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| View of Blue Mountain from Black Mesa at twilight |
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| Some of many fearless does on Black Mesa |
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| Beautiful Sunset |
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| Added surprise bonus! |
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| Nice to have a good telephoto lens. . . |
First trip to Black Mesa
In early December, Dana and Keith invited me along for an evening drive to Black Mesa. Having heard so much about the mesa but never having visited it, I grabbed my camera and jumped in the truck without a second thought. We saw lots of deer, but I was struck by the beauty of the sunset and jumped out for a few pictures of the colorful horizon with my telephoto lens. What a pleasant surprise to find some deer on the horizon, too far away to see with the naked eye, but beautifully visible with the strong lens!
Bluff Hot Air Balloon Festival
Every January, Bluff sponsors the Hot Air Balloon Festival. The weather was so beautiful--cold, clear, sunny! I enjoyed the beauty this year as an ametuer photographer trying to tell the story with an interesting angle or capturing a spectacular moment when a colorful balloon highlighted the red rocks around Bluff.
Dear family, notice the Hyrum Perkins grave on Cemetary Hill with the balloon behind it. Wouldn't the pioneers have enjoyed those hot air vehicles? I'm so glad we cleaned up the Perkins' graves during our reunion--some of the other burial sites were just overgrown with weeds, but thanks to you, Hyrum's family graves were nice and tidy.
Hope you like the Bluff Twins "feeling the love." My favorite shot of the day was the backlit balloon with the sun shining just around the edges!
Dear family, notice the Hyrum Perkins grave on Cemetary Hill with the balloon behind it. Wouldn't the pioneers have enjoyed those hot air vehicles? I'm so glad we cleaned up the Perkins' graves during our reunion--some of the other burial sites were just overgrown with weeds, but thanks to you, Hyrum's family graves were nice and tidy.
Hope you like the Bluff Twins "feeling the love." My favorite shot of the day was the backlit balloon with the sun shining just around the edges!
Arches in the Winter
It is nice to have a friend who loves photography! Dana called me one early Saturday morning and said "Let's go to Arches!"
At first I thought, "It's winter and it is COLD!" But I couldn't resist so off we went. Acutally, I loved Arches in the snow--it wasn't 110 degrees, the park was almost abandoned, and I got a nice little tan in January. Besides, everytime I go on one of these photography "experiences" with Dana, I learn a little more about taking pictures.
At first I thought, "It's winter and it is COLD!" But I couldn't resist so off we went. Acutally, I loved Arches in the snow--it wasn't 110 degrees, the park was almost abandoned, and I got a nice little tan in January. Besides, everytime I go on one of these photography "experiences" with Dana, I learn a little more about taking pictures.
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| Park Avenue |
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| Double Arch |
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| Cloudy Sky over Arches |
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| Delicate Arch from the lower park |
Verdure and Christian Lingo Christensen
Don't you just love to drive through Verdure between Monticello and Blanding? Recognize these homes?
For all you Christensen relatives, I copied this information to show how our great-great grandfather, Christian Lingo Christensen came to Verdure and then later, to Monticello:
VERDURE The oldest Mormon settlement in the Blue Mountain Region was first known as South Montezuma. Later the name was changed to Verdure after the lush green growth along the stream bed. Verdure was settled by men of the Blue Mountain Mission March 11, 1887, under the direction of Pres. Francis A. Hammond of the San Juan Stake. He called George A. Adams, Frederick I. Jones, Parley R. Butt and Charles E. Walton to establish a new settlement at North Montezuma, later named Monticello. They first set up camp at Verdure to prepare for a permanent settlement at Monticello, six miles to the north. When company members moved on to Monticello in 1888 the Adams and Butt families remained at Verdure. By 1894 they were joined by the Alvin Decker, Willard Butt, Lingo Christensen, R.P. Hott and Francis Nielson families. Nielson operated a store and a school out of his log home, the first church met in the Decker home, and in 1893 a post office was installed in the Adams home. Verdure was a peaceful frontier village where cattle, farming and cheese-making were the main occupations. Gradually the settlers moved to Monticello.
The following is an exerpt from Chris Lingo Christensen's journal explaining how his father had died on the journey to Utah:
On the first of September, 1860, after crossing the North Platte River, we camped for noon on Horse Shoe Creek. Father came up to our wagon, and Mother announced that the pancakes were ready. He answered that he did not care to eat and said to Mother, "I understand there are many sage hens on the creek, and as we have many sick folks in the train, I will go and try for some fresh meat for them." He picked up his double-barreled shotgun and passed over to the East side, where he fell in with S. M. Lovendahl, a Swedish friend.
The two had not been gone long when a shot was heard, and Mr. Lovendahl came running into camp for help. He had shot Father. Nephi Johnson and others grabbed some bedding and ran to the wounded man's assistance. Mother and I got there as they were laying him on some bedding. He said but little, but it was all for the welfare of his widow and two small boys, one 5 1/2 years old and the other 3 1/2, and the prospect of another soon to be. It appears that Mr. Lovendahl had seen some sage hens, and they had dodged out of his sight, and while he yet had his gun cocked, he fell over some obstacle and shot Father in the bowels. About one-half of the shot hit the stock of Father's gun, but enough hit Father so he died sometime during the night.
Next morning before sunrise he was buried by the wayside in an unknown grave. His coffin was burlap sacks; and his gravestone, a buffalo skull. It was wonderful to see the sympathy and pity and weeping for Mother by large, husky women of the Great Sioux Nation, who had befriended us out in the wilderness on the plains of Nebraska. An old German gentleman took me by the hand, and each day we walked ahead of the train as far as the pilot would let us. We had a chance often to sit down and rest. He provided me with lunch each day, and I never shall forget the many times he would say, "Du haf ein gut fadder." (You have a good father.) I walked all the way from where Father died to Salt Lake City, where we arrived November 23, 1860.
