Dave and Jan received a mailing which indicated that the last part of September would be a good time to see plants putting on their fall display in the mountains east of Cedar City. So they drove up Highway 14 out of town to the Markagunt Plateau for a color tour.

One of the features of the area which they enjoy is Coal Creek, which follows Cedar Canyon along the highway, flowing out of the canyon close to the center of town. So they stopped up the canyon for a photo of the creek.

The trees at Deer Hollow were not at their peak yet, but there was a little bit of color to be enjoyed in the area anyway.

Closer to Duck Creek Village is Aspen Mirror Lake where the aspen trees were flaunting their colors around a peaceful, beautiful lake setting.

A little east of Duck Creek Village Highway 70 heads north toward Panguitch Lake through miles of forest and some interesting displays of black lava rock – highlighted below by some color in the shrubs and trees.

Turning west and north onto Highway 143 toward Cedar Breaks and Brian Head Resort there were some very showy trees along the side of the highway.

Driving north on 143 toward the town of Parawan a narrow, paved road turns to the east toward Yankee Meadows where the fascinating and colorful rocks compete with the colors in the foliage for attention.

The lyrics of a song by Phillip Keverin and Steve Siler, from their CD album “In Pastures Green,” seems like an appropriate response to the Lord in the minds of Dave and Jan: “In forests green Your sacred presence shades the stillness. In meadows gold Your hallowed hands prepare the harvest. You set stars to blazing. It’s so amazing how You formed the universe.”

Dave and Jan had been in their new house in Cedar City for around a month when work began on the landscaping of their property. Because some of their California Life Group (which has met each week this summer to pray together on Zoom) expressed disappointment that they haven’t seen any progress reports for several weeks, this post provides some information and photos of the ongoing process of yard work.  Much of the work in the front yard was a part of their purchase, to be completed by the builder, and they were very happy with the work which was done.  The red stone retaining wall, the plants behind it, and the railing were Dave and Jan’s additions (with building help on the railing), but the builder did the rest.

The next challenge was the north slope of the property (on the right side of the photo).  Because of the slope, it wasn’t of much use apart from more landscaping.  So two Blue Spruce trees, three Bar Harbor Junipers, and quite a few Russian Sage plants were planted along the slope, and gravel was added on top of the soil for color.  Because of the slope, sheets of black plastic with felt on one side were laid down beneath the rock to control weed growth and encourage the rock to stay in place.  The wheelbarrow in this photo outlived its usefulness under the weight of many loads of soil and rock, so it has become a flower bed near the northeast corner of the house.

The next project was the back yard (on the west).  Because its soil was rocky and hard and its surface was too far from smooth, two 18 cubit yard loads of top soil were added.  Someone driving by saw the loads and asked if Dave and Jan would like help smoothing the load, but he failed to show up as promised.  So the mounds of dirt were smoothed in the customary manner, with shovels, rakes and a newer wheelbarrow – and, yes, Jan got in on the fun!

The plan is to fence the back yard (dirt portion), plant (or have planted) a lawn with a sprinkler system, and raise a garden (in season) at the southwest corner of the property, so ten cubic yards of garden soil came next.

The latest project has been the installation of a red pavestone retaining wall around the south and west sides of the house to contain a pea gravel walkway to help keep shoes clean when wet and snowy weather arrives this fall.

One of the recent additions to the landscaping process was the delivery of two promised red boulders by the builder and their placement on a mound at the northeast corner of the property – completing the front yard landscaping.

The builder of Dave and Jan’s house owns around a dozen lots in the neighborhood and, as you can see, is hard at work building other houses (like the three visible in the photo below – one barely visible, but almost finished) for future neighbors Dave and Jan are looking forward to meeting.

As you can  tell, like Rush Limbaugh Dave and Jan are “having more fun than a human being should be allowed to have” as they continue to develop their property and adjust to the new realities of “Life Elevated” (Utah’s state motto) in Cedar City.  As the sign hanging on the front door says, Dave and Jan are “Thankful, Grateful [to the Lord] and Truly Blessed.”

Dave and Jan started moving into their house in Cedar City the last week-end of May. Their furniture arrived on June 2nd, and the process of getting settled began in earnest. A week later they were pretty well unpacked – and they welcomed daughter Alissa and family as their first visitors on June 10th. As of the middle of July everything is pretty much the way they planned for things to be apart from one piece of “mud room” furniture which is yet to come. Today (July 16th) Dave created a video “virtual tour” of the house to share with friends who said they would like one, but it is too large to send to friends and family by e-mail, so here are some still shots of the house and its various rooms in its somewhat “finished” condition.

