Fall 2009

Here are some of my favorite things about fall. Hope your fall is as enjoyable as mine.

Vail, Colorado

After neglecting my family for the better part of 2 months, we took a much needed, but quick, vacation to Vail, CO. If you've never been there before, you're missing out. As usual, many more pictures are available at my Flickr.

Farewell Good Friend

For those of you who did not have the pleasure of knowing J during his short life, you missed out. He was one of a kind, and I'm proud to have called him my friend. J, thanks for the good times. I'm sorry we didn't see much of each other over the last few years while I was in Ohio, and I'm sorry I couldn't make it to lunch last month. Thanks for your friendship and example. God speed buddy; love you.

Self-Portrait, by Noah

He even signed it.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Noah: hey mom? What do giraffies at the zoo eat in their cages?

Ali: uh, hay and tree leaves

Noah: yeah, and chocolate chip cookies [he always refers to chocolate chips as "chocolate chip cookies"]

Ali: chocolate chip cookies?? No, I don't think so.

Noah: yeah huh, they are all over the floor in their cages, remember?





*photo credit ucumari

More Shots of the City

a few more over at my flickr

Sunset Over the Great Salt Lake

Brilliant sunset on Friday night. In case you missed it, here it is--straight from the camera.

Salt Lake Valley at Dusk

I suppose light pollution isn't always bad





Click the pictures to be taken to a larger version (particularly helpful for the panorama)

Noah

Mischief

We noticed that this boy's:



train set was gradually disappearing. We noticed this started about the same time as our subwoofer began to rattle. Tonight, I took the subwoofer part. Come to found out, this boy:



had been stashing away these parts in the sub's front port, and they were stuck to the magnet (except the wood block):

Noah

hope you are having a nice winter/pre-spring

Time to get on The Online

I watched the whole thing but they didn't teach me how to forward emails about school kids' projects and boycots on gasoline.

Salt Lake City

In case you missed it.......nice sunset this evening.



And, nice night with small crowds at Temple Square.



As always, more pics are available at my Flickr.

Return to Salt Lake City

The time between our announcement of our departure and the date of our departure was short and we therefore missed doing some things we would like to have done and said goodbyes to those whose friendship we have appreciated over the last 5.5 years. The day after Thanksgiving, Ali and the boys flew back to Salt Lake, and after dropping them off at the airport I headed downtown to take a few final pictures. I will miss this sight:



The first day we drove from Columbus to Hays, Kansas. The only nice view of the day was during our stop at the Gateway Arch in St. Louis--the clouds temporarily broke just as we arrived.



We were fortunate to hit most of Kansas at night, but were unfortunate (after I-25 and I-70 were closed) to hit all of Wyoming during the day. I don't recall seeing a single non-human planted tree between Kansas City, MO and Park City, UT, but Wyoming did have some nice clouds.



The movers dropped off our mountain of junk today--now we just need to find a home in which to put it. You can see five more pictures at my Flickr.

"We've never lost a fireside....."

Ha!

Back to Salt Lake City

Well, for those of you who have not heard, I have received (and accepted) a job offer in Salt Lake City with Holland & Hart to join their real estate group. I have some great friends who work there and look forward to joining them. Over the last 5 & 1/2 years, we have come to love Columbus, and I have enjoyed working for SZD, so the change will be bittersweet for us. We are, however, excited to rejoin our family and the topographic beauty of the Salt Lake Valley. If you are one of our Ohio friends, we expect you to visit soon. If you are one of our Utah friends, we look forward to renewing your acquaintance. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to slurp down some Jell-O before I head off to a protest.

* photo courtesy of cinnamonsheep

Saturday Morning Drive

With Ali and the boys out of town, I used Saturday morning to take a fall drive through the scenic hills of southeastern Ohio. I awoke at 5:00 am--not atypical for such a drive. The nightstand, however, wanted me to stay home.



I cleaned up and looked for a bandaid, but could only find Noah's "Finding Nemo" bandaids, which I figured the country folk would like--a city slicker driving through the country with a bright orange fish bandaid on his forehead.

I headed out and hit the hills at dawn.





