Dime Project

After flipping my dime on the map, I realized that it landed just North East of the Purple turtle in Pleasant Grove. It was in that area that I had the opportunity of meeting Ralph McDonald. For most of Ralph's life he spent it outdoors, only to increase his passion for nature.  Since the age of 4, Ralph was glued at the hip to his best friend Arlo Shelley. During Arlo's life, he made a big impact on Ralph because anytime his name was brought up during our visit, he would get emotional. Ralph told stories from the 15 times that he had hiked to the top of Mount Timpanogas. He mentioned that they would use their knapsacks to slide down the glaciers to get down faster. After about 3 days of camping, they couldn't stand the smell of one another, so after taking a dip in the lakes with ice floating next to them, Ralph said their voices would be 2 octaves higher.  They both ended up working for the forrest services for many many years before retiring. Ralph has since picked a new hobby. Even though he is in his 80's, that doesn't stop him from going up the canyon to harvest wood for his custom handmade pens. 

9/11 project

 

"I was in the bathroom getting my elementary kids ready for the day when I got a phone call from my neighbor telling me to turn on the TV. It was about the same time that I turned the TV on that my husband came home from the gym bursting through the doors and we watched in disbelief as the second tower was hit."

-Julie Mattingly