Dave and Jan are very thankful for the Lord’s generous provision of such a comfortable house in such a pleasant location – and thankful as well for Jan’s parents who paved much of the way by their provision of a generous inheritance. And to think – there is the assurance for those who enjoy a personal relationship with Christ that things are going to be far better in the “home” He assured His followers He was going to prepare (John 14:1-6)!

Dave and Jan were very happy to see the clear display of patriotism in Cedar City with the recent celebration of the 4th of July. With so many discouraging reports of anti-Americanism and the foolish destruction of national monuments and even open calls for the embrace of socialism in our nation, it was heartening to witness a strong celebration of America’s history and heritage on the streets of the city Dave and Jan are happy to be calling their home.

A small-town Forth of July parade was enjoyed by thousands along the Main Street parade route through the center of the city.

A number of significant events in American history were depicted – each one preceded by a banner identifying the event.

The American flag was on full display – and it was heartily cheered by many of those who saw it so visibly displayed in numerous ways.

Model A fans displayed a series of beautifully restored vintage vehicles.

And, of course, what would a city parade be without the participation of some of the public servants who so faithfully serve the community – especially the fire department which had the opportunity to put its skills to work in the evening as fire works displays were seen all across the city!

As you can tell, it was an enjoyable and encouraging 4th of July in Cedar City where one of the floats included a choir appropriately singing “God bless America, Land that I love.” And Dave and Jan DO love America!

Dave and Jan enjoyed the mid-June visit in Cedar City from daughter Alissa and Andrew and their four boys.  The family’s only trip out of town during their visit took them to beautiful Cedar Breaks, twenty five miles up Cedar Mountain at an elevation of around ten thousand feet.

  But there were plenty of things to enjoy without ever leaving town.   The family only needed to walk a block and a half to the east from the house to ascend an impressive ridge which divides town from Rainbow Canyon.

The canyon beyond the ridge is already a beautiful place to explore and a great place to get some serious exercise – for those who like to climb.

A few blocks from the house Frontier Homestead State Park provided a look at living conditions for those who lived in Utah in years past.

A major attraction for the boys, in particular, was the city’s park system. The evening the Crandalls arrived they enjoyed the zip line in a nearby ball park’s playground.

Ephraim, Silas and Elijah had fun loading their water guns from the small stream diverted from Coal Creek in Canyon Park, and they enjoyed one of the park’s play sets as well.

Park Discovery is a city park designed for kids by kids which the kids found very much to their liking.

And the Crandalls’ visit wrapped up with a celebration of Ephraim’s fourth birthday – the night before the actual birthday when the family planned to leave for home in Huron, South Dakota (via Pioneer Camp near Rapid City).

Dave and Jan are grateful for the blessings of children and grandchildren – the latter described by Solomon as “the crown of old men” (Proverbs 17:6), and Dave definitely fits the bill!

Dave and Jan enjoyed a visit from Andrew, Alissa and their four boys (Levi, 9; Elijah (7); Silas (5); and Ephraim (3) at their new home in Cedar City.  For Andrew it is something of a vacation break from his pastoral ministry at First Presbyterian Church in Huron, South Dakota.  So it seemed like the perfect opportunity to visit Cedar Breaks National Monument at the top of the mountain range just east of Cedar City.

Cedar Breaks is something like a miniature version of the more popular (and crowded) Bryce Canyon National Park, but it is certainly well-worth the visit.  Like many of our nation’s national monuments, it is awesomely beautiful!

Andrew’s family lined up along the safety rail placed by the National Park Service to keep visitors from tumbling to their peril into the depths of the canyon.

Jan joined the lineup for a second group photo.

Following a picnic lunch the group hiked the loop trail from the Cressman Ridge Overlook which took them through beautiful forests, with some snow patches remaining from the past winter, and a pleasant stop at a small Alpine Pond.

Cedar Breaks National Monument – a very nice place for a refreshing “break,” only around 25 miles up beautiful highway 14 from Cedar City (dimly visible in the distance in the photo below).

Dave and Jan feel blessed to be so close to such clear evidence of the Lord’s creative genius – even on an earth whose surface was reformed largely by the Flood of Noah’s day as recorded in the first book of the Bible (Genesis 6-9).

One of the reasons Dave and Jan chose to move to Cedar City in Utah is the city’s proximity to the mountains which border the eastern edge of the city – along with other mountains and mountain ranges in almost every direction.  So, while awaiting the completion of their house, they decided to take a hike in the nearby mountains.  And they didn’t need to travel far to hike because it is only around three or four miles from their house to Thunderbird Gardens Trailhead where there are several trails to choose from.

They chose to take a loop hike of around five miles on two trails which intersect around three miles up the mountain – beginning with the Ghost Flats trail.

