Utah – Page 2 – nancy merrill photography

A Photo a Week Challenge: Summer Vacation 2020

This year, summer vacations are going to be very different from years past. My sister did a 10-day virtual summer vacation on Facebook, posting pictures from vacations past and asking people to guess were they “where” that day. It was great fun, so I did the same thing. Here are the photos I included. They span 9 years of vacations, and I would love to go back and see each and every place. So, if you could visit anywhere in the world this summer, where would you go?

IN A NEW POST CREATED FOR THIS CHALLENGE, SHARE A PHOTO OR TWO OR… THAT SHOW YOUR DREAM SUMMER VACATION.

Everyone is welcome to participate, even if your blog isn’t about photography.

Here’s how it works:

Each week, I’ll come up with a theme and post a photo that I think fits. You take photographs based on your interpretation of the theme, and post them on your blog (a new post!) anytime before the following Thursday, when the next photo theme will be announced.
To make it easy for others to check out your photos, title your blog post “A Photo a Week Challenge: (theme of the week)” and be sure to use the “postaday″ tag.
Follow nancy merrill photography so that you don’t miss out on weekly challenge announcements.

A Photo a Week Challenge: Over 100 Years Old

This is the Box Elder Tabernacle in Brigham City, Utah. It was built by the Mormon pioneers who settled the area in 1897. The tabernacle is still used as a meetinghouse now, seating approximately 1600 people. It is also a wonderful venue for concerts and other special events and is open for tours during the summer. It was put on National Register of Historic Places on May 14, 1971.

Whenever we travel to Europe, it’s easy to find buildings and points of interest to photograph that are 100-1,500 years old or even older (Stonehenge, Colosseum, Pantheon, etc.). To us newbie Americans, that’s amazing. In a few years, we will be celebrating our 250th anniversary as a country, so anything that’s 100 years or older is very old to us.

IN A NEW POST CREATED FOR THIS CHALLENGE, SHARE A PHOTO OR TWO OF THINGS 100 YEARS OLD OR OLDER.

Everyone is welcome to participate, even if your blog isn’t about photography.

Here’s how it works:

Each week, I’ll come up with a theme and post a photo that I think fits. You take photographs based on your interpretation of the theme, and post them on your blog (a new post!) anytime before the following Thursday, when the next photo theme will be announced.
To make it easy for others to check out your photos, title your blog post “A Photo a Week Challenge: (theme of the week)” and be sure to use the “postaday″ and “Photo a Week” tags.
Come back here and post a link to your image in the comments for this challenge.
Follow nancy merrill photography so that you don’t miss out on weekly challenge announcements.

A Photo a Week Challenge: Opposite Weather

Here in Utah, we are heading deep into winter. Cold temperatures, a lot of snow, overcast skies, and ugly inversions. While I do enjoy some snow, by the first week of January, I’m usually longing for the warmth of late spring and early summer (which is hilarious, because by the beginning of August, I’m longing for the cooler temps of fall and early winter). I took this picture in July 2019 at our family cabin on a beautiful July 4th day. *Sigh* Why do we almost always want what we don’t have at the moment? Humans are funny, funny creatures.

IN A NEW POST CREATED FOR THIS CHALLENGE, SHARE A PHOTO OR TWO (OR MORE) OF THE WEATHER THAT IS OPPOSITE OF WHAT YOU ARE EXPERIENCING RIGHT NOW.

Everyone is welcome to participate, even if your blog isn’t about photography.

Here’s how it works:

Each week, I’ll come up with a theme and post a photo that I think fits. You take photographs based on your interpretation of the theme, and post them on your blog (a new post!) anytime before the following Thursday, when the next photo theme will be announced.
To make it easy for others to check out your photos, title your blog post “A Photo a Week Challenge: (theme of the week)” and be sure to use the “postaday″ tag.
Come back here and post a link to your image in the comments for this challenge.
Follow nancy merrill photography so that you don’t miss out on weekly challenge announcements.

Thankful November 24th: My Faith

You are getting two post today because yesterday was too full to do a post (gone from 8 in the morning until 11 in the evening). And the first one today was for fun (see Thankful November 24th: Chocolate for reference.) This post will be much more serious. I’m sure that many people who follow this blog and read my posts are aware that I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes known as the Mormon Church). I haven’t tried to make it a secret. I have also tried to not be overbearing about it. I was born and raised in Utah in a family that is very actively involved in this religion. When I was 22 years old, I served as a volunteer missionary to Wisconsin. I married my husband in the beautiful Mount Timpanogos Temple in American Fork, Utah. I have been living my religion as best as I can for almost 53-1/2 years. Having faith has grounded me, given me hope as I see things happening in the world around me, and provided me with a community wherever I have moved. I am a firm believer in Jesus Christ. I have faith in a Heavenly Father, who loves and knows me. I’m grateful for scriptures I can turn to for comfort and guidance during difficult times in my life.

Whatever your religious (or non-religious) life may be, I hope that you find love, happiness, and joy in the Christmas season this year. I love celebrating the birth of my Savior with the entire world.

Thankful November 13th: My Home Town

Salt Lake City and County Building — City and County Building

To be honest, I haven’t moved very far from where I grew up. It’s a five to ten minute drive from our current home to my childhood home. As such, you could really say that I still live in my hometown, and I’m very grateful for that. Salt Lake City surprises quite a few people who come to visit. Though it’s not a huge city by any stretch of the imagination, it’s also not small or super backwards (depending on who you talk to). You can listen to a world-class symphony (the Utah Symphony), enjoy a play or musical presented by one of the top regional theater companies in the country (Pioneer Theatre Company at the University of Utah), enjoy world-class skiing at one of the many resorts less than an hour from downtown, take a hike up the Wasatch front for a break-taking view of the Salt Lake Valley, or take a tour of the beautiful grounds around the Salt Lake Temple.

A Photo a Week Challenge: In the Neighborhood

I realized that I haven’t taken many non-travel photos lately, so I stepped out my front door and took this picture this morning.

I really like my neighborhood. We have great neighbors, the area is relatively quiet, and there is a wonderful park with a walking trail at the end of our street. The elementary school is just behind the church on the corner, and kids are usually out playing after school when the weather is good. During the holidays, people deliver neighbor Christmas gifts, and the youth take one evening a couple of weeks before Christmas to deliver Christmas cards for anyone (you do have to address your own cards) to anyone in the neighborhood. People out walking or driving wave to each other, and regardless of your religious status (or lack thereof), everyone is welcome to come to the big neighborhood block party every September at the local LDS Stake Center where the congregations (known as wards) in the Stake (six to eight LDS wards in an area) take turns providing the barbecue meal. It’s best when the Tongan ward is in charge and we get a luau!

IN A NEW POST CREATED FOR THIS CHALLENGE, SHARE A PHOTO (OR TWO OR THREE) OF YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

Everyone is welcome to participate, even if your blog isn’t about photography.

Here’s how it works:

Each week, I’ll come up with a theme and post a photo that I think fits. You take photographs based on your interpretation of the theme, and post them on your blog (a new post!) anytime before the following Thursday, when the next photo theme will be announced.
To make it easy for others to check out your photos, title your blog post “A Photo a Week Challenge: (theme of the week)” and be sure to use the “postaday″ tag.
Come back here and post a link to your image in the comments for this challenge.
Follow nancy merrill photography so that you don’t miss out on weekly challenge announcements.