I last published in my BLOG in early 2018 after returning from a stint of cancer treatment at the Loma Linda University Health at the world-renown Proton Beam Treatment Center. I returned to my lovely small ranch near Zion National Park located in Rockville Utah where I served for over five years on the Planning Commission. This small town is quiet, rural, historic, and boasts a very famous old bridge first built by the National Park Service in 1924, but which was restored to its original glory a couple of years ago--SEE Historic Rockville Bridge.
The photo above shows our view of the bridge along the Virgin River from our property along Grafton Road in Rockville Utah as of August 2020. The peaks of Zion National Park are in the background. Below are a few other photos of our newly restored bridge.
I have returned with gusto to managing our small ranch, mainly growing hay for local horse owners, and harvesting fruit from some of our heirloom peach and apple trees. I also have continued my photography business (see my homepage Geobobford.com) from which I sell photography from my work around the world as well as here in the Inter-Mountain West. Go to to my online Portfolio at iStock/Getty Images. See some photos below from the most recent hay-cutting in early August 2020.
Note the sunset into haze from a wildfire in Nevada spewing out smoke into Southern Utah. Of course, during this very dry 2020 summer, we've also been plagued by smoke coming from California as well where a truly apocalyptic-level of wildfires have erupted. We're thankful to have sufficient water from our well as well as runoff from the Virgin River to grow our crops, but we're concerned for the long-turn; climate specialists tell us we're going back into a "mega-drought" affecting the whole US Southwest. This summer (July-August 2020) has been the hottest and driest I've seen in the ten years since we built "our place" here in Rockville. Pray for rain, though as a conservation scientist, I recognize this as part of a long-term weather pattern related to "climate change" that too many people still ignore as a truly existential threat to humanity.
Finally, since early March 2020 we have been "social distancing" here on our ranch as a result of partial or complete "lockdowns" related to the COVID-19 Global Pandemic. As a person who was trained in public health, we've been trying to be a good example, and to protect ourselves due to our being in a higher-risk category--older age--by wearing masks whenever in groups, washing hands, restricting travel and social contact. We're so thankful we have a nice quiet road to walk along and helpful neighbors who watch out for us.
And,as much of the world has had to do, we're becoming experts in the use of ZOOM for virtual connecting with friends and family and our church brethren. And in a few weeks I return to my part-time teaching at Dixie State University, in their Institute for Continual Learning where I teach to adults a course entitled Globalization and Diversity--this year it will be by ZOOM online only.
I wish you all the very best as we weather the Pandemic but also the other truly catastrophic crises affecting the United State of America including the economic collapse, a crisis in race relations, and a sad political fragmentation and polarization in our national politics between right and left which has also affected the US geopolitical environment as well.
I will try to continue this blog with postings at least once-a-month, but you can also follow me on Facebook or Instagram for a more daily or weekly update in my life.
Stay SAFE and HEALTHY!!
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