Don't Fence Me In

Yellowstone Update

2010-06-13T13:25:00.004-05:00

More news from the Stone.

* A lot of my favorite people are leaving for the season - photographers, animal watchers. I might see some again in September. For now, they are getting out of dodge before the real tourist season hits. Unfortunately, they will be replaced by silly, stupid and annoying tourist. People who ask me how they ended up at Canyon, if the road is really closed, where the restrooms are, if they have to prepay and why we don't keep trash cans outside. Sigh.

* I said goodbye to one pair of photographers yesterday. They are headed to the Tetons for awhile and then to Michigan. They told me how to find them in Jackson so that I can come say hello if I make it that far south. They also told me where to find an osprey nest (see below).

* There is an osprey nest located north of Tower. I haven't made it up the pass yet, to find it for myself, but I hear it is near the interesting rock formations just north of the falls. You take one of the pull outs and then look down into the canyon. The photographer told me there is a hoo doo down there and the nest is directly on top of it. You can look right into the nest and see the mother sitting on her eggs. As of yesterday, the eggs hadn't hatched and you could watch the father bring food and feed the mother osprey.

* I can't remember if I've mentioned the ice climbers on here yet. They were the first deaths of the season in the park. In May, 2 twenty-something guys from Bozeman came to the park to ice climb silver cascade. When they didn't show up for work on Monday, a search quickly discovered their bodies in the canyon. It appeared that the ice column broke as they were ascending. I've never ice climber and don't claim to be an expert by any means but climbing ice that late in the season and have a very mild winter just doesn't seem to be a good idea.

* Another strange occurrence (and perhaps the 3rd death of the year) was another twenty-something that left his care at the Hellroaring trail head and disappeared. From what I've heard, they haven't been able to locate any evidence as to his location. He was a marine back from Iraq and suffering with PTSD. Many are assuming he took the Hellroaring trail in order to commit suicide. There is a variety of locations on that trail that are cliffs overlooking the canyon.

* We had a recovery recently of an RV that went off the road near Norris. I've heard they had to move over in the lane in order to avoid an 18-wheeler than was over the center line. As the did this, one of their tires went off the road and took the rest of the RV with it. There was actually no damage to the RV. It stayed upright and just needed assistance getting back onto the road. The mistake cost them close to $1500.

* Speaking of 18-wheelers in the park, last year there was a griz just south of Canyon. A few of us were on our way back from hiking around the Canyon and stopped to watch him. Of course, there were tons of cars stopped because he was so close to the road. He ended up wanting to cross the road. He was in front of a car and about to step out when an 18-wheeler speed by - nearly hitting him. I don't think the truck even hit his break to pass all the cars and I'm positive they never saw the bear. The bear had to raise up on his back legs to avoid the truck. It was super annoying.

* I was wrong in my last post. I mentioned a griz being hit in the park near Canyon. I read an article that it was a mama with 3 cubs. Rangers hiked into the back country and didn't find her dead so they believe she survived the hit. Unfortunately, that information was in an article about another griz getting hit that did not survive. That griz was on the west side of the park and it was a hit & run.

* Most of the tourist we meet are nice and interesting but others are just annoying. A few tourist we've had in recently:

~ One guy told me I look like Picabo Street
~ A foreigner came in, looked all around the store and then asked if we had any snacks. It's a gas station - show me a wall that doesn't have a snack.
~ A French guy came in asking if we spoke French. I told him a little but he then said, "a man, a man" and had the non-speaking French help him look at something on his car.
~

All for now.

More from Yellowstone

2010-06-06T22:24:00.004-05:00

Thought I would write a quick blog about the happenings here. No photos this time but hopefully I can get some uploaded soon!

* We had our first bison hit of the summer on 5/23. I hate when they get hit. Of course, the cars that hit them are toast after but, generally, the bison are pretty bad off too. They often are so injured that Park Service has to put them down.

* A bear was hit more recently. It was a grizzly. I heard he was able to limb off the road but didn't make it in the end. I think he was actually put down by Park Service but I'm not positive. I hate when people aren't paying attention in the park - and are typically driving too fast.

* 7 wolves took down an elk near the Blacktail area - between Mammoth & Tower. A kill is always a great time to see the animals. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see these wolves. I never have much luck with wolves.

* There is a mama black bear and yearling hanging out near Tower. There was a mama and cub in the same place last year so I suspect it is the same pair. Recently, the two were hanging out fairly near the road. Of course, there was a huge jam of people watching them. While they were there, a diesel truck drove by and scared the yearling up a tree. He climbed up a fallen tree and wouldn't come back down. I wasn't there but saw photos of the mam standing on her hind legs trying to get him down. He wouldn't budge. The mama ended up leaving him in the tree and walking over the ridge. I suspect he eventually got down and found his mama.

* There is another black bear and cub near Tower. She has been spotted between Calcite Springs and Tower.

* On the Canyon side of Dunraven Pass, there's been a griz mama and 2 cubs. She's been putting on quite a show for the public. She is often near the road and creates huge jams.

* I brought 7 dresses to Yellowstone. Yes, that's 7 more dresses than you need in a national park. Fortunately, I got to wear one recently when I went to the Old Faithful Inn for drinks with the girls. It was a really fun night.

* There was a roll over near Lake a couple weeks back. The car ended up about 40 feet off the road. Thankfully, the driver was fine.

* There has been a couple pantie incidents. One night, Dan was cleaning the women's restroom and found a pair of dirty panties in the "treasure chest." (Treasure Chest = tampon/pad collector.) Another morning, Gregg and I were walking to the station and came across a pair of panties laying on the ground outside the women's restroom. They were covered in blood. It was great fun finding and picking up bloody panties.

* I got to see a Great-horned owl in the Mammoth Village. She had a nest there and I've heard has 2 owlets. I wasn't able to see the babies but got a good view of the mama. I think I got a good photo too. I'll post as soon as I get it uploaded to my computer.

* I got to see a raven's nest on the cliff at Golden Gate. It's a huge nest but took me quite awhile to find. Some photographers told me about the nest (and the owl's nest) but even knowing where it was didn't make it easy to find. I wasn't able to see any of the birds - adult or babies - so I need to go back soon. I've heard there were 5 or 6 chicks. Though chicks is the correct term, I prefer to call them ravlets.

* About a week ago, 3 wolves (the Canyon Pack) dug out a coyote den. I heard they dug all day and got all the coyote pups. It's sad but I guess it is nature. At the end of the day, only one wolves was left digging and 2 coyotes ended up chasing him off.

* I think I already mentioned that there is a grizz with 4 cubs. She frequents the Swan Lake, Golden Gate, Hoo Doo area. Thankfully, all 4 cubs are still with her - though one of the cubs is much smaller than the other 3. I haven't actually seen them yet but get frequent updates from my photographer friends.

* I talked to some photographers today and they told me where to find a mountain bluebird nest. It;'s very close to our dorm so I'm hoping to look for it on the next nice day. It should be a nice walk.

* It's been raining forever! I've heard it has rained 24 days int he last month. It is sucking. There is even more snow in the forecast for tonight. I am so ready for some sunny days.

* After a very raining morning, yesterday afternoon was actually a little nice. I decided to drive over Dunraven Pass in the afternoon. It is one of my favorite drives in the park and also leads to some of the prettiest parts of the park. I got rained & hailed on as I drove over the pass but it was nice once I got to Tower. I ended saying hello to my co-workers at the Tower Station and then climbing the hill behind the station. It was a really nice walk and I got to see a huge variety of things while I was up there. There was a HUGE bison patty and tons of elk poop. There was literally no where to step without stepping in poop. The entire hill was covered in poop - from old & white to new & brown. It was crazy. I also saw some old rusted tin cans, some very pretty wildflowers, several bleached bones, some ground squirrels and a Mountain Dew bottle. Of those things, something seems very out of place. Not sure why someone would litter in a national park. I brought the bottle back down the hill with me and it is now in the trash. I also saw a very pretty sparrow on the walk. She was brown with a red bill and black & white head. I need to look her up.

Another Weekend in Yellowstone

2010-05-20T19:54:00.010-05:00

Another week has pasted in Yellowstone and I'm having as much fun as ever. It's my Sunday and I've spent it relaxing but thought I should make some time to catch everyone up on the happening at Canyon.

May 13: This was my last Sunday and I spent it driving to West Yellowstone for groceries. It was nice to drive the park on a pretty day and get to see the animals. I was able to see several bison calves and, of course, a ton of adult bison. I also saw an eagle out near West Yellowstone. I had hoped to see the eagle. They have a nest out that way but it was empty when I passed. Actually, the eaglet was probably there but not the adults - at least not in view. Then, just a bit past the next, I saw the eagle flying overhead. They are always so fun to see.

I didn't do anything in West Yellowstone except buy groceries. I spent another hundred on the groceries but got a lot more than last time - and still stayed (mostly) on the diet. On my way to and from West, I had to wait in the construction area. I took a book because I knew I would be sitting for awhile Even though there is a wait, it is much better than last year - when the road was totally closed. As I came through the construction on my way back, I saw a school bus. I quickly grabbed by phone to snap a photo for Clayton. Speaking of school buses, last week a school bus broke down on the south end of the park and had to be towed out. It was full of kids at the time so I'm sure they loved the excitement.

May 14: I worked with our new crew for the first time today - my Monday. Our new people are Sarah, a 21-year-old girl from Arkansas (who has a pet rat) and Dan, a 63-year-old guy from Pennsylvania (who has been RVing full time for 12 years.) After work, Sarah and I took a drive because she doesn't have a car and has never been to the park. I took her from Canyon to Fishing Bridge and then to Lake Butte. It was a really nice drive. We got to watch a bison walk through snow - and often fall into it. The lake was beautiful and still frozen. On the way home, we stopped at the Fishing Bridge dorm and I introduced Sarah to all the cool kids down there.

May 15: Just work.

May 16: Today, I worked a split - which means I open and close but have a long break in the middle of the day. During my 3 hour break, I made spaghetti for the dorm. It was only 4 of us eating that night - Wes, Sarah, Dan and me. Dan lives in his RV but I asked him to come over for spaghetti. It was a fun night.

May 17: More work and then some fun. At work, a cute redhead came into the store with his girlfriend. He was 20ish and made me think of how cute Clayton will be when he gets older. I also had a guy buy beef jerky and may me with 16 half dollars. Before he paid me he asked, "Do you need some half dollars." Which made me think, "when does anyone ever NEED half dollars?" Of course, I took them. After work, Sarah and I went for another drive. This time, we went from Canyon to Fishing Bridge and then on around the entire lower loop. I wanted to go in order to see the damage from last year's fire. It was the Arnica Fire and ended up burning close to 11,000 acres. It was interesting to see such a recent burn and we saw a ton. On our drive, we also went to the Old Faithful dorms to see the cool kids down there. On the way back north, we got to see the cutest baby bison. There was a group of bison with 6 babies. They were galloping around, head butting each other and otherwise being awesome. Further down the road, we got to stop and let a HUGE bison walk down the middle of the road. He walked right by us. We could have reached out and touched him - but then he might have rammed our car.

May 18: My Friday! I worked until 4 and then took a long nap. I got a good laugh at work because my friend wrote about seeing a tourist chased by an elk at Mammoth. The guy was inching up to the elk - for who knows what reason - and when he was about 2 feet away the elk went after him. The guy ran and then did a tuck & roll behind a trash can. I can picture the entire scene and it makes me laugh every time. A customer came in and told us about an injured elk. The elk had been attacked by a wolf and taken refuge in a pond between South Twin Lake and North Twin Lake. The wolf got her leg. After she went into the water, the wolf waited near by in the woods. The elk ended up dying. I assume the wolves feed on her for awhile. Then a bear came along and drug the carcass out of the pond. He feed on the elk until park service decided to remove the carcass. I'm guessing they thought it was too close to the road - causing traffic and danger.

May 19: Saturday! I slept in, read and then showered. Then I headed to Mammoth to pick up Kelly Jo. On the way to Mammoth, I saw a bear. When I got KJ, we went to Gardiner to have dinner at Helens. We both had bison burgers and they were delicious. We left there stuffed - but still got ice cream for the road. We headed toward Tower with our ice cream. I wanted to go to Tower because Wes had seen a great grey owl there the evening before. On our drive, we saw 2 griz, 1 black bear, and a moose. It was a really fun drive.

May 20: I slept in again today and then had lunch at the Canyon Soda Fountain. My friend, Jackie, is one of the managers there. It was a pretty good lunch - cheeseburger and fries. Clayton would have loved it. After lunch, I took a few things to the post office, hung out at the station for awhile and then back to the dorm. At the dorm, I listened to some music while making corn dip. Once the station was closed, Caleb made chicken tacos. Then we all had tacos and corn dip for dinner. We also got a new person today. It's a young guy from Utah. I'll be closing with him tomorrow.

I have better photos but I'll have to add them later. My new laptop doesn't have a slot for the memory card of my camera. I also have a great video of the bison in the snow. Watch for that to be added soon. More later!