I made it all the way to Athens, drove around Ohio U.'s beautiful campus, and headed for Lake Hope. I wish my iPhone would have told me that the path it chose involved 8 miles of dirt road.



That road was a great choice for a Bimmer/Beamer, and I'm sure the gun-rack laden F150s and spoiler-sporting, off-road Camaros didn't think twice about it.



I didn't take that picture, but I wouldn't be too surprised to see something like that deep in southeastern Ohio.


I made it to Lake Hope, enjoyed the scenery, and headed home.

Election Notes

For the most part, I was pleased with Ohio's election results last night. More than anything, I am glad that I don't have to watch any more ads from the following: Obama, the DNC, McCain, the RNC, Steve Stivers, Mary Jo Kilroy, Issue 5, Issue 6, Eric Brown, John Connor (did this guy really win?) and et cetera.

As for President-Elect Obama, whether you voted for him or not, I think we can all agree that we should be grateful that Gov. Palin will not be president for at least four years. Here's hoping Obama is up for the job. I don't envy him a bit--especially with expectations like these:



Free gas and no mortgage payments--how could you go wrong?!

Weekend in Granville

With the nice weather we were anxious to see the sights of fall, so we decided to head to Granville, an iconic small Ohio town nestled in the hills of eastern Ohio. We rode the rails-to-trails trail from Alexandria to Granville, had lunch at Del Mar (owned by the owners of Club 185 and the fantastic Rossi), and rode back. Nice ride in a beautiful area.

This is a tree at Denison University (can you believe these colors are straight from the camera?)


This is a church at Denison--amazing sky.


This is the trail--very nice in the fall


And this is a barn along the way.

Me

According to my three year old

Fall

Hope you are enjoying fall as much as we are.

Sisters?

Cindy McCain on Sarah Palin's National Security Experience


Miss South Carolina on Who Knows What

My Boys

Can't get enough of these little guys.

Bittersweet

We have finally put our home up for sale, 5 years and 1 day after we moved in. It is definitely a bittersweet moment. Have a look at ClintonvilleCapeCod.com.

Thanks to Brett for the killer web design.

Bokeh at Innis Woods

The Ohio State Fair - 2008 Edition

Ever since our first visit in August 2004, I have begged Ali to accompany me to the state fair. People watching, among my favorite pastimes, is as good at the state fair (any state fair) as you will find anywhere, perhaps second only to those events in which people, wearing shirts with numbers and brandishing the Confederate flag, watch people driving cars capable only of left-hand turns. A nice day in the mid-80's, and a promise to Noah the night before that we would ride on a large slide and pet goats, helped coax Ali back to the state fair--her first in four years. Below are some of the highlights (some from this year, some from years past). Be warned that the following photos are snapshots without artistic merit, except for the varied stories they tell. A couple of more photos are available at my flickr.


Let's start off with a personal, normal photo. Noah enjoyed the rides and petting the animals.



I of course took time to enjoy some fine fair food (here, chips from a single potato, shredded with the aid of a power drill).



I couldn't resist this sign (and the potential damage the items listed on it could wreak on my cardiovascular system). Note the sign above the lady's head which pronounced this year's new deep fried item--a deep-fried PB&J.



A deep fried Snickers, covered in powdered sugar, is as much a kick in the chest as it sounds. I had to sit down after finishing it. Never again....



The fair demonstrates to the youngsters all of the elements of success--a carney who is smoking who is pregnant.



This is a motley crew. I love the hand-knit black tanktop, the black "fanny-pack" underneath the translucent cut-off, and of course the motorized scooter--a staple at any state fair and everywhere in Florida I've ever been.



The amount of dreck/kitsch for sale at a state fair always amazes. I could use the mummy coffin just like I need a laundry ball.



I always enjoy celebrity sightings. I'm quite positive this guy is Doc Brown from Back to the Future. I was too slow on the camera to get a picture of him from the front, but the black socks really tie together an otherwise drab outfit.



This is some fair food I just couldn't bear to try. I love the ingredients (mashed potatoes and roast beef, mmmmmmmmm), but the name and the sign ruined it. Not sure if that is a tomato or cherry on top, but neither have a place with the aforementioned ingredients.



