Monday, January 16, 2006

Lake Powell

Growing up as a child, "S" had the pleasure of going to Lake Powell with his dad, uncles, great uncles and male cousins. It was a guys trip, and they had a blast. It started just going with a boat, and camping on the shore. They would water-ski and other water activities all week long.

It progressed to renting a house boat, and taking a ski-boat. Sleep on the roof of the house boat. A few years later, ( I think around the time "S"'s sisters got a littler older and could go), it was opened up to girls. His immediate family went every year, the family members that went changed.

We were married March 2000. We had used all our vacation time for the wedding and receptions and honeymoon. We only had a few days of vacation left for the year. That summer the family didn't go to Lake Powell. They wanted "S" and I to go, but we didn't have enough vacation days. Instead we took a weekend family trip to San Diego.

July 2001. My first trip to Lake Powell. "S"'s parents, brother, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandmother all went too. (extended family from Arizona). We met up with everyone at Hall's crossing (Arizona side of Lake Powell), got a house boat and spent a wonderful week on the water. "S" and I both got horrible sunburns, but it was fun. At the end of the week, we met up with my old roommate "C", who was working a summer internship at Bullfrog (Utah side of Lake Powell, directly across from Hall's crossing), and spent a night with her.

July 2002. My second trip to Lake Powell. I was pregnant with "W". We had just found out two weeks before that we were expecting a boy. I had a great time at Lake Powell, but because I was pregnant, I didn't get to do as much as I had out on the water and jet skis as I had the year before. I spent that week with my camera. I wanted to capture the entire week in pictures.

These are two of the pictures I took



July 2003. "W" was 8 months old. He was just starting to crawl before we got there, and had actually learned to full on crawl while out on the houseboat. That year it was only the immediate family, plus "S"'s sister "B.W."'s fiance'. That year I didn't get to spend much time out on the water either, but it was still a lot of fun. We were both really stressed out, constantly worrying about "W" crawling off the side of the boat, or that his crying would bother the others. We slept inside of the boat rather on top, and it was so very hot. But we still had a good time. We were living in New Mexico by then, as we were driving back home, we decided that we wouldn't be going to Lake Powell with the family for a few years. Either "S" would be allowed to go by himself (if he dared! :-P) or it wouldn't be until "W" was at least able to take a few swimming lessons.

The family has continued their yearly trek to Lake Powell, from Idaho, meeting up with family members from Arizona. The summers of 2004, and 2005, we longed to be there as well. It is one of our favorite places as a married couple, but I also know its one of "S"'s favorite places because of all of the childhood memories as well.

February of 2005 I went to a woman's house that I visit teach. The year before she had started to take classes in learning the art of pastels (chalks, but you're not allowed to call it chalk). She had really progressed a lot over the year. I had wanted to have a water color painting done of a photograph I had taken of Lake Powell to give "S" as a Christmas present. When I saw her pastel work I decided that maybe I wanted her to do it in pastels instead. The next time I visited her I took her two of my favorite shots from Lake Powell. I asked her if it would be possible to do a pastel picture of the photograph. She kept the pictures I gave her and told me she would try.

In October of 2005 I received a phone call from her one night. She said that she had taken a few more classes, and learned in those classes the technique she would need to start on my picture. I asked her to do it on the biggest sheet she could find.

Three weeks before Christmas I received another phone call from her. She was very excited to tell me that she had finished my picture, and that she wanted me to come over the next day to see it. We stopped by after church and I went inside while "S" waited in the car. He didn't know anything about the photographs I had given her or the work I had commissioned her to do. I walked into her house, and saw the art she had done it was beautiful. The picture by itself was 24 inches by 36 inches. She wanted "S" to come in and see it too. I figured, "well he's gonna know about it as soon as I try to pay to have it framed anyway, might as well have him come inside and see it." He walked in and was amazed by what he saw. The artist, had thought we were going to give this to "S"'s parents, thats why she wanted him to come in and see.

We took the picture to the framers. Still about two weeks before Christmas. We picked out the matte, and the frame. We were told it wouldn't be ready till January 3rd. We were okay with that. January 3rd came and went, without a phone call saying it was ready. January 6th "S" went to get the picture. It wasn't done yet. He raised a bit of a fuss, and because the store was running a 50% off custom framing sale, they cut the price in half! When he came home and told me I was so excited! This past saturday, January 14th, we received the phone call that it was finished and we could pick it up. "S" picked it up and brought it home.

When he walked in, I couldn't believe how big it was, but once it was hanging on the wall it looked absolutely perfect. The picture, framed and matted, measures 36 inches by 49 inches. It hangs above our bed, on our blue wall. As we were standing back admiring it, "S" turned to me and told me this would be something that we would cherish always.

Here is a picture of the picture as it is hanging on our wall. (Sorry about the reflection, its very hard to take a picture of glass).


Posted by ABQ Mom :: 1/16/2006 08:44:00 AM :: 4 Comments:

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