Almost tipped me over    
in my little 14 foot boat       
with your 2 foot swells   
off Antelope Island…

Almost shot my head off   
hunting chukars with my shotgun      
on Stansbury Island…

Almost choked me with trash    
and nasty debris      
trying to find your         
salty, marshy waters   
by following the Jordan River…

Almost bankrupted me in   
turning the redwood from       
your Lucin Cut-off railroad trestle   
into Trestle Wood Furniture

Almost got arrested twice there, You!    
One time rummaging around      
in the ruins of the old Saltair…

And the other building a campfire   
to cook our lunch      
and rest our horses on the west side of Antelope Island.    
Both times spotted trouble       
coming early    
and narrowly escaped,    
running hard one time,   
riding hard the other, You!…

Almost crashed my plane    
trying to fly your turbulent        
winds as a student pilot,           
and had to land
just past your south shores in Tooele…

Almost bit me with a rattlesnake   
while hunting fossils in your foothills…

Almost, Almost, Almost…
I still love ya!
I know you gotta go now…
Bye…
Love—Gary

Gary Evershed grew up on the benches of Salt Lake valley, catching snakes and lizards, building forts, and watching the sunset over Great Salt Lake out of his kitchen window each night during dinner. Roast chicken, mashed potatoes, and the sunset over the lake are still three of his most treasured things— precious, even…