The U.S. Flag, flying in the warm
summer breeze in front of the
cabin at Pine Valley, Utah
on the Fourth of July, 2003Here I am in the beautiful community of Pine Valley, nestled against the imposing Pine Valley Mountains. The air outside is cool, cooler than in St. George. Before it dipped below the western horizon, a crescent moon graced the clear, starry sky, a night sky unpolluted by too many street lights, though there was a thin haze of smoke from the Apex fire, still burning in the hills and mountains west of St. George.

About that mountain -- please don't call it Pine Mountain like some uninformed folks do -- the official name is Pine Valley Mountain or the Pine Valley Mountains (even though the name is something of an oxymoron). I suspect the mountain was named after the community, Pine Valley, nestled in the arms, rather than the community taking its name from the mountain. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong in my conjecture, since that's all it is, a guess.

One of my pet peeves is calling things by names that don't belong to them. When some locals say they are going to Zion National Park, they happily say, "I'm going up to Zions." No, the national park isn't plural, multiple parks named Zion, nor is it possessive, a park belonging to Zion. It is Zion National Park, so I say, "I'm going up to Zion," which just sounds so much better to my ears.

Others refer to Zions Bank, saying, "I bank at Zion." That doesn't work! It isn't Zion Bank. It's Zions Bank. So why not use, "I bank at Zions," instead? I suspect the bank was originally Zion's Bank or Zion's First National Bank. Nevertheless, the official name today is Zions Bank.

Hey, how did I get so sidetracked on something that's not important, lest you think me a member of the grammar police? I make spelling and grammar mistakes all the time (so please don't flame me). I just appreciate good grammar and usage when I get a chance to be around it. 'Tis music to my ears, at least when I'm keen enought to recognize it.

It's the Fourth of July (admittedly, very early A.M.). Wow!

I'm ever in awe at the founders of this nation, those who put their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor on the line when they signed the Declaration of Independence. What amazing freedoms we enjoy in the United States of America because there were those willing to fight and die and live to create a new kind of civilization, a free nation, one nation under God. Yes, those men were devout for the most part, and they recognized the hand of the Lord of Heaven in delivering them out of the hands of a powerful nation. They saw the hand of Divine Providence in the forging of the Constitution, a miracle of compromise that doesn't compromise freedom. I owe them a great debt, one that can only really be repaid by supporting freedom, standing up for what is right, and recognizing and being grateful for the continued blessings of Heavenly Father upon this nation. I know this nation will remain free so long we who live in it abide by His precepts.