My Keen Travelin' Shoes

The word "keen," in the 1950's, was slang for "wonderful, delightful, marvelous.  My Keen shoes are all that and more. They are my most favorite and most comfortable.  I bought my Keens right after I ran the Moab Half-Marathon in 2007. My travelin' shoes have taken me to many places - most recently to the beaches of Oregon.  Because I can throw them in the washing machine, I never worry about where they may take me. They have been in sea water, mud, sand, and lots more "stuff."  I've hiked the slot canyons of Antelope Canyon, trudged to the top of the largest Coral Pink Sand Dune, hiked around Bryce Canyon, tip-toed through California tide pools, and explored Colorado's Mesa Verde. And that's just this past year! Pretty much every photo excursion, near and far, includes my Keens.

Under the Trees

Out in the backyard again...These seed pods are all over a large (big as a tree) backyard bush.
 

I love to see the multiple colors of autumn leaves as they change.

Glowing Light

Sometimes I look out my kitchen window in the evening and I swear the light is glowing. I grab my camera and head outside, as it only lasts a few minutes.  Here's what I saw last night. The wind was blowing hard, but each time it took a breath, I shot a few pics.

My Friend, Renee

My dear friend, Renee Barker and I went to lunch today.  Paradise Bakery in Bountiful is always a good place to eat, plus you get a free cookie. I met Renee years ago when her college-age daughter, Alyssa, was probably about five years old and they moved into the ward.  Later Alyssa was in my SEM classes at Clinton Elementary and so fun to be around, just like her mom.  When our ward split, the Barkers ended up in another ward, but we recently served together in the Stake YW Presidency.  What fun we had at camp!  We were the two instigators for many pranks, including sneaking into the stake camp director's tent and hiding her prized and expensive mattress pad on the roof of the restroom.

My Laptop and Facebook

I do love my laptop.  I like the portability of it. I can take it anywhere in the house, out on the deck... and still be online.  I've enjoyed the social networking of Facebook and that's why I took this picture.  It's been fun to reconnect with old friends and family. But I never thought that fb would be the instrument to bring a couple of old Pen Pals back together again! When I was in the 4th grade, Mrs. Cottle, my favorite teacher of all time, held up an envelope which contained a letter from a girl in Texas, asking for someone to be her pen pal.  I quickly raised my hand and, because her name was "Jane Brown," and mine was Jayna Bryan...my teacher thought we were a match.  That was the beginning of a long friendship across the miles.  We met a couple of times over the years, and I even saw her married in the Salt Lake Temple.  Then, for some reason, we lost touch.  I could not find her anywere, and my letters were returned.  We had not communicated for probably 20 years. A couple of months ago Jane found me on facebook. 

A Saturday Evening

I took a quick evening drive and was struck by the different types of clouds in the sky, depending on which direction I was looking. The picture above is to the east, catching the sunset reflection.  The photo below is looking west. I was standing in the same area for both photos.

Here's Looking at Ewe

I took a drive during my lunch hour and stopped to look at these sheep.  After taking the picture, I noticed the wonderful old barn and antique truck up the hill.