And of course, as previously mentioned, the best thing about the fair, is the people-watching. Not sure who told her this outfit was acceptable in public. People who have just eaten deep-fried candy bars and "roast beef sundaes" are watching--please don't increase the likelihood of upset stomach--it's already far too high.



Looking forward to the fair again next year. Thanks for reading, and if you recognize yourself in any of the above photos--know that your mom is probably proud of you.

Summer is nearly over--hope you are enjoying it.

Logan

Here is a pic of my fun 9 month old.

Stream at Sundance

(Click on the picture for the large version)

Trip to SLC

Ali, Noah and Logan had been in Salt Lake for a couple of weeks, so I flew out to spend the 4th of July with them--a quick but/therefore fun trip. We hiked to Stewart Falls at Sundance, had a few barbecues and enjoyed each others' company. Now, back to work. As always, more pics are available at my Flickr.

An Apology (and a Shoutout) to My Readers

Google Analytics (GA) has taught me a great deal about my audience. You typically come from Ohio, Utah, California, Arizona and Nevada; none from the Dakotas or Iowa. You are fairly loyal (40% of you have visited 9 times or more, 25% of you have visited more than 25 times). Those who have found me through search engines have typically searched my name, although some have searched for Dallan Flake, Amber Dehner and Amy Kawa (among others).

GA has hundreds of interesting statistics. Perhaps the most interesting thing GA has taught me, however, is not an express category of which GA keeps track, but which, nonetheless, is very obvious upon viewing a few charts--namely, that you, my readers, may love posts about restaurants or my kids; however, you do not like posts about privacy or human rights. Nor are you particularly interested in my affection for Jeni's Ice Creams (which I will attribute to so many of you being from out of state or not thinking "salty caramel" or "grapefruit hibiscus" sound tasty).

So, to you I apologize, loyal reader, for not recognizing my audience--a writer's biggest mistake. Since my privacy and crooks posts, my GA trends show more like an inverted yield curve than the relationship between the ethics of a population and the quality of goods found in a lost and found.

Now, a shoutout to some of you. More will come later. Resh, congrats on the job (and [not] sorry about the Jazz). Cottles, congrats on the new kid (I'm a little late here) (and may I please borrow the Smart car). Scott, congrats on finishing the first year (I'll keep my Second Amendment posts to a minimum). Scott and Heather, congrats on the new job (I like your back yard). Lindleys, congrats on graduation (sorry you are leaving Columbus).

Finally, to reignite my readership, enjoy recent pictures of my kids. Time for me to take some more.

Blog

My computer just arrived.

In response to reader requests, I will re-enter the blogosphere with a substantive post this evening.

Update: maybe tomorrow.

* image courtesy of Apple, Inc.

Friday Evening

I took a number of photos this week, one of which appears in a previous entry. Yesterday evening, I took a few more (shown below). Each of these is untouched, straight from the camera. As always, more photos appear on my Flickr. Hope you enjoy.

Ice Cream

Several people have complained that my restaurant list does not include a reference to Graeter's (including a comment that "it's a crime not to mention Graeter's ice cream as a must have while in Columbus"). While Graeter's menu is somewhat predictable, they do serve quality ice cream, and I have therefore added them to my list. However, I don't know that I have been there since I fell in love with Jeni's.  One of the things I like about Jeni's--apart from the fact that their ice cream, yogurt, sobet and gelato is the best I have ever had--is that the menu constantly evolves with new (and/or re-introduced) flavors of the highest quality ice cream money can buy. The flavors (salty-caramel, grapefruit-hibiscus, strawberry-rose petal, lime-cardamom, etc, etc, etc) perfectly complement each other. I am glad to see that others agree:

Columbus Alive - Best of 2008 ("With their intense flavors — Jeni always uses only the best and freshest ingredients available — and their remarkably smooth textures, they truly are world-class.")
New York Times 1 ("Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams’ intense, offbeat flavors would be worth a drive to Ohio.")  I bet it even beats a visit to the Longaberger basket building.  I've ridden my bike from my home all the way out to that building and back--Jeni's is a shorter and more satisfying ride.
New York Times 2
Gallo Gold Medal
It also happens to be the ice cream sold by Dean & Deluca

I think I'll pick some up on my way home tonight.

