Easter at Bluff Fort

This past weekend, I pre-packed an Easter basket, checked out a book on tape from the library, and drove down to Bluff, Utah in the southeast corner of the state. Bluff’s first annual Easter egg hunt was being held at the old Bluff Fort.

I took off Friday afternoon and arrived at the Desert Rose Inn & Cabins in Bluff around 10:00 p.m. Let me just give a shout out, quickly, to the Desert Rose. Wonderful. Beautiful rooms with old-fashioned quilts on the bed and Navajo art on the walls. Decks outside had seating for guests to enjoy an amazing view of the Bluffs. The original Hole in the Rock pioneers wish they’d had large, air-conditioned rooms with internet and ESPN waiting for them when they arrived.















I first became acquainted with Bluff Fort through the Hole in the Rock Foundation, a non-profit historical preservation society working to preserve the history and share the legacy of the Hole in the Rock pioneers. I admit, five years ago, I’d never heard of them. But recently they’ve been getting a bit more attention. Author Gerald Lund wrote a historical fiction novel, The Undaunted, set against the backdrop of the grueling Hole in the Rock trek, and LDS Apostle Jeffrey Holland has recounted the amazing tale of Stanford and Belle Smith at a couple of stake and regional conferences.


Not familiar with the story? It involves an intrepid band of pioneers attempting to settle in the Four Corners area to establish good relations with the local Native Americans tribes and bring law and order to a lawless corner of the state. It also involves lowering an entire wagon train 1,000 feet through a narrow slit in the sandstone wall of a cliff. And that’s just part of their harrowing adventure. You can read more about the Hole in the Rock trek here.

The pioneers finally established a settlement in an area surrounded by remarkable sandstone formations; they named their settlement Bluff Fort. Only one of the original cabins still stands, but the Hole in the Rock Foundation has rebuilt the fort including reconstructions of the old meeting house and 14 log cabins, each one built to commemorate one of the original settler families. There is also a visitors center, a hogan, a teepee and numerous covered wagons, including one of the original wagons to come through the Hole in the Rock.

Visitors can tour each of the cabins and go inside the meetinghouse. The visitors center even has pioneer costumes, and tourists can dress up and pose for pictures on the covered wagons. Bluff Fort is located along highway 191. They receive thousands of visitors every year, many from countries as distant as Denmark, Japan, Australia and France. Guests really get a hands-on historical experience. One French tourist left this comment in the log book: “We love this little town. Very interesting for us, it’s better than western movies!”



Easter weekend, Bluff Fort held their first annual community Easter egg hunt. It was a wonderful mix of locals, tourists, and hundreds of candy-filled eggs along with other treats hidden all around the fort. The festivities concluded with a community pot luck lunch.

Bluff Fort is amazing. It combines history with breathtaking scenery; it makes a great mini-vacation or weekend getaway. I so many photos that I overloaded my memory card, but you can go see beautiful, high-quality images of the fort at their Facebook page. Be sure to click “Like.”

See Us on Studio 5!

Monday, April 18th, was a big day for "Been There, Done That." The blog was featured on Studio 5! (Channel 5, 11:00 a.m. MST)

You can watch the segment by clicking here.

Hosts Brooke Walker and Darin Adams could not have been more friendly and helpful. That goes for all of the stage and production people at Studio 5. A special shout out to producer Mallory for putting it all together and my friend who helped me with the props, what I should say, transportation and moral support.

Studio 5 asked me to pick five shops that were "hidden gems" that sparked my creativity. It was hard to limit myself to just five, but ultimately I chose three shops I've written about previously (Central Book Exchange, Beehive Tea Room, and Planted Earth) and two I have yet to feature on my blog (Decades and Elemente).

I provided Studio 5 with photographs for the segment. As a matter of face, I inundated them with photos. They couldn't use all that I sent them, so I thought I'd post a few here. I had a couple of models show off some vintage clothing I got at Decades, and you can see their pictures below.

"C" looks gorgeous in an Asian inspired silk jacket with vintage pillbox purse, and "A" is fresh-faced and adorable in vintage sweaters. And super hip "girls" model vintage eye wear from Planted Earth.