Getting to YNP

2010-05-12T22:24:00.008-05:00

May 4: I let myself sleep in again. It was really nice. Shortly after getting on the road, I decided to take a scenic route through the Bighorn National Forest on 14. It was a great decision. On 14, I climbed a mountain pass - all the way into the snow. On the way back down, I went through Bighorn Canyon which was really amazing. Quickly after exiting the canyon, I stopped in Shell, WY, at Dirty Annie's. It was time for gas and lunch. Shell is a tiny town. The station let me pump gas before paying - and when I went in to pay, they asked how much I had pumped. It's an honor system. Pretty crazy. From Shell, I headed to Greybull and then north on 310 to Laurel. In Laurel, I started heading west to Gardiner, MT. Gardiner is the gateway to the northern entrance of Yellowstone. I had plans to stop in Gardiner for the night but decided to head onto the dorm at Canyon. I made it to Canyon before dark and had a chance to see all the snow I would be living in.

May 5: Caleb and I drove to Gardiner this morning to check in for the season. On the drive from Canyon to Gardiner, we saw a wolf at Norris and a wolf at Obsidian Cliff. My first bear and wolf sightings of the year. Once in Gardiner, I had to take a photo for my employee IDs, fill out paperwork and get my uniform/linens. When we finished there, we went to lunch with Mike and Lorri. There isn't a ton of choices in Gardiner so we ended up at Subway. After lunch, we visited the fourplex Caleb helped build over the winter and then grocery shopping. I spent $90 on groceries and didn't get all that much. We headed back to the park after getting groceries. Caleb went to work and I unloaded groceries and unpacked.

May 6: I started work. It was a 10 - 6 shift and I got to start remembering the system. It was pretty uneventful. I picked up on everything fairly quickly - after a 6 month hiatus.

May 7 - May 11: More work. Not too eventful. There was an avalanche at Sylvan Pass one day that closed it down for 18 hours - no one was hurt. A car hit a boulder near Obsidian Cliff. I skyped with Clayton, Jean, Lara and Ellie. Clayton showed me a ton of forward rolls during our skyping. I got a call from K.P. that made my day because he had told Ashley that he LIKES me. A griz mama and cub was sighted several times near Obsidian Cliff. Traffic in the park has picked up - but not that much.

May 12: My Saturday! I spent most of the day in bed - sometimes sleeping, sometimes reading and sometimes online. I also washed clothes, showered and shopped for dinner at the station. The best part of the day was skyping with my family again. This time, Clayton was playing in his little swimming pool - while I was surrounded by snow. It was fun talking to him and seeing Ellie (who is now smiling.) I had plans to go to Old Faithful for bingo but couldn't get my butt moving. This evening, I watched TV online and hung w/ my dorm mates.

Tomorrow: I want to find the mama and cub near Obsidian Cliff. I have to get some groceries - maybe in West Yellowstone. I plan to swing my Old Faithful to say hello to all my friends working there. Update coming soon.

Yellowstone - Summer #2

2010-05-09T22:28:00.005-05:00

It's my second summer in Yellowstone. It's great again.

I want to blog again but I don't want it to take too much time. I haven't decided how to do this, yet.

For my first blog, a summary of my trip & my first days in the park:

April 29: Tilley (Jean's dog) woke me up about 5:30 because she wanted to sleep on the couch. Lara & I were already on the couch so there wasn't room but I let Tilley get on my stomach. She got comfy and back to sleep but I couldn't get back to sleep. I read some news on my Crackberry. Before long, the others were getting up and it was time to get on the road. Leaving Clayton was the hardest thing ever. I cried, Jean cried, Lara cried and Clayton looked at us like we were crazy. It was an easy drive to Amarillo - other than being tired. On the drive, I realized West/North Texas isn't that bad. It isn't my preference but it's pretty in its own way. I especially liked the fields of yellow flowers and the windmills. The only bit of excitement came in my last couple hours. After stopping for gas, I noticed a blue van behind me. Every time I changed lanes - he changed lanes. I pass a car - he passed the car. I move in front of the car - he moves in front of the car. At first, it was just annoying but as I got closer to my destination, I knew I needed to make sure they van didn't follow me to the hotel. I was already thinking that I could have my GPS direct me to the closest police station. The exit comes - and the van exits too. I drive past the road for my hotel and continue to the next light. From there, I turned right and the van continued straight - back onto the freeway. I don't know what they were thinking or why they exited and then got straight back on the highway. The End - of this day.

April 30: I stayed in my comfy hotel bed for too long. After dragging myself from bed. I headed to Erie, CO, to visit my cousin Lauren - plus Kareem and Brighton. The drive to Denver wasn't bad - until I reached the traffic in Colorado Springs and Denver. Once I got to Erie, I got to see my cousin & Brighton, check out their adorable house and relax. Later that night, we went for Tibetan food - which was awesome! We also had some cheesecake before hitting the sack.

May 1: Lauren & I went treasure hitting early in the morning. We went to a ton of garage sales and a thrift shop too. We both found a lot of goodies. I got some old kitchen stuff - a potato masher, garlic press, egg beater and iron skillet. I also found some old books. While we enjoyed our shopping, the boys did some fun things of there own. We hooked back up in the afternoon, all super tired. We brought in dinner and went to bed early.

May 2: We all went to The Original Pancake House for breakfast - and I fell in love with the coconut pancakes. Then Lauren went with me to finish my shopping for the park. That afternoon, we all went for a drive in the mountains near Boulder. It was sunny when we started but snowing as we got into the mountains. It was a beautiful drive and a great way to spend an afternoon with family. That night, we grabbed dinner The Dark Horse (I think that was the name).

May 3: Unfortunately, Kareem had to work but Lauren, Brighton and I went for Ethiopian food for lunch. It was a great last meal before getting on the road. After lunch, I had to say goodbye to Lauren and Brighton but made plans to see each other soon. That day, I drove from Erie, CO, to Sheridan, WY. It was a shorter drive in mileage which allowed me to take some slower freeways and still make good time. Instead of staying on the giant 25, I got on 287 in Fort Collins and took it to Laramie. It was so nice to get away from the traffic and 18-wheelers. The speed limit was 10 miles slower but it was totally worth it. From Laramie, I took 487 to Casper - again, staying off the major freeway. Once in Casper, I had to get back on 25 to Sheridan.

To be continued...

Notes Found Thrifting

2010-03-15T00:31:00.004-05:00

I went thrifting at the Goodwill Outlet story today. I really like this story. They have about a dozen bins strewn with books. There is no order or reason but that makes the hunt fun. Plus, I always find interesting notes. Today was no different. I found 2 different notes today. One note was just laying in a bin and the other was tucked inside a book. I think they are both interesting and thought I would share.

First, the note I found laying in the bin seems to be one page from a letter written around 1989 or 1990. That doesn't seem that long ago but it does make the note about 20 years old. I think it also shows how much times have changed with computers because just a few years after this note this same info would have been written in an email instead. There isn't actually a date on the note but the writer mentions a murder. I did some research on the murder and think I found the one he was discussing. Here is the text of the note:

"Getting ready on a Sunday afternoon. Wife came and said Mrs. B called and wants you to come over she's having trouble with Emmit. That was a laugh. Mr. Milketoast in a sweat. We worked for the same utility. I drove the 2 1/2 blocks, found Emmit sitting in the backyard under a tree, a sweet look on his normal calm features. Mrs. B was hysterical. Emmit! Tell Mr. Houts what you're going to do! He looked at me no different than when we ran into each other at coffee break. "If Ray starts to bother me and bug me tomorrow I'm going to tell the S.O.B. to get the F.H. out of my work area!"

I just thought Oh D---! We were going over to Ming Dynasty in Hanford-- twenty-two miles! Ray worked for years at the bench next to Emmit was promoted to boss the meter shop. Recently. Ray was a dud, too.

I grabbed a chair and got up in Emmit's face. Emmit I've known you about eleven years now. I like you. Our kids have grown up together! Take my word Emmit - don't do this! We can't help you through the union. Our jobs here are good pay for a small town. You've got a good job that won't even be on layoff. What are you Emmit - fifty? Don't do it!

Next day - mid morning a fuming Ray marched into the Super's office with an angelic faced Emmit trailing. They took him downtown and a week later, terminated. Mrs. B was livid - with me - the union. Turned out she has to go to work. When I left a year later Emmit was pushing a broom in an elementary school. No credit union, pension - job security. Seems to be genuinely happy. Mrs. B still blames all.

Another Emmit in New Jersey left a good job, came home to a great house, calmly dispatched two daughters - wife - his mother. Lined them neatly in a row on the ballroom parquet, secured the house, drove 30,000 miles took up AKA and lived free for 18 years.

At his trial he sat with a patience on his dear face. One of these hand wringer T.V. shows talked to him in prison. He likes it!

And poor Maj. MacDonald out at Bastrop. His wife and two babes attacked by hippies!

Minister Rainey at Fort Worth. His wife a vegetable. All sweet people.

Mild as Jersey milk.

Nobody looks or listens to them!

Pity!"

Now the other note, this one is written on an envelope and was tucked into a book about Eleanor Roosevelt. The book was titled, Eleanor: The Years Alone and was published in 1972. I suspect this note was written at the same time. It seems to have been written to a general audience - not addressed to any particular person. Maybe it was intended for the next owner of the book. Who knows? It reads:

Maybe a dozen women in my time really impressed me. Some were:

1. My grandmother Henryetta Boyd. Born 1866 - Lewisburg Ten.
2. Ethel Barrymore
3. Eleanor Roosevelt
4. Ethel Waters
5. Rosalind Carter
6. Marilyn Monroe
7. Anne Franke
8. Harry Truman's Mother

Etc.

With excpt. of R.C. rest led troubled lives. But each were real women. Quality!

Eleanors' worst fault. (Marrying a momma's boy.) (Not turning beautiful until late in life.)

First Sale!

2010-03-09T22:32:00.003-06:00

I went to bed last night feeling a little uneasy. I was thinking about my plans to be a reseller and wondering if I could really make it work. I was having second thought. This morning...I woke up to my first sale. It got be excited again. I sold the book Celia Garth. It was published in 1959. I paid $.99 and sold the book for $22. There are some fees for selling books on Half.com but I should make a $20 profit. Not too bad.

What Was Clayton Doing?

2010-03-07T10:57:00.003-06:00

He is probably naked b/c his clothes got dirty & I was being lazy.
But he likes being naked so I don't feel guilty.
He is looking at his parent's wedding photos.

Playing at the park.
He is probably coming down the stairs to get me.
He likes me to get "stuck" on the slide.
Then he comes and helps me down.

Naked again - probably for the same reasons.
Reading books and looking for school buses in them.
He loves school buses!

Taking a relaxing bath before nap time.
After shampooing, I like to brush his hair while he distracted in the bath.
He gets annoyed with hair brushing when he gets out of the bath.

Playing on his laptop while we run errands.
We probably went to Sonic while we were out.
At Sonic, I get a Diet Coke w/ Lime and Clay gets a water w/ lemon.

First thing in the morning, watching cartoons.
Here he is watching Tom & Jerry.
This episode is about a baby that he thinks is really funny.

Eating breakfast at Rudy's BBQ.
Clay gets two egg & potato tacos.
He only eats the inside of both - with ketchup.
The ketchup is actually BBQ sauce.
This time I got 2 pigs in a blanket.
When I showed them to Clay he said, "Poop!"

Shopping w/ me at Goodwill.
He found this 99 cent school bus really quick.
It kept him entertained for the rest of the visit.
Remember, he loved school buses!
He also got to get a bunny and a book.

This is his reaction to walking to the parking instead of taking the car.
At least that is what I thought.
He kept saying, "car, car, CAR."
When I said, "no, we're walking" he threw himself on the ground.
Lara reminded me later that he might have wanted to ride in his toy car.

Looking for bugs at the park.
We had seen tons of doodle bugs on the sidewalk as we walked.
At the park, he wanted to keep finding more.

Thrifted Dishes

2010-03-05T00:09:00.004-06:00

(Not my photo.)

On my way to Jean's house tonight, I stopped by a Goodwill and a Salvation Army. I found a few good things but I think the dishes are my favorite. It was a 24 piece Taylor Smith & Taylor set for $12.50. This set is from the mid-1960s and is called Boutonniere Ever Yours. I think it included: 4 dinner plates, 3 small bowls, 4 dessert plates, 4 teacups, 4 tea saucers, and 3 serving dishes - plus two other things I can't remember right now. Aren't they cute!

Marshmallow Puffs

2010-02-22T21:45:00.005-06:00

I was browsing crafty blogs a few night ago in search of project to do with Clayton. On one blog, I was intrigued with a recipe. Clay and I might not make these together but I know he will be plenty happy to eat one. I decided to give them a test run tonight and they are delicious. A lot like cinnamon toast. Anyone with kids should give these a try. Older kids could even help.

Photo from scrumdilly-do!

Marshmallow Puffs (via scrumdilly-do!)

Ingredients:
~ Large Marshmallows
~ 2 tablespoons melted butter
~ Cinnamon Sugar (make your own or buy pre-made in the spices.)
~ 1 container pre-cut biscuits
~ muffin pan, greased

Scrumdilly-do has detailed instructions with photos. You should check that out.

