Candids: Day 12

A photograph of the town you live in:

We love where we live.  In 10 years of marriage we've lived in 8 apartments/homes.  The last two places have both been here in Springville and cover about the last 5 1/2 years.   The schools are fantastic, the size is perfect -- small enough to feel cozy and know when the high school football team is playing by the hand lettered signs on all the businesses downtown.  Yet we're still only 10 minutes from all the shopping or entertainment we could care for. 

Here are a few of my own photos of some things that make Springville unique to us:

While the town has grown a great deal in the last few years there are still plenty of pastures and fields right in the middle of a neighborhood.  This one is a pretty short walk from our house.  There is no shortage of "horsies" to count while running errands.

The Museum of Art hosts an annual Children's Art Festival which is free and loads of fun.  We've been going for years now and despite the crowds (well, crowds in our estimation at least ;))  we always enjoy it.

The city parade is the only one we attend.  Actually, it's usually just me and the girls.  Michael despises parades -- the parking, the walking, the sitting... he's more of a sit on the couch in the A/C while I take the girls there and we have fun sort of guy.  We do have fun.  We go at the last minute, sit in the gutter near the beginning of the parade, and always take a bag to bring home the scads of candy and flyers we inevitably get. 

The scenery is incredible.  This is just a shot from a soccer game, but look at those mountains!  We live right on the edge of one of the Rocky Mountains.  We have a stunning view of Utah Lake, a number of small enticing canyons, the big canyon with gorgeous color this fall...  Just can't be beat.  Other places may have stunning vistas also, but it can't be better than this.  As good, perhaps, but not better.

See how pretty?!  This is at one of our favorite places -- the duck pond.  We've gone several times over the last few months with a batch of bread and played with the ducks, geese, seagulls, and fish.  Great family fun.  Three loaves of cheap bread are cheaper than a movie ticket and can entertain us for as long!

Okay, this may be unique-ish, but not in a good way.  Ugh.  The construction has been a nightmare!  Springville is nestled along the edge of the mountain and has only 3 major ways in or out: two east/west roads that go to the freeway and one north/south road that goes north into Provo or South into Spanish Fork.  So when construction blocks up one of these three arteries things get really icky.  A year ago we spent the entire year with most of the south freeway access road closed.  it's much better now, and was a necessary change, but What. A. Pain!  And now they're doing a pipeline project coming down from a reservoir all the way through town.  It goes along the major road at the head of our cul de sac and then turns the corner and goes north on the road into Provo.  Twice this summer we've had to park on a different road and hike in because they had to go across the entrance to our road: once right after I had surgery on my ankle, the other time just as I was getting home from my last hospital stay.  As in: Michael slipped through and dropped me off on the sidewalk, then went to park a block away.  By the time my mom had her purse and keys she was stuck until the new pavement was settled.  I think the construction is supposed to be calming down by the end of this week.  The north road into Provo will still be a pain, but not technically in town, I think.  It is, however, the route to nearly half of my family so it's still highly irritating.  We never know exactly which way we have to go to get from point A to point B. 

Hmm, after all this major write up I wonder if I can sell this to the Chamber of Commerce?  :)  (Minus the construction rant, of course.)  As usual I've turned a single photo into a bunch of photos and half of an essay.  So be it.