We had SNOW---Then frigid temperatures---then rain!---then ice!

Our area had no snow at all in January until the 30th.  

Then we received 10-12inches of wet snow!

The flakes were the huge ones that flutter gently down like a giant snow globe. 

Even the camera picked up the steady falling of the snow.

This is what it looked like every time I  looked outside all day.

By the next morning we had SNOW!

Notice how the weight of the snow bowed the clothes line.

Dad was working swings that night and got stuck in the drive 

way at 1:00 a.m.   He tried six times to get into the garage and 

finally concluded he could walk from the bottom of the driveway 

and worry about it the next day.  You can see his plan to "worry about it."  :)

I had the urge to build a snowman for two whole days and wondered 

where my grand kids were when I needed them.  It appears these were in 

Washington waiting for their own snow to fall. I am willing to bet if they

 had had all of our snow this BIG snowman would have been BIGGER
or perhaps he would have had a family or friends.

By February 5 the temperatures dipped to minus 10 degrees.  

AND THEN.....From February 8-10th we got rain on top of the snow and frozen ground!

These pictures taken on Powell Lane on
Feb. 10, 2014 make it clear what happened next!

 You can see that the water is actually running in a pretty
good stream at the Scott's near the east end of the lane.

They put a gravel berm at the end of their drive way to encourage the water to flow on by.

The bar pits were full to the brim!

The entire south end of Bateman's field was a shallow, slushy lake.

A fairly deep pool formed here as water ducked under the
road through a culvert to our side of Powell Lane. 

Here it is coming going into the culvert.

 Here it is coming our of the culvert.

 The run off then made its way down the field east of Uncle Marv's.

It formed a little pond or two.  That's our house in the background around 8:30 a.m.

THE STORY IS NOT OVER!  The plot thickened by mid-afternoon.

This is across the road from Uncle Marv's.

I've never seen water in Uncle Marv's back yard before this year.

These are our lilac bushes.

We had our own Powell Lake like we had many years ago!

When I left for my afternoon run our river looked like this.

The lake on the back side of the lilacs taken from the bus window.

Just before running over our road, the water was deep!

You can see the brick lining the flower bed in the middle of front lawn.

 Out the bus window on the way home.

The river over the road looking back after parking the bus. 

The water leaving our yard...

...and making its way down through the field. 

 

The water entered our yard at the NW corner of the coral. 

There were ripples and baby rapids! 

There was even a tiny lake under the swings!

 

When I dropped Reagan off they had their own lake.

We counted to three and  off she went through the middle.

This view is from our front porch just before Dad got home.
The stream going over the road was about 6 inches deep!

Temperatures dropped over night! 

By the morning of February11th the ran-off had stopped and ice had formed.
This is where Daniel's hideout was last summer!

This is the road where the water had crossed.

 The ice on the North side of the lilacs.

 By night fall there was a steady stream flowing again, but the water was receding.

The temperatures dropped over night to around 20 degrees
and the ice formations were delicate and beautiful.

An ice record of the receding water remained.

I almost got my ice skates out when I saw this.

This is a skating oval around the lilacs.

 This is Daniel's hideout the morning of 2/12/14.

Honor's Choir Retreat 1/24-1/25

I had a mini-retreat opportunity with the State Honor's Choir on January 24-25th!

You'll notice from the pictures that bloggers have more fun!

A "Tyler" shot of the reflecting pool near the temple.

Joseph and Emma across the reflecting pool west of the Church office building.

When I took this picture I almost felt like I was encroaching on a private moment.

The temple across the reflecting pool in the morning sun light.

The chandeliers in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building above 

where I sat and read "Eve: And the Choice made in Eden"  all morning.

The model of the Salt Lake Temple. 
Some of the inner rooms I've never seen.

These rooms I have experienced and love to see.

 

                      This mural in the West Visitors center  always produces a sense 

                      of  reverence. It consists of eight paintings depicting the cycle of life.

The middle portions of the mural.

The final panels of the mural.

My study on spires at temple square. 

 

My shadow of the present!

I took in an organ recital at noon in the Tabernacle.

It was awesome. 

That afternoon I attended the State Honor's Choir concert in Abravanel Hall.

We were literally in surround sound with over 800 singers all around us. 

A close-up of a chandelier in Abravanel Hall.

The State Honor's Choir men's Group.

This is supposed to be art.  I think it is Medusa on steroids.

The panel outside the Church history museum.

I felt renewed and invigorated after this event.
I felt a little bit guilty to turn in my time!

Andrea's move to Provo 1-20-2014

Andrea made a BIG change on January 20th.  

She moved into the Winter Quarters Apartments in Provo.

It is across the street from the Brick Oven just off  the SW corner of BYU campus.

Everything Andrea owns was stuffed in the back of the van.

Andrea drags in the loot from "MomKo!"

Andrea takes a breather in her home away from home. 

Her roommate is named "Andrea!"

The Provo Tabernacle Temple looked like this the day she moved.

This is the little salon Andrea worked in for on Center Street in Provo 

for a couple of weeks.   It was her first job since graduating.  The

 illegal under tones of this establishment and the fact that she was 

making about $15 a day encouraged her to look elsewhere. 

Our weekend with Kaleb (January 17-19)

Brenda took a weekend retreat from January 17-19, 2014.

The best part of that plan was Kaleb came to visit us for the weekend. 

On Saturday we went north to check out a house for Tyler and Katie

 in Spanish Fork.  It didn't turn out to be much more than a chance to stop 

and have a picnic at Salem Pond. The standing water in the collecting tank 

with a sump pump and lots of evidence of water damage convinced us that 

this house is in a high water table area and  would definitely be a money pit.

There were 100's of wild ducks on the pond that day. 

Kaleb and Grandpa on the dock watching the ducks.

A couple came with some bread and they were 

immediately over-run by Democratic Ducks.

The wild ducks flew away in the feeding frenzy of the 

tame ducks.  Dad was sure they were "Republican" ducks.

Kaleb wanted to swing for a minute,
but the chains were so cold that it didn't last long.

What's a boy to do?

He headed for the spider web...

...then the other playground equipment.

It was a gorgeous day at Salem Pond.

Grandpa and Kaleb on the bridge.

A "Tyler" shot.

 

Kaleb and Grandpa on the east side of the bridge. 

Our picnic at Salem Pond.

Kaleb in Grandpa's hat.

Grandpa and Kaleb checked out Payson Temple 

while Grandma went to a baby shower.

When we got  home Kaleb needed a sleigh ride behind the truck.

Kaleb is on his way!

The day ended with another pony ride.

One thing is for certain...We hope Kaleb comes back soon.