Uganda Exhibit and Fundraiser

April 15, 6-9 p.m. 15th Street Gallery, SLC (1519 S. 1500 E.)

I have a friend who has carried rocks up a mountainside in Nepal to build an elementary school. She’s accompanied shipments of books and computers to Cambodia and created revenue-generating partnerships for widows and orphans in Uganda.



She knows how to party…

…and so when she tells me the party is Friday, April 15th, 6:00-9:00 p.m. at 1519 S. 1500 E. in Salt Lake City (15th Street Gallery), I’m there. This Friday seven local artists are joining forces with Berr Beads and a children’s art project organized by Trent Alvey in cooperation with Asayo's Wish Foundation to put on an art exhibit and fundraiser with proceeds going to benefit orphans in Uganda being sustained by Asayo’s Wish Foundation.

Ugandan children have created dolls with fabric and native elements like seeds, twine, etc. which will be for sale with 100% of the proceeds going back to Asayo’s Wish.

You may have seen gorgeous, colorful paper bead necklaces being carried in boutiques and shops like Shade. These “Berr Beads” (Berr means “good” or “I am well”) are hand rolled by widows and single mothers in Kaberamaido, Uganda who have joined together to create a self-sustaining cooperative. Berr Beads will be having a blow-out sale at Friday night’s fundraiser with 100% of the sales going back to economic development programs for the widows.


















Finally, local artists Susan Beck, Justin Diggle, Steven Larson, John Sproul, Trent Alvey, Jenevieve Hubbard, and Lenka Konopasek have contributed works of art with 20% of the sales going to support Asayo’s Wish Foundation.

A highlight of the night will be an address from Sarah Asayo herself. Sarah’s story is remarkable. Uganda has been torn apart by decades of civil war, disease, violence and poverty. When Sarah was a girl in Uganda, her family lost their father and their home. The family moved from place to place, sleeping on floors and going days without food. They were some of the fortunate ones in that they eventually made their way to London and created a new life. Sarah was able to get a university education and eventually move to the United States. Now she works to provide for impoverished orphans in Uganda who face some of the same life-threatening circumstances that she did.

You do not want to miss this opportunity to hear from a remarkable survivor and humanitarian.

SPARK

SPARK
restaurant/lounge
86 N. University Ave.
Provo, UT
www.sparkrestaurantlounge.com


I’m a jeans and T-shirt kind of girl. Flats as opposed to stilettos. But I’ll let you in on a secret. I’ve got an array of red lipsticks at the back of a drawer. Sometimes I like to imagine that I’m an exotic orchid instead of a gerber daisy. In that spirit, I decided to take a break from second-hand booksellers and tea shops and visit SPARK restaurant lounge in Provo. Yes! Provo has a sleek and chic lounge with a delicious menu, hip vibe, and alcohol-free mixed drinks.

Friday at noon I put on a pair of dark wash jeans and silver flats—my attempts at glamour—and set off on my own. I’d actually tried to talk a few friends into going with me, but it turns out most people have something to do during the day. And if I waited to go somewhere until I could be accompanied…well, I’d never go anywhere at all.

I was surprised to find the place relatively empty. A waiter sat me in a corner, flat up against a wall, out of sight. Was it unseemly to show up for lunch on your own? She asked me if this seat was all right, and not wanting to be demanding, I assented. Note to self: when restaurant is filled with open, airy seats, be demanding! I have no one but myself to blame.

I ordered the Oxblood to drink: blood orange puree, Rockstar, and cucumber. Excellent! I had a basic chicken sandwich that was anything but basic. It came on a hot bun, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. The chicken was marvelously flavored and the greens were covered with a lovely, sharp, fresh Parmesan. My sandwich came with a side of chilled strawberry soup. Heavenly!

The desserts looked fabulous, but I was too full to give them proper attention, so I made a note to go back another time. My only complaint was that the wait staff seemed a little bored and inattentive. True, it’s hard to stay motivated on a slow day (I “waitress-ed” my way through college), but that’s all the more reason to make the few guests present feel like royalty rather than an inconvenience. However, this observation is based on a one-time experience. I look forward to visiting SPARK again and putting them to the test.

To all of you college-age guys reading my blog (cue crickets), this is definitely a place to impress a date.