Crooks

This story is far too common. What ever happened to habeas corpus? I trust I'm not the only one who is uncomfortable with this order. More info here.

Columbus at Dusk

Could have used a tripod, but didn't have to thanks to the wonders of VR. This is untouched, straight from the camera (except for a little cropping). A bit of a different feel from the one below it, eh?

This Morning's Sunrise

More pictures on my Flickr.

Restaurant Reviews

Last night we went to Spagio which, for whatever reason, sometimes gets a bad rap. We decided to try it anyway and really liked it. We had chicken and spinach ravioli (with vegetables and a pesto sauce) and a pork chop (with chipotle vinagrette, mashed yukon golds, apple-jalapeno chutney and blackened tobacco onions). The food was excellent, the service was prompt and unobtrusive and it is only two doors down from Jeni's. Perhaps our experience was a fluke, but we will return and try it again--it was very good. Spagio: Recommended.

This morning we went to Tasi, which is somewhere I have wanted to go for a long time. Tasi Rigsby (Kent, who runs one of the best restaurants in the city, is her husband) is the restaurant's namesake, and given the restaurant's pedigree, I had high expectations. Breads and pastries are prepared by Eleni-Christina Bakery (another Rigsby endeavor), and all of the food is prepared with fresh, local and high-quality ingredients. The chocolate croissant (or pain au chocolat, if you prefer) shown above was perfect (and generously-sized), and the french toast and sourdough pancakes were incredible. Like I said, I had high expectations--and my expectations were exceeded. If the food is similarly good after a couple of more visits, it may get an asterisk on my list. For now, Tasi: Highly Recommended. (As always, more pictures on my Flickr.)

This Weekend's Photos

Took a few photos this weekend, and this was one of my favorites. Amazing what a VR lens can do (1/6th sec exposure, hand held). Unfortunately, the camera was set to spot metering (not sure why), which I didn't realize until I was on my way home. View my Flickr for a few more (here is one of the other pics I liked).

Weekend Trip

After a year and a half in which our only trips were to Utah, we decided to branch out and do something fun. Since (I am embarrassed to say) I had never visited our nation's capital, we decided to spend the weekend in Washington D.C. We had a great time (can't go wrong staying at The Westin Grand (thanks Hotwire)), and it was plenty colorful as it happened to be the first weekend of the Cherry Blossom Festival. As always, click on the picture above for many more pictures on my Flickr. Unfortunately, what looks good on my monitor may not look good on yours--time to get mine calibrated.

A Study in Contrasts

This morning a blue cloudy sky provided a nice backdrop to the city's skyline, a portion which is shown here. The city is clean, friendly and easily manageable. Afterward, I visited a neighborhood on the near northeast side, which evokes emotions quite different from viewing tall buildings from across the river. Both have their own beauty, at least to me. Click here for a few more pictures of downtown, and here for a new set I call "Urban Decay". Hope you enjoy.

Foggy Morning in Columbus

I had several locations I wanted to photograph this morning, but it was exceptionally foggy so I had to improvise. A couple of more photos are on my Flickr (click on the photo above).

A Columbus Record

We experienced a record-setting weekend in Columbus with a single snow storm total of 20.4". Other than a trip to Costco--which is a weekly event regardless of the weather, whether we have time, or whether we need anything--we spent most of the day inside. Noah and Logan entertained each other without either taking a nap and without any fights. Granted, Logan is young enough that he doesn't fight--we act as his proxy as necessary, but there weren't any of those either. I will leave you to guess which of the foregoing is the more impressive record. My Flickr has a couple of more photos of the snow.

Big Brother

These stories should worry you.

Story 1 / Story 2

As Ben Franklin is alleged to have said, "They who give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." For those who think there is no reason to be worried if you are not doing anything wrong, read "The Innocent Man" or read up on the Innocence Project. I think this guy has it right.

Good Eats

There are not many things I enjoy more than a tenderloin grilled on my own grill. But, it is sometimes nice to get outside the house, and so I have complied this list of my favorite places to eat in Columbus. Many of these restaurants serve excellent steaks; all of them (on the first part of the list) serve something I have enjoyed (regardless of the animal) or have served something I didn't mind but in an enjoyable manner (you need to visit the Blue Nile if you have not been there). I have tried to keep off as many chains as possible, but in some cases they were irresistible (e.g., Morton's, Smith & Wollenski, etc.) Enjoy!

