On the Road to Colorado, Part One

Friday, July 3, we hit the road for Colorado Springs.  The Johanson family was in their van, and Nick, Stella, and I were in the Civic.

Stella spent much of the trip sitting on her carrier, watching the scenery go by.  Our first night was spent in Mesquite, Nevada, notable for swimming pool relief from the 113 degree heat.

 Saturday, July 4, we arrived at Zion National Park.  While the kids hung out at the pool with the Bergmans (Andria and Daves neighbors from back in San Diego), Nick and I did the hike up to Angels Landing.

 Looking down the canyon as we started up the cliff side.

 Nick took this picture of flowers that looked like little koi fish.

 We entered the coolness of Refrigerator Canyon.

 Remarkable patterns on the canyon walls.

 Angels Landing is the top of the reddish formation in the middle of the picture.  It is over 1,000 feet straight down on either side.  We opted not to go ot on that narrow fin.  Many others do, though.

 This is a California Condor, one of about 200 in the wild.  We were ecstatic to see one, maybe two, circling around Angel's Landing.

 Nick took the following shots of the Condor as it flew to a perch or nest on the side of a cliff about a third of a mile away.  My new camera has a super zoom lens that magnifies up to 60 times.  At that magnification a steady hand, like Nick's, helps.

 The classic bald head of an adult condor.

 It had a number tag on its wing, but we couldn't read it.

 The condor is on this cliff in the upper right corner.

 Natural rock art.

 The reds in the sandstone are caused by iron content.

 Peering over the ledge at the Virgin River and road below.

 More amazing cliffs.

This is the trail we came up.  Pretty nervy trail builders!

We all took the shuttle up to the end of the road to "The Narrows" on Sunday.  From there we hiked the River Trail a ways.

It's hard to not be looking up all the time.

Susanna rides in style.

We watched a small Wandering Garter Snake hunting tadpoles.

Nick zoomed in on these delicate flowers.

I need to ID this one, still.

Columbine clung to wet, shady cliffs.

An American Dipper drying off on a rock.  These birds walk under water eating insect larvae.

We watched this Plateau Striped Whiptail foraging near the river.

The kids enjoyed cooling their feet in the river.

The very positive Nora!

Sun on the white cliffs.

Nick and I did an evening hike up Watchman's Trail.

Father and son.

National Park deer have no fear.

Waiting for pizza...

and then ice cream.

On the walk back to the hotel, cockroaches were scurrying everywhere.

On Monday, we left Zion under cloudy skies and showers.  Next stop, Grand Junction, Colorado.  Stay tuned!

Andria's First Published Novel!

The Longest Night: A Novel, by Andria Williams  will be released January 19, 2016.  It can be pre-ordered through Amazon in hardcover or Kindle edition.  

Pre-ordering now will help create buzz and a door-buster launch!  Needless to say, the Williams / Johanson clan is truly excited by Andria's talent and hard work.  Random House is publishing her novel.





         What Other Authors Have to Say

In this absorbing and suspenseful debut novel—reminiscent of Revolutionary Road and inspired by a little-known piece of history—a young couple must fight to save both their marriage and the town they live in.

In 1959, Nat Collier moves with her husband, Paul, and their two young daughters to Idaho Falls, a remote military town. An Army Specialist, Paul is stationed there to help oversee one of the country’s first nuclear reactors—an assignment that seems full of opportunity.

Then, on his rounds, Paul discovers that the reactor is compromised, placing his family and the entire community in danger. Worse, his superiors set out to cover up the problem rather than fix it. Paul can’t bring himself to tell Nat the truth, but his lies only widen a growing gulf between them.

Lonely and restless, Nat is having trouble adjusting to their new life. She struggles to fit into her role as a housewife and longs for a real friend. When she meets a rancher, Esrom, she finds herself drawn to him, comforted by his kindness and company. But as rumors spread, the secrets between Nat and Paul build and threaten to reach a breaking point. 

Based on a true story of the only fatal nuclear accident to occur in America, The Longest Night is a deeply moving novel that explores the intricate makeup of a marriage, the shifting nature of trust, and the ways we try to protect the ones we love.

