The Curmudgeonly Professor

More Pumpkins for the Landfill

Moon Glow in the South Salt Lake UT Valley Oct 31 2012

Draper LDS Temple in the moonlight

The High sandy ridge at the South End of the Salt Lake Valley.  The highway (I-15) around the west end of this ridge is known as "Point of the Mountain", which is a bit misleading and might, instead, be called "Point of the Great Sand Dune."  When we first moved to Salt Lake in the year 2000, there were no homes along the ridge above the valley.

This poor little moon looks a lot more insignificant without benefit of a telephoto lens.

Once More, the Full Moon is Rolling Down the Mountain Side in the South SLake UT Valley

Bingham Canyon Mine, or the Kennecott Copper Mine at the West Side of the Southern Salt Lake UT Valley

One section of the residue from the world's largest and deepest open pit mine and excavation.  According to Wikipedia, the mine is .75 miles deep, 2.5 miles wide, and covers 1,900 acres.   Again, as per Wikipedia, the mine is owned by the Rio Tinto Group, a UK mining company, which also, besides the mine, operates a concentrator plant, a smelter, and a refinery.  The mine has been in operation since 1906.

October Gold

The Beautiful Wasatch Mountains in South SLValley

Again, this photo was shot with my tiny Canon 850.  It doesn't have 16 pixels, but I still think it is a gorgeous shot of the neighborhoods and the mountains.

Two More Views of Neighborhood LDS Chapel in South SL Valley

These two photos were also shot with my pocket canon 850, discussed below.  If you look across a typical Salt Lake Valley neighborhood, or a neighborhood in many Utah towns, you can see anywhere from two or three to a half dozen LDS chapel spires poking up in the landscape.  That's what happens when most of the people are members of the LDS Church.  When we lived at many locations throughout the U.S. during my years of studying and teaching, an LDS chapel was rare, indeed.

Street Scene, Headed Toward the Mountain in Autumn, South SLake Valley, Oct 2012

Since I acquired my new snazzy Canon 7d, I've mostly turned up my nose at my little Canon pocket 850, which I used to carry around in my pocket everywhere I went so I didn't miss an opportunity for a photo.  Why I need more pictures is a mystery, with well over 100,000 on my hard drive, but the next photo is often the most interesting one, the one you are thankful you have taken.  This photo and the next one were taken with my tiny Canon, and now I have repented and carry it around with me wherever I go, once more.  I wouldn't have wanted to do without this photo.  The kind of camera you shoot with is not as important as the eyes of the photographer in spotting something that will turn into a photo of lasting value.  Rather than just clicking through photos, enlarge them, double click on them, and study them for a moment.  What did you see?  What do you think the photographer saw when he or she shot the photo?  I read somewhere that a photo tells more about the photographer and what the photographer saw than it does the scene or object being photographed.  What stories do you think the photo tells?  Don't be in such a hurry to look at photos.

The Leaves are Turning as We Head Toward the Mountain, South SLValley Street Scene

Purple and Red: From Flower Gardens at SLCity Temple Square

One of the most difficult aspects of blogging with thousands and thousands of photos is trying to remember what you have posted before and avoiding duplication.  I may stumble once in awhile and repost something, but chances are, if you are a new or one-time viewer, you haven't seen it before anyway.  And, if you haven't seen it before, I hope you will enjoy seeing it again.

A Lone Purple Flower

Green Shrubbery Planter at Temple Square Salt Lake City Ut

Lobby Interior Detail in the old Hotel Utah, Now Owned by the LDS Church and renamed the Joseph Smith Building

My new young wife and I stayed at the old and wonderful Hotel Utah when we got married at the Salt Lake LDS Temple in December of 1952, almost 60 years ago.

Eagle Gate Monument in Salt Lake City UT

Eagle Gate Monument at the intersection of State St. and South Temple in Salt Lake City, adjacent to Temple Square, is one of the most recognized and famous Salt Lake City landmarks.  Originally designed as an entrance to Brigham Young's property, the first Eagle Gate was topped with a wooden carved eagle, according to Wikipedia.  The current bronze eagle, again according to Wikipedia, weighs 4000 pounds and has a wing span of 20 feet.  The current Eagle Gate has been widened in the 1960s to accommodate modern traffic.

Yellow Daisies from LDS Temple Square SL City Ut Summer 2012