More Favorites Including Mindy’s Newest Music Video

Thanks for sharing your favorite things with me. I want to make sure everyone knows about them.

“Vitamin D, a functional sewer line, and Jimmer Fredette.”

“Sunshine in a time of coldness.”

“Grapefruit-flavored Perrier water, Texas-shaped tortilla chips, tostada compuestas, and peach-flavored gummy penguins. None of which can be found in the state of Utah, if they could they would most likely no longer be my favorite.”

“Mountain High Original full-fat plain yoghurt. (The pretentious "H" is what makes it taste so good.) Williams Sonoma Winter Forest lotion.”

“My favorite thing is doing something I enjoy but rarely get to do. Today, it was play catch. Other days, it's to see my awesome sister-in-law.”

Now, one of my quests is to find grapefruit-flavored Perrier. Jimmer is making all of Provo’s dreams come true, and our freak bouts of March sunshine are providing a little vitamin D. One of DCB’s sister-in-law’s favorite things to do is eat Indian food with DCB and spouse. I’m still trying to wrap my head around plain yoghurt (even with an “h”). Sometimes milk cultures freak me out. But I understand that gourmands highly recommend Mountain High Original.


One of my favorite singers has posted a new video! Check out Mindy Gledhill’s music video here. Readers of this blog will probably recognize the Ice Castles at Midway in a few of the shots, and Utah Valley Magazine readers will recognize Stephanie Nielson.

You can see Mindy's photo diary of the video shoot here.

Favorite Things

Simply Splendid
Bistro & Boutique

www.simplysplendid.com
67 S. Main Street
Pleasant Grove, UT 84062
801-796-0742

I remember a lunch period in 7th grade, I was walking around outside on a gray, misty day eating a pastrami sandwich and thinking, “pastrami is delicious, Marvin is cute, and all’s right with the world.” A slight variation on Robert Browning. (Look it up.)It didn’t matter that my pastrami sandwich was of the homemade variety rather than a NY deli special. It didn’t matter that Marvin didn’t return my pink-candy-heart sentiments. I was happy with the little things; they made it bearable to go to math class after lunch.

Now I’m bit a older and I prefer my pastrami sandwiches on toasted rye with sauerkraut. I still like men who make me laugh. And it’s still the little things, my favorite things, that can save a gray, drizzly day. Lest I sound too Pollyanna-ish, I’ll bet that if you think about it, you’ll agree. What are some of your favorite things?















I took an informal poll:
Ding Dongs
Mike Rowe
nesting dolls
ice cream
canvas shoes
Skittles
Laffy Taffy wrapper jokes
Mt. Dew in vintage cans
books on tape
tulips
grandma’s button box
the feeling after a long hard run
an stolen hour with a good book
hearing my favorite song on the radio
diet Coke

A new boutique store in Pleasant Grove combines two of my favorite things: unique gifts and historic down town main streets. Oh, and oreo truffles... three things. And cupcakes. And chicken salad...on croissants. Okay, five of my favorite things.

Simply Splendid is a gift boutique and bistro serving delicious homemade sandwiches, soups like tomato basil and creamy broccoli and cheese as well as cupcakes THE SIZE OF YOUR HEAD. Pleasant Grove's main street has long needed an eatery, and now they've got one.
















The gifts available at Simply Splendid range from purses, scarves and jewelry to pieces of art and home decor. I love to find gifts for people that reflect their personality. A meaningful gift says "I know you, and I notice your personal preferences and quirks." Simply Splendid's wide range of jewelry charms is a great way to pick a personal gift. Their jewelry artisans will create pendants that pay tribute to favorite teams, individuals, and even missionaries.



The premises of Simply Splendid are an old historic home right on Pleasant Grove's main street. It's rooms are full of sunshine, hardwood floors, and old-fashioned fixtures.

Gorgeous place to browse, I recommend Simply Splendid for an outing with friends. Get a sandwich and a diet Coke or treat yourself to one of their gourmet cupcakes. And don't forget to place an order for cookies to be delivered to your missionary. Simply Splendid knows their clientele...and they know they're hungry.

What are some of your favorite things?

V-Day winner