Header above for the Poetical Journal, 153rd Issue

On this page:

  • Four Poems: Altitude Perspective, Late Spring Snow, Early May Ride, and The Marathon
  • Vignette: Thanksgiving Point Gardens
  • Recommendations

     

    Just outside the gardens, our pictorial focus this month

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.Four Poems this Month

Altitude Perspective

High above the Rockies,
    snow covered and daunting,
    cars wind snakelike
    through the pass.
Their destinations unknown.
Each person feels the importance
    of the journey–
    some nervous–grip the wheel,
    others listen to the beat,
    many lost in thought.

From the moon,
    no cars appear,
    the Rockies
    but a faint patch of white.

On Mars,
    Terra Nova billions
    are nothing but a shining speck.

Onward into space
    the solar system
    and its billions of stars
    slowly disappear into faintness.

The trials and tribulations
    become historical micro-moments
    of no import.

But wait,
    I have an important meeting
    I must make
       
Comment: Frankly, many of us believe our trials and tribulations are extremely important. Human nature is quite egocentric. I attempt to generate some thought on this topic through a bit of humor at the end.


Late Spring Snow

Shakespeare on this day
    might have queried,
    “Oh Spring, where art thou?”
"White" layers the mountainsides
    and the valleys.
Though May Day is almost upon us,
    the flakes fall in inches.

But Utahns bear
    no surprise
    for the blanket will melt
    into nourishing liquid,
    feeding the soil and  reservoirs.

Within mere days
    the temperatures will rise
    to 70° and more–
    this day a passing memory.

Oh, how I long
    for more such forgotten days
    where strife and sadness
    bore no weight.
    where the scourges of life
    are soon forgotten.

But on this particular day,
    this moment,
    all is right.

Comment: The yard care guys were out mowing the next day. The snow had melted. It was 78° on the weekend.


Early May Ride

The chill of the air
    declares that summer
    is not yet here.

No haze or tumultuous clouds,
    only the blue of the May sky
    and the peaks of the mountains
    covered in white.

An hour must pass
    before day-workers
    arrive for their jogs and bike rides.
The serenity of the trail
    remains uninterrupted.

Following a brief time                                               to capture the moment,
    goose bumps on the rider
    signal the time to cease writing
    and to ride on.
  
Comment: A paved bike trail runs besides our townhouse. I usually take a note pad with me and stop at one of the benches to write. This particular day was brisk. However, an hour later the air was quite comfortable to ride in.


The Marathon

Children dash.
Excitement
    exudes from every pore.
Even stern words
    barely slow them down.

With aging bones and timidity
    adults walk and later
    stumble along the path.

Unannounced,
    the magic moment arrives
    when the hesitant
    dash as never before.
  
Comment: Obviously, we are talking about eternal things here. In a sense, we all are running a marathon until the final moment, or is it?

Just outside the entrance to Thanksgiving Point Gardens

 

 

Partial view of the 55 acres that encompass these gardens

 

Snowcap mountains after the snow. Click here to hear the poetical video.

 

Filled with tulips but soon to be replaced with roses

 

 

A beautiful cluster

 

 

A little pedestal was placed among the tulips so families could pose for pictures.

 
 
Looking down from Memorial Point toward the Village of Midway, UT

Looking 90 degrees in a different direction from the picture above.

More displays found in the Gardens

Thanksgiving Point Gardens, Lehi (Salt Lake City)

We heard through friends Dave and Renate and also an article in the newspaper about the magnificent gardens at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi (Salt Lake City). On a beautiful warm spring Saturday we headed to what the owners describe as Tulip Therapy–A Dose of Vitamin Spring–Tulip Festival. The tulip display is at its peak from April 18 - May 3. If you can imagine fifty-five acres and a quarter million tulips plus other assorted floral varieties, you can understand our excitement about visiting these gardens.

When traveling to a location that I think will generate some great pictures, I carry two cameras. Much to my surprise and anger, I discovered that the battery that I thought was fully charged on my primary camera–I had checked before leaving–was nearly empty. This shock came as I was entering to the garden entrance, having taken several shots of the entry area. Also to my shock, I saw a fellow who had set up a table loaded with high quality cameras–all Nikons, my camera of choice. These were not inexpensive point and shoots but medium range ones with an interchangeable lens of choice. And further, Allens Camera was loaning them at no charge. Hallelujah! With gratitude, I left my driver's license as security and headed happily off with my high quality loaner.

As we explored the gardens over several hours, we discovered there were also many food options near a large grassy area and three waterfalls and numerous specialty floral displays. We later discovered that the complex included a Museum of Ancient Life, Mammoth Screen 3D theater, Harvest Restaurant, the Emporium, and an 18-hole golf course. Many classes related to gardening and agriculture are also offered to the public.

In early May the tulips, which were originally purchased in the Netherlands, are dug up and made available to the public after Mothers Day. Roses and other seasonal flowers replace them for the summer. As you might guess, we will return this summer for more floral amazement.


If you have a guest vignette you would like to submit, please do so. Not only will I enjoy reading it, but if agreeable with you and space permitting, I will print it in a future issue. The vignette should be written in paragraph form and relate a personal story or event. Equally important, it should fit the overall tenor of this newsletter. Ideally, it should not exceed twenty lines. Please send to bob@poeticaljourneys.com.


Recommendations
 

Heber Valley Artisan Cheese, Midway, UT: What a good time we had at the local cheese tasting in April. We sampled 52 varieties (very small cubes), rating them from 1-10. The owners use the data to help determine which ones will be publicly sold. If you are interested in participating in one of these fun evenings, which are held on the second Friday of the month, call 435-671-0896. If you are traveling plan accordingly for a great evening.

 

Thanksgiving Point Gardens, Lehi (Salt Lake City): Fifty-five acres of beautifully manicured gardens. We visited during the tulip festivals. But gardens change with each passing microseason starting in the spring and ending in the fall. (For more information, read the vignette above.)

 

Allens Camera (Several locations in the Salt Lake area): I arrived at Thanksgiving Point Gardens and discovered to my horror that my battery on the main camera was almost dead. To my surprise and joy, I saw the display by Allens Camera offering FREE use of high caliber Nikon cameras. He even offered a variety of lens choices. Absolutely, no charge! I checked out a "loaner" and captured many of the pictures on this page. What a generous concept this company offered!

 

Please take a look at the online book and gift page.

 

Tasting of 52 different cheeses. Pictured are friends Dave and Renate, Jan, and Russel Kohler, plant manager and cheesemaker at Heber Valley Artisan Cheese.

           A cluster of tulips at Thanksgiving Point Gardens

This carpet of blue is sculpted to look like a flowing river.

A favorite shot of mine

There are other flowers beside tulips. These daffodils really caught my interest.

We happened to follow two visitors who put the bears in the blue floral setting. They took a quick picture. I followed suit before they picked them up.

A gorgeous bed of tulips

                                                                   . . . and more

                                                            Blue among the red

One of the rivers running through the property eventually forming three waterfalls