Essentially, the directions are:

1. Mush biscuits flat.

2. Dip flat biscuits into butter - covering.

3. Cover buttery biscuit in cinnamon sugar.

4. Put covered biscuit into muffin pan - similar to a pie crust.

5. Place large marshmallow in middle of biscuit.

6. Bake for 10 minutes at 350.

7. Enjoy!

Thrifting for Lara

2010-02-14T00:05:00.003-06:00

I found these a week or so ago at Goodwill. They were 99 cents each. I thought Lara would like them so I put them in my cart. I emailed her a photo while I browsed and she confirmed, "they're cute." I bought them for her and they look really cute in her apartment with white candles.

Watching Clayton

2010-02-11T21:43:00.007-06:00

Since getting back from Yellowstone, I've started watching Clayton at least one day a week. This week, I'm watching him Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. It's a lot of fun and also very tiring. Clayton is a very energetic kid and I try to keep up.

Tonight, I have a quick view of some of the things we do together. I try to email Jean throughout the day with updates because she likes seeing Little Red. These are the photos I've sent her the last two days:

Yesterday we went to Rudy's BBQ for breakfast.
Jean mentioned it as an idea before she left for work.
They go to Rudy's every week so Clay know all about tacos.
Here he is w/ 2 egg & potato tacos, cheese and an orange juice.
He also has BBQ sauce which he calls ketchup.

Another view of Rudy's.
Here he is saying, "Cheese" for his mommy.
Clay normally gets bored pretty quick when we eat out.
Not at Rudy's.
We stayed here for an hour before he was ready to leave.
He likes to look around and talk to people.

When we got home, we decided it was a no pants day.
I actually decided because he was a poop machine this day.
After his third poop I decided we didn't need to put his pants back on.
We're playing in Baby Riggins' room here.

Jean had an early lunch on Wednesday so we decided to take her a treat.
Here we're headed to Sonic for a Diet Cherry Limeade w/ extra cherry for Jean.
Clayton took a drink in his "big boy" cup so that he wouldn't steal Jean's drink.
We also got dressed before going to Jean's school.
Figured it was smart b/c it was cold & a pantless kid might embarrass Jean.

When we left Jean, we headed back to Sonic for lunch.
Clayton loves fries and this was a treat for him.
He also had a burger and a kids strawberry slush.
He ate his fries first then took his burger apart.
First, he ate his pickles, then meat and finally a little bun.
Everything was dunked in ketchup.
(Here is a view of him wearing his 99 cent Mickey shirt.)

After lunch, we watched some TV to calm down for nap.
He loves Tom & Jerry.
I love Tome & Jerry too - especially that it has music instead of dialogue.

This is how today started.
Clayton slept late so he was still asleep when Jean & Chad left for work.
He ended up waking up at 7:05.
He realized pretty quick that Mommy & Daddy were gone.
I told him they went to work & he said, "bye bye, see you later, have a good day."
That's what Jean says to him every morning when he goes to Granny's house.

Breakfast is about 7:30 each morning - unless Clay is too excited w/ playing.
Today he asked for cheese.
I also gave him strawberries.
Once in his seat, Clayton also wanted ketchup.
He loves ketchup.
He dunked his cheese in the ketchup.
When the cheese was gone he just ate it with his fingers.
He even dunked a few pieces of strawberry in the ketchup.

Jean mentioned Clay could use a bath so I saved it until he got bored.
After lunch, he got grumpy when I wasn't doing everything he said.
I decided it was the perfect time for bath.
Here he is with a bubble bath and all his toys.
In the background, there are 4 monsters that I got him for Christmas.
I thought he would like to play with them but I was wrong.
He likes them but won't let then in the bath.
The monsters must stay in their houses on the side of the tub.

After bath Clay decided to was a good time for a read.
Here he is reading his Ugly Doll book.
I decided to get a Mickey Mouse book and then Clay wanted to trade.
He knows he is suppose to share so he always uses the trade technique.
Even if you don't want to trade.

About 11 we went for a drive.
It's nice to break up the day and Clay loves getting out.
If we ever have a nice day we will go to the park but that hasn't worked yet.
Since today was cold and wet, we went to look for school buses and get lunch.
Clay loves school buses and big trucks.
He looks for them every time we drive somewhere.
After we see one he says, "more school bus."
Then I say, "let's look for more" and he says, "okay."

For lunch today, Clay had chicken nuggets and fruit.
He only had 4 chicken nuggets and didn't think that was enough.
He asked for more very sweetly but was out of luck b/c there weren't anymore.
I asked if he would take cheese instead and he said, "okay."
I gave him a couple cubes of cheese and he was a happy camper.

Photos always ended right around lunch because nap time comes quickly after. When he goes to sleep, I nap too. He is a great nap taker. He doesn't cry or whine when nap time comes. It's nice not to have a fight. He also sleeps for about 3 hours - which I love. Jean is normally home when he gets up from his naps or quickly there after. Lala normally arrives near when he wakes up too because we always get together on Wednesdays when I watch Clay.

More Thrifty Goodness

2010-02-10T19:41:00.010-06:00

It was too much posting everything I would buy every visit. Instead I've decided to post things as I take pics of them or before I give them away.

When I went thrifting on Sunday, I looked at all the baby girl clothes hoping to find something for Baby Riggins. It was a good day because I did find a few things for Baby Riggins and something for Clayton too.

I found this Mickey Mouse shirt for 99 cent.
Clayton loves Mickey and he loved the shirt when I gave it to him today.

I found these 5 outfits for Baby Riggins.
I think all of these are so cute.
Of course, I looked through a ton of not cute, dirty, broken clothes to find these cute ones.

I paid:
Top L to R - 99 cents, 99 cents, 50 cents
Bottom L to R - 99 cents, $1.59

I love looking through all the glassware when I thrift.
I don't often find anything but I found both of these items at the same Goodwill.
I'm planning to sell the mug and give the bowl to Clayton.
This is a Joan Walsh Anglund mug.
The print is copyright 1969 but I'm not sure the mug is that old.
It's in really good shape to be that old. I love the blue birds.

I love this dish.
Jean & I had a couple sets like this when we were growing up.
When you have the cup, saucer and bowl together if forms an entire person.
I hope I can find the rest of this set for Clayton.

This is what an entire set looks like - but I don't have this:

More later...

Moments Like This

2010-02-08T02:34:00.004-06:00

Although I miss Yellowstone (a lot), I love being home because of moments like this:

P.S. Lara took this photo. She's an awesome photographer.

Cat Cross Stitch

2010-02-07T19:30:00.004-06:00

I went to a new thrift shop on Burnet this weekend. I don't remember the name but it is across from The Top Drawer. They have a lot of great things but most were more than I wanted to pay. I did, however, find two of my favorite finds - both at this same shop. They had 2 cross stitch cats. (Does it mean I really will be an old spinster because I am drawn to cross stitch cats?) I got these for $5 & $4.

Thirfting 02.04.10 (Part III)

2010-02-06T07:45:00.001-06:00

Now for my Savers finds. This was my first time going to Savers. It looks like a department store on the outside. I thought it was going to be a Tuesday Morning or Big Lots type place but I was wrong. It really is a thrift store. Everything in the store is donated. This is a big place and I looked at just about everything - except the clothes. Although, I did look at some of the baby clothes.

Here is what I found:

Heart Mold
I found this mold for 99 cents and we used it for the melting crayon project. It's suppose to be an ice mold but it worked fine in the oven at 200.

Costume Jewelry
Aren't these cute. I found the earrings for 99 cents and the brooch for $2.99. The earrings are clip-on. These are both gifts.

Stationary (More)

I bought 2 grab bags of stationary for 99 cents each. I wasn't able to tell what was in the bags but thought I would take a chance. I like some of this but not everything. So - I'll keep what I like and either give away or redonate the rest.

On the top row, I like the bear and the Thank You card. There were 4 of the bear but one was already written on. I'm thinking the writer was about 13. I think I'll give the flowerdy paper to Jean for her students.

I like all 3 in the next row. The birds are my VERY favorite. They are so sweet. I just wish I had gotten more than 4 cards. I like the little redhead. I'm keeping her. I also like the Valentine card and plan to send it this week.

In the next set of 4, I only like the colored paper and the Christmas paper. I really like the little girl on the Christmas paper. She is really sweet. The paper is from the 70s but I don't remember the exact year. I'm going to give away the other paper/cards in this set.

In the final 5, I like the cat paper and the horse paper.

I think this was a good buy for $1.98.

Children's Books

This book was published in 1965 and has the best drawings. There are multiple full page drawings in the book. If I was decorating a nursery, I would buy the book just to frame those drawings.

Published in 1969.

Published in (L to R): 1968, 1968, 1974, 1958
The last book is my favorite and has more awesome drawings.

These books cost $3.25 total (5 for 65 cents each and 1 free.)

My final post for this day will be posted soon...

Thirfting 02.04.10 (Part II)

2010-02-05T17:00:00.000-06:00

Now for my finds from the Goodwill on 183 at Cameron. I only spent about 30 minutes here - which isn't enough for me but more than enough for Lara. Since Lara kindly went along for this adventure, I did limit my time and try to speed hunt.

My finds:

Chalk

This was the perfect find. As I mentioned previously, I found a chalkboard for Clayton at the Goodwill Outlet. Now I found him some chalk for 29 cents. He already has sidewalk chalk but this smaller chalk will work great for the small chalkboard.

Stationary 10 pack
More stationary. There isn't much I can pass up when it comes to paper goods. Lara says there is no way I can ever use all the paper I have already purchased. I know that is true but I do like to handwrite letters - and I can gift some of the stationary. This pack has never been open and has 10 cards w/ 10 envelopes. I paid 99 cents. The cards have the look of the seventies but there is no date and they could be newer.

Daughters of the American Revolution Stationary

This box of cards has been at Goodwill for several weeks. I've noticed it there on my last 2 visits. Finally, I broke down at bought the box. There's a variety of cards in this box and I got them all for $1.99. I like most of it so I think it was a good choice.

Punch Bowl
Jean plans to serve punch at Clayton's 2nd birthday party but doesn't own a punch bowl. We went shopping for the party last weekend and found a plastic bowl for $19.99. Tonight at Goodwill, I found this glass bowl w/ 4 glasses for only $6.99. I called to see if Jean would be interested in getting this bowl and returning the plastic bowl. I'm glad she said yes - because the glass bowl is cheaper, it gets a new home and glass is better for the environment. For the price we paid, Jean can donate the bowl back to Goodwill after the party.

Lara even bought a couple of items during this visit - two Disney items for Clayton. She found a cute lunchbox and a book. There was also a Mickey Mouse back scratcher that I considered getting. I know Clayton would have liked it but I could hear Jean saying, "Don't bring a bunch of junk to my house."

Part III of my thrifty Thursday coming really soon...

Thirft Collections

2010-02-05T12:30:00.001-06:00

I've been reading thrifting blogs recently - to see all the great things people have found. By reading the blogs, I started to see what all the different writers collect. Then I went thrifting today and started seeing tons of things they would love to buy.

** One lady collects red & white toile dishes. Today I saw a set of large plates, small plates and some cups.

** Another lady was looking for two paintings called Gratitude & Grace. In one painting a man is praying and in another a woman is praying. Today I saw the man praying.

** Another woman collects nativity scenes. I saw 3 sets today.

I also see tons of things I think me friends or family would like - but it the back of my head I always hear, "Don't buy me a bunch of junk." So I really try to be selective in choosing items to buy people. If I wasn't selective, I'd bring Lara tons of macrame owls and Clayton would get every Disney item ever donated to Goodwill.

Thirfting 02.04.10 (Part I)

2010-02-05T02:29:00.005-06:00

I visited five shops today while thrifting. First, I went to the Goodwill on Lamar near Koening. I spent most of time these because it is so large and has tons of dishes and books. After Goodwill, I went to the Saver on Burnet, then The Top Drawer and finally the Assistance League of Austin Thrift Shop. I'm hoping to head back to the Assistance League tomorrow because it closed about 10 minutes after I arrived this afternoon. Lastly, I went to the Goodwill off 183 at Cameron with Lara this evening. I found a lot of fun things today - although Lara thinks I'm a dork for some of the things I like.

At The Top Drawer I found:

Poppy Pin
I found this great pin for $3. I'm not sure it's vintage but I don't care because it is so cute. This is a gift.

Rainbow Barrett
This was $1 and it reminds me of being a kid - so I had to buy it. I'll probably keep this until Baby Riggins is old enough (and has long enough hair) to wear it.

Heart Mold
Lara and I planned to make more melted crayons and wanted heart shapes. We found a $10 mold at Target last night but then I found this mold for $1.50. Even better, I found out the mold was 25% off - so I only paid $1.12. The perfect price for a mold that will be ruined by crayon residue.

Reusable Bag
This isn't a "vintage" find but it was a great buy for $2. I can't have enough cute reusable bags.

Part II of today's adventure coming soon...

The Melting of Crayons

2010-02-04T23:20:00.000-06:00

While watching Clayton yesterday, I decided to melt all the crayons I bought at Goodwill. Clayton wasn't interested in the project so I worked alone while he played. Some of the time, Clayton was "cooking" on the floor of the kitchen and asking me to have "bites" from his giant ladle.