Noah is generally content unless (1) someone other than Noah touches his giraffe without his express consent, or (2) someone eats Jeni's in front of him without sharing. In the event of either (1) or (2), beware.

Failed Christmas Card Attempt

One of the pleasures of living in a three bedroom house with four people is the frequency and non-negotiability of me losing my office space to make room for someone else--guests or, most recently, my own kids. Access to the computer has been limited to between 6:30 and 7:00 pm, which happens to be the same time dinner is served. Logan takes up the space the rest of the time.

The result of the foregoing is nearly two and one-half months without an update. Such delay is remarkable only for the fact that, if you scroll down a bit you'll notice, I finally started to get in the habit of posting every couple of weeks. Ali promises that, one day, Logan and Noah will learn to sleep through each other's whines--and when that happens, you can bet they'll be sharing the same room and I'll reclaim my man space. My blogging philosophy is quantity over quality, and lately I have produced neither--I vow to return to my frequent and mediocre ways in the near future. In the meantime, my Flickr contains a few pictures from the holidays. Click the pic to see more.

Originally uploaded by jpcrockett

Conkle's Hollow-1.jpg, originally uploaded by jpcrockett.

This is a terrible photo--in fact, I'm embarrassed to put it on my site. I took this in the Hocking Hills where I had previously spent a lot of time hiking and taking 'snapshots'--hastily taken and quickly forgotten photos. We came upon this waterfall in Conkle's Hollow--I walked up to it, snapped this photo and was ready to leave. But, this was one of the last places I would shoot for the day, and since this was one of the few times I had a tripod on a bright day (the blown out foreground gives that one away), I decided to take my time. Click on the picture above to be taken to the next photo I shot. Much better--not perfect, but something at least worth saving from the trash bin. The difference between these two frames taught me to be a more attentive, thoughtful hobbyist. Time and a little thought make a big difference.

Noah Loves Pumpkins

Noah asked to get a pumpkin all day long, so we took him to a pumpkin patch to pick one out. When we got there, he only wanted the pumpkins that were smashed or diseased, both of which he referred to as "broken". Click the picture above for more details about the day.

Noah didn't enjoy putting the costume on (he only wanted to hug it), but he did enjoy seeing himself in the mirror.

And here is a picture of the four of us.

In response to dozens of requests, we relented and gave our new son a name. On our way out of the hospital, we decided on "Logan William".

We are pleased to announce the addition of a new little boy to our family. Noah likes him so far.














If you didn't know who was who, could you tell them apart?

A few of the buildings comprising the Columbus skyline

We spent the weekend at Nemacolin for a work retreat.  We had a great time, and, while there, visited Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater.  An amazing work by a great mind.

 

 

 

I bought this car just over a month ago (the day after our anniversary in fact). It is everything I hoped it would be and more. :)

As you can see, the leaves have been changing for about a month. We probably have another month or so before everything is brown.

This has been a busy summer. It began with finals and graduation in May, then a trip to Hawaii in late May, then the bar review course, then taking the bar in July, then a trip to Italy, Switzerland, and France in August, my anniversary, and Noah's first birthday, buying a 2006 325i, and finally starting work next week.

Below are some of the 1300 pictures I took during our trip to Europe. We began in Rome and visited Florence, Venice, Cortina, Lake Como, Interlaken, Kandersteg, Chamonix, Annecy, and Paris.

Hope you enjoy--we live in a beautiful world. Help keep it that way.

