The City of South Salt Lake

Maybe one of these days I'll catch the hang of this handy-dandy "grid system"-just when I think I'm figuring it out I go completely off the map! My friend Anna and I were on our way to a fireside tonight but were running late because we waited for directions from mapquest which ended up being wrong anyway. The good news...our directions lead us to an ice cream truck graveyard (actually it's where the trucks are parked for the evenings and off seasons but a graveyard sounded more interesting)! At that point we were nearly a half hour late so we threw in the towel and headed back to Anna's apartment for yummy apple crisp made with apples from Meagan's neighbor's backyard.

On the way home we drove through downtown Murray in which there are sights-a-plenty for the eyes to feast upon. I'm always torn when it comes to "historic" downtowns. I love all the "pleasantville"-character and there is something so quaint about strolling the street lamp lined sidewalks-and yet the majority of store fronts tend to be empty and covered with graffiti giving life to the economic crisis we are facing. I wish we would reuse the buildings we have; a little face lift here, a new paint job there, a cute new sign-rather than build a new structure across the street. I guess to say I'm torn wouldn't be accurate-I'm all for historic downtown! Who's with me?!? *cricket cricket*

All the dilapidation isn't so bad as long as I look at it with an artistic eye. On the drive back to our complex Anna and I drove by a vacant lot where I saw a sign painted on the side of a vacant brick building. I knew immediately that I wanted a picture so as soon as I finished my fair share of apple crisp I rushed home, grabbed my camera, and sped up State St. to see if I could beat the quickly setting sun. I park across the street, jay walk, ignore the chain link fence and "private property" signs, assume a stable stance and...nothing. I forgot my battery in the charger at HOME! I dash back across the street and zip down State St. making every green light possible-bound and determined to get this picture and save light. My entire drive back Bro. Atkinson's (my ART 104 teacher) voice is continually chanting in my mind "there's no such thing as bad light" but I wanted this light. I grab my battery and head for the interstate this time to avoid traffic lights. As I'm driving back I know I've lost my window as the sun sets behind the westward mountains. I take a few shots anyway and decide that I'll work with what I have but I'll come again on an 'early-release' Friday or lazy Saturday afternoon.


Every once in a while I have this rare moment where I find something I want to take a picture of and I need it right then. I'll do whatever it takes or spend as much time necessary to get the shot I want. Something literally comes over me-it's a feeling that I cannot ignore-I must have that shot.



This has only happened two other times in my life (well...since I received my camera). They were both this summer and I love how they turned out. One is of the sun shining through the leaves illuminating every vein and corrugated edge with Eva in the blurry background. The other is of a wooden garage door. I had driven by this particular house in Rexburg numerous times never noticing anything special; but one day while walking back from Lincoln E.S. with Eva I see the door and I HAVE to take its picture. Eva waited patiently while I rolled around some stranger's drive way working every angle possible-but I didn't care-I got my shot. The crazy thing is that neither Eva or I have seen that garage door closed since; the next few days a huge trailer was parked in front of it blocking any view and after the trailer moved the door remained open. Talk about a once in a life time shot-that door still makes me smile.