Confessions of a Laundry Faerie: The fair city of Provo

I was out running a few errands today, and I had my camera with me, so I thought perhaps you might like to see some more of the best bits of Provo City.

Well, even if you don't, you're gonna see 'em anyway 'cause that's JUST HOW I AM! Neener.

The former Maeser Elementary (built 1898), now restored to the splendor of its heyday.

It's been reopened as a senior housing project.

One of the main buildings in downtown Provo is the Provo Tabernacle, a religious edifice and occasional venue for concerts.

Unfortunately, someone just recently made the foolish decision to cut down all the stately old trees surrounding the Tabernacle...

...and to replace them with trees planted ridiculously close to the building. They're already practically growing into the brickwork.

Beehive detail on the corner stairs of the Tabernacle. Representations of bees and beehives are a common sight in much of Utah. Bees are a symbol of industry and represent the concept that well-accomplished work can be a source of sweetness. Before the state received its current name, it was known as Deseret, a word meaning "honeybee."

One of many stained glass windows in the Tabernacle. If your eyes are sharp, you can see another beehive near the top of this window.

I've sung in many a choir concert in this building. The acoustics are interesting and the organ, if properly played, is capable of rattling all the windows in their frames.

This time I noticed the sunburst detail at the very top of the building. I'd never really seen it before.

Just across the street from the Tabernacle is the County Courthouse (also known as the City/County Building).

When my friend Brad and I were in high school, and spring or the full moon or something had made us both crazy, we'd come over here in the dead of night and evilly steal hyacinths out of the planted beds surrounding the building. Hmm. I hope the statute of limitations has run out on prosecuting that particular misdeed.

The Elgin Marbles these are not. I have to laugh at the random cog, and that the pediment sculptures have been screened off from any avian criticism.

Inside, the building is quite lovely, with painted ceilings and marble floors...

...and many, many columns.

I'm particularly fond of this building, as Captain Midnight and I held our wedding reception here. We had to obtain special permission from the city council to do it, but they finally gave us the OK.

An inset detail of the marble floor, taken from the balcony above.

Here's where the wedding party stood and received visitors. By the time it was over I swore I would never wear heels again.

This is what I like to call the sweetheart tree, planted just at the foot of the courthouse steps. It looks a bit like something out of a James Christensen painting. Not only is the canopy heart-shaped, but so are the leaves. If only the thing bore heart-shaped fruit.

This is the Knight Block, at 1 East Center Street in downtown Provo. A long time ago, I used to work for a law firm that had its offices on the third floor. One day the clock stopped working and one of the law partners, who enjoyed mountain climbing in his spare time, got out his climbing gear, rappelled down the face of the clock tower and fixed the clock (the hands had gotten stuck together and needed a little cleaning). As it was a slow news day, he ended up getting photographed for the Daily Herald.

1 West Center Street, at the intersection of Center and University (the two main streets of the town). When our family first moved to Utah, many of the upper floors of these buildings were not in use, and my sister Julie and I would go downtown on Saturdays, sneak up the back stairs and explore all the empty rooms, looking out through the facets of every stained glass window and generally acting goofy.

A few years ago someone came up with the idea of adding some public art to Provo's downtown. This particular deer stands guard, perennially giving the stinkeye to Taylor Maid Beauty Supply across the street.