Inspiration is one of those elusive, hard-to-define concepts. Ask ten different people what inspires them and you will get ten different answers. Randall Lake sees inspiration as something fleeting that he finds at the symphony, or waking up from a dream, or going through a store. He says, “I see something there, and things just happen if I think about it long enough.” Randall … [Read more...]
Archives for September 2013
Skip Bellock Will Bowl You Over
Skip Bellock’s bowls look like an old vinyl record that got left in the heat too long, except that they’re beautiful. Skip loves natural wood. He looks at a tree stump and imagines what magic he could make turning it into a decorative bowl. He began by making furniture for his home, but it was too flat to be interesting and he moved on to making bowls. His eyes light up as he … [Read more...]
PUNA Bags: How Discarded Burlap Became Trendy
Chad Wagner turned his passion for the world-wide coffee bean business into upcycled fashionable bags. Working in every aspect of the coffee business for the past ten years, Chad has seen burlap bags from nearly every part of the globe. His latest coffee-themed business has emerged from collecting what he saw as “pieces of tossed art.” On a daily basis, local … [Read more...]
School Lunch! Making yummy meals for kids.
Yummy School lunches that are healthy and good to eat! Let’s do lunch...at a Provo School District cafeteria! Whereas many school cafeterias are still mired in tater tots, Provo has created culinary concoctions that include rosemary chicken with sauteed mushrooms, roasted herb turkey, rice pilaf and watermelon popsicles. “We wanted to serve fresh, homemade meals and we just … [Read more...]
Castle Creek Winery and Wine Making in Utah
"Move Over Napa Valley!" recalls lifelong Moab resident Arlis Roberts. “You couldn’t believe the excitement.” It was the early 1980s and the first four years of the Four-Corners Agricultural Development Agency of Moab. Vineyards sprouted up all over Grand County. The agency hoped to soften the blow of the uranium mill closure on the 1,500-resident town. Ken and Arlis Roberts … [Read more...]
Why the World Comes to Moab
If you are a lizard, who likes anything outdoors, this is the place for you. “A conflict in vision” is how you would describe most Utah small and medium-sized towns. Visions of Mormon temples and chain stores conflict with visions of a great nightlife and local art scene. They don’t have this problem in Moab. Nature constructed the Fisher Towers a zillion or so years ago. The … [Read more...]
Sugar House Scene: A vision of the future
What Will Sugar House look like in the Future? The Future Will Tell. Places that attract residents and tourists are unique. It takes a commitment to ensure that places like Sugar House retain their flavor and make themselves successful and vibrant. We have to work to sustain the quality of life that we enjoy. —Søren Simonsen, 2006 In August 2013, the author conducted an … [Read more...]
West High Students Check Out Chess
Playing chess improves your mental capacity and leads to higher academic performance. Maybe. It could be true. Some folks believe it. But who cares? Playing chess is just plain fun! Welcome to West High, the chess powerhouse of Utah. The sixty members of the chess club play during their lunch periods, after school and at state tournaments. The West High team has won … [Read more...]
Tour of Utah
The Tour of Utah runs through rugged routes of Utah's scenic back country The fan’s clear favorite in Salt Lake City’s Stage Four of the Tour of Utah was German-born Jens Voigt, riding for Team RadioShack. He was the only rider who had posters in his honor, asking him to become Utah’s next governor. Voigt, at 41, is the oldest rider in the UCI tour, and is considered a … [Read more...]
Growing Empire Perennials and Nursery
Half a century of familial knowledge and a true love for plants has kept a family business blossoming in Salt Lake Valley. Ruth MacAngus was two years old when her father started Millcreek Gardens in Salt Lake. Fifty-two years later, Millcreek Gardens is family-owned and still going strong, and MacAngus continues the venture of her own successful empire. MacAngus’ father, … [Read more...]