Exploring Home

After traveling and being away from Utah for some time it has been very nice to be back home. The idea of home for me has always been transient and hard to define, but for right now Salt Lake City is it. I have gotten to really appreciate the view of the Capitol Building and the mountains from our living room window, and being able to walk or bike most anywhere I want to go is something that will be hard to move away from. So, for now I’m trying to take it all in and enjoy it while I’m here, which is really what this whole project was about from the start.

When I got back to SLC last week it was in the 50s in January, so I took that opportunity to run and feel the altitude burn my lungs. I went out and made some friends on the disc golf course and took my time walking around the city from place to place. I did all of that specifically because I knew a snow storm was coming, and I wanted just a little more fall weather before it hit. And when it started snowing, it didn’t stop for 2 days.

I was lucky enough to get a job working at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City as the snow began to fall. While the drive was slow, it was beautiful and different than I had seen it before. I walked with crowds of people going to see independent films through giant snowflakes, and everyone was smiling, enjoying the ephemeral beauty of it all. When I got back into Salt Lake thin tree branches supported more snow than I thought possible, and the streetlights held flakes in their triangular yellow beams as they fell softly to the ground. I couldn’t wait to see the city the next day.

The snowfall continued, but there was no way I was staying in. Becca and I headed out early, walking up along City Creek to incredible white scenes. We had been up these paths dozens of times before, but it all felt new! Snow has the ability to completely reinvent a scene and highlight the beauty you may have missed or forgotten. The winding creek cut through the starkness of the landscape and tiny bridges reached across as we made our way up the mouth of the canyon. The falling snow limited distant visibility, but that only forced us to focus on the wonderful sights in front of us.

After some time we wrapped around to the Capitol area. It’s one of my favorite places in the city to just sit and admire the scene. The large domed building dominates the hilltop and the white lawn falls off to either side with mountains and the city skyline just below. There is no bad vantage point, which is precisely why this location was chosen for the State Capitol. Under snow, it just seems fantastical. Each of the days after the storm began I found it slightly different, yet always holding my attention. Whether it was grey skies or bright blue I can’t seem to get enough of it.

I feel genuinely privileged to be living here so close to something I can stand in awe of every day. I look forward very much to watching the seasons change around here and experiencing it first-hand in all the ways I can. There’s always something new to uncover wherever you may be, so don’t wait to go find it; explore!

dm.rt