Christmas Lights on Temple Square ~ Part 2

In a previous post, I shared some photos I took while our family visited Temple Square in Salt Lake City on November 29, 2013. That was the night the Christmas lights were turned on for the first time this Christmas season. What a beautiful sight!

Today, I'm sharing more pictures from our visit. I hope you enjoy them.

A photo of the Salt Lake Temple through the trees.



Lovely luminaries.



A beautiful nativity scene in the center of the reflecting pool.



Here's a different viewing angle of the nativity scene in the photo above. The magnificent building behind the nativity scene is the The Salt Lake Temple.



A close-up view of the nativity scene.



The Salt Lake Temple.



Merry Christmas everyone!

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© 2012 - 2013 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

Our Visit to Avila Beach, California ~ Part 6: Views From Under The Pier

In my previous post about our visit to Avila Beach, I told you I would share photos of the Avila Landing, which is under the Avila Beach Pier.

So, without further ado, I bring you views from under the pier ~

First of all, here is the stairway that takes you to the Avila Landing. That's my husband there in the photo.



Here's a zoomed in view of the Avila Landing sign in the photo above.



I took this picture from the stairs leading to the Landing. Look at all of that seaweed!



It's just those rusty-looking stairs between me and the ocean below.



Well, here we are! Under the pier!



That long metal walkway leads to the other side of the Landing. It looks like the metal on that section of the walkway is newer. It doesn't look rusty. See the difference?



The metal walkway to the other side of the Landing.



Another view from under the pier. I was standing on the walkway in the photo above when I took this photo.



On the other side of the landing, there was another stairway to a lower landing. Here it is. My husband got there before me.



We'll go down those stairs in a future post.

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© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Christmas Lights on Temple Square ~ Part 1

Last week, our family spent the Thanksgiving holiday together in Utah. We had a wonderful time.

On Friday, November 29, we all traveled to Salt Lake City to see the Christmas lights on Temple Square.

For those who've never been to Temple Square, the magnificent building in these pictures is the Salt Lake Temple. Construction of this temple took 40 years to complete. The groundbreaking took place on February 14, 1853 and the dedication was held in April of 1893.

The Salt Lake Temple is the largest temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.



My husband and I had been to Temple Square before, but never at Christmas time.



These pictures will hopefully give you an idea of just how beautiful Temple Square is during the Christmas season.



But, being there is so much better. These photos simply can't compare with the experience of seeing the amazing beauty of Temple Square at Christmas time in person.



I'll be sharing more photos from our visit to Tempe Square in a future post.

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© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Our Visit to Avila Beach, California ~ Part 5

In my previous post about our trip to Avila Beach, I shared some photos from our walk along Avila Beach Pier. Today, I'm sharing a few more photos from the pier.

The Avila Beach Pier is 1,685 feet long. To give you a sense of just how long that is, an American football field is 360 feet long when you include the end zones. So this pier is about the length of four and a half football fields.



Okay, I won't dive off the pier. Seriously though, what is this ladder for?



Looking down from the pier at the ladder.



Another view from the pier. Looking down through the ladder.



I'm not sure what kind of bird this is. Any ideas?



In my next post, I'll share photos from underneath the pier. Yep, underneath. My husband and I climbed down the stairs to the Avila Landing.

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© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Pale Purple Hydrangea

One of my favorite flowers is the Hydrangea. I think they are just so beautiful. I took this photo about ten years ago.

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© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Point Lobos, California ~ Bird Island Trail – Part 1

A while back, I shared a photo of beautiful Gibson Beach, which is located at Point Lobos State Natural Reserve. I took the photo when my husband and I made our first visit to this gorgeous reserve. Today, I'm sharing more photos from our visit.

After my husband and I arrived at Point Lobos we headed over to the Bird Island Trail. The gentleman at the entrance told us that there were some docents along that trail and that as we walked along the trail, we would be able to see some pelicans and sea lions.

