Field Trips

Everyone knows I’m a big sucker for learning and field trips, which is probably why I graduated from college only to go back to the third grade. I don’t have anything against my career choice, but it’s so nice to be taking some years off so I can take my own family on field trips now.
BYU recently put on a Carl Bloch exhibit. Admission was free and we went the very last day of the show.  It was really cool because they had 5 original altar pieces on lend from churches, as well as 30 of his other works. I learned that he was majorly influenced by Rembrandt (one of my favorites), which was evident in his pieces. My favorite tidbit of knowledge that I took away was how Bloch was commissioned to recreate a collection of paintings that were destroyed in Frederiksborg Castle (now the Museum of National History), after a fire destroyed the previous paintings.  Most of the paintings depict the life of Jesus Christ, and were ones I’d grown up seeing at church. Anyway, so glad we got to see it. 
Afterwards, we saw some other “art” pieces (if you can call them that).  One such piece is this huge stack of books behind Kate.

I mean…can we not have a set definition for what art is? I’m open to most anything so long as it requires actual skill and talent. But book stacking? I guess it could be impressive if there were no ladders involved…
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Yesterday we went to the Bingham Canyon Copper Mine.  Call me crazy, but this has long since been on my list of places to visit.  Most people would probably be bored here, but I thought it was awesome and beautiful!

This is a $25,000 tire from a hauling truck.  They generally only last a year, and each truck has six of these.

This is our scientific child studying different minerals with her microscope in the visitor’s center.

This is where the trucks line up to dump the ore into a crusher. About 140,000 tons of ore is ground every day.
These are two of my 3 greatest joys taking in the scenery.

And this is the view from 6,440 feet above sea level.
And here’s one last interesting tidbit I learned: Apparently, the world’s oldest manmade object is made out of (drum roll, please)….copper; an ornamental pendant dating to about 9500 B.C. , found in Iraq. Seriously, people, this is cool.
After Kennecott, we visited Soda Row in Daybreak. We went to Tio’s for some outstanding Mexican and then the Swirly Girl’s Bakery for assorted treats.  We would have walked the lake, but some storms were rolling in. Anyway, all excellent venues for a fun family outing.