One of the visual pleasures I enjoy every single day here in Utah is the Wasatch Mountain Range that decorates the horizon of Cottonwood Heights. The top image above but below the banner is a view taken from my home entrance. The second is from a close exit in Cottonwood Heights that I frequently use. My eyes never tire of seeing the mountains change in hue & shadows. When I think of the things that make me feel connected to life, despite losses that affect me, beauty is what emerges most in my mind. As anxiety increases or I feel stressed out, a concerted effort to slow down & remind myself of the gifts that Nature offers helps me see that bigger picture. As you might know from reading this blog, such reflection on beauty is a recurring topic. It’s a strategy of mine as an introvert, when I need to recharge.

Aesthetics matter to me–visual pleasure derived from art, architecture, movement, music, fashion, interior design, gardening, & salvaged antiques. Whatever I can appreciate with my mind’s eye.

The two images above were taken from the master bedroom & its window. As you can observe, the light casts such a lovely color late in the day. There’s something about glowing light that I appreciate. You’ll see that I frequently use candles, fairy lights, salt lamps, & even fireplaces to create amber glows to illuminate where I spend the majority of my free or alone time. Utah features many elements that differ from New Hampshire & Hillcrest Farm–like the drier air that makes higher temperatures feel cooler. For example, the temperature dropped from 100 degrees to 88 degrees yesterday, & it felt like a crisp warm day, not at all uncomfortable.

Often, how the mountains appear can tell you a great deal about the air quality in the Salt Lake Valley. When the views are clear with sharp delineations of shadows on the mountains, then you know it’s a great time to take a drive & explore.

Above, you can see a common drive I take to pick up the little one from preschool & then back home. If you look at the cars, you can start to develop a sense of scale, since these mountains are quite tall & impressive. The altitude where I live is at 4800+ feet, in contrast to the 11 feet above sea level altitude that characterizes Goffstown, where the farm resides in NH. To give perspective, the highest point in New England is the summit of Mount Washington in the White Mountains, which reaches 6288 feet. A simple 20 minute drive to Park City easily situates you at 7000 feet, well above that highest point in New England.

The peaks that dominate the Cottonwood Heights landscape touch as high as 11,929 feet, so I share that to emphasize how largely these mountains loom when gazing at the horizon.

And the mountains appear quite green, verdant, & lush, especially considering the typically arid climate of the Salt Lake area during the hottest months of July & August. In fact, snow has remained on the Wasatch peaks even as late as today (very minute amounts, but still there) much to my surprise. I had heard from locals that it had been an unusually snowy & wet winter & spring, which certainly affected the snow pack & water tables, but I guess the evidence has been displayed in that greenery & white peaks draped across the mountains. Such a source of visual delight & joy.

Also, the altitude of my Utah home has translated into much more wind, something I deeply appreciate. I love breezes & hearing the rustle of leaves in the trees. Maybe it’s my air sign background as a Libra, but I adore the wind. Seriously. Nothing makes me happier than hearing the wind & witnessing its power.

When you look at the images within this blog post, you might recognize that there are several images of the same view but with strikingly different colors & features. These images were all taken from the front door of my home in Cottonwood Heights–a view seen from the guest bedroom windows as well. I think of the John Muir quote, “The mountains are calling & I must go,” as seen in his handwriting below. How well I know that feeling.

When I look at the Wasatch Mountains, I see such ancient history. The remnants of the prehistoric Lake Bonneville, an ice age pluvial body of water that reached a depth as great as 1000 feet. The shelf that girds the rim of the Salt Lake Valley reminds the viewer, especially on Wasatch Boulevard which sits at a height where the rim is most visible & provides expansive views of the entire valley from a significant height, of the tens of thousands of years that have affected the region. It’s a delight to travel during the gloaming hours of the late afternoon into the early evening & soak in the beauty of that vista.

As I continue to look out my office window, the car windows, the windows at home, to take in these gorgeous mountains, I often can’t believe the beauty or that I’m even here to see it. Mountain landscapes have always held tremendous appeal for me, competing only with the ocean in its displays of natural power & sublime aesthetic. How puny & insignificant I feel when seeing these eternal rocks. I can see why the Romantic poets wrote about the Alps, trying to capture that intense awe in the face of Earth’s wonders.