I was packing a Mary Holiday Black basket to ship to Stephanie in Pennsylvania when I heard a car pull up outside. I was focused on my task, so I didn't notice the two women who walked up on the porch in front of the entrance. All of a sudden I heard a loud voice boom out and echo across the Twin Rocks alcove, "I AM ALIVE!" Through the years I have adopted the "duck and cover" reaction when I hear a female voice of extreme volume and, presumed, agitation. It has proven an effective mode of self preservation, and now comes almost instinctively to me. That is how I found myself hunkered over and peering out from behind the cash register.
By the time I once again caught sight of the women, they were inside the store and one of them had a huge smile on her face. The other looked slightly embarrassed, and amused. I raised myself to full height and straightened my back while working a calmer look onto my face. The first woman eyed me up and down, and then said in that same, overly loud, exuberant voice. "Man, this country restores my inner being and refreshes my senses. I just can't explain it. Do you know how lucky you are?"
I assured her that I did, indeed, know how fortunate I was to be here, and that she had expressed herself quite well. My only suggestion was that she keep her voice down, due to our being situated so near standing rocks. I mentioned that the possibility of dislodging loose boulders became exaggerated with high decibel exclamations. The women laughed at my joke, as well as my discomfort. We spent some quality time together, and the woman left with a bauble and some beads to remember their trip and keep them grounded.
Shortly thereafter I received a phone call from our friend, Jan. She is a code enforcement officer in one of the multitude of cities that make up the greater Los Angeles area. It is a natural fact that Jan gets stressed from time to time as a result of her job. Enforcing rules and regulations for the good people of California can make her edgy and anxious. Jan has picked up an interesting vocabulary from her former work with the Santa Monica police department, that and her current position make our conversations colorful.
Jan possesses a love of southern Utah, it's people and Native American art. She has a condominium near Cedar City, so she can quickly bail out of her maniacal, metropolitan way of life and regroup. Her hope is to one day retire to Utah and live a peaceful, harmonious existence. On long weekends she delves deeper into the local canyon country and visits us here in Bluff. Jan surrounds herself with Indian art, saying it calms and refreshes her.
On this day Jan was interested in a Navajo rug portraying two coyotes. She associated the Navajo belief of Coyote's chaotic nature with her own predicament. She was hoping her affinity to this creature's penchant for shaking up and reorganizing the world (hopefully resulting in a positive outcome) would bring her own world back into balance. I assured Jan that the weaving would certainly do the trick. Since I adopted Coyote's attitude, I have been a much happier person.
After speaking with my friend Jan, I left Steve alone to manage the trading post and hopped into the truck. I was heading north to Long Canyon, between Blanding and Monticello, to visit my friend Allen. I stopped at the house to pick up Laurie. The kids opted out on the basis of previous engagements. This was fine with me, because my wife and I seldom spend more than a few moments alone together each week. I have begun referring to our children as "wedgies," because every time I try to get close to Laurie there is a kid between us.
As we pulled into Long Canyon, we noticed that Allen had been busy working the land again. Allen is one of the busiest individuals you will ever meet. He is the owner and president of a large privately owned transportation company with offices across the country. He employs and deals with more people each day than we see in six months. He is constantly on the move and in demand. Allen's success stems from his personal concern for family, employees and customers. His compassionate, thoughtful and conscientious ways have created a special friendship between us that has grown over the years.
Every once in a while Allen gets an opportunity to slip away and get back to his roots. He is originally from northern Utah and has a background in heavy equipment operation. His Long Canyon property provides an escape from the pressures and responsibilities he endures on an almost everyday basis. Allen has turned his property into a greenbelt in this high desert country. He has thoughtfully developed land conservation and wildlife management practices, and improved the water resources on his property. His place is a prime example of what can be accomplished when someone has a passion for the land.
After Allen gave us a driving tour of his accomplishments and explained to us his future goals, we were duly impressed. Laurie and I thoroughly enjoyed our visit with Allen. Allen's son David and his family were also visiting, and seemed to have a love and connection to the country as well. The sun was getting low on the horizon as we bid our host farewell. Laurie and I spoke of the therapeutic effect, "tilling the land", seemed to have on Allen, and how he looked forward to his Long Canyon visits with such enthusiasm.
As we pulled up to the highway at the top of Devil's Canyon, we witnessed one of the most spectacular sunsets I have ever seen. The statuesque, darkened pine and juniper trees along with gnarled oak brush stood out in stark contrast to the explosion of color behind them. It looked as if a wildfire was burning out of control to the west. A yellow semi-circle with smoke like tendrils of orange, dark and light blue, and purple in ominous display reached toward the growing darkness of a gray/black sky.
My jaw hit the floor, and memories of the day rushed through my mind. The exuberant, excited voice of the woman singing out "I AM ALIVE" came back to me with great force and emotion. As the sunset quickly dissipated, Laurie reached over and pushed my mouth closed. She patted me briskly and pinched me on the cheek, "Yes you are." she said. I was a bit embarrassed when I realized that I had made the statement out loud. Looking over at my wife and remembering the "wedgies" she had provided me with, I realized that they were a big part of why I feel as I do.
Sunset by Devil's Canyon, just north of Blanding Utah
Copyright©2004 Twin Rocks Trading Post
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