Things I Love about Utah

I have had the lovely experience lately of going about my daily business and experiencing little waves of pleasure washing over me, and finding myself thinking, "I am glad I am in Utah." This is not something that I ever expected to find myself thinking and so I find it even sweeter for its strangeness.

Here are some of the things I love:

The view of the mountains as I drive toward my condo. I have never lived in this part of the city before and the mountains are enormous seen from this perspective. Their golden brown sides, burned by the July sun seem to reach forever, and the clouds seem to billow like smoke around them.

The Wasatch beer company. Not only do they make decent beer, they make me smile. Their ads poke fun at the dominant culture in a way that is subversive, and yet somehow friendly. (At least I hope so. I don't think I know anyone who is religious and actually offended.) Their ad for Polygamy Porter: "Polygamy Porter- Take some how to the wives." There is also the 1st Ammendment Lager, with a label that sports a quote by Benjamin Franklin: "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."

Xeriscaping. Finally, people here seem to be catching on to the fact that we are in a desert and water is a valuable, scarce resource. More and more people are choosing landscaping options that minimize the need for water and that take advantage of desert plants and native plant species. I love seeing these yards "sprouting" up all around the city.

The Avenues. My work is well located in the older part of the city and is surrounded by beautiful Victorian houses that for the most part are well cared for and brightly painted and I always know which street to turn on to get to my office because the house on the corner has a 10 x 10 foot poster of Elvis singing. They must have waterproofed it because it's survived a week of afternoon summer showers.

In some ways, it's good to be here. (Ironically, I originally wrote 'home' in place of the word, here, and I was so uncomfortable I had to change it. Now that's telling.)