Best And Then I Went to Utah, Pt. 2

So, after Logan I drove back to Highland via Salt Lake City, where I checked out that new City Creek Mall that they've got.  I feel like the people of Salt Lake are feeling really satisfied that they've finally got the mall that they've felt they've deserved all along.

I know, this is a blog full of feelings.

Oh and I also stopped off in Draper for a corn dog at Arctic Circle.

Have you met my nephew, Bill Murray?

Surprise phone call when I was in Highland from Andrew, on his way to Lubbock, summoning me to get 50¢ cones with him at Burger King. 

On Saturday Cory saved their garden lettuce from the impending heat wave.

Then we went and had family dinner at Rubio's.  What's in the bag, Ellie?

Oh, it's a churro!

What's in the bag, Rachel?

Oh, it's chips!

Then we drove into deep Alpine

And walked through somebody's back yard

And climbed up on fences to look at . . .

Buffalos!

And then we drove to another field and looked at camels.  Alpine people: You'll put anything in your fields!

Sunday dinner everyone helped me cook a Momofuku-style feast.

Grandma Barnes kept telling me I'd look good in Greg's glasses, that I should get a nice pair of glasses, that I'd look so good in glasses.  That they'd get me a job. I've heard this before.  I've refused to get glasses.  I remain, essentially, jobless.  I just won't listen.

Kristen has a new cooking blog with her friend (my friend?) Camille, so some of the food got plated and shot all Kinfolk style.

My less artfully plated meal: Bo Ssam wraps with ginger scallion sauce, kimchi puree, and ssam sauce; kimchi apple salad; Brussels sprouts with fish sauce vinaigrette, miso butter corn and asparagus in miso butter.

Everyone chowing down backyard-style.  The cooking turned out to be so much work that I could barely eat.

Over the weekend the nieces and nephews constructed this expansive blanket fort in the basement.  It made it hard for me to find a spot on the couch to play Arkham City from, but I didn't give up!  I found a spot and I played and I nearly beat the game.  Sunday night, after playing until about 3 in the morning (what? I was on vacation!) I decided to buy an airplane ticket to Berlin.  So I did.

Little personal touches here and there on the fort.

One of my very last meals in Utah: Arby's on a Hawaiian roll.

My very last meal in Utah: Bombay House.  Going to the Bombay House with the Edwardses it's like they order half the food for dinner and half the food for eating over the next few days.  But in college Bombay House leftovers were the most respected leftovers, so I'm down with their game.

Visited with Grandma for a few hours at the other Edwardses before catching my flight to New York.

The gate agent tricked me into taking the very back row corner seat.  I sat in front of the toilet and everytime I heard it flush I thought the engine was failing.

Arriving at JFK, the JetBlue terminal was absolutely bananas.  At 6 in the morning!  Gawsh.

Then I went home for a few hours before heading back to JFK to fly to Berlin.