In love with Yellowstone and the Tetons

Maybe it's because I went there so many times as a kid.  Maybe it's because I love the slower pace and all the beauty of this amazing area.  Whatever it is, one thing is certain.  I love Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park.  Amazing.  Inspiring.  Peaceful.  Serene.
(And, it's kind of exciting to know you are staying right on top of a huge volcano that could explode at any moment!)

This year I got an invitation to return with my daughter Claire and her family, including her husband's family and some members of his extended family. I know all these good people from previous encounters and I enjoy spending time with them.  They are so gracious and kind.  They are an easy going bunch and it is their tradition to go to Yellowstone and Colter Bay every summer. Every year.  I'm pretty sure they have a standing reservation at the Old Faithful Inn and the Colter Bay cabins.  Because they have made this trip many, many times, they have the routine down to a science.  I also made an observation as we spent time in both areas.  There is very little ethnic diversity in these two park (other than foreign visitors.)  Apparently other people are making the same observations and voicing concerns about what this means for the future of national parks as noted in the New York Times.  

My favorite part of the stay at Old Faithful Inn this year included a chance to climb the stairs to the top of the Inn and go out on the roof to take down the flags with a ranger.  They only allow six people per day to go on the roof and a reservation needs to be made months in advance.  It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and wouldn't you just know it, Old Faithful went off while we were on top!  We spent three nights at Old Faithful Inn and two nights at the cabins at Colter Bay.  The hikes were beautiful in all locations!  I prepared a couple of meals, tended kids and tried to earn my keep.  It was a joy to tag along.  I enjoyed the week with Claire and R and especially being with Lizzie and Will. The things they said and did, the adventures we got to do together and the places we went and the things we saw won't soon be forgotten.

Will with his stuffed elk.  We was trying to make it walk.  Silly boy.

We saw Old Faithful go off so many times it became common place.

Getting ready for a swim in a shallow and warm stream.

The crows nest at the top of the Inn.

Ranger R and his munchkins

Yellowstone stuffies for all children were a hit

The intrepid guests getting ready to climb to the top.

My favorite picture of them all!!! Baby Paul Bunyan (aka Will)

Looking for squirrels under the deck - Pancake and Waffle

Climbing higher and higher. Yikes!

The entire crew on Yellowstone Lake!

Our hike to Phelps Lake.  Gorgeous!  Right through bear country no less.

Happy kids at the cabins at Colter Bay.

A boat ride across the lake was a highlight.

Loved being with these two for the week and I even shared a bed with Lizzie.
 She said it turned out OK, even thought she was worried about it.  We bonded and had some good talks and stories.

This rock skipping adventure turned into a screaming fest when Will stepped on an innocent baby frog.

Robert

My younger sister Carol lost her husband on June 8.  His loss has been terribly hard for my sweet sister and her family.  She married Robert just a year ago and now he is gone.  He didn't get to stay with her for very long.  They fell in love and had a story book romance and had such wonderful plans to enjoy the future together.  She was widowed almost 12 years ago and we were all so happy for her to find Robert. 

We all mourn his loss.  He was such a sweet, genuine man and though I didn't know him well, I know he loved my sister.  The heartbreaking ironic tragedy is that she has now lost two husbands in her young age to brain tumors.  It just doesn't seem possible.  It just doesn't make any sense.   How did this happen, twice?? Why??

I mourn with my sister and I love her.  I don't know answers to why this happened to her.  Living in the land of WHY is a sad and lonely place.  I can only trust that God will have answers and that someday all will be made right and hope and pray that through his grace she will be comforted and helped through this almost unbearable trial.

Renovations

So much time has passed!  It has been a crazy, fun month.  We've been going 100 mph from dawn to dusk.  So much to report.  I need to go back to work so I can rest!
I'll start back in late May to begin.  We decided to take on some much needed house updates.  We hired a wonderful handyman named Spencer to to rip out our old deck and our old shower in our master bath and put in new ones.  He is a Jack-of-all-trades and can do almost any renovation job that needs to be done.  Our old deck just needed to be replaced after years of serious use and plenty of neglect.  Our shower was the same story.  They were both in need of an update.  Spencer installed a new Trex deck that is guaranteed to last for 20 years.  Awesome! Many good times will be enjoyed (have already been enjoyed) on this new deck.

He also ripped out our old shower and we thought our new Tyvarian shower would be installed within a couple of weeks.  Not so.  The installer WhiteWater has been a joke.  We have been without a shower for almost two months now.  I told them I desperately needed it installed before our family came to visit and we had 18 people in the house.  No go.  Seriously frustrating.  Finally they gave us $750 off the final price, but still.  I would have rather have had it installed timely than to receive the discount.  We wouldn't have ripped out the old one if we would have know it would take this long. FINALLY the walls are installed, but we still have no hardware or a door, so it is still unusable.

The final project has been to de-junk and organize our garage.  That turned out to be a BIG project as we got new shelving and worked to get rid of stuff.  The results are great and now I can find anything I need.  My seasonal decorations (which are substantial) now have a permanent home with new shelving and more organization.  Can I just say that I love organizing things if I have the tools needed to get the job done right?  I love a clean, well-organized garage.  Happiness!