Sunday - A Day with Nancy, Daniel and STEVE MARTIN

Nancy, Daniel and I began our day with breakfast at Genevieve's on the town square.  YUMMY!

Nancy and Daniel

After breakfast we walked around the town square. We checked out a few of the art galleries and met a few of the local dogs.  We also enjoyed being silly in a few of the shops.






















After the town square we drove over to Teton Village to check out an art fair and simply explore the village area.  It was a beautiful day in the village.

Watching the mountain bikers come down

Art Fair in Teton Village

Nancy and Daniel in the village

After enjoying all the activities at the base in Teton Village, we decided to take the tram ride to the top of the summit.  It is a 12 minute ride up to the top with views of the entire village below the tram.  Once arriving at the top of the summit, we walked all around the area.  Daniel enjoyed a huge waffle at Corbin's Cabin and all of us simply took in the view and the beauty of all we saw.  The weather has warmed up quite a bit since my paragliding experience on July 3rd.  Most of the snow has melted on the summit, but there is still a bit of snow on the ground.  The elevation is just over 10,000 feet and locals tell me that the snow that remains will most likely not melt this year.

The tram ride took us to the summit.

View from the summit

View from the summit

The day had been a great one but the fun was not over.  Daniel decided he was not interested in the evening entertainment that Nancy and I had planned, so he crashed at the house and Vicky Johnson took his place for the rest of the day's adventure.  Nancy, Vicky, Marla and I enjoyed a very tasty meal at Trio back in town.  After dinner, Nancy, Vicky and I walked over to the Jackson Hole Center of the Arts to enjoy the wonderful show of Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers.  I had never seen a Steve Martin show in person and it was outstanding.  The Center for the Arts is a pretty theater that holds 500 people.  It was a very intimate setting and Steve and the band put on an extraordinary show.  The show was a combination of his comic skills and his excellent banjo playing ability.  The songs would be considered blue grass and the Steep Canyon Rangers were a thrill to hear play.  They were all very talented musicians.

In another crazy example of Six Degrees of Separation, the 4 people sitting directly behind Nancy, Vicky and I were also in Jackson Hole for the summer.  Their full time residence is in Sarasota!  One couple lives on Bird Key and the other ladies live on Longboat Key.  CRAZY

Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers

Dinner at Jenny Lake Lodge

Jenny Lake Lodge

Vicky planned a lovely ..... over the top wonderful dinner at Jenny Lake Lodge.  Jenny Lake Lodge is in Grand Teton National Park and it is surrounded by beauty.  It is an "old world lodge" heaped in history and tradition.  Janis Butcher - you would love this place and I am thinking you guys have probably eaten here in years past???  The lodge has cabins for their guest and many activities for them to enjoy.  Lucky for us that they allow outsiders to enjoy all aspects of the lodge.  I am so glad that Vicky suggested that we have dinner at this beautiful lodge.  It was a 5 course meal and each bite was better than the bite before.  My goal of eating to stay lean was completely thrown out the window.  I am going to have to attempt to get back on that horse in the morning!

Place setting at Jenny Lake Lodge

Look closely.  The butter is shaped like a moose!

Me, Marla, Kevin and Vicky

View from Jenny Lake Lodge

View of Jenny Lake

After dinner at Jenny Lake Lodge, I went back home to wait for Nancy and Daniel Schulte to arrive from VA.  I met Nancy when I was 10 years old at Camp Skyline Ranch.  Nancy was my counselor and horseback riding instructor for 6 years and then I became a counselor with her.  Nancy is also from New Orleans and I was a bridesmaid in her wedding.  

Nancy is top right and I am bottom left - 1976

Nancy top left and I am bottom right - 1975

Kathryn, Nancy, Gunn, Me and Maggie - 1979

A Saturday of Sunshine, Tennis and Elk

What a beautiful Saturday morning I have had.  I headed over to Teton Pines for open play doubles at 9:30am and the sun was simply beautiful.  Vicky and Kevin (friends from Sarasota who are renting in JH for the next two months) joined the group and loved the weather for their first game of tennis with no Florida heat and humidity.

Vicky in action with no sweat!

I met a new player today named Ruthie Redmond.  She was a very good player and I enjoyed having her as my doubles partner.  During one game, we fell behind 30 to 40 and I said (out of habit) "we are ok, one point to deuce."  After the set, Ruthie told me that when I made the comment "one point to deuce", that I sounded just like someone she plays tennis with in Arizona who moved there from Florida.  I said "could you be talking about Alli Cunningham?"  The crazy part of the story is that she was talking about Alli Cunningham and asked me if I knew Alli.  Six degrees of separation again.  Ruthie and Alli played on a team with each other at some point this year and I played on a team with Alli in Sarasota before she moved.  Alli, I hope you are reading this!