There were some nice floral displays to be enjoyed along the way.

And, of course, the natural beauty of the area was accentuated by that of Dave’s favorite lady who well-deserved the day’s break after the months of packing she did for the move from California to Utah.  [By the way, though this blog was set up by Dave and Jan’s son Stephen with Jan’s name attached, those who have followed it may have guessed that it reflects primarily Dave’s perspective as the one who actually does the writing].

The trail through Stephen’s Canyon is surrounded by beautiful red rocks.

It wasn’t long before the Lightening Switch trail diverged from Ghost Flats.

From across Stephen’s Canyon it wasn’t difficult to see why the trail was named Lightening Switch Trail!

As the trail ascended the view of Cedar City below continued to open up.

There were some nice and varied and attractive floral displays to be enjoyed at various points along the way.

Looking toward the south, snow was still visible on some of the heights.

This telephoto shot shows a ball field several hundred yards from the house Dave and Jan are expecting to begin living in – perhaps as early as Friday, May 29th.

In the months and years ahead there are mountains across the valley to the southwest to be explored – along with the mountains just to the east of Cedar City.

Back in town the city’s patriotic perspective was on full display with the approach of the Memorial Day week-end at the beautiful veterans’ park just blocks from Dave and Jan’s new address – 421 North Highland Drive, Cedar City, Utah 84720.

So what’s not to like about Cedar City?  Dave and Jan are grateful for the way the Lord has “greased the skids” for their relocation to such a beautiful region of the country!

The cupboards at the newly built house Jan’s parents bought in Brea, CA in 1960 have not been bare since they moved in, but bare cupboards were one of the characteristics of Dave and Jan’s plans for moving on.

As the cupboards were emptied, the garage was increasingly filled with boxes of things to be moved from Brea to Cedar City, Utah by professional movers (Family Affair Moving of Fullerton), a company recommended by Ted Tardie, one of the faithful members of our Green Hills Baptist Church Life Group.

Jan’s dog Lola wasn’t quite sure what to make of all of the commotion as, little by little, everything seemed to be changing around her, but she kept a watchful eye on the process so she could be sure she would be included.

Friends and family paid visits to the house which has been home to the Badens and Balsleys for the past sixty years – including Don and Diane Harvey who live in Oregon but travel regularly to Southern California to care for a house which belongs to a family member who chooses to live elsewhere.

Caroleen Suzuki, who lived with Dave and Jan for six years while pursuing college training at Fullerton College and California State University Fullerton joined Jan in packing up some of the final things in the kitchen.

And, of course, Stephen and family stopped by for some visits and some fun and food as they anticipated the miles of separation in days ahead.

May 19th was the big day for the move of furniture from the house in Brea to await (stored in the truck) the completion of the new house in Cedar City and the arrangement of things in the new location in Cedar City.

Until then, this is what “home” looks like – although Dave and Jan have chosen motels over camping during most of the transition to their new address.

As much as they anticipate the comforts of their new house in Utah, Dave and Jan are grateful that “this world is not [their] home, [they’re] just a passing through, [their] treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue”!

While many Americans are running out of patience with the lock downs they have been experiencing because of the corona virus pandemic, Dave and Jan had the perfect excuse to “hit the road” in view of their anticipated move to Cedar City, Utah.  Besides, their house in Brea was tented for termite treatment so they needed another place to stay.  So they drove to Utah to see the progress on their house, to set up banking, and to make arrangements for mail delivery at their future address – 421 North Highland Drive, Cedar City, Utah 84720.  This was the first time to see the inside of the house, where walls and ceilings are finished, flooring was being installed, and cabinets were in the process of being installed.  Jan and Cindy (our realtor) were careful to maintain social distancing as they viewed progress in the nice-sized living room of the new house!

Dave and Jan like the view they are going to enjoy from their living room and dining room windows (minus the “porta potty” when all is complete).

Lola inspected the cabinets to see if they would meet with her approval.

Cabinets are up now in the kitchen, with counter tops under construction.

The exterior of the house is finished, with grading under way in the yard.

During their visit, Dave and Jan enjoyed walking trails to a small waterfall and along Coal Creek which are each a short distance from their new address.

They also drove up the Cedar Mountain to the Brian Head ski resort where conditions still looked a little like winter!

And ten miles west of town they explored the Three Peaks County Park where hiking and biking and picnicking and camping and all terrain vehicle driving and rock crawling and shooting at the rifle range are all options – with beautiful views back toward Cedar City and the mountain range immediately beside it to enjoy.

While there will be many people and things to be missed with their move to Utah, Dave and Jan are looking forward to many new people and things to be enjoyed in their new location in beautiful Cedar City.