Temples, Runners and Finials

Two visiting grandsons talked Mr. Engineer-Husband and me into hiking the Y on Tuesday.  We watched the shadow of Y Mountain move across the valley, exposing the Mount Timpanogos Temple and later the Provo Temple.

Each temple is distinctive, even at a distance.

We could even see the new Payson Temple to the south.

Today the South Stake hosted a Pioneer 5K run between Provo's two temples.  They started here...

And ended here.

Hiking the Y is a lot of fun, and I was glad I had my camera with me to get a different perspective.

I went to the site this morning to take a few pictures before the race began.  Despite the holiday, it was a normal workday.

I was very curious about the work happening on top of the four tower roofs. 

If you've been following the construction cam, you've seen workmen in precarious positions the last few days.

I learned something very interesting.  My camera captured this picture of the top of a tower roof two months ago.  It looks like part of a branch.  This morning I learned that's exactly what it is.  Three of the tower roofs have these.  The wood was part of the original construction and was able to be saved.  The southwest tower roof suffered a lot of damage, if you recall.  While the workmen managed to preserve much of that tower, the top part did not survive.

After two days of work this week, copper anchors sheathed the wooden spindles.

By this morning, the two north towers were adorned with these.

This morning I watched workmen lift this finial up to the northeast tower.

This was reminiscent of the effort required by my grandsons to get me to the top of the Y.

I had time before the race to walk around the block.

The mat footing near the south parking entrance is starting to look like a green sea.  That means a pour is imminent.

I caught this picture of a Dutchman repair on a keystone.

Brick continues to rise on the south gable.  The area for the decorative arch appears to be ready.

The sun broke through the clouds as I studied the brick.

About an inch of the exterior mortar is being replaced.

Each stone is being cleaned and repaired.

I keep trying to see the east gable, but the scaffolding is immense on this side.

Just after 8 am I crossed the street to the courthouse.  Its gardens are beautiful.

I found a nice perch where I could watch the action and realized I also had a good view of the work on the southeast tower.

Lo and behold, I suddenly had a great view of the brickwork on the east gable!

I didn't have to wait long for the first runner to cross the finish line.  It was quite exciting.

Everyone was chasing him.

I saw runners of all ages.

Everyone was having a great time.

Some athletes ran with ease.

Some listened to music as they ran.

It was a beautiful morning for a race.

My camera spied a little hand-holding.

Scenes like this really touched my heart.

This one melted my heart.

I saw ties. . .

And quite a few dresses.

Authenticity required gingham fabric and a baby.

There were bonnets aplenty.

This was my favorite.

Many, many babies crossed the finish line.

So did a lot of scooters.

This is the first time I have seen such an intense scooter-rider.

Stroller-riders had it easy. . .

But they caught the spirit of the race.

Some of the runners needed a little help.

Just as with the pioneers of 1847, no one was left behind.

Everyone participated.

Some were pushed.

Some were pulled. . .

And some giggled all the way.

This race was a wonderful family event.

Over 8,000 runners participated, and many were in family groups.

Even from the sidelines, I had a blast.

While watching the runners, I kept an eye on the action across the street.

The men measured, lifted, worked and shifted things around on top of the tower.

About two hours after I got home, the cam finally showed the finial in place.

All the action reminded me of a few months ago when Moroni was placed.  Great progress!