we just watched the show wrapped in blankets and coats and then ran right back inside when it was over.
I decided to go explore American Fork Canyon on Monday and came upon this fabulous place. The whole way up to this lake was absolutely gorgeous- wildflowers, aspen trees and the river crossing our path in several places. What a reward for the end of the hike! It's the most beautiful place I've been to around here!
Our dogs love hiking, even little Annie battled her way most of the 4 miles (I had to carry her a few times on the way up). She also took a nice long nap while Cole was swimming and fetching sticks in the lake up top.
Every summer I remember how much I love going to outdoor concerts and wish I could have more of them. Last night we saw Indigo Girls at Red Butte Gardens. It was so much fun- sitting out there on the grass with friends, yummy food, and great music playing all night. Brandon and I quite enjoyed the people-watching aspect of the night. I smiled and laughed so hard my cheeks hurt by the end of the night. It also reminded me how important it is to still go out on dates regularly. I love my husband and am so glad I am with my best friend!