That's So Grose!: A walkabout.

The weather has been so nice I decided it was time for another walkabout.

And what should I first come across, but these little yellow flowers. They weren't crocus but I couldn't tell for sure what they were, poking their way up through the dried leaves. But if that isn't a symbol of hope and rebirth I don't know what is.

When I was in high school we used to like to come down to Salt Lake to the Church Office building and jump in the elevator as it took us to the 26th floor. Now they have an escort with you so that put the kabosh on that.

But I still went to the roof to get a great view. This is to the West.

A view to the north.

I had heard they give tours of the Relief Society Building but I had never done it until yesterday. I spent two hours there. Not only did I get a personalized tour, but I met several service missionaries (you have to be a current stake relief society president to be one). They gave me some wonderful ideas of things I can do in my new calling with the homeless sisters.

This is the original painting of the meeting of the first Relief Society.

They had several of Minerva Teichert's (one of my favorite LDS artists) works. I loved the border of this painting. There are quetzal birds at the top of each corner.

And I have always loved the "pioneer woman with her handbag"painting. That's not the official title of the painting, of course.

When the Church announced, just after World War II that they were going to build this building, they asked all of the women of the Church to donate $5 to help in construction costs. The women of Europe were not allowed by their governments to send money out of their respective countries because of the dire financial situations they had been left in after the end of the war. So the sisters there purchased gifts and sent those. This is an elaborate Dresden piece, worth thousands of dollars today I am sure. There were quite a few other delicate and very beautiful gifts that had been sent that are still on dislplay there.

In one of the rooms, there were portraits of all of the former presidents of the Primary, Young Women and Relief Society. I just had to snap a shot of my former neighbor and visiting teacher, Michaelene Grassli. Just to tell you what an amazing visiting teacher she was, she once sent me a post card when she was in Switzerland because she wasn't going to be able to visit me that month.

I then trudged up the hill to the pioneer museum. There were hundreds of paintings and photographs of the pioneers who settled this valley. I swear I could hear them whispering, "Carpe Diem". No, actually I think they would have said something to the effect that I had better not make all of their suffering and sacrifice to have been in vain. They each deserve the most elaborate mansions that the celestial kingdom has to offer, that's all I can say.

An actual handcart that was pulled across the plains to Salt Lake.

It was time to get home and make some dinner for my sweetie pie. So I headed back to our apartment, passing this loveliness:

I like to take a shortcut through the Joseph Smith Memorial building on my way home.

Then it's past the Church administration building. I always get chills thinking of who all is in there. Elaine is pretty lucky she gets to work there.