Where we're going

We received our mission call and opened it this evening with all of our eight children "present" either personally or in Google Handouts. Here's where we'll be spending a year and a half:

SHINDIG!

Don't Forget!

CERT training is tonight (Wednesday August 21.) Everyone is invited. This is an important topic, especially for those of us living in the forest and Pete is a great instructor. You'll be glad you came.

Guest speaker: Pete Kuhlmann,  Washington County EOC

Ø     August 21^st

Ø     6:30 to 8:00 p.m. 

Ø     Pine Valley Fire Station

All are welcome--bring friends!

Fun Hike for Families

At our recent family reunion we took the family on a hike to Kanara Falls.  We recommend it for anyone who can hike as it is beautiful.  You have to walk in the stream for about 1 1/2 miles, kind of in and out of the stream, and then you come to the cave (actually a narrows with wonderful high rock formations) which is so beautiful.  Nature is gorgeous there.  You can walk up the falls on a pole ladder if you are brave and go on, but we just went to that spot.  Here are pictures to entice you.  Try it, you'll love it especially the walking in the stream.  Too fun.  Go to Kanaraville, and one of the streets there near Big Trees goes up the mountain and you park in a lot, then start hiking.  Follow the road for a while to the stream, then walk up the stream to the cave/narrows.  Kids and adults need shoes for the stream.

Texting While Driving

If you ever text and drive OR know someone who texts while driving OR even talk on the phone while driving you should watch this video.

Why is so windy this summer?

Have you been asking the same question I have this summer? I did a Google search and found that others had asked the same question and that it was answered by a meteorologist on this web site KLS.com weather. Here's the answer given:

My experience is that during the hot summer months, southwest winds develop about every afternoon as the hot air rises up the Pine Valley Mountains and is pulled through the Virgin River Gorge. I've seen it happen for years, but typically it is an afternoon and early evening wind. Lately, there have been more storms in the area that have caused significant microburst wind activity. I would presume this is what you are referring to and I think you can blame a lot of what you are seeing on this.

The air heats up with the rising sun, and it is especially true on the slopes of the Pine Valley Mountains. The air pushes up along the hills and over the tops of the peaks. This air is replaced by air coming from the southwest and is likely funneled from and through the gap in the Beaver Dam Mountains and the Virgin River Gorge. Some of the wind is also moving up into the Zion N.P. area as the air rises there too. In the evening when the sun goes down, the air on the Pine Valley Mountains is cooler and heavier and it returns down the mountain side and the strong afternoon/evening winds quickly die off. However, if there are storms in the area, frequently these winds will continue well into the night. See if you are recognizing the winds long after sunset and this likely is coming from the microbursts from storms in a 150 to 200 mile radius of SW Utah. If the winds die off after sunset, then it is the diurnal (daily) wind patterns you see in the hot summer in St. George.

This doesn't happen as much in the other seasons because there isn't as much heat generated by the sun.

August CERT Meeting

Guest speaker: Pete Kuhlmann,  Washington County EOC

• August 21^st

• 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.

• Pine Valley Fire Station

All are welcome--bring a friend.

Pine Valley BBQ

Lichen

Next time you are pass a patch of lichen as you walk or hike in Pine Valley, consider the fact that a dinner plate size lichen could be a thousand years old and that it is one of the most amazing living things on Earth. Lichen represent a symbiotic relationship between a fungus and either algae or cyanobacteria. The fungus uses the algae or bacteria to produce energy (amazingly from a lifeless rock) while the algae or bacteria enjoys the protection the fungus provides.

Although we usually just ignore lichen, Bill Bryson thought it interesting enough to writes about it in his book “A Short History of Nearly Everything.” “Lichens are just about the hardiest visible organisms on Earth, but among the least ambitious.” They thrive in Antarctica and other harsh climates, and they are so successful that there are 20,000 species of them. They are very slow-growing and as a result are often hundreds if not thousands of years old. As humans we are inclined to feel that life must have a point. We have plans and aspirations and desires. We want to take constant advantage of all the intoxicating existence we’ve been endowed with. But what’s life to a lichen? Yet its impulse to exist, to be, is every bit as strong as ours—arguably even stronger…. Like virtually all living things, they will suffer hardship, endure any insult, for a moment’s additional existence. Life, in short, just wants to be.

Movie Night!

Schedule for Gardening Forum

Our first gardening forum was fun and we learned a lot from each other. We discussed soils (specifically Pine Valley) as planned, but then also added a couple of topics that participants wanted to discuss--grasshopper damage and whether to plant flowers in the summer. As indicated on the first announcement, the group decided to meet at different homes/gardens for the five meetings so that we can see what other gardeners do. The schedule will be as follows:

• Week 1: Maxine Davie (this past week)
• Week 2: Connie Web (she has some seeds and seedlings to share)
• Week 3: Sharron Northington
• Week 4: Laura Bergeson
• Week 5: TBA (I'll update this when I know for sure)

Everyone is invited--men and women :)

Pine Valley Fashion Parade

Some of you may have missed the memo about the Pine Valley Fashion Parade :) but Laura Bergeson and her granddaughters were enthusiastic participants. It's the mark of a good grandma that Laura not only supervised the parade, but fully participated. Look at the big smiles and you'll know that they were having a great time. This event will probably be a favorite memory for four little girls.