Folksy Favorites

Oh, bearded song men, what is it about you that makes me love you so? Is it your banjos? Is it your comically endearing "hillbilly mountain man of the early 20th century" aesthetic? Or is it your furrowed brows and half-lidded eyes that float closed when you sing all high and quiet?

Here are just three songs from three artists whom I have been listening to and loving for a long time.

see also: this and that

PS. I hope everyone had a summer-y Memorial Weekend!

In The Past Two Weeks, I...

...presented some work and hung out with my sister and cousin at a posh hotel in Phoenix.

...saw snow, geysers, and baby bears in Yellowstone National Park.

...reconsidered my opinion of Montana: it is gorgeous and I wouldn't be the only Michigan fan in the state.

...witnessed the beauty of the Grand Tetons. Everything looks better with a background of mountains.

...toured Salt Lake City and now am kind of in love with the city in the spring.

...hiked in the almost unimaginably structured but strikingly beautiful canyons and mountains of Zion National Park.

...admired the maze of hoodoos in Bryce Canyon and Canyonlands National Park.

...attested to the perfection of nature at Arches National Park.

Six states later, I'm back to being busy but I'm grateful for the opportunity to take this trip with my family. My dad especially has always wanted to make this tour and we are all glad we finally did. Also, twelve hours upon our return, I played violin as a friend married a goofy man who I remember meeting the night of their relationship's inception. Surely, a fulfilling past couple weeks.

(Photos all unedited and taken with my iPhone!)

Quotability

Not so cheeky:

"Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire."

The Bishop of London in his Sermon from the Royal Wedding

photo by Juttamoi

Royal Wedding Cheekiness

Obviously we've all seen the highlights and the pictures of the main characters. So more importantly, are the rest of you fans of Pippa and Harry yet?

Some other funnies: Calm Down, aw, sad, and Wait till you see her.

Off to Phoenix!

Swelteringly hot weather, here I come! You might remember how fond I am of Phoenix... This time, I'm headed to Scottsdale for a research conference. I leave tomorrow morning and of course I'm hoping my fashion choices will be acceptable even though, disappointingly, I've heard that the food is not the greatest (food and fashion), people. I'll be pretty busy during the daytime, but because my boss will be giving the oral presentation for my project, I'll be free to play each evening (and I think I'll be right in my element during our rodeo show social event...).

Coincidentally, my sister and I will be on the same flight out. While I'm pretending to be a scientist, she'll be across town having fun with friends. Hopefully we'll get to meet up with my cousin and her family while we're here.

Hail to the Graduate

Yesterday, my sister fist-bumped the University of Michigan's Dean of Engineering on the stage of Hill Auditorium. Could it be possible that she is cooler than I thought?

Well, maybe not: the family engineers in front of a GE Aviation Engine

Post-explanation of how it operates, I realize that probably, I had it right all along...