Ann Torrence [the Ann-alog]

the character of the American west: stories, landscape, lifestyle

Archives for October 2010

Highway 89 set: 7 National Parks

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Grinnell Point, Glacier National Park
Grinnell Point, Glacier National Park

Lower Yellowstone Falls, Yellowstone National Park
Lower Yellowstone Falls, Yellowstone National Park

Oxbow of the Snake River, Grand Teton National Park
Oxbow of the Snake River, Grand Teton National Park

Sunrise Point, Bryce Canyon National Park
Sunrise Point, Bryce Canyon National Park

Watchtower, Zion National Park
Watchtower, Zion National Park

Rising Mists, Grand Canyon National Park
Rising Mists, Grand Canyon National Park

Monsoon Season, Saguaro National Park
Monsoon Season, Saguaro National Park

In celebration of the publication of my book on U.S. Highway 89, I issued a limited edition set of seven photographs taken in each of the seven national parks along the route. The edition is limited to 89 signed, numbered prints. Each image is printed on Moab Entrada Fine Art paper with archival inks. The long dimension on the image is 15″, the shorter dimension will vary (paper size is 13×19″; a special Highway 89 insignia is printed in the margin). Prints include a certificate of authenticity. At this special price, these prints are unmatted and will ship in a tube to U.S. addresses only. Order securely through PayPal.

Set of 7 prints, $350

Making music together-Torrey, Utah

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musicians play guitar and violin by campfire light

Campfire harmony

It’s been nearly a year since I first saw the Torrey property, and now that we have a beater camper on the land, we have been spending as much time as we can down there this summer.

We named the place: Stray Arrow Ranch, although 3 acres is enough to ranch only mice or chinchillas and we shall do neither. We have a building plan, and a septic tank (a very exciting step forward when living in a camper). R counted our 31 cottonwoods along the canal. The bird life is rich: orioles, mountain bluebirds, turkey vultures and even an owl. I have woken up to the call of sandhill cranes down in the marshes to the south.

Best of all, we are getting to know our friends and neighbors already. We admire Scott and Mary’s progress across our fence as they build their straw bale house with their own hands. We drop in to Guy Tal’s gallery to find out where the aspen are best this week.

And then there are the parties…I have been blown away by the casual welcome we have received from the people we’ve known only for a short time. Someone told us that we would have a bigger social life in Torrey than the big city, and that has proven true. We have been spontaneously invited to a party or dinner every time we are in town. We need to get the barn up so we can have our own soirees. And since I don’t play any instruments, memorizing a poem or two to contribute at the campfire is on my to do list.

I always imagined living in a front-porch kind of community, where people drop in, visit at the post office, invite you to come play music when they see you at the hardware store, but I didn’t really believe it was real. If it had ever existed I figured it ended about the time the Andy Griffith show went into reruns. I am so glad I was wrong. We weren’t looking for Mayberry, but we are lucky to have found another world in Torrey.