Vicky, me and Ruthie Redmond

After tennis and a few errands in town (bought some bear spray for the first time ever) I headed back home to spend and hour cutting half of the front yard.  When I pulled onto my long driveway to the house, I could tell the cutting of the front yard was going to have to wait for just a bit.  A herd of elk were enjoying their afternoon on the front yard and did not seem to mind me pulling in at all.  The males seemed to occupy the front yard (huge antlers) and the ladies were enjoying the natural grasses and flowers of the back yard.  I was happy to put off the cutting of the grass and enjoy some lunch as I watched them from my windows.  I just gotta say that it is really cool to have the wildlife all around you.  You just never know what might come strolling through your yard at any given time.  I love it.

The male elk enjoying front yard

Male elk in front yard

Lady elk enjoying back yard

Young female elk in back yard

I have now been home for about an hour and most of the elk have continued on their way.  This means I now have to get some of the front yard cut...boo!  As I write this, I still have one female elk who has decided to break away from the herd and hang in the shade of the guest house in my back yard.  She knows that I am looking at her and did not move a muscle when I opened the back door onto the deck to take her picture.  I hate to disturb her enjoyable afternoon, but Nancy and Daniel arrive this evening from VA and I have to finish cutting the front yard.  Maybe my movement in the front yard won't bother her and she will hang around a while.

Female elk enjoying shade in back yard

Tonight I am having dinner with Vicky, Kevin and Marla (Vicky's sister).  We are having dinner at the Jenny Lake Lodge.  I wonder what adventure our dinner experience will bring us.  I will have my camera and update the blog as soon as I can.   Nancy Schulte and her son Daniel will be arriving just as we finish dinner and I look forward to spending the upcoming week with the two of them.

Five Days of Friends (Dave and Sekyen) and Fun

Sorry about no post in the last few days.  The adventure continued this past week and has been as exciting and as fun as the previous six weeks.  Hard to believe that I have been in Jackson Hole for seven weeks.  What a great seven weeks it has been.

Last Sunday I began the day with a nice tennis match over in Teton Springs in Idaho.  To get to Teton Springs I had to drive over the Teton Pass and it was beautiful.  The tennis was a bit tough with the wind but enjoyable none the less.  After tennis I stopped at Vicky and Kevin's summer palace.  They are renting a beautiful home in Teton Springs for the next two months.  After leaving Vicky and Kevin's, I headed back over the pass to the Jackson Town Square.  I wanted to attend the art fair that was taking place in the town square.  The art fair consisted of a number of local artist who were displaying their different pieces of work.  It was a beautiful day and I enjoyed strolling through the fair and checking out all the stuff.

A cool booth at the art fair

On Monday I enjoyed another good tennis game at Jackson Hole High School and then shared a lunch with one of the girls at a sports bar named Sidewinders.  As soon as lunch ended, Dave and Sekyen O'Meara arrived in Jackson Hole for a five day visit.  After freshening up at the house, the three of us enjoyed a nice dinner at the Lotus Cafe.

Dave and Sekyen spent Tuesday in Yellowstone and especially enjoyed the area of the park behind Old Faithful.  This area is filled with other   geysers and pools.  They saw all kinds of animals except for a bear.  Sekyen really wanted to see a bear, but the bears just did not want to cooperate.

Sekyen couldn't find a bear but found a bison

On Wednesday Dave and Sekyen took the tram ride up to the top of the Tetons and spent their afternoon at Jenny Lake.

Thursday was a relaxing day around the house and then the three of us shared a wonderful dinner in town at the Blue Lion with Vicky and Kevin.

Dinner at The Blue Lion

Nine Mile Hike to the summit of Munger Mountain. Vicky and Kevin finally make it to town!

 

What a day I had here in Jackson Hole!  Sadly, Betsey and Dick had to fly back to Sarasota after enjoying a few days out west.  I was also up early to join Craig and Carol for another great day of hiking.  We set out early for a 9 mile hike to the summit of Munger Mountain.  Katherine Estes, if you are reading this, you would have loved this hike.  We were able to hike all the way to the summit because the remaining snow from the winter had melted.  The climb to the summit was intense and there were many times we could not find the trail and had to "bushwhack."  To "bushwhack" means to walk through whatever is standing in front of you.  At times we were forcing our way through vegetation that stood as high as my hips.  This is not an ideal way to hike, but we eventually found our way back to the trail.  Even while "bushwhacking",  we were surrounded by beautiful views.