How it worked for me:

1. Start with a giant stack of crayons in various colors.

2. Remove paper from all the crayons. This was my least favorite part or the project. At least Clayton was there to keep me entertained and give me "bites" of his soup.

3. Arrange crayons by color. I read it's best to keep similar colors together or the result is brown. I did green & yellow, orange & yellow, pink & purple, blue, red, brown & yellow, etc.

4. Break colors into small pieces and mix together in muffin tin. I broke the crayons into 4 pieces each, using my hands. On other sites, I read you can cut them w/ scissors or chop them like you would a carrot. Also, you can use other molds to melt the crayons in. For example, candy molds, shaped muffin molds, etc. Just make sure the mold can go in the oven w/o melting. If not, you have a huge mess on your hands. On other sites, people did use meltable molds but they melted the crayons in a different container and then poured the melted liquid into the mold.

5. Melt the crayons. I melted my crayons in the oven at 250. I think they were in for 20 or 30 minutes - I just kept checking until I thought they were totally melted. I read a variety of other techniques for the melting process. Some people melted in a double boiler. Some say to melt at 350 other think you should keep the temperature lower, etc. My way worked well but experimenting would be bad.

6. Let your crayons cool completely before removing them from the tin. I let mine cool on the counter until they set - so I could move them w/o spilling. Once set, I moved them to the freezer. I think they were cool within an hour. I didn't really keep track. If you put them in the freezer, you will want to let them dry before using because they will condensate.

7. Enjoy your crayon creations.

Unfortunately, Clayton went to bed before mine were totally dry. I wanted to see how he liked them so I took them with me to give to him next Wednesday.

Thirfting 01.31.10

2010-02-04T00:00:00.000-06:00

On Sunday, I went back to the Goodwill Outlet for a few more hours of hunting. I spent $22.58 on the following items. Not a bad day.

For Clayton & Baby Riggins

I could not pass up the grade book because Jean use to LOVE playing school. I had to grab it for the baby girl - even though she won't be old enough for years. The rest Clayton will love right now.

Vintage Sewing Items
Love all this vintage sewing stuff. All this was at the bottom of the Outlet crates and I was on tip toes trying to reach everything.

Stationary
I found an entire pack of stationary - the 4 pics together. Then I found a lone postcard and one lonely card. All for me, me, me.

70s Purse
For the vintage shop. Not my style but I'm sure someone else will like this seventies bag.

Melting Crayons Loot
I found all these crayons in the bottom of the bins at the Outlet. Most of them have never been used. I decided to grab them up and use for melting, as I mentioned previously. After finding all the crayons, I was thinking I needed something to melt them in - and found the tin just minutes later. Perfect. I melted all the crayons today and plan to post about them soon.

Children's Books

Again, these are to sell and/or make envelopes.

Vintage Book - Tom Swift Circling the Globe

I love this book. I'm going to keep it for myself. I'm not even sure I could sell it because the binding is missing/broken and the front & back covers have fallen off. On the upside, I love the personal inscription. It says, "Hulon Thompson. From Ma. Xmas 1938." The book is copyright 1927. I spent $1.49 on this book and it is selling for at least $11 on Amazon - but this one is in pretty bad shape.

Vintage Book - The Good Housekeeping Cook Book

Great vintage cookbook from 1944. There are over 900 pages of recipes in this book. I spent $1.49 on this book and it is selling for $65 on Amazon. This copy has a book cover glued to it so the binding isn't visible and the dist jacket is gone - so I probably couldn't get $65.

Vintage Book - Ploetz' Epitome of History
A huge book about the history of the world. It was first published in 1883 but this edition is from 1925. I spent $1.49 on this book and it is selling for at least $10 on Amazon.

Vintage Book - Alice in Wonderland

Really like this book. It's in really good condition. My favorite part is that it was bought for 50 cents from Scarbroughs in Austin. I can't find a copyright date but the personal inscription is from 1950. I really need to find a copyright date so I can figure out how much this one is worth.

Vintage Book - Sink 'em All

Another great find. This one is in good condition from 1951. In the front there is a "Property of U.S. Navy" stamp. This one is selling for $60 on Amazon.

Vintage Book - The Middle-Aged Man on the Flying Trapeze
This book it in fairly good condition. The binding is worn and coming loose but the pages are intact. I really like the image on the front and there are similar illustrations throughout the book. Not sure what this one is worth. I need to look up the copyright date again. They are selling from $5 to $60 on Amazon.

I think there is more shopping in the near future - like tomorrow. New thrifting post soon - if I find anything good.

Recycled Crayons Inspiration

2010-02-03T10:50:00.006-06:00

When I went to the Outlet Goodwill on Sunday, I found a ton of crayons. A lot of them had never even been used. I've been wanting to melt crayons and create bigger, interesting shapes. I figure the bigger crayons will be good Clayton's little hands. I'll show you my crayon load later but for now I give you some melted crayon inspiration:

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Thirfting 01.29.10 (Part II)

2010-02-03T08:30:00.000-06:00

Last Friday, I went to regular Goodwill stores and spent $27.25 on the following items.

Children's Books

As I mentioned in Part I, I'm planning to sell the vintage children's books in my etsy shop - once I finally open it. (I have a name now - but I'm keeping it a secret until I get my logo.) Although, I might make custom envelopes with some of the books that don't sale.

I'm really digging The Pooh Party Book. It's a book about how to have a Pooh Bear Party. It has recipes, favor idea and directions for crafty things. Really cute.

Stationary

Even more stationary. I'm keeping most of this but will probably gift some. I've already given the ballerina stationary to Jean for her classroom. I figured her little girls would enjoy it way more that me.

Soft Pastels
Love this unopened box of pastels. I think I'll use them with Clayton. He has been enjoying drawing lately and I think he would like these. Although, they will be a little more messy than crayons.

Journal
An unopen journal. Not sure what I'll do with this. I keep wanting to journal but it never happens. In the end, I will probably gift it.

Convex Glass Frame
Here is the frame I mentioned earlier. I love the shape and the convex glass. I don not love the color or anything about the inside. I'm planning to paint the outside and probably the matting too. Then I'll have to find a good photo for the inside.

Vintage Flinstone Invitations
These will be sold in my vintage shop. If I remember correctly, they are from 1981.

A new post coming soon - b/c I also went thrifting last Sunday!

Taco Salad & Bean Dip

2010-02-02T18:36:00.004-06:00

I'm seriously trying to blog more - so I'm going to blog about anything and everything. For example, I'm going to blog about tonight's dinner.

Like I mentioned previously, I've been cooking more b/c I'm sharing cooking duties with Amanda. Tonight, I'm making Taco Salad and Bean Dip. I'm making this because it is easy and I'm not down with anything too complicated.

We haven't actually eaten yet - but it smells good. Here's what I did:

Taco Salad:

2 lbs ground turkey (b/c it's cheap)
1 can black beans (drained)
1 can chili beans (drained)
1 can rotel
2 diced jalapenos - removing seeds
1 packet taco seasoning (I used cheesy seasoning b/c it was the first thing I saw and I though, "YUM!")
1 bean can full of water
Sour cream
Lettuce
Cheese
Salsa

Cook ground turkey. Add drained beans. Add Rotel. Add diced jalapeno. Add taco seasoning. Add can of water. Let boil until most of water evaporates. Put meat mixture on salad. Top with whatever you like - sour cream, cheese, salsa, avocado, etc.

Bean Dip:

My sister found this awesome recipe and made it for our New Years gathering.

1 can refried beans
1 can rotel
Shredded cheese

Combines beans & rotel. Top with cheese. Eat with chips. Yum!

Sad Goodwill Donations

2010-02-02T17:21:00.003-06:00

While I've been thrifting lately, I've seen some donations that make me sad. I just can't believe some of the things people donate. For example:

* Birthday cads: I keep all my cards but I guess other people aren't as sentimental because I've seen lots of birthday cards. This last weekend, I saw multiple cards for Hannah & Lillian from their grandparents. The grandparents signed the cards Gran Gran & Pawpa and the grandmother always wrote a nice note about how much she loved them, etc. Both of the girls are very young, judging from the cards, so it makes me wonder if they might wish they had these when they get older.

* Custom Coffee Cup: I say a custom photo coffee cup with a family Christmas photo printed on it.

* Books w/ Personal Inscriptions: I've found lots of books with really nice personal inscriptions in them. I can understand if the books are really old - like one I found this weekend with an inscription signed "Ma" from 1938 but when the book is fairly new, I can't understand getting rid of it. I saw one recently from a daughter to a mother in a book of hymns. It talked about how much she loved her mother, how much she has learned from her and how she has grown to appreciate he mother more and more through the years. I could never give up a book with such a great inscription.

Thirfted Frame Inspiration

2010-02-02T09:10:00.001-06:00

When I was thrifting on Friday, I found a great round frame with convex glass. It isn't that cute right now but with some paint it should look better. I've been looking online for some DIY ideas and found some cute ones.

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Thirfting 01.29.10 (Part I)

2010-02-01T18:40:00.003-06:00

I love thrifting. It's so fun finding hidden gems at cheap prices - and I'm often surprised at the things people have given away. I also like to thrift because it means one less item going to the dump.

I've been reading a lot of thrifting blogs recently. It's been inspiring to see what people have found and how they have re utilized the items. I decided to make a trip myself on Friday. I visited 3 Goodwill shops and made quite a killing. I got the following items for just over $40. It was $40.20 - to be exact.

I'm not keeping everything - which is a good thing because I have very limited space. I plan to keep some, gift others and sell a few.

Austin has 2 Goodwill Outlets. One sells clothing and books. The other sells home goods and books. Essentially, the rejected items from the normal Goodwills get sent to the outlets and sold dirt cheap - before unsold items head to the dump. I started my thrifting at one of these outlets. It's time-consuming, dirty work to look at the outlets but also a lot of fun. The outlets are different from the normal Goodwill because everything is just thrown in huge crate and you have to dig through jumbled junk to find the goods. Here are my outlet finds.

Suitcase: $2.99I'm planning to keep this suitcase. I might use it to store yarn. I'm planning to leave the hardware and binding alone but paint the body of the suitcase a bright, pretty color. I gave the suitcase a good cleaning today and Febreezed the inside. Now I need to buy some paint.

Items by Weight: $9.96Almost all of the items at the Goodwill Outlet are sold by weight. Some bigger items are priced as marked and books are either $1.49 each or by weight - which ever is cheaper. When purchasing by weight it is $1.49 a pound. Here are the items I purchased by weight - unless it was a book and then it might have been by the each. Either way - I paid less that $10 for the rest of these items.

Reusable Bag Here is a perfectly good reusable bag from Whole Foods - with the tags still attached. Not very green to buy a reusable bag and then throw it away. I'm keeping this. You can always use another bag for groceries.

Coloring Book I love books like this! This one has never been used. There isn't a mark of color in the entire book. I'm totally keeping this for myself. Maybe I'll find some colored pencils soon.

Stationary I love stationary. I'm keeping most of this but will probably gift some too. It amazed me to find these buried in the crates - and unbent. Love them.

Small PurseNot sure what I'll do with this - but it was a perfectly good purse. I don't think it has even been used. I'll probably end up gifting it b/c I have a lot of people in my life that like bags.

NotecardsI'm gifting these b/c I don't scrapbook often. These are blank white cards - perfect for scraping your own homemade cards.

Vintage BooksI love these vintage books - especially the etiquette book. Not sure what will happen to these. I think I might sell them on my vintage esty shop - when I finally open it. The etiquette book even has a sweet inscription for a 21st birthday from 1972.

Vintage Children's Books I'm going to sell these in my vintage etsy shop. I love these old books. I don't remember these dates on these. I think they range from the 50s to the 80s. I know the Petunia book is from the 50s.

So, that's the loot from the first Goodwill I went to on Friday. I still can't believe I got all that for only $12.95. I'll post my goods from the other two stores in another post.

Vintage Suitcase Inspiration

2010-01-30T23:58:00.009-06:00

I did some thrifting Friday and found a cute vintage suitcase. I've always been envious of other people's vintage suitcases - so I grabbed this one up. I'm planning to blog about my thrifting adventure but there's no time for that tonight. Instead - I'll offer some of my vintage suitcase inspirations:

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Happy Mail & a Survey

2010-01-29T00:05:00.008-06:00

I love mail. Love it. So - I decided to join Happy Mail! Essentially, that means I send mail to someone twice a month (one card and a small gift(s)) and they are forced to send me mail too. How fun is that?!? I just received my person for February, Patty, and I'm excited to get started. (This is my first month.)

Anyway, I was researching Patty (which feels a little like stalking), then blog hopping and came across this survey. Since I've been a horrible blogger lately, I'm looking for anything to post. I've gotten a few ideas while web surfing recently but I'll start with this:

Outside My Window
I'm at Lara's apartment, sitting on her living room couch, looking out her window and I see the Texas Tower.

I Am Thinking
I miss Clayton, Hudson, K.P. and Lillian.
I need to get to work on opening an Etsy shop.
I hate washing clothes.

I Am Thankful
For summers in Yellowstone. I think it helps keep me happy and sane. Don't we all need a little nature in our lives?!?

