Visitors at the Open House

A new visitor checked out the open house this afternoon.

I thought he might be the falcon, but after stalking him for awhile, I decided this was someone new.
Turns out he is a Say's Phoebe, a beautiful songbird.

I attended the open house this afternoon with a few members of my branch.  Annie, on the far right, played the tabernacle organ many times.  She's our branch accompanist.

Shea, who assisted our branch members, is one of the 600 brides who has scheduled a wedding at the new temple.  Vic, our branch chorister, has directed many choirs in the tabernacle.  Vic taught me several things today.  He's a brilliant man.

I pointed out this design which is on the elevator doors.  In turn, he pointed out the acanthus leaves at the top of the three pillars.

Vic, who has taught classes around the world, told me that acanthus leaves often topped Corinthian and Greek columns.

When I got home, I studied what he told me. Pictures of these beautiful leaves were easy to find.

As I sorted today's photos, I noticed the acanthus leaf in the design of the fountain.

The acantha leaf also comprises the design of the hardware on the stair rails.

Vic and I discussed the pointed Gothic arches.

The rounder arches in the top of the towers are Roman arches, he said.

After our tour, I walked around the temple grounds.

Open house tickets are frequently released.

The standby line is often a good idea, but not always.

Over 17,000 visitors toured the new temple on Friday, and then again on Saturday.

Sometimes more than 1500 people an hour see the temple. 

Tours begin at 7 am, and I've heard no complaints about parking.

Our branch members received special accommodations today, both inside and outside the temple.

We had a wonderful time, and I especially enjoyed all the elevator rides.

Before leaving, I saw one more new thing on the temple grounds.