Dinky's Docket

Yesterday was the 24th of July. For the rest of the world, that doesn't mean much, but for Utah and other Mormon communities it's as big as, if not bigger than, the 4th. It commemorates the day the pioneers came into the Salt Lake Valley to settle it. We got the day off but I still went into the station to work on a friend's project, his latest in a trilogy of documentaries on the Mormon Temples.

Last night, I took the boys to a Salt Lake Stingers minor league baseball game. They seemed to enjoy it, though they couldn't figure out what was going on. Dinky Jr's eight now, so he should know something about the game, but he doesn't. That's my fault. I'm not very interested in sports and I'm afraid that might have an adverse effect on the kids. I want them to be well-rounded and I think sports are a great way to teach them social and other skills. Jr. and his middle brother huddled under a blanket as we were drizzled on during nearly the entire game. But my three-year-old loved the rain. He sat on my lap with his arms out and his mouth open, trying to catch the drops. It was actually quite pleasant to be out in the rain like that. It was still very warm (we've had a record 10 consecutive days of over-100-degree temps) even after dark, so the rain was refreshing. We stayed for most of the fireworks after our team was stomped on by the Sidewinders. As we walked the 3200 blocks back to our car--early to beat the crowd--we were able to see the rest of the show, as well as the Liberty Park Fireworks show near the University of Utah. That made the trek a little easier.