Christian Lyngaa Christensen served as a missionary to the Indians in Arizona for several years. He married Ann Elizabeth Thompson, Severina Jensen, and Ane Johanne Jensen and was the father of twenty children. He knew seven languages, which earned him the nickname of "Chris-lingo." He died November 26, 1940, in Monticello, San Juan County, Utah.
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| Old Barton Homes in Verdure |
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| 2nd Story of the Old Barton Home |
For all you Christensen relatives, I copied this information to show how our great-great grandfather, Christian Lingo Christensen came to Verdure and then later, to Monticello:
VERDURE The oldest Mormon settlement in the Blue Mountain Region was first known as South Montezuma. Later the name was changed to Verdure after the lush green growth along the stream bed. Verdure was settled by men of the Blue Mountain Mission March 11, 1887, under the direction of Pres. Francis A. Hammond of the San Juan Stake. He called George A. Adams, Frederick I. Jones, Parley R. Butt and Charles E. Walton to establish a new settlement at North Montezuma, later named Monticello. They first set up camp at Verdure to prepare for a permanent settlement at Monticello, six miles to the north. When company members moved on to Monticello in 1888 the Adams and Butt families remained at Verdure. By 1894 they were joined by the Alvin Decker, Willard Butt, Lingo Christensen, R.P. Hott and Francis Nielson families. Nielson operated a store and a school out of his log home, the first church met in the Decker home, and in 1893 a post office was installed in the Adams home. Verdure was a peaceful frontier village where cattle, farming and cheese-making were the main occupations. Gradually the settlers moved to Monticello.
The following is an exerpt from Chris Lingo Christensen's journal explaining how his father had died on the journey to Utah:
On the first of September, 1860, after crossing the North Platte River, we camped for noon on Horse Shoe Creek. Father came up to our wagon, and Mother announced that the pancakes were ready. He answered that he did not care to eat and said to Mother, "I understand there are many sage hens on the creek, and as we have many sick folks in the train, I will go and try for some fresh meat for them." He picked up his double-barreled shotgun and passed over to the East side, where he fell in with S. M. Lovendahl, a Swedish friend.
The two had not been gone long when a shot was heard, and Mr. Lovendahl came running into camp for help. He had shot Father. Nephi Johnson and others grabbed some bedding and ran to the wounded man's assistance. Mother and I got there as they were laying him on some bedding. He said but little, but it was all for the welfare of his widow and two small boys, one 5 1/2 years old and the other 3 1/2, and the prospect of another soon to be. It appears that Mr. Lovendahl had seen some sage hens, and they had dodged out of his sight, and while he yet had his gun cocked, he fell over some obstacle and shot Father in the bowels. About one-half of the shot hit the stock of Father's gun, but enough hit Father so he died sometime during the night.
Next morning before sunrise he was buried by the wayside in an unknown grave. His coffin was burlap sacks; and his gravestone, a buffalo skull. It was wonderful to see the sympathy and pity and weeping for Mother by large, husky women of the Great Sioux Nation, who had befriended us out in the wilderness on the plains of Nebraska. An old German gentleman took me by the hand, and each day we walked ahead of the train as far as the pilot would let us. We had a chance often to sit down and rest. He provided me with lunch each day, and I never shall forget the many times he would say, "Du haf ein gut fadder." (You have a good father.) I walked all the way from where Father died to Salt Lake City, where we arrived November 23, 1860.
Christian Lyngaa Christensen served as a missionary to the Indians in Arizona for several years. He married Ann Elizabeth Thompson, Severina Jensen, and Ane Johanne Jensen and was the father of twenty children. He knew seven languages, which earned him the nickname of "Chris-lingo." He died November 26, 1940, in Monticello, San Juan County, Utah.
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Christian Lingo Christensen Our very own Christian Black (Emily and Mike)  Christian and his cousin, Maggie Black (Kristin & Curtis) |
La Sal Mountains and Church Rock on a Cloudy Day
Driving through Dry Valley as a kid, I always wondered why tourists would stop and take pictures of Church Rock and the La Sal Mountains. I guess I thought it was ordinary. Now, I see the extraordinary beauty of San Juan County and love to stop by the roadside to click off a few pictures myself.
Hope these pictures make a few of you homesick.
Norwegian Trolls: A Strange Christmas Tradition
I never thought we had peculiar Christmas Traditions until the last few years when people would come into the house and ask why we decorated with trolls. It just sorta happened! LeGrand's mother's family came from Norway. LeGrand served his mission there and later returned many times as the scripture translation supervisor to help the Norwegian translation team with the new scripture revisions. Both during his mission and 30 years later going back with Translation, he collected trolls. The idea of trolls originated in Norway and storytellers and artists have enjoyed the tradition for centuries.
When the older kids were in college, they found a toy store that sold a specialty line of elves. Even though they had precious few pennies, they couldn't resist buying their dad a collection of elves that looked eerily similar to our trolls. From that point on, the trolls and elves came out together at Christmas.
As grandchildren were born, they were scared to death of the trolls. It made coming to Grandpa's during the holidays sort of scary and exciting. Grandpa would always gather the kids together and tell them stories about the funny little creatures which added to the whole mystic of Christmas with the Black Family.
Now, all the kids have become part of the Troll and Elves Christmas Stories as LeGrand weaves them into the tales. They love it almost as much as Grandpa!
All these stories begin with, ". . . . Once uponce a time. . . ."
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