From The Kitchen
Since moving to Austin, I've actually been cooking a couple times a week - in order to share cooking duties with Amanda. I've recently made: spaghetti, enchilada casserole, taco soup and cake balls. (The cake balls weren't for dinner, of course. I made them for my bro-in-law and Clayton.) It's nice b/c there is always something good to eat but neither of us have to cook every night. Tonight, however, I ate out with Lara at Players. Yum.

I Am Wearing
Lara's clothes. She is letting me wash clothes at her apartment tonight. I took my clothes to wash at Jean's house while watching Little Red but they already had clothes in the washer & dryer. I stayed with Lara that night and plan to again tonight. I just kept wearing the same clothes - which actually doesn't really bother me - but then I had a little clothing mishap - and really needed something clean. That was a long explanation to say - I'm wearing some black capri pants and a Red River Rivalry t-shirt.

I Am Creating
I have a long list of things to work on but haven't been doing much lately - other than recycling yarn from sweaters. My list: mittens for Lara, hat for Mom, hat for Ashley...

I Am Going
To order new checks. I need them badly - even though I use them once in a blue moon.

Around The House
No house for me, yet. Replace "house" with "room" and you find: yarn everywhere. I brought more yarn to Hud & Amanda's house than I will ever have time to knit. It's in the closet, under the bed, in baskets and vases - just everywhere. It's so pretty though - I don't mind looking at it all the time.

One of My Favorite Things
Watching Little Red on Wednesdays. Since moving to Austin, I've started watching Clayton once a week - which means only 2 days so far - but two days full of fun. Clayton is a ball of energy - sweet, cute, awesome energy. When I stay with him, I generally let him boss me around, within reason - i.e. he can pick the activities but he still has to follow the rules, eat well and nap. I leave each week with a ton of cute new memories. I should start writing them down because they make me smile. For example, about a week ago, we left a restaurant and Lara saw a sore on Clayton's arm. She pointed it out to Clayton as a boo-boo and then touched it with her finger - realizing it was actually ketchup. She then said, "Oh, it's just ketchup." Well, Clayton has started saying all boo-boos are ketchup. So, this Wednesday, he pointed out, several times, the "ketchup" on my face. What fun to be reminded, continuously, about my super cute blemishes.

A Few Plans for the Rest of the Week
Tomorrow = thrifting, alone. I wish my sisters liked to thrift like me.
Saturday = hang with my sisters and Clayton.
Sunday = Go to Le Garage Sale - a bi-yearly, "two day shopping event that brings together your city’s coolest independent boutiques all under one roof and all at clearance sale prices!"

Fun survey. I'd love to hear all of your answers. Leave me a comment if you decide to fill out the survey on your blog.

P.S. My computer crashed 3 times while writing this blog post. Maybe I'm not suppose to blog anymore. Also, this is a new computer - i.e. Christmas gift - so throwing it across the room is out of the question as far as troubleshooting is concerned. Ugh!

Leaving Yellowstone & Plans to Return

2010-01-24T22:00:00.001-06:00

I can't promise this is my last Yellowstone post...because I got my re-hire letter this week. That's right, I'm headed back to Yellowstone this Spring/Summer. I need to send in my new & updated application and wait for details on my return - but I know now that they will accept me.

Until that time, here are my final Yellowstone photos.

When I got up to leave Yellowstone on October 31, I was planning to head south through Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. Unfortunately, the park was covered in snow & ice. I started heading south but got turned around about 12 miles south of Canyon.

I should have called for the Road Closures updates but didn't think of it before leaving. I think that's because I was feeling really sick. I had felt a little yucky the few days before leaving but nothing too bad. I think the exertion of packing my car to leave - b/c, of course, I had taken WAY too much stuff for one summer - pushed me over the edge. Just a few miles from Canyon, I had to pull to the side of the road and hurl. It was bad, the barf was pink (no idea why) but it made be feel better immediately.

Once I started north, toward Mammoth, the snow turned to a sunny, nice day. The rest of my drive home was very nice. Here are my final photos of the season.

Coyote in the Snow

2010-01-04T20:47:00.010-06:00

Here's a frisky coyote in the snow. So cute.

Snow in August

2010-01-01T10:30:00.003-06:00

September was the start of snow in Yellowstone - and it pretty much continued from there on. Here are some snow photos from the park.

September 30
October 9
October 20

The Fire

2009-12-31T10:30:00.001-06:00

Here's a couple photos of the big fire Yellowstone had this summer. I say the "big" fire b/c there were a number of other small fires - which is typical. Of course, this fire was nothing like the fire of 1988. It did, however, burn thousands of acres. It's a little sad but actually really good for the environment. I drove up Dunraven to get these photos.

When We Weren't Working

2009-12-30T10:30:00.004-06:00

Although we worked a lot at the station, we also had some fun. Here's some of the fun we had:

My New Friends

2009-12-29T10:30:00.005-06:00

One of the best things about my summer in Yellowstone was the people I met. Here are a few of my new friends. There were a lot of other great people - but these are some of the pictures I hadn't posted yet.

Don't Speed in the Park, Seriously!

2009-12-28T21:02:00.007-06:00

Yellowstone has 7 gas station and 4 of those stations have wrecker services. I got to see a ton of wrecked vehicles since I worked at one of the stations. Way too many of those wrecks could have been avoided had the drivers been slower and paying more attention to the road. As well, a ton of animals would still be alive if the drivers had done the same. Here are some vehicle versus animal examples:

Notice the hair in two of these photos.

I'm Back....

2009-12-28T20:51:00.003-06:00

So - it's been forever! At the end of my summer work vacation, I stopped taking a ton of photos or blogging. I wanted to really enjoy the rest of my time there with my new friends and the park. Plus, I started knitting a lot.

I've been home almost two months now and decided it's time to start blogging again. I'll catch you up on the rest of my time in Yellowstone, my trip home and what I've been doing recently - but it will only come one blog at a time.

Skyping with Clayton (Plus Jean & Lara)

2009-09-30T20:05:00.005-05:00

I got to Skype with Jean, Lara and Clayton this afternoon. It was seriously fun. At the beginning, Clayton was bashful and ignoring me. By the end, he was blowing me kisses - my favorite part.

Labor Day Weekend at the Sation

2009-09-06T19:22:00.004-05:00

I've had the worst time working yesterday and today. Perhaps I've been in a mad mood but I think it is mostly the customers have been really annoying. For example...

Yesterday:
1. A customer honked for me to come outside so he could ask me a question. I ignored the first honk so he pulled up further to gesture to me. I went out and he asked if we had an air hose. Had he looked right in front of him he would have seen we do have one. Does anyone do this in real life - i.e. outside of vacation?

2. A guy came in at least 4 times asking where to see bears. I guess not everyone realizes but Yellowstone is not a zoo. Bears are wild and they travel throughout the park. However, I was nice the first few times. I told him a good place to look - over and over and over. He kept coming back. The last time I gave him direction, I was describing a pullout on Dunraven.

Me: "There is a large pullout on your right before you get to Dunraven Pass. It has a small building with a toilet."

Him: "The one past Dunraven Pass."

Me: "No, it is before Dunraven Pass and the large parking lot for the Washburn hike."

Him: "It's after the pass. There isn't one before the pass."

Me: "Yes, there is one before the pass."

Him: "I just drove it. There isn't one."

Me: Thinks - "I've driven it 70 thousand times." But says: "Okay."

He left, found the one I was talking about and returned to tell me I was right - and he saw the bear. I still hated him.

3. A guy, that has come in 40 times the last 3 days, came to tell me he saw an emu and it was calling for a mate. I asked, "Was it bugling like an elk?" He told me it was different. I just look at him. He tells me the emu was 5 foot tall and came right by the road. I don't have a response.

Today:

1. A guy asks how much our electric converter costs. I tell him, "I think it's $35." He says, "Like $3.50?" I say, "No, like $35."

2. The stupid bear guy from yesterday came in again. I was in the office getting a deposit ready and hear him talking to my co-worker. He tells the co-worker he saw a "full size grizzly" on Dunraven. Co-workers says, "yeah, that's the one we were telling you about." Guys says, "No, that girl told me it's a cub." I didn't go correct him but for the record - I have NEVER seen a cub on Dunraven - not a black bear cub nor a griz cub - and I did not tell him it's a cub. That wouldn't even make sense. There wouldn't be a cub by itself that made it all summer alive - unless it was already a year or two old - in which case I would have described it as a yearling.

There has been a ton of other annoying things but they are all small and not worth writing - but they add up and make me what to kill people.

Visit from the Rents

2009-09-01T02:18:00.003-05:00

My parents came to visit. It was awesome. I love them. Here we are on the Beartooth Hwy between Cooke City and Red Lodge.

Dorm Pets

2009-08-21T19:39:00.008-05:00

We have tons of little rodents behind our dorm but my favorite is our two pine martens. For the longest time, my dorm mates would mention seeing a pine marten. Then I started seeing him every once in awhile. One afternoon I was reading outside (with my camera ready) and found out we didn't have one pine marten but two. That afternoon I saw them playing together and chasing chipmunks. One is just a tad smaller but they seem to be about the same age - maybe siblings.

Pine Martens:

* The American Marten is a N. American member of the Mustelidae family, sometimes referred to as the Pine Marten.

* The Mustelidae family is also referred to as the weasel family, a family of carnivorous mammals.

* The marten has a long slender body w/ glossy brownish fur, a lighter colored throat, long bushy tail and pointed snout.

* Like cats, its claws are semi-retractable and aid in climbing trees.

* The animal is omnivorous, preferring to catch and eat small mammals.

* Also consuming fish, frogs, insects, carrion, fruit and other vegetation.

* It is most active at night, early morning, and late afternoon.

* Mating occurs during the summer and 1 to 5 "kits" are born the following spring.

* At the turn of the 20th century, the marten population was depleted due to the fur trade.

Here is our martens:

Introduction to Chubbs

2009-08-19T17:29:00.006-05:00

I think I've mentioned Chubbs before. He is our station pet - although some of my co-workers consider him a pest. I, on the other hand, love him and think he is super smart.

Chubbs started raiding out station food by coming in the back door. We would often leave that door open while stocking, etc. He would quietly come in while we were busy and open a bag of gummies or nuts. We would normally hear the bag opening and go running to see him running off with his cheeks stuffed. We were losing so much food that we had to make an effort to always close that door.

With the back door closed, what did Chubbs do? He started coming through the garage and into the store. He was much more visible this way and always caught before actually getting to the food.

Like I said, I love Chubbs and think he is super smart. We don't have any other rodents sneaking in the store for food. My co-workers just find him a pest. They often chase him or throw rocks at him.

Here's Chubbs:

Random Stories (not related to Yellowstone)

2009-08-13T08:00:00.001-05:00

A couple weeks ago, I got a Facebook message from one of my cousins asking if I was gay. I'm not sure why she asked. Maybe because I'm liberal or I have friends that are gay or I'm 31 and not married w/ 2.5 kids. No matter the reason, it left me wondering how many others wonder the same thing - and if the answer really matters to any of them.

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The other night, I had a dream that I was going to work for my dad. I was getting this awesome office job with a good salary and a sweet, gigantic office (although his office actually has cubicles.) In the dream, getting the job was also the worst day of my life. It seems my conscious and subconscious are in agreement - I don't want to end up behind a desk.

Yellowstone Stories

2009-08-10T20:27:00.005-05:00

I went on a hike today. Well, I wouldn't call it a hike - more of a walk b/c it wasn't hard or fast or long. I started at Cascade Lake Picnic area and walked back to the meadow. I didn't walk the Cascade Lake trail - just random walking along animals trails, etc. Part of the walk was in the woods and part in a wet meadow. It was a great time. On the hike I:

* Got eaten by a million mosquitos.
* Ate wild strawberries.
* Saw bear scat - but old.
* Took tons of wildflower photos.
* Forded a stream - i.e. stepped over it.
* Saw a pair a little girl panties on the side in the trail.
* Found a downed tree at toilet height and peed

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I also went to the Yellowstone River and sat along the shore for about an hour. I was hoping to see the beaver I saw weeks ago - when I didn't take my camera. No such luck. When I did see him, I was reading along the shore and when I looked up from my book he was about 10 feet away staring at me. Today I only saw a raven, ants and a salmon fly. It was nice - even though I didn't see the beaver.

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Two people came into the station this morning asking if there is a car wash in the park. Seriously? You can't be on vacation with a dirty car? And why would a national park ever have a car wash?

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At least two bison got hit last night. A Fishing Bridge wrecker went to one of the hits and the other was taken care of by Canyon. The van that came to Canyon was torn up. The hood was through the windshield and the steering wheel was jacked up. There was bison fur all over. I hear the bison from the Fishing Bridge hit walked away but the bison from the Canyon hit was already dead when the wrecker arrived.

Today, I meet the couple from the Canyon wreck. While the woman was here she noticed how close the hood was to her face - through the windshield. She was a little teary and happy they weren't hurt. It really is amazing they weren't hurt at all. I just wish the bison had been okay too.

I have pics of the van I can put up later.