Here's a photo near the beginning of the trail. The man in the hat behind the table is one of the docents. My husband is right there in the center of the trail closest to the camera. He has a trail map in his pocket, which we purchased at the main entrance.



This is one of the entrances to the Bird Island Trail. There is also a wheelchair accessible entrance to the Bird Island trail. It looks more like the trail in the photo above.



I wish I could remember what the docent called these plants clinging to the sides of this cliff. I saw them in several locations at Point Lobos.



Here's a view from the entrance to Bird Island Trail. You can see that there's a nice little parking area there. And there are even picnic tables and a restroom adjacent to this parking area as well.



Bird Island Trail.



Here's a view from the Bird Island Trail. See those little white things down by that arch in the rock?



Here's a closer view of those white things. They were actually Egrets. The docent at this part of the trail told us that the Egrets were actually standing on kelp. How cool is that?



Here's an even closer view of the Egrets. I cropped the above photo so you could see them better.



Here's my husband walking along the trail. It really is a beautiful trail with gorgeous ocean views.



This is China Cove, which is accessible from Bird Island Trail by those long steps down to the beach. At the time of our visit, it was closed to the public.



The picture below shows a different view of China Cove. See Bird Island Trail in the distance? That's where we were headed.



More photos from our visit to Bird Island Trail in future posts.

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© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Red and Yellow Snapdragons

I love snapdragons. They're such pretty flowers. And they provide a beautifully colorful display during the cooler months of the year. I took this photo of snapdragons in our yard several years ago.

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© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Peanut Butter Fingers

This last Saturday evening, my husband and I attended a fun activity put on by a group in our local Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ward (for my non-LDS friends, a ward is a congregation).



The activity was held at a home along part of the Kings River in Fresno County. Here's a view from their house. (By the way, I took this photo of the river using the camera on my Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone. It actually did a fairly decent job.)



We had a scrumptious dinner and enjoyed delightfully funny entertainment. The delicious main dishes were provided for us, while side dishes and desserts were brought by those in attendance.

I decided to bring Peanut Butter Fingers, which is a family favorite.



The Peanut Butter Fingers recipe was printed in an LDS Relief Society recipe book called "The Best of Everything." It was published many years ago. This recipe book belonged to my mom. On one of the front pages she wrote October 9, 1965.

Dorrine Head originally shared this recipe in the book. My mom doubled the original recipe so it would fit into a large (approx. 17½" x 11½") cookie sheet.



Here's the recipe. I hope you enjoy these delicious bar cookies!

Peanut Butter Fingers 

Dough

1 cup margarine or butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups flour
2 cups quick rolled oats
2 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup peanut butter
Scant pinch salt
1 tsp. vanilla
 

Chocolate Topping

12-ounce bag semi-sweet chocolate chips (2 cups)

Peanut Butter Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
½ cup peanut butter
3-4 Tbsp. evaporated milk

Blend dough ingredients together using a counter-top or hand mixer. Mix well. Spread on large (approx. 17½" x 11½") cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned, about 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with one 12-ounce package semi-sweet chocolate chips and let stand 5 minutes. Spread melted chocolate chips evenly and drizzle with peanut butter glaze. If desired, swirl knife through chocolate and peanut butter. Cool. Cut in bars and store in airtight container.

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© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Our Visit to Avila Beach, California ~ Part 4

In my previous post about our family's visit to Avila Beach, I shared photos of the area around the Avila Beach Promenade. Today I'm sharing photos I took while my husband and I walked along the Avila Beach Pier.

Views From The Pier

Looking north -

See that large structure in the distance? My husband and I didn't know what that was at the time of our visit. I looked on Googlemaps and found out that it's the San Luis Bay Inn.



Here's a zoomed in view of the Inn.



Looking south -



Lots of seaweed under the pier.



I thought this looked interesting. See how the seaweed attached itself to the buoy?



More buoys…more seaweed.



Our virtual visit to Avila Beach isn't over yet. I'll be sharing more photos from our visit in future posts.

Linking with Our World Tuesday and Oh, the PLACES I've Been!.

Thanks for stopping by!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last