Mont Blanc from Chamonix, France

Noah and Dad, Venice, Italy

Prayer, Notre Dame de Paris

Cortina, Italy

Lake Annecy, France

Annecy, France

Annecy, France

Mont Blanc in the Sunrise

Glacier, Chamonix France

From Chamonix, France to Mont Blanc

Climbers hiking Mont Blanc

From the top Mont Blanc, looking down on Chamonix, France

Ready to ride the trap to the top of Mont Blanc, Chamoniz, France

Church in Kandersteg, Switzerland

Sunrise in Kandersteg, Switzerland, the most beautiful place on earth

Church in Kandersteg, Switzerland (the most beautiful place on earth)

Looking down on Grindelwald, Switzerland

Ali and Noah in Grindelwald, Switzerland

Lake in Grindelwald, Switzerland

Cow in Grindelwald, Switzerland

Noah asleep during hike in Grindewald, Switzerland

Grindewald, Switzerland

Grindewald, Switzerland

Interlaken, Switzerland near sunset

River of glacier water in Interlaken, Switzerland

Interlaken, Switzerland

Gotthard Pass en route to Interlaken, Switzerland

Gotthard Pass en route to Interlaken, Switzerland

Gotthard Pass en route to Interlaken, Switzerland

CH (drive from Lake Como, Italy, to Interlaken, Swizterland)

Bike in Bellagio, Italy

Bellagio, Italy from Lake Como

Lake Como, Italy

Noah and Me hiking in the mountains above Cortina, Italy

Cortina, Italy

Cortina, Italy

Early Dawn, Cortina, Italy

Water well, Orvieto, Italy

Laundry, Venice, Italy

Gondolier, Venice, Italy

Glove store, Venice, Italy

The Grand Canal, Venice, Italy at night

Venice, Italy in the evening

Gondola Ride, Venice Italy

Door in Venice, Italy

Venice, Italy

Venice, Italy

The Colesium with the Arch of Titus in the foreground

The Palatine Hill, Rome, Italy

Church in Orvieto, Italy

Inside the Colesium, Rome, Italy

The Colesium, Rome, Italy

The Colesium, Rome, Italy

View of Paris from the Eiffel Tower

Detail of the Eiffel Tower

The Arc, Paris, France

The Eiffel Tower from the Arc de Triomphe, Paris, France

The Eiffel Tower, Paris, France

Fire dancer at a luau on Maui

Self-taught surfer (read about him here)

Sunrise from Haleakala, Maui

Na Pali Coast, Kauai

Waimea Canyon, Kauai

Sunset, Waimea, Kauai

Waimea Canyon, Kauai

Eaten by a wave, Poipu, Kauai

Lighthouse, Kauai

Near Queen's Bath, Kauai

Sunset, Poipu, Kauai

Bodyboarding, Poipu, Kauai

The flower Noah tried to eat, after being washed back ashore

Me on a rope swing, Wailua River, Kauai

Kayaks, Wailua River, Kauai

Secret Falls, Wailua River, Kauai

Brennecke's Beach, Poipu, Kauai

Brennecke's Beach, Poipu, Kauai

The USS Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbor, Oahu

Na Pali Coast, Kauai

Na Pali Coast, Kauai

The Jacob and Alison Crockett Family, Shipwreck Beach, Kauai

The Crockett Family, Shipwreck Beach, Kauai

Graduation from law school (in-laws on the left, parents on the right)

Peony

Scioto Country Club

Columbus, Ohio

Piano

Conkle's Hollow, Hocking Hills State Park (Ohio)

Self Portrait

Old Man's Cave, Hocking Hills State Park (Ohio)

Starry Night

Around the campfire

Hocking Hills State Park (Ohio)

Conkle's Hollow, Hocking Hills State Park (Ohio)

Old Man's Cave, Hocking Hills State Park (Ohio)

Old farm, Hocking County, Ohio

Conkle's Hollow, Hocking Hills State Park (Ohio)

Me, Jake, at almost 2.5 years old

This is a picture of my little brother, Brett, and me 20 or more years ago.

Small stream

Mountain

Frozen Flowers

Bride

Salt Lake Temple

Three Sisters

Flowers

Sunset prior to reception

Piano

Salt Lake Temple

Dress

Bride and Groom

Upon further reflection

Bride

Christmas morning in Big Cottonwood Canyon

Is it just me, or do i wish i was here right now?

Newport beach california

Where I work.