Advance praise for The Longest Night

“In The Longest Night, Andria Williams demonstrates her masterly understanding of the painfully gorgeous intimacies of the human condition. The author’s thrilling storyline will keep you turning the pages, while her ability to inject a sharp dose of hope, fear, and desire into the most innocent of scenes will take you captive. I loved it.”—David R. Gillham, author of City of Women

“Andria Williams writes about the challenges and struggles faced by military families in a wholly original way. As a military spouse, Williams brings every nuance of this world to life, but it’s her brimming talent and startling insight into the fragility and tenacity of marriage that kept me glued to the page.”—Siobhan Fallon, author of You Know When the Men Are Gone

“Engrossing, witty, dynamic, and beautifully written, The Longest Night is a literary thrill ride. Andria Williams’s characters—particularly the 1960s military wives—are portrayed with extraordinary intimacy. This is a lovely, harrowing, and original novel. You will want to read it in a single night.”—Julie Schumacher, author of Dear Committee Members

“Andria Williams’s wonderful debut novel is a sobering yet inspiring portrait of human nature, with precisely rendered details about the early years of the nuclear power era.  With exceptional characterization, serious content, graceful structure, and a storyline as gripping as a psychological thriller, The Longest Night is both unforgettable and impossible to put down.”—Frederick Reiken, author of Day for Night

“There is a kind of story about the American West that you think you know. And this book destabilizes it. Williams creates characters who challenge the protocols of the time, and are irradiated by the results. This is the West I want to read about, where landscape shapes and dislocates, where one falls and is found again. Compassionate and compelling, Williams honors the lives of her characters, and shines in this striking debut.”—Nina McConigley, author of Cowboys and East Indians

Farewell to the Johanson Family

The Johanson family stayed with us for a couple days before heading off to Colorado.  They were displaced by the movers, but we were thrilled to have them one last time.  Gail's mom was able to come over for a couple hours, too!

Before shot of festive table setting by Gail.

Tent city.  The big kids each had their own tents, Gail and I used the big "circus tent", Nick had the guest room, and Dave, Andria, and Susanna chilled in the master bedroom.

 Gail and her mom, Gwen, watch the kids romp around the yard.

 Susanna pulling Nora in the wagon.

 Uncle Nick was here, too!  He and I drove the second car with Stella the cat on the trip to Colorado - more to follow.

Susanna showing off her surfing skills.  We pulled out the old pool for one more time.

Soren wipes out.

 Gail and Susanna love to dress up their dolls.

 Susanna spent hours swimming with her dolls and having them do high dives into the hot tub.

 One of Gail's old dolls getting a beauty treatment - this is San Diego, you know!

 Costume dance party was a hit, too!

Fun at the Science Museum

Here are a few phone pics from our trip to the science museum in Balboa Park this past Monday.

 Susanna flexes.

 Soren flexes.

 Susanna clowns around.

 Gail builds a....  Mars lander?

 Soren gets honors for using the most wood - and having a cool, organic style.

 Engineers at work.

 Tower of Baba.

Nora is all concentration.

James Hubbell Open House

James Hubbell is a San Diego County artist of many talents.  He and his wife Anne are in their eighties, and each year open their home for one day.  This year, it was yesterday, June 21.  James is a sculptor, metal worker, stained glass artist, painter, poet, and all around free thinker.  They bought ten acres in 1958 in the mountains outside of Julian, about an hour and a half drive to the east of us, and started building their home and studios.  They acquired more property later.  Half of the 8 buildings burned in the Cedar Fire of 2003, and were slowly rebuilt over the past 12 years.

 The structures are flowing, organic shapes, designed to blend into the rocks and terrain.  The following pictures are of just some of the structures we saw.

 The Hubbells have formed a foundation so that the property and their projects can continue on as art and learning studios after they are gone.

 James' mosaic touches in the kitchen.

 Anne graciously answered questions and told us about their living room.  The beams are from native cedar trees that were killed in the fire of 2003.

 Stained glass and metal sculpture is apparent everywhere.

 The furniture was designed by James and handcrafted by a friend.

 A rooftop sitting area above Ann's room.

 Their four sons were given the choice of having a bedroom or a pool.  They chose the pool.

 Another side of Ann's room.

 The living spaces and studios are all separate by design.  It allowed the Hubbell's to feel and see nature as they passed between living and working areas.

 The temperature was in the 90's and it was very tempting to "accidentally" fall in the pool.

 This is the boys' room which was built after the pool - well worth the wait!.  The roof is quite fantastic, as is the inside.

 Inside the boys' room.

 Looking up in the boys' room.

 This is the boys' bathroom.

 Another side of the boys' room.

 We loved all the little touches!

 This is the entrance to the largest work studio.

 Gail was a volunteer for a few days back in the nineties helping to build this school in Tijuana - just one of James' projects.

 That is James in the blue shirt, greeting visitors.

We left the studio through these awesome doors, inspired and awed by what we saw.  James and Anne Hubbell are famous internationally, but seem humble and down to earth in many respects.  We felt fortunate to have seen the place they call Ilan-Lael.