Anna’s rest day! A blow-by-blow account.
8-something am: Wake up. Lay in bed, stare at ceiling. Marvel at how late it is (for me). Mentally shake my fists at Mountain Time and leaving Delta at 6:15 am the day before.
8:17 am: Read Leo’s text at 5:45 am about leaving for the hot air balloon festival at 6:00 am. Imagine, based on piecemeal information from the night before, what it was like: Leo—neck craned all the way—a tiny speck on the ground, balloon captains in vibrant jerseys jousting thousands of feet in the air above him.
Some time later: Wander out into the larger basement area. Almost step on burrito Victoria, who was last seen sleeping on the backyard trampoline with Jordan and Alex. Wonder why they aren’t still out there being one with nature; shrug and continue on my way.
9-something to 10:30 am: Shower, eat breakfast (thank you Chris and Kendra!), brush teeth. Drop my right contact twice, delaying the team’s departure for Salt Lake City.
11:30 am: Stop at the original KFC, which is in…Utah. Look at Pete Harman’s face on a briefcase and Colonel Sanders’ suit in a glass case. Don’t know the keypad code (?!) for the KFC bathrooms, too lazy to ask; wait for someone to exit and sneak in that way. Marvel at the team’s love for fast food, cheese, and coffee.
12:00-ish pm: Arrive at Temple Square. Wither in the heat. Attend a Mormon worship service on accident.
Aesthetic fries. Source: Helen
Jordan getting ready to scoot on her lime scooter
1:15 pm: Regroup. Alex and Leo are off doing their own thing. Later find out there was a Stanford friend, a book store, the Great Salt Lake, and an island with bison involved. Jordan, Victoria, and Helen decide to visit the Capitol building and Salt Lake architecture of note, then go thrifting. Later find out there were lime scooters and a pair of shoes Victoria liked but didn’t buy involved.
1:20 to 4:20 pm: Find a nice air-conditioned corner of the FamilySearch Library, where the walls are an assortment of larger-than-life-size people I can only assume are potential ancestors. Go incognito (sunglasses, baseball cap, mask) so no one approaches me for my autograph, then proceed to call friends. It’s a great time.
4:20 to 4:35 pm: Wither in the heat.
4:35 pm: Arrive at Ken Sanders Rare Books. Take the only photo I take today, so that having cool pictures in my blog post later will be not impossible—just incredibly difficult. Happily wander the shelves (while still calling a friend); buy two books for $7.50.
5:50 pm: Regroup: Leo picks everyone up in our trusty van. Call family. Find out on the car ride that Alex also visited Ken Sanders Rare Books, about an hour before I arrived. Life: a series of coincidences.
7:00 pm: Hear from the three intrepid Spokes who spent a lovely night on the trampoline. Jordan (smug, holding her hands up to show everyone): “I got two mosquito bites!” Alex: “I think a bug walked along my arm and bit me as it went.” Victoria: “Oh my god, bro, oh my god.”
Books books books books!
Victoria :( (She volunteered this photo.)
7:10 pm: Gather for a delicious meal cooked by our generous hosts. Stuff myself on chicken, cowboy caviar, cucumber onion salad in apple cider vinegar, rice, watermelon, and Kendra’s homemade ice cream. Our ice cream connoisseur, Jordan, is over the moon. (Thank you, Chris and Kendra, for your incredible hospitality—everything was absolutely copacetic!)
9:00 pm: Call a friend.
10:47 pm: Go to bed, feeling content.