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A little boy (maybe 5) came in earlier this week with $1. He wanted gum and I made him cry b/c he didn't have enough money. I was really trying to be nice and tell him everything he could get - 4 suckers, Lifesavers. He went running out of the station without buying anything. A few minutes later he came back with $5 and his older sister (maybe 8). The little boy was crying and the older sister bought his gum.

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Yesterday I went to the old Dunraven Road with Caleb to see wildflowers. I had mentioned how many flowers I saw in Glacier and Caleb said he would take me to see some here. There were a ton on the old road - several I hadn't seen in the park yet. While we were out we saw old bear scat, a grouse and her 3 cheeps (babies) as well as a Stellar's Jay.

Thanks K.P. (and Ashley!)

2009-08-09T14:15:00.004-05:00

When I got back from Glacier, I had the best mail waiting for me. K.P. (and Ashley) sent me a shirt imprinted with my favorite photo of K.P. (Although every photo of K.P. is cute!) Right now, I'm wearing it for the 2nd time. Ashley said in the photo K.P. is saying, "Where's Aunt Jennifer?"

I love you K.P. and can't wait to see you in October. (And I love the newest baby Slania - can't wait to meet you!)

Mandatory Mustache Month in Yellowstone

2009-08-02T03:10:00.009-05:00

Okay, it wasn't really Mandatory Mustache Month in all of Yellowstone - just my company. And - mandatory didn't really mean mandatory - but it has a nice ring.

Some of my male co-workers participated in Mandatory Mustache Month for July. (A lot also wussed out - Dan, Eric...) To participate, the guys start growing a mustache on July 1st and see who has the best one at the end of the month. (And whose is the creepiest, thinnest, grossest, etc.)

The guys in my company say there are two types of mustaches: the Westache and the Molestache. Of course, the MOLESTache is a bad mustache (see Urban Dictionary) and the WEStache is a good one. (Wes is a co-worker who didn't have to grow a stache in July b/c he always has one - and it's a good one.)

Here is the difference:

Molestache = Bad
Westache = Good
Here are my participating co-workers:

How do you vote? Who has the best stache? Who achieved a Westache and who failed with a Molestache? Leave a comment with your vote!

P.S. The girls participated too:

Stories from Yellowstone

2009-07-29T01:19:00.005-05:00

More Yellowstone stories:

Looks like the bison rut (mating season) has started. They're all gathering in the Hayden Valley - and getting more aggressive. One day this week, the bison were in the road ALL DAY LONG. I know this because we heard it from a gazillion tourist.

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That same day, a bison was in the Hayden Valley gushing blood from his leg. We had heard from tourist that it was hit by a car. After talking to a ranger we found out the real story. He had been fighting with another bison and been gored in the leg. They confirmed he was gushing blood with each step he took. They expected him to die later that day.

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Speaking of bison, one got hit by a van last night. One of our wreckers went to get the van - which was better off than the bison. Our driver said the van broke the bison's hip so he was just sitting on the side of the road - not able to move but also not dead. When this happens, the rangers wait for the family to leave and then put the bison (or elf or deer or wolf) down.

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A woman came in a few days ago wanting to know when Old Faithful was going to erupt. My co-worker told her there wasn't a schedule for eruptions. The woman still wanted my co-worker to call Old Faithful and find out the eruption times. She was so interested in the times because she wanted to know how much time she had to stop at other places along the way. She could not get it through her head that there is no schedule and it continues to erupt ALL DAY - about every 90 minutes. The woman ended up storming out sarcastically saying, "Thanks for being so helpful."

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Earlier this week I went to West Yellowstone with Kelly Jo. On our way we had to sit in the normal traffic and then sit again while waiting for some bison walking in the road. I love when the bison walk in the road. If I was a bison, I would take that easy way any day - as compared to bushwhacking. When we finally made it to where we could see the bison I decided to take a couple photos. Literally, I took two photos. (It was two baby bison and their mamas.) Before I even had the second photo taken - the guy behind me honked. I was so pissed. It surprised Kelly Jo because she say I am always so nice. After he honked I ended up feeling like driving 30 and never letting him around me.

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More on bison: As I mentioned the rut has started and the bison are getting more aggressive. Well, about a week ago - a guy decided he wanted a really good photo of a bison. The bison was hanging out at the Bridge Bay camping area and the guy got about 10 feet from him for the photo. The bison wasn't happy and let the guy know by goring him in the leg. The idiot lived but had to go to the hospital.

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I heard someone else got hurt in the park yesterday. (This story isn't about bison at all.) Word is, someone fell off a cliff at Firehole. I was told they were Life Flighted out of the park still alive.

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A guy barfed at Pump 4 today. I'm glad I didn't have to clean that up!

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Working at a station with a garage is awesome. We get free labor (as long as we wait until they aren't busy) and get parts at cost. I've already gotten new windshield wipers and plan to have an oil change this week. One of the techs even worked on getting out the huge dent in my car from where the school bus hit me. It isn't perfect but looks a whole lot better now.

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A little kid came over to me this evening to ask if out Cup of Soup is good. I told him that it was good and he said, "So, it isn't like throw up?" I told him that no, the soup we sale isn't like throw up. So cute.

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Today, two of my friends (co-workers) hiked 7-Mile Hole. (It was actually 3 people hiking but I only know 2 of them.) It's a fairly tough hike with a lot of uphill climbing on the way out. Dan decided to get a head start on the hike out and climbed the first 1/4 or 1/2 mile before stopping for a breather. He leaned against a tree to relax and looked around. Not 50 feet away he saw a grizzly. He could only see the hind legs and was unsure whether the bear saw him yet or not. He wasn't sure what to do but decided to slowly walk back down the trail to the other 2 guys. (Good decision.) He told them about the bear and they decided to walk back up the trail making a lot of noise and try to hike a wide circle around the bear. They were able to do this successfully - and the bear never even looked at them. He just continued to dig in the ground for nuts or bugs. You can be sure, however, the bear knew they were there and decided to leave them alone - this time.

Even More Yellowstone Stories

2009-07-25T23:00:00.001-05:00

Here are some more random stories:

When I was cleaning the men's restroom last week it was horrible. When I entered, it reeked of piss. So, so bad. I went to check the urinal and found that both urinal cakes were totally gone. (Urinal cake = deodorizer.) So - I had to replace both of them - which meant I had to take the old ones out. It was the worst bathroom experience I've had yet. I was gagging so hard from the smell and the pubes and other stupid things people had dropped in the urinal. When I lifted the old urinal cakes there was gum and other stupid things that should never be put in a urinal. So - all my friends (and sisters) with boys need to teach them: 1) urinals are meant to be flushed - just like toilets and 2) don't throw anything in the urinal - including gum.

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Tonight, when I was cleaning the women's restroom I got knocked on my ass. Like always, I had the "Restroom Closed" sign outside the door as well as a broom, dust pan and mop. Did this keep everyone out? NO. There I was, squatted behind the door, cleaning footprints off the bottom (where women kick open the door so they don't get cooties from touching the knob) and in walks a woman - past the signs and cleaning supplies - and knocks me on my ass. We then have this conversation:

Me: (annoyed) "It's closed for cleaning."

Her: (being stupid) "Really?"

Me: (knowing she saw the signs) "Yes, you can go across the street to the Visitor's Center."

Her: (still annoying) "Is there anyway I can just use it?"

Me: (getting really agitated) "No, I'm cleaning."

Her: (crazy annoying) "Our car is broken down and I'm stuck here."

Me: (being too nice, b/c they gave our garage business) "Okay."

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Earlier in the week, I went to the Lamar with Katie. We visited a spot I found along the Lamar River where there is tons of petrified wood in the riverbed. We walked the river looking at all the neat wood and other rocks. I also showed Katie an elk carcass that Kelly Jo found a few days earlier. As we were walking the river, we saw several rangers drive by as well as some ambulances. When we left the river we went further into the Lamar. Just a few miles down we saw the reason for the rangers - a bad wreck. It was a car that had flipped onto it's roof. It looked really bad. I hear both passengers were ejected and lived. I hope that's true. I also heard they flipped because one of their tires left the road.

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Back to the elk carcass. It was so interesting but also nasty. I think it was fairly new but totally clean. The only things left were bones and some hair. Kelly Jo picked up the skull to have a photo taken. We got the photo and then some goo started oozing from the cranial cavity. Kelly Jo quickly throw down the skull and the we caught a smell of the goo. It was so nasty smelling. Not sure what it was but I could do with never smelling it again.

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We had a family come in earlier this week with an interesting story. It was a family of 5 and the mom's sisters. While they were driving in the park, the aunt started choking on a corn nut - seriously choking. They had to pull over and the dad gave the aunt the Heimlich. She got her breath back and they got back on the road - then everyone got emotional. They pulled into out station to pull things together. Along with that story the mom told us her 12 year old had PMS.

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Tonight, some of my co-workers are competing in an Ex-Lax challenge. They came up with the game. They each took an Ex-Lax and now we wait. The last one to shit wins the game and a block of cheese.

Coyote on Dunraven

2009-07-24T08:00:00.001-05:00

I few days ago, I drove up to the Lamar with Kelly Jo. It was a really beautiful drive, like always. When we were coming back down the pass, we saw a coyote. The coyote had found something interesting in the middle of the road - and would not move. I suspect he was interested in the remains of an unfortunate ground squirrel that got hit by a car. When he was satisfied he finally left - but not before causing quite a string of traffic.

Also, the coyote had a broken back leg - which made me sad.

Here's the traffic culprit.

Fighting Bison

2009-07-23T11:00:00.004-05:00

I saw these bison fighting awhile back. I don't think they were being serious but it was still fun to watch.

Bison Fun Facts:

Q: How much do bison weigh?
A: Mature bison bulls weigh approximately 2,000 lbs while mature bison cows will weigh approximately 1,100 lbs.

Q: How fast can bison run?
A: At speeds up to 40 MPH.

Q: What do bison eat?
A: Bison do well in most pastures. They eat a wider range of items than cattle & roam the entire pasture while eating. They winter well on native grasses & prairie hay.

Q: What is the approximate birth weight of a bison calf?
A: Between 40 to 50 pounds. They're usually up and walking with their mothers within a couple hours of being born.

Q: What is the gestation period for a female bison?
A: 9 1/2 months. Cows have their calves from mid-April through June. Cows generally have one calf per year, but twins may occur very rarely.

Q: How many calves will a bison have in her lifetime?
A: Bison have their first calves when they are three. They live 20-25 years and can have a calf each year.

Q: Does a bison chew cud like a cow?
A: Yes.

Q: Do all bison have horns?
A: Yes - male & female.

Q: Is bison fur soft?
A: Bison have coarse guard hairs and a soft wool undercoat. (I bought some bison yarn & it is awesomely soft.)

Q: How many bison are there in North America?
A: There are approximately 500,000-head.

Q: How many bison live in Yellowstone National Park?
A: Yellowstone has the largest free roaming bison population in the world - about 3,500-head.

Q: What is the spiritual relationship between the bison and the American Indian culture?
A: It varies from tribe to tribe. However, many of the tribes relied on bison not just for meat, but for shelter, clothing, and a source of utensils, tools, etc. The bison naturally became a spiritual focus for many American Indian tribes.

Black Bear (for Mitchell & Noah)

2009-07-22T20:32:00.008-05:00

This post is for Mitchell & Noah, the sons of my friend, Mary Anna. They like my animal photos - and I don't want to disappoint my fans!

In May, my first month in Yellowstone, I saw this black bear eating on Dunraven pasted Tower Falls. He was totally ignoring all the cars and people. It was fun to watch him eat.

Black Bear Food Facts: (From Wiki)

* Black bears are omnivores whose diet includes plants, meat, and insects.
* Their diet typically consists of about 10-15% animal matter.
* The black bear eats mainly herbs, nuts and berries.
* Black bears feed on carrion (i.e. carcass of a dead animal)
* They raid beehives for honey & larvae. (Easy sources of carb (honey) & protein (larvae).
* They kill and eat small mammals.
* Black bears will eat salmon, suckers, alligator eggs, crayfish, and trout.
* Black bears often drag their prey to cover, preferring to feed in seclusion.
* They often begin feeding on the udder of lactating females.

Typical Tourist

2009-07-19T00:11:00.005-05:00

On July 4th, I went to Grant Village with Kelly Jo and John to celebrate with the southern crew. On the way there we got stuck in a bison jam. The traffic both way was completely stopped and tourist were out of there car watching the bison cross the road. We finally started moving when Special Agent Tait arrived and made everyone move along.

The photo above is a typical jam. Notice: the cars stopped in the middle of the road, all the cameras, and the running tourist. (Of course, running toward a herd of bison is always a smart move.)

Yellow-bellied Marmot

2009-07-15T21:46:00.006-05:00

Several weeks ago, I saw a Yellow-bellied Marmot on my way to West Yellowstone. I stopped to take photos and lots of cars zoomed past not understanding what I was doing. Very few actually took the time to look for the little animal - or maybe they were only interested in the big game animals.

Here are some interesting Marmot facts:

* They are also known as Rock Chucks and Whistle Pigs.
* They dig burrows under rocks because predators are less likely to find the burrow.
* When they see a predator, they whistles to warn other marmots - i.e. Whistle Pig.
* They can live to age 15.
* They have a "harem-polygynous" mating system, meaning a male has 1-4 mates.
* They are diurnal - the opposite of nocturnal.
* Their burroms include "toilet rooms" as well as living rooms, bedrooms & eating rooms.

