Bard on the Rocks

Cedar City is just a small little southern Utah town that most outsiders have never heard of. However, it is also the home of one of the best Shakespearean festivals in the country! This year, I joined my mother and her dear friend, who happens to be a famous opera singer, on a trip down to Cedar for some good quality time with the Bard and the rocks. 

Carla, Juliet, Me, and Mom

As a theatre-lover myself, seeing 6 plays in 3 days was like heaven. It started out with Harper Lee's classic, "To Kill a Mockingbird." I had forgotten how much I loved that book and it once again made me think about having a son with the middle name of Atticus. The other plays included "The Merry Wives Of Windsor," "Scapin," "Mary Stuart," "Les Miserables," and "Titus Andronicus."

With the Bard

"Titus Andronicus" is one of those unknown Shakespeare plays and now I think I know why. Of course it was well-acted and well-written, but the fact of the matter is that this play is like a Shakespearean Horror show - full of revenge, murder, blood, and gore. I'm sure the groundings loved it back in the day! 


When we were not play-watching, we were exploring Cedar or going to lunch with Fred Adams (the founder of the festival). One day we decided to hie to Kolob canyon and see the beautiful rocks. I had never been to Kolob before, but it truly was heavenly up in the quiet splendor of those tall and majestic mountains. 

After the festival, the three of us jumped back in the car and headed off to Bryce Canyon. Bryce is one of my favorite spots in Utah. I love the colors, the hoodos, the crazy formations that look like people and stories, and the relatively cool weather. We hiked our favorite route from The "Queen's Gardens" trail to the "Navajo Loop" trail. It was gorgeous and my tennis shoes were covered in glorious red dust. No to mention, nothing is more blue than a Brcye canyon sky.

Traditional tree hugging picture

Queen Victoria riding a turtle with a following fish!

This is what I would look like as a ghost!

Our next destination took us to Zion National Park and boy was it a cooker! 105 degrees is not my favorite, but we still had fun. My favorite part was watching my mother clutch two ski poles as she inched her way up the rocky water of the Narrows. We've always loved hiking up the Narrows, but since my mother's back surgery, her foot and leg have been pretty unstable. I feared that walking over a rocky riverbed would be impossible, but she did it and she did it with style! I couldn't be more proud of her. It was good to have her near me as we went through the refreshing water to discover waterfalls and repelling hikers. 

Next week I head out to one of my favorite places in the whole world! The Outer banks, North Carolina. It will be good to be back at the beach with all my family. Stay tuned for pictures and stories to come. For now, look at my blog background (the outer banks) and imagine the sound of ocean waves!