When my friend Wendy found out Tom and I were volunteering at Pipe Spring, she told us that we HAD to visit Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab. Wendy works with animal rescue groups in Ohio and worked hard for the passage of the Stop Puppy Mills Ohio bill. So, to humor Wendy, I scheduled …
From July 2018
Living History Demonstrations at Pipe Spring
I love helping history come alive for people. Living History connects people to the past and helps them understand more about the present. Here at Pipe Spring National Monument, Tom and I have the opportunity to give living history demonstrations most of the days we work. Every ranger here at Pipe Spring is expected to …
Putting Away Childish Things versus Faith of a Child
Tom and I recently saw the movie “Solo” in St. George. The movie was fun but not great. But one of the trailers we saw the movie has stayed with me. It is the movie “Christopher Robin” coming to theaters on August 3. A live-action version of Winnie the Pooh with Christopher Robin as an …
Death Valley Days at Pipe Spring National Monument
Have you ever watched any episodes of Death Valley Days? It was an old radio then television series which told supposedly true stories of the old west. The series started on radio in 1930 and was first broadcast on television in 1952. Death Valley Days continued on television until 1970. The show was hosted by …
Grand Canyon of Arizona: The Big One
Over the four years of this blog, I have written about different states having their own versions of the Grand Canyon. You can read about them here: Washington, Hawaii, South Dakota, Georgia, North Carolina, Minnesota, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Ohio, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Utah, Louisianna, Mississippi, Colorado, and Idaho. Of all the Grand Canyons …
Loom: Warping, Wefting, and Weaving
Pipe Spring National Monument has a loom. They have had a loom for a long time, but this is the first year they have used it since, perhaps, 1995. A loom sat on the upper balcony for a long time and we have pictures of some volunteers preparing it for weaving in 1995. But that …
Independence Day in Kanab, Utah
To celebrate Independence Day, Tom and I headed to Kanab, Utah for their parade and community festival. We didn’t know much about the event before we went, but it sounded like a fun way to celebrate the holiday. The parade began at 10 a.m., which is 9 a.m. Arizona time. This meant we had to …
Selects Wool and Flax and Works with Eager Hands
I have now been using a spinning wheel for over a year. Learning to spin last summer at San Juan Island was the first step. From there, I learned about textiles available to Georgia colonists (wool and flax) at Fort Frederica. This summer at Pipe Spring, I added weaving with a loom to my repertoire. …
Jacob Lake and North Kaibab National Forest
With temperatures hitting 100 most days here at Pipe Spring, Tom and I often look for cooler places on our days off. A couple of weeks ago we headed east and up to Jacob Lake and the North Kaibab National Forest. Because Jacob Lake is at an elevation of 8,000 feet, it is generally about …
Everything About American History
Happy Fourth of July! I have worked and visited almost 200 National Park sites at this point in my life. My favorite thing about the National Parks is learning more about American History. At this point in my life I like to think I know a lot about United States History, but I learn more …