Notes from Westwater

Coal Bed Villiage Megaliths. Merry Palmer photo

Mysterious Megaliths in Montezuma Canyon

William Henry Jackson photographed Montezuma Canyon’s Coal Bed Village in 1875. Earlier in his career, he had also photographed Yellowstone’s landscape as a member of Ferdinand V. Hayden’s geologic expedition. With five or more assistants and pack mules to help haul his equipment, Jackson...

Golden Delicious apple from Ted and Merry’s tree. Merry Palmer photo

Genetics, Applesauce, Love

If you bake bread with indifference, you bake a bitter bread that feeds but half man’s hunger. – Kahlil Gibran I always wanted to look like my mom’s mom, at least a little, but I resemble my great-grandmother Myrtle Mirah Mell, by a whopping 81 percent, or so FamilySearch says when I do the “...

Sir Albert and the Dragon, a work in progress that will eventually be animated with fire-breathing smoke from the dragon. Merry Palmer photo

Traveling along the Enchanted Highway 21 in Regent, ND

You’ve got a dream. Live that dream. Don’t hesitate. If I can do it . . . I think you can do whatever you put your mind to. Gary Greff As we drove on I-95, near Gladstone, ND, Ted and I were startled to see a huge metal sculpture of Canadian geese flying over the prairie. Ted pulled into the...

Bison grazing along the Little Missouri River in the North Dakota Badlands. Merry Palmer photo.

The Badlands & Teddy Roosevelt

I have always said I would not have been President had it not been for my experience in North Dakota. –Theodore Roosevelt, 1918 After we left the north country on our summer road trip, temperatures rose into the 90s and 100s. I wasn’t prepared for the heat and dry air, but gas prices dropped from...

A raven engages in a melodious monologue as it soars high above beautiful Prince Rupert near the Inland Passage along the Pacific Coast in British Columbia. Ted Palmer photo

Ravenspeak near the Inland Passage

“When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.” —Jimi Hendrix On July 25, 2024, we headed for Terrace, British Columbia, where our youngest son served part of his mission. We could see why he loved it so much with the mountains wreathed in clouds and thick, tall-pine...

This totem pole is located at the entrance to the Saik’uz First Nation community on the east side of Nulki Lake in British Columbia, Canada. The stylized animals and birds, human figures and faces, and supernatural beings depicted can tell the history of families, communities, and nations or serve a deeper purpose. Merry Palmer photo

Prince George and Vanderhoof

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” ~ Socrates After our long detour to Valemount, British Columbia, we packed up the next morning and headed for Prince George, where we had an appointment to have our 4-Runner serviced. We heard...

A beautiful cactus blossom. Merry Palmer photo

Golf, God, and nursing homes part two

My aunt Helen, age 90, is a prayer warrior. You’d never know it by looking at her. She’s hunched with age, has short, sandy-colored hair, a long, narrow face, and what she describes as Bugs Bunny teeth. But make no mistake, she packs power in her slender frame. As the youngest in my dad’s family,...

Sand Dune on the Barracks Trail, Photo by Merry Palmer

Resilience: the Barracks Trail and Mount Carmel Junction

In the spring, we traveled to the Kanab area, trailering our ATV behind. Our destination? A campground somewhere near the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park where we planned to meet our daughter and her husband. Since we arrived hours before they did, we pulled into the park where ATV’s, sandboarders...

Searching for and feeling “The Force”

“Pray to have eyes to see God’s hand in your life and in the world around you. Ask Him to tell you if He is really there—if He knows you. Ask Him how He feels about you. And then listen.” – President Russell M. Nelson When Obi-Wan Kenobi gives Luke Skywalker his father’s lightsaber, Luke opens it...

Whistling Swans among the thousands of waterfowl at Fish Springs. Ted Palmer photo

Ugly-duckling swans at Fish Springs

Families packed the San Juan High School auditorium, ranging all the way from babies to grandparents. A cacophony of sounds rose as friends chatted, babies cried, and young ones ran up and down the aisles until their parents corralled them. The lights blinked, dimmed, and a spotlight focused on the...