Here's the marmot I saw:

Random Yellowstone Stories

2009-07-12T00:00:00.006-05:00

I know, I've been sucking at updates. Obviously, posting photos weekly isn't going to work. I'm more likely to most random things as they happen - or weeks later. So - that's the plan for now.

Today, I have some random stories. Enjoy!

Bathrooms:

I have to clean restrooms at least once a week - which isn't below me but also isn't awesome. In my time here I've noticed several things about restrooms.

1. The women's restroom is always worse than the men's room. I think it's because so many women are freaked about germs. So freaked, in fact, they won't even clean their own mess. They leave toilet paper everywhere - on the pot, on the floor, on the sink, hanging from their pants. My manager says he thinks women create little toilet paper nests to use. The women also leave pee on the seat, poop in the toilet and even blood smears everywhere. It is seriously gross.

2. The men, on the other hand, leave poop explosion remnants everywhere, everyday. They normally flush the toilet but the water can't grab all the poop drops on the back of the toilet. I think guys must push too hard or eat badly - not sure what but everyday someone has an explosion for us to clean. Yuck!

3. When cleanng the restrooms we lock the door and put out a restroom closed sign. Generally, there is also a mop and bucket outside the restroom. So - do you think the tourist understand this means the restroom is closed? No, they don't. They still try to open the door, they knock on the door, they go into the store to ask why the door won't open. It's annoying but, frankly, also a little entertaining. I get a kick out of listening to them outside the door while I'm cleaning.

My Favorite Customers:

1. So far this summer, my favorite customer was a women who came in celebrating 5 years cancer free. She was one of the happiest customers I've seen. She told me she had an aggressive breast cancer and her survival rate was estamited at 5%. Here she was 5 years later celebrating with her husband of 30 years. She really brightened my day.

2. I also enjoyed a couple in there 70s who came by for snacks. They were sort of play fighting about who was getting what. The wife told the husband he couldn't have any of her cookie because they were just for her. Then he looked at us and said, "I guess I'm not getting any cookie tonight." The wife got embarassed and said she thought stuff like that would be over by the time they were 70.

3. Another favorite was a women in her 60s who was road tripping by herself. She excitedly told us her life story and how she was "still kicking" at 60. When she said "still kicking" she actually kicked her leg into the air. She said she was a P.E. teacher her entire life and recently retired. Her husband also recently left her recently for a younger woman. She was happy that she had her teacher retirement to enjoy while he had a woman that didn't work but spent all his money and is allergic to their son's cat.

My Most Hated Customer:

I've had a variety of yucky customers - especially grumpy old men. One woman, in particular, really stands out. She was probably in her 60s with long white hair she kept in pigtails. She was the most obnoxious women - just mad at the world. We got the pleasure of her rage not once but twice. I was only there the second time she came in. It went something like this:

Grumpy Woman: (storms into station) "$26.10, pump 7."

Me: (stares at her blankly)

Grumpy Woman: "I need a receipt for $26.10 on pump 7."

Me: (extremely nice, like always) "Okay, if you have your credit card I can swipe it and a receipt will be printed."

Grumpy Woman: (enraged) "I don't have the card it doesn't belong to me."

Me: "I'll need the card to print you a receipt."

Grumpy Woman: (more enraged) "I need a receipt for $26.20 on pump 7."

Me: "I'll need the card to print you a receipt."

Grumpy Woman: (even more enraged) "I NEED a receipt for $26.20 on pump 7"

Co-Worker: "We'll need the card."

Grumpy Woman: (going crazy) "Give me a receipt for $26.10 on pump 7."

Me: (getting very annoyed) "It isn't possible to give you a receipt without the card."

Grumpy Woman: (storms out of the store) "This is the worst place ever and it's only getting worse."

Me & Co-worker: (look at each other with knowing eyes)

Grumpy Woman: (comes in with the card but has it "hidden") "I need a receipt for $26.10 on pump 7."

Me: (sees she has the card in her hand) "I'll have to have the card to give you a receipt."

Grumpy Woman: (hand me the card in a huff.)

Me: (swipes the card, a receipt prints for $26.13, hands card & receipt to lady)

Grumpy Woman: (looks at receipt and freaks b/c it's for $26.13) "I can't believe this. We pump $26.10 and this says $26.13." (storms out of station) "This is the worst place ever!"

Me: (wait for car to leave and walk to pump 7, see that they pumped $26.13)

Dirt Bath

2009-07-10T00:06:00.005-05:00

Here are some photos of a bison taking a dirt bath. I love watching them take these baths. I've read it helps them get rid of fleas - or at least scratch the itch. Also - I think this bison is pretty because of the black circle around her eyes.

UPDATE: Chipping Sparrow

2009-07-01T21:00:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I went for a two mile hike with friends. We took the Lost Lake trail which is only 2 miles and almost entirely flat - which is good for me. We started at the Petrified Tree parking lot and ended at the Tower Lodge. I like that route because the last part is all down hill switchbacks. Had we walked it the opposite direction we would have had the switchbacks uphill which would have killed me.

After the hike we chatted near the Tower Service Station. As I walked around I came across the nest of a Chipping Sparrow. At first, I thought the little bird was the baby waiting on her mom. I quickly realized, however, that it was the mom sitting on her eggs. When she flew off and I saw the 4 blue eggs - it was the best day ever!

Take a look:

Update: The eggs hatched.

Death at Lower Falls

2009-06-18T23:26:00.005-05:00

There was a suspected suicide in the park this week at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. A young man is believed to have purposely jumping from an observation platform over Lower Falls. Lower Falls is less than two miles from where I work and the rumors spread like wild fire. I first heard that it was a child that accidentally fell. Then I heard it was a son who jumped after arguing with his dad. I'm not sure of the entire story yet but witnesses have said he jumped. I've also heard he smiled at the crowd before making the plunge.

Here is the official press release from the National Park Service:

Search Efforts Underway in Yellowstone For Missing Utah Man

Officials are searching for the body of a Utah man who apparently committed suicide by jumping off the edge of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone Tuesday afternoon.

The 20 year old was last seen about 1:50 p.m. on the observation platform at the Brink of the Lower Falls, along the north rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

Witnesses at the scene said the man jumped over the railing into the Yellowstone River, and then went down over the 308 foot high Lower Falls.

A search of the river was begun immediately, using both observers on the ground and the park helicopter. The search and recovery effort continued Wednesday.

The Utah man is missing and presumed dead. His name is being withheld pending notification of family members. The incident remains under investigation.

The latest stream flow reading upstream of the falls at the outlet of Yellowstone Lake recorded over 44,500 gallons of water per second flowing into the Yellowstone River.

Before & After

2009-06-12T00:18:00.009-05:00

The area around my dorm has changed a lot since I arrived. The biggest change is the snow melt. My favorite change is the chipmunks and ground squirrels have become active.

Here's a view of our backyard from my dorm room.

May 14 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ May 22 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ June 11

A Bird for My Mama

2009-06-05T00:48:00.003-05:00

I saw this cool duck in the still semi-frozen Yellowstone Lake. It's a male Barrow's Goldeneye. I like his yellow eye and the awesome black & white pattern.

Broken Leg

2009-06-03T08:00:00.001-05:00

While I was watching a bison herd near West Yellowstone, I noticed one of the calves had a broken leg. It was sad to watch him limp around. Of course, he won't make it long. I'm sure wolf, bear or coyote will find him soon. Nature.

Check out how swollen his back leg is in the photo.

Bison Calf Playing

2009-06-02T17:51:00.007-05:00

If I drive anywhere - I see bison. The park is full of them. I never get tired of them (the elk are a different story.) It's especially fun to see them right now because all the calves are so little. The only thing about bison is 99% of the time the are just grazing. I almost never see them running or anything fun. However, driving home from West Yellowstone I did catch a calf having some fun. I stopped to walk and tried to get some good photos. None of these are awesome but they are cute.

Fishing Osprey

2009-06-01T13:38:00.008-05:00

I saw this osprey near Old Faithful and started taking photos so I could get a good one for my mom. Then I noticed he was diving for a fish so I took shots of the action and came up with this cool sequence. My favorite is the second photo with his talons down. If you look closely - he did get a fish.

Black Bear Cubs

2009-05-27T14:35:00.008-05:00

During my first week in Yellowstone, I went for a drive to explore the park. From Canyon, I headed west toward Norris and then north toward Mammoth Hot Springs. About 6 miles south of Mammouth, at the Golden Gate area, there were a ton of people pulled to the side of the road. This is a normal occurrence in Yellowstone when anything interesting is spotted (and sometimes for things that aren't interesting at all.) In this case, it was a very interesting sight. Right by the road on a cliff above a waterfall was a black bear mama and two little cubs. It was so cute.

The mama was walking back and forth along the cliff and her babies were following her everywhere. Toward the end, she came out onto a snow bank allowing a great view of she and her cubs. It was super fun to watch them - and I want to see more cubs soon.

Yellowstone: Week One

2009-05-26T02:07:00.010-05:00

I'm enjoying my work (and play) in Yellowstone. Here are some photos from my first week. Week Two will be coming soon along with some stories.

Bison Jam

2009-05-21T00:51:00.007-05:00

No, Bison Jam isn't something you put with peanut butter on a sandwich. It's a traffic jam caused by bison on the road.

Yesterday, I went to Grand Teton National Park with my roommate. On the way down, we got stuck in two bison jams. It was awesome. You're able to see the bison so well - because they are walking the road as you drive it. In one of the jams, we were the car directly behind the bison so we got some great butt views. Thankfully, they didn't have to crap while we were following them. The jams we were in were especially fun because they include little orange calves.

On our way back from the Tetons we ran into another bison jam. This one only included the bison and us. It was already mostly dark in the park (of course, there are no street lights.) As we were driving along we saw 8 pair of eyes coming toward us in the dark. I slowed down and walking toward us were bison - covering both lanes of the street. As I came nearer, the bison gradually moved into the other lane and I was able to pass. This shows how carefully you must drive at night in the park.

Here are some pics from our bison jams.

Road Trip: Shoreline to Missoula to Gardiner

2009-05-20T16:07:00.007-05:00

My final road trip update. My last two days on the road trip were fairly uneventful. The first day I drove about 7 hours to Missoula, Montana, and the second day I only had 5 hours left to get to Gardiner, Montana - where I would begin training for my new summer job.

It was really just a bunch of driving. I didn't stop anywhere interesting at all. I did fall in love with Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. It was amazing. Especially the HUGE lake. There was a scenic detour there around the lake that I wish I had taken. I've been kicking myself ever since for skipping that drive. I did take a scenic detour in Montana. It was nice but a little scary because I drove up the mountain and I went from no snow to frozen lakes covered in snow. It was crazy. After that detour I got back on the freeway and had to drive through actual snow. It was my first time driving in snow and a little nerve racking. I made it through, though, and safely to Gardiner.

Here are some photos from my drive.

Road Trip: Lacey to Shoreline

2009-05-12T00:53:00.007-05:00

Another 3 day update.

Friday: Lacey to Shoreline
On Friday, I drove from Lacey to Shoreline where my cousin's live. On the way to their place, I went through Bremerton to pick up their puppy, Madison. From Bremerton, Maddie and I rode the Kingston ferry to Shoreline. Buzz was out of town Friday night for work so I hung out with Maggie and Maddie. We had a relaxing evening - which I was really needing.

Saturday: Seattle
Maggie and I visited Seattle on Saturday. She took me to Pike Place Market first. We browsed all the booths and grazed on snacks. I had a fresh peach and was in love. After Pike Place we went to the Space Needle. We were going to go to the top of the needle but the line was long and the price was high. Instead, we walked around the area and went to an International Festival highlighting West Africa. After getting out feel, we went to get Buzz from the airport. Finally, I got to see my cousin. From their we went to dinner at an Irish Pub and then home to sleep.

Sunday: North Cascade National Park
Sunday we drove to North Cascade National Park for a day hike. I was a beautiful drive north to the mountains. We all enjoyed the drive - except Maddie, who got sick. As we got near to the park we saw a bald eagle with a catch in its mouth. (I didn't actually see the catch but Buzz thinks it might have been a chipmunk.) Once we arrived at the Visitor's Center we chose a hike and got going. It was a nice walk through the forest, along the rive and ending at a waterfall. We even packed a lunch and ate on the trail. Maddie had the time of her life running ahead of us on the trail and sometimes racing Buzz. I really enjoyed seeing all the different trees and flowers. I wish we had seen some wildlife but it wasn't in the cards. The waterfall was cool because it made the entire area much cooler because it was snow run off. We ended up walking for 3.5 hours which Buzz thinks was 6 - 7 miles. As we returned to the car it started to rain so we had perfect timing. After returning from our hike we grabbed dinner and said our goodbyes (because Buzz and Maggie both had work early the next morning.)

Today I drove to Missoula, Montana. It was about an 8 hour drive through Washington, the Idaho panhandle and western Montana. Tomorrow I finish my road trip in Gardiner, Montana, where I start work on Wednesday. I'll write more on that later.

