The Bountiful Chalk Festival, I Fear...Is Going To Be A Little Wet This Year

The first hint that things would probably not work out this year was a quick look at the weather app on my phone.

A week of rain.

Of course, the app can do no better than predict the possibility of rain, but when the clouds gathered this afternoon and the first few drops dirtied the windows of our unprotected car windows, that's when I knew all the work that had already taken place a few miles south of us was being washed away.

Literally.

It's a shame, too, because I'm sure the artists had put in a lot of work and had planned to put in even more.

Two days ago I drove through Bountiful's Main Street. There were dozens--maybe hundreds--of chalk drawings in various states of completion. There were even people wandering about taking in the art and enjoying themselves. I've never actually gotten out and looked at all the cool chalk masterpieces during the festival, but I have driven through and seen--from a driver's perspective--the amazing things people created. The above picture was found on-line from festival's past.

Looks like this year's event will be called on account of the weather.

There's lots of social events that take weather into account. A lot of weddings, for example, will make plans for a nice outdoor affair, but they schedule a building just in case. I really can't see how the chalk festival can accommodate for rain. It's just one of those things.

So, to all the artists and art lovers watching their works circle the drain, I feel for you. Making art is always a gamble. Sometimes you bet on black and hit red. Let's hope next year, we're precipitation-free.

Saturday In The Park...With Family

Usually, when someone suggests leaving the comfort of my air-conditioned home during July, I turn them down. I mean, who wants to be outside feeling like your skin is melting off your bones?

Not me.

But, when family is in town, perspectives change. 

This afternoon we loaded up the van (and a couple of more cars...) and drove up Mueller Park Canyon in the hills above Bountiful Utah. We unloaded people, firewood, and fixins for a cookout.

Utah is an amazing place. If you're an outdoorsy person, there are few places better to live in than Utah. Golf, ski, bike, run, hike, snowshoe, camp--the state's got it all. And if Brigham Young's original state boundaries had stayed in place, Utah would have San Diego's beaches as well.

This afternoon was a treat, and I'm not talking about my double s'more. We chatted, shared, learned about how the families are doing and plans for the future. This is my wife's family, a group of people who have welcomed me as one of their own to which I am eternally grateful.

No, normally I'd consider turning down a request to have dinner--cooked by an open flame, no less--in the middle of July. But today I said yes. And I'm glad I did.