A Late Spring Snow

The mountains along the Wasatch Front have turned green with the warmth of Spring. But an unusual Spring storm on June 7th and 8th brought a coating of snow to the mountains. This late afternoon shot show both the green and the white. Two days ago, the weather was over 90 degrees. Last night and today, it has been cold enough to have us go back to our coats and turn on the furnace. We are surprised by the weather and the beauty of new snow on a mountain in June. Almost all the snow from Winter had melted. 

A Mountain Trail

This is the Bonneville Lake Shoreline Trail high above Provo, Utah. The trailhead is about a five-minute walk from our house. This beautiful morning we were almost the only people on the trail. This area uses to be fruit orchards and farmland during earlier times. Some of the fruit trees are still growing and producing fruit. It is hard to imagine that this scene is only minutes from one of the largest cities in Utah. I do have to admit that I photoshopped out a gas line marker. 

Yellow Salsify

It is interesting that some of the most beautiful plants in the world are considered to be weeds. I sometimes let "weeds" grow even when I know they are invasive just because they are beautiful and make me happy. I enjoy the way that some plants never seem to thrive even with careful attention and others will grow spontaneously without any attention at all. This plant has a lot of names. Here are some of them: western goat's beard, wild oysterplant, yellow salsify, yellow goat's beard, meadow goat's beard, goat's beard, goatsbeard, common salsify, or salsify. Here is a quote from Wikipedia: Tragopogon dubius.

Tragopogon dubius (yellow salsify, western salsify, western goat's-beard, wild oysterplant, yellow goat's beard, goat's beard, goatsbeard, common salsify, salsify) is a species of salsify native to southern and central Europe and western Asia and found as far north and west as northern France. Although it has been reported from Kashmir and India, recent evidence suggests that specimens from these areas may be a different species. Western salsify has been introduced into North America where it has become widespread, being reported from all the continental United States except for a few in the far south-east, and all provinces of Canada except Newfoundland and the northern territories.

Along with tumbleweeds, tamarisk, and other introduced plants, salsify is listed as a "noxious weed." I have always thought of the incongruity of having a list of endangered species alongside a list of noxious, invasive weeds. It seems like the plants that can do well on their own are weeds while those we choose to protect have such a difficult time surviving. Maybe there is a lesson here. 

Utah Valley with the Provo LDS Temple

This is part of the City of Provo in Utah Valley and the prominent building in the center of the image is the Provo, Utah Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This photo was taken mid-morning and the shadow at the bottom of the image is the mountain behind me. I am standing on the Bonneville Shore Trail high above the city. 

St. Peter & St. Paul Church Cemetery in Oberammergau, Landkreis Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria (Bayern), Germany

For a long-time genealogist, finding a cemetery as remarkable as this one is always a treat. This is the St. Peter & St. Paul Church Cemetery in Oberammergau, Landkreis Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria (Bayern), Germany. You can search hundreds of gravesites in this cemetery and thousands of others on FindAGrave.com. 

Ornate House Facade in Germany

Living in the cookie-cutter modernity of the United States, it is hard to imagine anyone with this much decoration on their house. This is an amazingly interesting work of art. This is in Oberammergau, Bavaria, Germany. 

Street View Oberammergau, Bavaria, Germany

Quoting from Wikipedia: Oberammergau:

Oberammergau is a municipality in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in Bavaria, Germany. The small town on the Ammer River is known for its woodcarvers and woodcarvings, for its NATO School, and across the world for its 380-year tradition of mounting Passion Plays.

 We enjoyed seeing all the woodcarvings around the town and visiting the local church and cemetery. That's what you do if you are a genealogist.