Southern Utah Through Fresh Eyes

 Emilie's friend, Alisha, visited from Boston.  Camille took Emilie, Alisha, and Ezra on a trip through Southern Utah during the week of July 13 to 20, 2014.  We met up with the travelers in St. George on July 19 and took a hike with them in Zions Park.  It was a treat to see our beloved Zions through the amazed eyes of an Easterner who had never seen red rock canyons before. 

 A day with Camille is a treat any time, anywhere.

 Emilie now has her driver's license.  She and Alisha enjoyed the luxury of traveling in a car by themselves, as Camille and Ezra came with us on the trip to Zions.

 We stopped in Hurricane at Swig, a new soft drink shop which is the rage with Emilie's friends from SLC who visit Southern Utah.

 The Swig store had bright, snappy décor.

 "Dirty" is the name of one of Swig's drinks--Cola mixed with coconut syrup, as I recall.  I ordered "the missionary," which is Sprite mixed with tiger's blood and coconut syrups.  It definitely had an exotic taste, as if named for an exotic land visited by Mormon missionaries!

 What could be more of a treat than blue shaved ice?

 Emilie took a lesson from her mom in filling a car with gas--how to insert the credit card, push the nozzle into the gas tank, and squeeze!

 One of our favorite Zions Park hikes is the short trail just past the "tunnel."  It is only a mile long, but it has all the hike essentials--some ups and downs, a cliff dropping away dangerously, a cave, and a spectacular view at the end of the trail.

 We promised Ezra he could have one "funny picture" if he'd look respectable for one serious picture.  Emilie and Alisha helped Ezra create his "funny picture."

 Camille and her charges drove to Bryce and then to SLC, after the hike.  Dave and I drove back to St. George, where we watched the Tuacahn production of "The Little Mermaid."  Tuacahn has a special arrangement with Disney for performing Disney musicals regionally, before the best ones move to Broadway.  "Aladdin," which was a Tuacahn production a few years ago, is playing on Broadway now.  Dave and I were charmed and impressed with "The Little Mermaid," which had great songs and innovative special effects.  A wall of water fell from a pipe above the stage, creating the impression of being under the sea. A huge mock ship surfed the stage during the "above the sea" scenes.  Colorful puppets, ala Lion King, floated across the stage.  We could easily imagine this production on Broadway.