The Chocolate Factory, 2011

Between the serene woman with the plump cheeks behind the window, the globs of chocolate in front of her, the American flag on the window, and of course, the eager young boys with the matching haircuts, I've always felt like this image, taken at the Mrs. Cavanaughs Chocolate Factory in North Salt Lake City, managed to channel the ghost of Norman Rockwell.

The Legend of Crazy George, 2017

As I've made a mental list of Bountiful icons to photograph over the years, Kitty Pappas Steak House always had a star by it, thanks to the legend of their foul-mouthed waiter, George. I almost wonder if I subconsciously set up this shot across Highway 89 so I could get a head start in case George disapproved of me photographing the half-lit sign that still shows damage from the great windstorm of 2011.

Stripling Warrior March, 2012

The Bountiful Days of '47 parade is an annual favorite, celebrating the town's pioneer heritage a few weeks after the 4th of July. In the summer of 2012, the parade's final entry was a re-creation of a story from the Book of Mormon, documenting the military service of 2,000 stripling warriors. For anyone who has felt that parades have swung too far towards local businesses throwing taffy to greedy kids in recent years, the march was a welcome change of pace. To get this shot, I convinced one of the public address announcers to let me climb up on his scaffold, where I could get a better angle on the moment.

Chocolate Politics, 2010

If I had taken this shot a few years later, I might have tried to set up some kind of composition that included a motion blur from a passing car or a nearby pedestrian. But in a way, I wonder if the bland simplicity of the shot lets you just focus on the quirky juxtaposition of a local chocolate maker voicing its political stances. At any rate, these kinds of messages don't pop up on the Cavanaughs sign anymore, so this one will have to do.

The Tabasco Incident, 2014

It's hard to think of a business that is still standing along 500 south that has been there since my childhood, and it's getting harder to remember which ones have come and gone. This Dee's Family Restaurant closed in the summer of 2014, and was demolished a year later. I can't say much for the food, but I'll always remember it fondly as the place my longtime friend Brian chugged a bottle of Tabasco sauce on a $5 bet from our waiter.

Elder Stroll, 2008

I remember my Priest's Quorum advisor brought the local missionaries to our meeting one Sunday, presumably with the idea of getting us fired up for our own mission calls. But after opening the floor for questions, there was just a long, empty silence. Finally I raised my hand and asked, "were you guys bummed when you found out you'd been called to serve in Utah?" They looked at me sheepishly and nodded. I shouldn't have been so smug. They probably taught and baptized fifty times more people than I did in Chicago.

Choose the Rings, 2008

Pretty much anywhere you go along the Wasatch Front, you're going to find business that cater specifically to an LDS audience. Bountiful is no different. Though major players like Deseret Book and Mr. Mac have dominated the market for publishing and menswear (the LDS missionary demand for men's suits even led to a region-specific ad from Men's Wearhouse), there are plenty of smaller businesses, like this one on Main Street, that try to target their wares.

Juxtaposition, 2010

One night on the way home from a YSA activity, a friend and I parked in my driveway and spent a half-hour listing off all the businesses that had come and gone along 500 South in Bountiful in our relatively short lifetimes. I only wish I had started taking pictures as a toddler, so I could have documented spots like Lee's Cafe and Hardee's before they vanished into the developmental ether. It's this kind of ebb and flow that led to the odd juxtaposition I framed here, and in fairness, I've spent more time than I'd like to admit patronizing the Del Taco on the "historic" corner of 200 West and 500 South.

T-Bird Tail Light, 2009

Classic cars are as popular in Bountiful as they are in most any town across America. I got this shot of a personal favorite at the annual rally held over at Bountiful Park every June. The car shows were always a fun activity to attend with my dad (seen here in a red down vest, reflected in the car by the tail light).