Spiral Jetty

I have a very long list of places that I have always wanted to visit in my home state of Utah and, with most of my usual summer plans canceled, I have decided that I will attempt to see as many of them as I can. 

Yesterday my sister and I decided to take a day trip to the Spiral Jetty which is a really cool art installation crated by Robert Smithson in 1970 in the north end of the Great Salt Lake.  It is made out of over 6,000 tons of black basalt rock from the area and winds counterclockwise from the shore to the water.

The Spiral Jetty is about two hours north of Bountiful where I live.  Take I-15 north for 65 miles and then take Exit 365 to UT Route 13 .  You will come to the city of Corinne (where the road becomes Highway 83).   Follow the signs to the Golden Spike National Historic Site and then turn left on the Golden Spike Road.  The last 15 miles will be a gravel road and it seems like you are driving to the middle of nowhere when all of a sudden the lake appears.  There is a small parking lot with a nice view (it was really crowded with lots of cars when we were there so we had a hard time driving on the narrow road and finding a place to park but I am told that this is very unusual).  There is no cost to park.  You can hike up to two other vantage points for a better views and you can also hike down to the water.

I thought it was very interesting to see and it was so much fun to actually go on a little road trip after being cooped up inside for so long!

I recommend a visit!

Retirement

I am retiring after teaching at both Kearns Jr. High and Hunter High School for 30 years!  I can hardly believe that 30 years have gone by since I nervously walked into my first classroom and was mistaken for a student.  Over the years I have taught Utah History (that was interesting because seventh graders are needy and they invaded my personal space quite a bit), U.S. History, World Geography, English 9, English 10, and College Prep English.  I have been the advisor to the Academic Team, the Peer Leadership Team, the Cheerleaders, and the Student Body Officers (at both schools!) as well as the AVID Coordinator.  I have taken three different groups of students to Europe, gone with students to leadership camps at Utah State University and Dixie State University, arranged countless field trips (my favorite was the Sundance Film Festival every year), and chaperoned various activities and dances (I am very good at holding random objects).  I have worked with some of the best colleagues and have taught some amazing students (many of whom I am now privileged to call friends).  Teaching can sometimes be a really difficult job but, on the whole, it has been such a rewarding career!

Covid-19 changed just about everything this year, including the usual fanfare attendant upon reaching the milestone of retirement, but yesterday Hunter High School had an incredibly meaningful graduation ceremony for the Class of 2020 and all of the retirees were honored.  It really meant so much to me to have a banner congratulating us and to get to lead the graduates in while the entire faculty cheered.  I will always remember it!

Note:  Lots of people have asked me what I am going to do now.  I am taking a gap year (that is what I am calling it because it sounds so much better than saying that I am taking a year off!).

Conjure Women

The next selection for the Barnes & Noble Book Club was Conjure Women by Afia Atakora. Unfortunately, my group was not able to meet yet again because of the current situation but there was a live chat with the author yesterday on Instagram that was very interesting and informative. This novel takes place on a sprawling and isolated cotton plantation before, during, and after the Civil War (described as slaverytime, wartime, and freedomtime). In freedomtime Rue is a former slave who has reluctantly taken the place of her mother May Belle as a healer and a conjure woman after the latter's death. Her status in the community is threatened by the birth of a baby with a caul on his head and unnerving black eyes, the arrival of a charismatic preacher who espouses a belief in Christ rather than superstition, and a strange sickness that is killing all of the children. However, the status of the entire community is threatened by the secrets of the past, especially a spell created by May Belle connecting Rue and the master's daughter Varina. This is an incredibly compelling story about a group of people during a tumultuous time that I, a student of history, didn't know a lot about. Because Reconstruction is usually painted in such broad strokes, I didn't really realize what happened to the former slaves who were left behind on plantations after their masters were killed or were abandoned by them in the immediate aftermath of the war. It was really interesting to me to read about the lengths that Rue goes to in order to keep the community safe from both the master's relatives in the North as well as a new threat from those who resent their freedom. I also really enjoyed Rue's character development, particularly her journey from a scared girl who feels that she will never live up to her mother's expectations to a woman who is able to save the people she loves. She is so complex and resilient. I also found the relationship between Rue and Bruh Abel to be fascinating because they distrust each other's methods (using spells or working miracles) but once they realize that they are both essentially frauds they become friends. Even though many of the events described in this novel, such as torture and rape, are very brutal the prose is incredibly beautiful and I loved the symbolism, particularly the fox. This novel is epic in scope and so mesmerizing that I was transported to another time and place. I absolutely loved it and I am so glad that it was included as a Barnes & Noble Book Club selection because I don't think I would have chosen it if left to my own devices. Don't miss it!

Note:  The next selection for the Barnes & Noble Book Club is All Adults Here by Emma Straub (go here for more information).  I did not especially care for Straub's The Vacationers but I am willing to give this the benefit of the doubt.  There will be a virtual discussion via Facebook on June 2.