The Preslars: Presidential Tradition

I believe it only took one visit to St. George in the middle of February for us to realize that it would be absolutely necessary for us to go there every single year. Somehow just knowing that a few days in the sunshine and clean air are ahead we are able to survive January and all its depressing smog, darkness, cold and total lack of Christmas. I can't remember if it's been three or four years in a row now that we have made the trip - it seems to me that one year Peter and Co made the trip up here instead, which seems like a monumentally terrible idea. I think they must have learned their lesson because if I remember correctly that was an especially frozen and iced-over weekend.

This year as we mourned the loss of the holidays (I know they're a lot of work and kind of exhausting but I'm always so sad when they're over) we comforted ourselves by counting down the days to our annual trip south. It's always such a pleasure to drive those last 10 or so miles as the elevation drops precipitously and we can see an expanse of sky ahead. When we arrive at the Romney's home our kids always immediately take off with their cousins and start playing. Even Cap is excited to be there, despite the fact that he is the lone teenager, the lone big male cousin - he just heads to the back yard to flip around on the trampoline and look for lizards.

We so enjoyed being outside as much as we could on this trip, including a lovely walkish-hike in the hills - I don't think I've ever been on the same hike twice in St. George. Sheri always knows some new place to take us and it's always delightful if occasionally slightly scary - see last year's trip to The Vortex. I'm so impressed though that there's always a new place to explore.

We also took the kids to see the St. George tabernacle, which my great-great-great grandfather, Miles Romney, helped build. (I might be wrong on the number of greats.) He built twin staircases himself and when the prophet Brigham Young told him they were too high and would have to be rebuilt, Miles told him to take a hike (so to speak). The tabernacle was built around the stairs and you'll notice that after you climb the stairs you have to go back down some more stairs to get to the second story because the Romney stairs are so tall. That's right, Grandpa Romney, you tell him! My kids were slightly less impressed than I was about this story - but then again, I have a vague memory of seeing these stairs as a child myself, I think even with some of my Romney cousins, and not caring much either. I have hopes that my kids will care someday.

Despite it also being slightly on the chilly side in St. George (which equated to downright balmy for us) we spent some time in the River-Park as we like to call it - I didn't think the kids would want to get wet but by the end they were pretty soaked.

And of course a great deal of time was spent at the school yard around the corner where Cap did some serious lizard hunting, succeeding in capturing four lizards. One of the lizards in return was pretty successful in capturing Cap, as it clamped its jaws on Cap's finger and really was not interested in letting go. It was funny for a while. Until it was painful, then it was less funny.

We so appreciate the chance to get away from gloomy SLC every February. We're a little sad - uncle Peter has been searching for a job for a few months and it's very possible that they might have to leave St. George. We're hopeful that if this happens we can still find a way to go there together and still get into that February sun.