A recent National Geographic article named two Utah towns on its list of “America’s 20 Best Mountain Biking Towns”. For adventure seekers, this may come as no surprise. Between all of Utah’s national parks and wild landscape, Utah is a great place to find outdoor adventure.

Moab made number one on the list. The red rock landscape makes for an otherworldly view. Some of Moab’s best trails include Porcupine Rim, Slickrock, and Whole Enchilada. The location of Moab makes traveling to other beautiful areas such as Arches and Canyonlands also makes the trip worth it.

Park City made the list at number four. The International Mountain Biking Association awarded Park City its first gold-level status of its 37 designated “ride centers’. Park City…

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My friend came to visit us in St. George from up north and she told me that we must visit the best quilt shop in Utah – Clover Patch Quilt Shop in Santa Clara, Utah.  I am not a quilter and the only thing I sew are buttons onto a shirt or two, if I have to.  But this was an incredible fabric/quilt shop.  The Clover Patch is on Santa Clara Drive in a home that has been renovated into a quilt shop. 

I have never seen such beautiful fabrics in every color imaginable.   We spent time looking at the wide selection of quality fabrics available.  The fabrics were displayed by colors but also in groupings, such as:  holidays, nature, children, floral, southwest and novelty. 

 

The Clover Patch is family owned and operated.  The people were very…

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Trail Tuesday took me on my favorite hike of the summer – Red Reef at Red Cliffs.    The Red Reef hike begins at the Red Cliffs campground and it takes you by beautiful red rock formations, arches, caves and great water holes.  There are spectacular views and numerous photo opportunities.  The trail follows Quail Creek and you enter a winding beautiful canyon.  There were several pools of water and at one point you have to navigate around a large pool, over an 8-foot sandstone wall, with carved-out foot holds.  These are called the Moki steps by locals.  Going up these steps is scary, but coming down them was fairly terrifying.  There is an anchored rope for you to hold onto, but if you fall you land right in the pool of water.

This pool is…

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Whenever I move it takes me months to finally hang pictures on the wall. I’m always nervous I’ll hang them in the wrong place or hang them the wrong way. I know I shouldn’t be intimidated by something that isn’t permanent, so I did some research on how to hang a picture correctly the first time.

Find the Place to Hang It

It’s hard to tell if the placement of a picture looks good from up close. Have someone hold the picture where you want it so you can step back and look at it from different angles. You can tell the person to move it around on different parts of the wall until you are satisfied with the location. A few things you should keep in mind is lighting and wall studs. Pictures might look very different depending on the time of day, so…

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After eating a delicious breakfast at the Main Street Diner, I came across an interesting antique/vintage shop in Hurricane, Utah.  It is called the Gypsy Emporium Antique Mall.  It is located at 25 East State Street in Hurricane.  This is one of the largest antique stores in all of Southern Utah.  

There is really no way to classify this shop.  It is full of antiques, souvenirs, mementos, crafts, vintage clothing and jewelry, consignment items and yet they also have new, locally made items too.  The building is huge and also has an upstairs packed with items.

I don’t really love shopping for antiques, but I enjoyed shopping at the Gypsy Emporium.  I found a few unique items I bought as gifts.  My daughter was with me and it was fun to explain…

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The Pasta Factory is located in Ancestor Square, downtown at the corner of St. George Boulevard and Main Street.  The Pasta Factory is a MUST if you live in St. George or if you are visiting.  The restaurant has an inside dining area, but I always enjoy sitting in the temperature controlled patio area. 

The unique thing about the Pasta Factory is that you can custom-build your pasta dish.  You select your pasta from a numerous assortment of choices – angel hair, spaghetti, fettuccine, penne, bowtie, linguine, radiatore, fresh zucchini, tortellini or ravioli.  Then you choose your sauce – alfredo, red clam, white clam, spaghetti, classic pesto, creamy pesto, meat or Szechuan.  Finally, you can add toppings to the dish – chicken breast, Szechuan…

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Buying a home is hard enough, but many people find themselves in the position of needing to sell their house either before or at the same time they are buying one. As if one wasn’t stressful enough… It is possible to make the process easier. Here are a few tips to think about before you get started.

  1.        Get a Net Sheet for Your Current Home

A net sheet will tell you how much you’ll be walking away with when selling your home after closing costs. If you are counting on that money to make a down payment, this will give you an idea of what you can expect to have available. This is also a good time to get an idea of how much your current home is worth.

  1.        Put Your House on the Market

It is important to list your house…

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Dixie State University, Washington County School District and the City of St. George have worked together to offer classes in a collaborative learning environment - Community Education at Dixie State University. 

Sign up for the Community Education newsletter here.  Dixie State University will send you upcoming classes, community events and all sorts of good information to your email.  Fall 2017 registration begins August 14.  Fees vary depending on the class. 

Classes that are often offered:

  • Art
  • Photography
  • Crafts and other hobbies
  • Foreign languages
  • Personal enrichment
  • Dance
  • Music
  • Health and fitness
  • Motorcycle safety
  • Self-protection safety programs

Do you have a special skill or hobby you would like to…

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I invited my parents to breakfast this morning and they suggested we try DeDe’s Restaurant in St. George, Utah.  DeDe’s is a quaint little diner on the corner of Dixie Drive and Valley View Drive.  We were immediately seated and given a menu with wonderful breakfast selections.  DeDe’s has been voted BEST OMELETS in St. George by Trip Advisor.   I selected an omelet and buttermilk biscuit.  They were both delicious.  My parents decided on strawberries and cream french toast.  The french toast and bacon were delicious too.  My grandfather was a cook and my mom talked about how DeDe’s food reminded her of her father’s cooking at home, years ago. 

There is a wonderful breakfast menu with “25 Dang Delicious Omelets,” as well as several breakfast…

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According to a new analysis done by SmartAsset, Washington County is the 14th in new investments this year out of 3,000 counties across the United States.

An investment, according to this study, occurs whenever a new business is opened, a house is built, a company moves in, or a government agency supports a project. The fact that all of these are occurring in the area, shows that there is still plenty of growth to come. Washington County has already been seeing plenty of it recently. New homes are popping up everywhere as more people and businesses choose to make this area their home. Data from the study showed a 13.7 percent growth in business, 36 new building permits per 1,000 homes last year, and a 5.4 percent increase in job growth. The study…

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