Crystal HOT Springs

Xiao Yu and Patrick are leaving us for that mysterious and frighteningly gargatuan country across the Pacific soon. I cried last night about it and I will cry more times, certainly. This blog could easily turn to my heartache about the subject. But I will get back to REALLY important topics, like going swimming.

It wasn't just ANY swimming. Swimming at Crystal Hot Springs in Honeyville, UT! Xiao Yu wanted to experience a hot springs before she went home, so we drove through beautiful northern Utah farm country. We saw some unbelievable homes out in the middle of what could be called nowhere by most people and we wondered, WHAT DO THESE PEOPLE DO FOR WORK???!!! I dediced they're all authors or online business millionaires. Any insights on the matter would be appreciated.

Crystal Hot Springs was just about how I remember it from when I was 12 or younger. It is always a neat sensation to walk into a place and be taken back. However, I do think that the Hot Springs in this case could benefit from updating their facilities and ambiance just a bit. Particularly the locker room. But I digress.

The main points in this post include the following 4 topics(note, some pictures are a little fuzzy. I have no photography skills):
1. The water was SO hot! The kids' cheeks instantly took on the Peruvian "chappas" look of their extremely distant cousins living in the highlands surrounding Cusco somewhere. We actually got into the cold water, even though it was not a very warm day, just to escape the heat.


2. The waterslide. This thing had some UMPH. The attendant risked his job by allowing Miranda (under-aged!) to ride with Fernando. I expected white-knuckled screams of childhood trauma from her, but she actually LOVED it. And I gained new hope that my daughter will not be the worry-wort(wart?) scaredy-cat I've always been.

3. We love hanging out with Patrick and Xiao Yu. China: Please appreciate the sacrafice that comes with our gift to you.


4. And finally, Miranda meets The Wrinkled. Fernando first made a witty quip about one of The Wrinkled as we entered the first Hot Springs pool. He said something like, "Don't stay in here too long. That lady has been in here two hours." And of course he didn't jesture or point or even look in her direction but I started scanning the vicinity and saw one cute little lady of The Wrinkled and couldn't help but laugh.
I think The Wrinkled come to the Hot Springs for health. The minerals are supposed to be really good for you. I plan on us moving to Honeyville when we are 90+ years old for this very reason (now Fernando's hoping he doesn't live that long...an L.A. boy, living in Honeyville?)(I'm kidding, he actually said he'd like to live out there somewhere in a place like that...in one of those INCREDIBLE homes, of course.).

We were sitting nearby to the same lady later on, soaking in all the minerals, and I noticed that Miranda noticed her. So, Miranda just walked over on the little stairs in the water to her. I started panicking! If she feels comfortable pointing out a little cash-register girl's freckles and calling them zits, what is she going to say to The Wrinkled?!!
But she just sat down and said, "Hi." She had to say it a few times to get the lady's attention. The lady responded, and Miranda said, "This is a nice place." And the lady said, "Yes, it is." And Miranda said, "You should come here a lot." And then she talked about some other stuff, none of which had to do with the appearance of The Wrinkled. Phew. Then another of The Wrinkled joined them and Miranda just sat there in the middle of them, chatting. I tried to run out of the pool and back to take a quick picture, but I sort of missed the moment. But at least you get to see Miranda and The Wrinkled together.



I'm thinking about taking her to Nursing Homes or Rest Homes just so she can spend some of her words with old people, who are usually SO nice to kids and also might appreciate the company. But then I'd have to take Samuel there too, and he would terrorize the place. On second thought....