The nine mile hike took five and a half hours, which included a 30 minute break for lunch at the top of the mountain.  The hike was definitely a workout.  I burned 1937 calories and that means it was a good day.  Craig is a wonderful hiking leader and put all of us through our paces.  Due to the warm weather (they think it is warm when it is 78 degrees and no humidity) and up hill climbs, it was very important to stop and drink water often.  There were 5 of us on the hike and it was fun meeting Craig and Carol's friends.  I met Lisa who has a home in Teton Village and travels here often from her primary residence in Washington DC.  Lisa brought along her dog Beta, who was filled with enthusiasm to be out in the mountains on such a beautiful day.  A full time resident named Liz also joined us.  Liz is an experienced hiker who works in Teton Village.

Lisa making sure Beta gets enough water

As a result of the snow having finally melted, all types of flowers are in bloom.  Not good for my allergies but make for an interesting hike.  There were beautiful flowers every where along the entire hike and Carol had all the info to introduce us to each type of flower.  I can now tell all of you that the state flower of Wyoming is named Indian Paint Brush.

Indian Paint Brush - The state flower of Wyoming

Teaching us about the flowers

Carol and me checking out the flowers

                          
After two and a half hours of hiking up hill, we finally arrived at the summit.  We could see for miles and miles  in every direction and it was quite beautiful.  At the summit, we took the opportunity to sit, relax and enjoy lunch for thirty minutes. It was a really nice place to enjoy lunch.

Having lunch at the summit of Munger Mountain

View from summit

Beta enjoying the view during our lunch break

After enjoying our lunch and taking a bit of a break, it was time to head back down.  Going down hill can be really tough on the knees but with frequent stops we were able to make it.  The down hill segment of the hike was filled with interesting sights.  At one point, we came across the largest ant hill I have seen.  I wanted to step on the giant ant hill just to see what would happen but was afraid I would have been attacked and carried away by millions of ants!

Giant ant hill

On the way down hill

I was so glad to see cows standing up

The hike was just great and I was dog tired by the time I made it back home.  After a few hours of rest and a shower that felt great, I joined Vicky Johnson, her sister Marla and Kevin Maisch for dinner.  Marla has a house here in Jackson Hole and Vicky and Kevin are renting here for the next two months.  They are also getting married out here on August 7th!  All three of them live in Florida and were THRILLED to be out of the heat and humidity.  We had a great dinner at Nora's in Wilson, WY.  I am so glad that Vicky and Kevin are here for the next two months!

Kevin, Vicky, Marla and me - great margaritas!

Wilson on Dwellable

Six Degrees of Separation Even In Jackson Hole

I have always believed in the old saying that between us all there are only "six degrees of separation."  Today I found that true right here in Jackson Hole.  On Fridays, I work the late shift in the ranch float trip office.  This means that I start my shift at 1:00pm and finish we the last raft of the day is safely off of the water.  This morning Dick and Betsey headed back to Yellowstone to enjoy more of  the park.  On the Wednesdays and Fridays, I start my day at Jackson Hole Health and Fitness before reporting to work at 1:00.  I am spoiled in Sarasota and have the luxury of working out with my trainer Eric four days a week and my friend Kelly joins me in some of these workouts.  After pushing my self and working out all alone for the last 6 weeks, it is getting harder and harder to stick to my workout schedule.  This morning was one of those days when I struggled to get my feet out of my bed and in the car for the trip to the gym.  Once there my eyes landed on a guy working out that I had never seen before.  It was not his looks that grabbed my eye, but the fact that all of his clothing said SMU Football.  As I walked by he and his wife, I said "Go Ponies!"  They both looked up and smiled and I told them that I had graduated from SMU.  They were both very nice and introduced themselves.  It turns out that he (Randy Ross) is the Director of Football Operations at SMU and a member of June Jones' (Head Coach) staff.  As we continued talking, it came out that he had been on the staff at Alabama for 17 years and that he and his wife spent the early years of their marriage in Gadsden, Alabama.  When I heard that I had to ask if they knew the Helderman family and his wife responded "you mean Frank the newspaper guy?"  That is exactly the Helderman family  I was referring to.  I met Catherine Helderman at Camp Skyline Ranch in 1974 and have been friends ever since.  Go figure .... not only did I run into the Director of Football Operations at SMU, but his wife had met the Helderman family in Gadsden.  All I could think of was "Six degrees of separation even in Jackson Hole!"

With Anne and Randy Ross.  Randy is Director of Football Operations at SMU

As if meeting the SMU Director of Football wasn't exciting enough, I was almost late to work due to a Bison Jam on the highway!  There were at least 70 of them all crossing the road and acting as if they were simply out for an afternoon stroll!

My first baby bison