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Burger at Blondie's

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Originally uploaded by MadeByMark

When you're in the middle of nowhere, almost any lunch counter will suffice. That's how we felt when we drove through Hanksville today, and found Blondie's Eatery and Gift at the junction of Highways 12 and 14.

You know Blondie's -- it's the burger joint right next to the gas station. You know, the gas station that is literally built right into the side of hill of red earth? No? Never been there?

Well, don't go out of your way. (Actually, you'll have to.) But when you're so hungry that you start thinking the tumbleweeds might make a great salad, Blondie's is just the ticket. The staff is friendly to the point of being positively gleeful, the burgers are better than average, and the icy cold coke is a welcome libation after hours in a metal car in the desert heat.

Yes, our car was air conditioned. Yes, we had cold drinks in the car. Yes, I wrote last sentence in the previous paragraph solely for dramatic effect.

Beep Beep

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Originally uploaded by MadeByMark

We're passing through Road Runner country today, driving from Bryce Canyon, through Capitol Reef, and on to Moab. New photos on flickr.com document every stop along the way, including our ill-advised hike through a petrified forest in 100-degree heat.

Bryce Pines Restaurant

Clyde's platter of fresh trout looked even yummier than my cooked to order t-bone steak!

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Bryce is Nice

What a great day in Bryce Canyon National Park.

Maybe it's because it's Sunday, or maybe it's because it's July, or maybe it's because of the economy ... but the park was, with just a few exceptions, ours today. When we drove out to Rainbow Point, we spent several minutes just listening to the silence. Later, during our afternoon hike on the Navajo Loop, there were long stretches where we were the only humans we could see or hear. I'll never forget the watery, rushing sound of the wind coursing through the tortured canyon walls.

A Day in Bryce Canyon

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Originally uploaded by MadeByMark

A huge collection of stunning photos from today's exploration of Bryce Canyon. Enjoy!

Bryce Canyon, UT

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Originally uploaded by MadeByMark

Just one of several new Utah photos up on Flickr.com. Feel free to page through 'em and take a virtual vacation of your own!

Silent City

From Inspiration Point, in Bryce Canyon National Park.

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Near Bryce Canyon

After a day of scenic driving, we stopped to snap a shot of the distinctive landscape near our hotel.

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Salt Lake Saturday Morning

We've landed!

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Corporate Culture

 "Culture is the things that make life interesting."
-- Bruno Munari

What a clear, simple, basic definition of a difficult concept. (I found it in this video by designer Matt Webb.)

Which has me thinking: at The Company, we talk a lot about corporate culture. Our culture is formal. Our culture is conservative. Our culture is obsessed with the passive-aggressive form of communication known as email. In our culture, we hold thirty-seven meetings about whether or not we should consider an idea before writing fifteen forty-page reports on the feasibility of an idea before, years later, implementing as an innovation what others, by that time, call cliche.

As we use the term at The Company, culture might be defined as "a mixture of communication style and mindset." But Munari's definition has me asking, "What are the things about The Company that make life more interesting there?"

That's worth thinking about ... and, right off, I'm not sure I know the answer to that question.