Noah

Brett, you stole my picture.

sunset outside zions national park, utah

boy blue

chicago with clouds

chicago at night

art anybody can appreciate, chicago, illinois

flower

an empty ohio stadium

sunrise, columbus, ohio

a flower

how not to lock your bike

energy

ampitheatre on The Ohio State University campus

little cottonwood canyon, utah

kirtland, ohio

jackson, ohio

beating michigan

state fair

big cottonwood canyon, utah

columbus, ohio

columbus, ohio

newport beach, california

hayden falls

outside ohio stadium

arch

home

feet

coast guard

chicago baked bean

carney

engineering marvel

long live the non-living

flower

I also wore Ted Ginn's game pads.

I met Jim Tressel a couple of weeks ago. Very nice guy.

Reading for my Estate Planning class got me thinking today. I'm sick of kids who want to force their elderly parent to state support so that the childrens' estates can be preserved. What ever happend to taking care of yourself and your family?

So I did some research and here is what i came up with.

"As we sift the ways of the world[,] let us reject the commonly accepted attitude of expecting the government to supply us with the necessities of life. This practice, if fully adopted, will change any society from one of freedon to one of slavery. Let us . . . be self-reliant.
...
The first principle of action . . . is, therefore, for us to take care of ourselves as far as possible.

The second is to be so bound together as families that we shall sustain each other. Fathers and mothers are under a divine command to care for their children, and children have the responsibility to care for their parents.

When Church members cannot provide for themselves and are not cared for by their families, they are to be cared for pursuant to the third principle of Church Welfare, which is, by divine command, that the membership of the Church shall take care of them."

-Marion G. Romney, Fundamental Welfare Services, Ensign, May 1979 at 94.

No where does he mention turning to the government. Rather, former Solicitor General J. Reuben Clark explains:

"The dispensing of these great quantities of gratuities has produced in the minds of hundreds of thousands--if not millions--of people in the United States a love for idleness, a feeling that the world owes them a living. It has made a breeding ground for some of the most destructive political doctrines that have ever found any hold in this country of ours, and I think it may lead us into serious political trouble."

What ever happend to the axiom "Make do with what you have, or do without?"

Anyway, that's all for this evening. I guess i'm just in a bad mood because of the cases i just read, and because i just prepared some tax info and saw how much we had taken out for Medicare/aid and so on . . . .

just finished the second draft of my note. if you would like to read it, you can find it here.

My List of Salt Lake City Restaurants

Favorites
Fresco Italian Cafe*
Cucina Toscana*
Bambara
Log Haven
The Pie Pizzeria (1300 East)
Mandarin


Acceptable
Martine's
Cafe Molise
Mazza
Settebello
Spencer's Steakhouse
Market Street
Epic
Fleming's Steak House
Robin's Nest


Avoid
Paris Bistro
Kimi's
Kwan's


* = best of the favorites

Eating in Columbus

Good Columbus Restaurants (*my favorites)

*Northstar Café (Short North)

*Northstar Café (Clintonville) (the two have different menus)

*Handke's

*Mohawk Café

*Mitchell’s Steakhouse

*Lindey’s

*Jeni's Ice Cream (not a restaurant, but the best ice cream money can buy)

*The Rossi

Tasi

The Top

Martini’s

Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse

Barcelona

Anywhere at the North Market

Bexley’s Monk

Spagio

Confluence Park (best views in the city)

Lu Pon Xi (now Paul Liu's)
Flat Iron

Rigsby’s

Columbus Fish Market

Brio Tuscan Grill

Ruth’s Chris

Morton’s

Old Bag of Nails

Smith & Wollensky

Cap City Diner

Le Chetalaine

Columbus Brewing Company

Mozart’s

Panda Inn

Blue Nile

Thai Orchid

Bon Vie

Taverna Opa (closed?)

Benevolence (very hippy)

Club 185

Aladdin’s

Riverview (now La Tavola?)

Barley's Brewing Co.

Japanese Steakhouse

City Barbeque

Graeter's

Not Visited, But Up Next

G Michael’s

L’Antibes

M

Bravo

Alana’s

The Refectory

Marcella's

Betty's

Rosendale's

Wont' Make You Sick, But There Are Better Options

Indian Kitchen (like eating in someone's front room)

Surly Girl

Bodega

Gordon Biersch

O’Shaugnessy’s

Network

Zola’s Dining Lounge

Cotters

Eddie George’s Grill