big rocky fence

Here in Utah we like fences. It is kind of funny since we enjoy so much wide open space, but when you consider the people that settled here in the mid 1800s, and their struggles on the way, it is easier to understand. Property taken, rumors spread. We stake our own little claim and slam those posts in the ground to prove it. It is part of being a resident here.

view out my front door

The mountains are our fences also. They give us a feeling of security and also act as a compass. When I think of my family in Virginia I sometimes look eastward at the mountains, knowing that they are just over the top of them. I like these fences. They are fun to climb. They are comforting to look at. And when I see them covered in white icing against a clear blue sky I feel full.

11 comments

LisAway | March 21, 2009 at 11:53 PM

Man, that big rocky fence is my very most favorite. My grandparents had a huge window that overlooked Timpanogas, and I've always considered that MY mountain.

The name Poland (or the Polish "Polska") comes from the word "pole" which means "field". In the very far south of Poland you have the (beautiful) Tatra mountains, but the rest of the country is quite flat. I love it for the forests, but we have to head south once in a while so I can be near some mountains.

LisAway | March 21, 2009 at 11:54 PM

Oh, and also: those fences around the homes are good for keeping kids in, and from what I understand some people in Utah DO have children. ;)

CHERRANNE | March 22, 2009 at 2:43 AM

Love Your metaphor usage, Kaz! :-) Sometimes We use fences to keep something/someone in or sometimes We use fences to keep something/someone out. Interesting how People do that....Yes, Here in Utah we do our share,too.

Luann | March 22, 2009 at 6:38 AM

I do love our view. Being Kansas bred, sometimes they still startle me. I like that I've never quite gotten used to them.

And I'm really glad I didn't have a pile of groceries or something sitting on my back porch when you shot this. :)

Connie | March 22, 2009 at 6:56 AM

It's always fun to look at what we see every day through the eyes of someone who is seeing it for the first time. When the Parada family came last week from Houston, they exclaimed over and over how beautiful the mountains are. Did you know the mountains in Utah County are bigger than the mountains in Salt Lake? According to Hermana Parada, they are.

Mrs4444 | March 22, 2009 at 12:34 PM

Mountains are so "grounding." We're pretty flat here in Wisconsin, but every now and then, when the clouds look a certain way, I pretend that they are mountains; it takes me back to my many trips to Washington State, hiking. Our "fences" here are the woods that surround our house. I love it :)

Joanie | March 22, 2009 at 3:06 PM

I don't like the fences as much with all of this wind blowing.

Melissa | March 25, 2009 at 9:33 PM

I love those Provo mountains. They look so surreal at night when there is snow on them. So close and majestic. I always loved that about living there.

Heidi | March 26, 2009 at 8:08 PM

ANOther one I missed! Sheeez! Anyway, that last line--you are the master of the last line poem. Growing up in California, fences are taken for granted. I thought everyone had fences. I think they're an awfully good thing! Your house is adorable!

Little GrumpyAngel | March 29, 2009 at 2:36 PM

The mountains, next to family, are what we miss most about Utah. So majestic. Intimidating but comforting at the same time. In feng-shui (Mom is part Chinese), having your house sit against a mountain means it is "protected" from harm, and is preferred to a house in the flatlands, becasue it si considered "luckier".

charrette | April 5, 2009 at 12:26 AM

There is something so comforting about being nestled up against the mountains. I'm convinced that being up against the foothills was part of what made Pasadena feel like Home.