April and May Showers, Flowers and Rainbows!

     

Mothers Day brunch with young women and women in the pavilion behind our chapel.Their faces are brighter than the back of their heads! Our family celebrated not only spectacular mothers (my daughters Julie and Emily, and daughters-in-law Fernanda and Rebecca, have given me 17 wonderful grandchildren...

They are raising great (and often goofy) boys: George Taylor, John Carlston, Simon de S., Andrew Taylor, Luke Carlston, Nick de S. Missing from photo are Aaron Taylor and Ben de S.

and also the recent 18th birthday of twins John and Luke Carlston 

(who will be graduating from high school May 29 and begin serving missions in Oregon and Arkansas in August) and my youngest grandchild, their sister Phoebe, who just turned 8 and will be baptized in early June.

Front row: Hannah and Nick de S. (BYU students), Lucie Taylor. Back row: Stephanie Carlston, Evie de S., Elise Carlston

The BYU Art Museum is a wonderful place

It took 150 years from the landing of my Mayflower ancestors until the Declaration of Independence and the founding of the United States of America, whose 250th anniversary we celebrate this July 4th, 2026.

We took my brother Brion and sister-in-law Carol, visiting from San Diego, to see the BYU campus, which included a visit to the BYU Art museum to see the restoration of Ghiberti's Baptistry doors (last blog) and some of its wonderful western art collection.
            

Maynard Dixon painted American Native and European people from the Depression Era as well as western landscapes. Below: The Forgotten Man

Mahonri Young captured wonderful western life, also.

Mahonri Mackintosh Young was an American social-realist sculptor and artist. During his lengthy career, he created more than 320 sculptures, 590 oil paintings, 5,500 watercolors, 2,600 prints, and thousands of drawings. He is primarily recognized for his sculpture.

         Mahonri Young's Navajo Woman and Herd (1924-30)

I love this Monterey, CA coast painting

When my brother Brion and wife Carol came for a rare visit we went to Provo Canyon and had lunch at Sundance resort with Emily& Peter.

                                        Peter and Brion       Carol and Miriam

          Robert Redford owned and developed his film studio at Sundance

The extremely talented BYU Ballroom Dancers gave a great pre-trip show before competing in Blackpool England and performing in India

My granddaughter Cordelia (center front row) scored 2 amazing goals in their last game of the season. 

After Saturday's game I visited the UVU Art Museum at the beautiful Orem estate donated by the 4 sons of the owner, Melanie Laycock Bastian (1954-2016, ex-wife of Word-Perfect co-founder Bruce Bastian,1948-2024. They remained close and were generous philanthropists).

                    Some of the permanent paintings in the home

        The Woman's Part by Scottish artist Colin Hunter (1841-1904)

A.D.Shattuck's White Mountains of New Hampshire (1867-8)

                Canyon Walls by Wilson Hurley (Am. 1924-2008)
The two temporary exhibits and life timelines are of famous French actress and opera singer Sarah Bernhardt and Oscar Wilde who admired her and called her "The Divine Sarah."

Costumes are on loan from the SLC Opera: Salome by Richard Strauss

Sarah had a bad fall, had her leg amputated just below the hip, but continued to perform sitting down!

The other exhibit was of the beautiful poetry of Irish writer Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), associated with the late 19th century's fascination with beauty, sensation and artistic form: Art Nouveau. While best known for his plays and fiction, he published a volume of poetry in 1881, often borrowing the language of music and describing scenes as harmonies, nocturnes and or tonal studies in mood and color, much of the imagery in yellow or gold. His poetry imagines a convergence of sound, sight and sensation. 

Charles T. Griffes (1884-1920) was an American impressionist composer for piano, chamber ensembles and voice. He also experienced synesthesia, a form of perception in which sound and color are linked. When he encountered Wilde's poetry he sought to translate those impressions into sound. The result (which headphones at the exhibit allow the visitor to listen to) is gorgeous. Paintings and music scores accompany each poem.

       There is a also wonderful video created by UVU Art students

Coming together of beloved arts: I am loving Mark Twain's Joan of Arc, which he considered his best book. Her inspiration, light, focus, and goodness immediately drew most people to her wise and unfaltering leadership in recovering France from English occupation after years. 

If only we all had her courage and recognition of truth our world would be peaceful, united, and accepting of all of God's children.

So wonderful to hear Evelyn Gaskin's Romanian mission report via zoom. Bishop Rusty Hancock is returning her plaque in Palo Alto.

             Fun to watch Cordelia and Peter woodworking together

Great visit from my MTC interpretation friend "Duka" from Mongolia