Hudson's New Scarf

2009-05-10T00:38:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago I was knitting a scarf when I visited Hudson. It was for my trip to Wyoming where I will actually need some warmth - unlike in Texas. Hudson came to watch me knitting and said I needed to give the scarf to him. I told him I would knit him one soon.

A few weeks later I visited again and Melissa found some yarn upstairs. I let Hudson choose two of the colors so I could work on a scarf for him. That weekend Melissa and I went on a girls weekend. We left Saturday and returned Sunday. It was a quick trip and I worked my fingers to the bone trying to finish Hudson's scarf. I wanted to give it to him before I left on my trip. Thankfully, I did finish.

I hear from Melissa, Hudson likes the scarf. Tonight she sent me a photo and I wanted to share.

Road Trip: McKinleyville to Florence to Lacey

2009-05-09T01:09:00.015-05:00

Back for another 3 day update.

Tuesday: McKinleyville to Florence
Most people probably don't know anything about these cities - just as I didn't. McKinleyville is a coastal city in Northern California about 30 miles south of the Redwood Forest. (There are actually a lot of redwoods south of McKinleyville also.) Florence is another coastal city but in Oregon. The drive from McKinleyville to Florence is awesome. Seriously, awesome. Much of the drive is in view of the Pacific Ocean and it runs through the Redwood Forest. I thought it might be a tough drive along the coast but it was relatively easy. (I guess the hard coastal driving is saved for lower California.) I stopped a ton this day to take photos and short walks. Here are my favorite photos:

Wednesday: Florence to Lacey (via Mount Rainer National Park)
From Florence to Lacey was another nice drive. Lacey is in Washington near their capital, Olympia. Mount Rainer National Park wasn't on the way to Lacey - but it wasn't that far out of the way either. It was a really pretty drive which also lead me to Mount St. Helens. I drove to a viewing spot for Mt. St. Helens. Unfortunately, it was too cloudy for me see anything. Most of Mount Rainer National Park is still closed for the winter but I was able to drive about 20 miles in. I saw some deer right inside the park and saw LOTS of snow. It was a nice drive up the mountain - with each new elevation bring a ton ore snow. The roads were clear but when the snow was above my car on each side of the road - I decided to head back down the mountain. Here are my favorite photos:

Thursday: Olympic National Park
I stayed in Lacey two nights. One my second day I visited Olympic National Park. I think it was about a 2 - 3 hour drive but it was totally worth every minute. Washington is one of the most beautiful states I've seen. Of course, I'm biased toward mountains, lakes, trees and wildlife. The entire drive was scenic with tree lined highways and cute little farms. Similar to Mount Rainer National Park, a lot of Olympic National Park is still closed for the winter. I was, however, able to take a scenic drive along to north and south banks of the Quinault River. Again the entire drive was lined with magnificent trees. I also passed a lot of water features included lots of waterfalls. My favorite part of the day was - seeing a black bear. It was awesome. He was just eating away and ignoring his audience. Unlikely Yellowstone, which I have only visited in the summer, there were only a few other cars watching the bear. In Yellowstone there is always a "bear jam" when anything cool is near the road. After leaving the park, I was near the beach and decided to give it a look since I still had some sunlight left in the day. It was freezing but I got out and walked for a few minutes. It was a great day. Here are my favorite photos:

Today I drove from Lacey to my cousins' house, Buzz and Maggie. Unfortunately, Buzz is out of town for work but will be back tomorrow evening. Maggie and I plan to check out Seattle before we pick him up from the airport. I'll be with them until Monday morning when I start heading toward Wyoming. I'll blog more later.

Road Trip: Mammoth Lakes to Sacramento to McKinleyville

2009-05-04T22:50:00.009-05:00

I'm back with a 3 day update. I'm feeling tired so I'm not sure how long this will be...

Saturday: Enjoyed Mammoth Lakes
I arrived in Mammoth after dark on Saturday. It was disappointing because I knew I had missed a lot of great views. Sunday I wanted to see everything I had missed so I drove back the way I had come and enjoyed seeing the Sierra Mountains. I took every road that had an interesting name of led to an interesting place. I drove to Convict Lake which was a small but beautiful lake tucked between the mountains. I also took Paradise Valley Road and saw some green farms with grazing cows with the mountains as the back drop. I eventually made it to Bishop (a small town south of Mammoth) and walked around a Gem & Mineral Show. I look rocks and other pieces of nature so I enjoyed seeing all the specimens. (I want to be a Rock Hound.) Anyway - it was a great day.

Sunday: Mammoth Lakes to Sacramento
Yesterday I slept in before driving to Sacramento to see my friend Allison. The drive was really beautiful. I drove north on 395 which is east of the Sierras. All the passes over/through the mountains were closed until Hwy 80 which is north of Lake Tahoe. The entire drive I was surrounded by mountains and snow. When I arrived at the south side of Lake Tahoe I was amazed at the size. It was a cloudy day so I couldn't even see the other size of the lake. I love the huge boulders on the sides. It is just so pretty. This was my first time visiting and I know I want to go back soon. Of course, I wanted to capture the beauty so I pulled into a scenic rest area and walked the interpretive hike. I wanted the best photo ever so I walked toward the edge of the water and...slipped in the wet sand and landed HARD on my ass on a boulder. It hurt so, so badly. Anyone around me heard this:

I seriously made those noises but I was holding my butt instead of my knee. After recovering from my fall, I got my photos and then got back on the road. It was too much further too Sacramento and I was happy to arrive. Once in Sacramento, I found Allison's house and was able to meet her girlfriend, Karen. We talked for awhile and then Allison and I want for dinner in Old Sacramento. It was a really cute area with three candy stores. I love candy and browsed one of the stores for a long time - probably longer than Allison wanted to be there. Allison also took me to see the Capitol - which is very similar to the capitol in Austin. It was a great evening and I owe Allison & Karen a big THANKS for their hospitality.

Monday: Sacramento to McKinleyville
Today I drove from Sacramento to McKinleyville. It was another beautiful drive. From Sacramento to Redding is fairly boring. Nothing different from Texas - farms and trees and fast food. In Redding I started headed west along Hwy 299. It took over 3 hours to get from Redding to the coast even though it's only 142 miles. The drive was very taxing but so worth it. I was driving up, down and around mountains on a very curvy 2 lane highway while it was raining. I had to concentrate constantly which was tiring. I ended up stopping every hour (or sooner) to relax and take a minute. Even though it was a tough drive, I would do it again tomorrow. It was that pretty. I just wish it hadn't been raining so I could enjoy more clear views (and get out of the car for photos.) Here's a view of my drive (if you get car sick you might not want to watch this):

Tomorrow I head north through the Redwood Forest. I've been before but it's been a million years and I'm excited to be back. It is mind-boggling how large the trees grow.

Road Trip: San Diego to Mammoth Lakes

2009-05-02T14:00:00.003-05:00

First, A big thanks to Leslie & Adam for letting me stay with them and for taking me to all the best places in San Diego. I'll be visiting again because I'm already craving Dumpling Inn.

Yesterday, I left San Diego after an awesome lunch (see Dumpling Inn above) and drove to Mammoth Lakes. It only took me about 6 hours and 45 minutes - which was a nice change from 9 & 10 hours. Plus, it was a beautiful drive - seriously beautiful. I finally arrived in my favorite landscape - snow capped mountains with wildlife. Unfortunately, the last hour of my drive was in the dark. I know I missed a lot of good scenes because here were several Scenic Outlook locations.

I was suppose to leave Mammoth Lakes today but I've decided to stay another night. Luckily, my hotel had room. Since I missed a lot of good stuff last night, I'm planning to backtrack a little and see what I missed.

Now a little story about my hotel. I got up early this morning but it was still raining and clouds which made the mountains hard to see. Therefore, I decided to sleep a little longer. While I was napping, housekeeping came and I experienced something similar to this:

For me - I decided just to ignore them and hope they went away. The first two times the did go away but on the third time they became very persistent. While attempting to open my door they realized I had it chained. So - what do you think they did? Did they go away realizing the room was still occupied? No, they got a writing pen and attempted to unchain the door. I watched this from my bed - in disbelieve. Really annoying.

I'm off now for lunch and a drive. I'll decided what else to do later in the day.

Road Trip: Austin to Las Cruces to San Diego

2009-04-30T17:28:00.014-05:00

My road trip is going awesome. It's Day Three and I'm already in San Diego with my friends, Leslie & Adam. I planned to blog at the end of each day but the last two nights I was just too tired. So here I am to give a 3 day update.

On Day One, I was up at 6 a.m. to see Clayton for the last time (until I return to Texas.) I only got 30 minutes with him (then he went to Granny's house) but it was the perfect morning. He was being so cute sitting on the couch with Lara and I watching T.V. like a big boy. Jean said he normally runs around in the morning but instead wanted to copy his aunts while we were there. When it was time for him to leave he got upset. I think it was because he had to give back Matu's Blackberry but I like to think he just wanted to stay with his aunts. After Clayton left I said bye to Jean when she went to work and then grabbed a quick breakfast with Lara at Einstein Bagels.

From Austin I went out 290 through Fredericksburg and continued until hitting 10. I stayed on 10 the remainder of the day and stopped just past the Texas border in Las Cruces, New Mexico. I was on the road about 9 hours only stopping to grab lunch, get gas and stretch my legs. It was a long day but interesting. I enjoyed seeing all the small towns and different ecosystems. I thought it would be an ugly drive but it wasn't too bad. Once in Las Cruces, I grabbed a coke and ice to relax in my room. (I immediately spilt my glass of coke all over the floor which wasn't relaxing at all.) I was feeling really tired so I thought I would nap for a couple hours and then grab some lunch. What really happened...I slept all night.

After getting such a good night of sleep, I was up early in the morning. I showered, updated my iPod and grabbed my free breakfast before hitting the road. (I guess breakfast wasn't "free" since I paid for it in the cost of my room.) I was on the road by 8:30 for another long day in the car - with the hopes of arriving in San Diego in time for dinner. Once again, I enjoyed all the different scenery and only stopped for lunch and gas. My drive to San Diego was a little over 10 hours. Luckily, I gained an hour, moving from Mountain Time to Pacific Time, and arrived in plenty of time for dinner. Leslie and Adam took me for Mexican at a place in Ocean Beach called the Blue Parrot. It was great food and ritas.

Today Adam had school so Leslie and I went to the zoo for a few hours. After the zoo, we grabbed eggplant parm sandwiches from Mona Lisa and went to visit Adam for lunch. I got to see the urban farm Adam works which was very interesting. They are growing a ton of things in a tiny area on campus and I learned a lot in the few minutes I was there. Leslie and I are back home now. Tonight I get to watch her play indoor soccer and then we're getting pizza.

Tomorrow I leave for Mammoth Lakes. Leslie use to live there and suggested I visit. It's a shorter drive and I already have a dinner suggestion from Leslie and Adam. I'm looking forward to seeing more of California.

Check back for more Road Trip updates and follow my travels on Twitter. (I've placed my Twitter updates in the sidebar for your convenience.)

P.S. Click the photos to enlarge them.

This One Time in Ireland

2009-04-22T23:08:00.003-05:00

This one time in Ireland...I was headed to dinner and a movie with new friends (and one professors.) We bought movie tickets first then walked toward the restaurant (which served great Bailey's milkshakes.) On our way to the restaurant there was a small bird laying on the sidewalk breathing heavily. You could see his tiny chest heaving in and out, in and out. I gathered the little bird in my hands, gave him comfort and placed him in the grass further from foot traffic. After dinner (where I had curry) we walked back past the bird. He had gone to birdie heaven. I wish I'd stayed with him until his last breath.

Food Friday: Cauliflower Soup & Basic Quiche

2009-04-18T17:03:00.003-05:00

I've abandoned my blog for awhile (and missed 2 Food Fridays.) It wasn't intentionally - I've been busy preparing for my move to Wyoming. So for, in preparation, I've been visiting everyone I'll miss the most. This mostly includes Hudson, Clayton & K.P. (Names listed in order of birth not by favorite.) I'll miss other people too but these 3 will change so much while I'm gone. I also made a visit to my littlest family member, Bella. I wish I could visit everyone before I leave but it's not possible.

I was in Austin with my sisters for 5 days which is the main reason I haven't updated. I was enjoying time with them plus Chad & Clayton. Since they kept me from posting, I'll post their recipes today - one for each of the Fridays I missed.

From Jean I'll give you a cauliflower soup recipes. She made this recipe while I was visiting and it was awesome. From Lara a quiche recipe that she made for New Years. I know quiche is great for breakfast but we had it as a snacky celebration food - and it was awesome.

CAULIFLOWER SOUP

Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
1 head of cauliflower, chopped
1 large russet potato (or 2 small), chopped
1 can cream of mushroom
1 can cream of celery
2 cups water (or stock)
2 cups milk
Butter
Salt & pepper, to taste

Instructions:
In a large pot, saute chopped onion in butter until tender. Add chopped cauliflower and potatoes. Salt & pepper to taste. Saute until there is some color, stirring often. (Jean cooked hers about 10 minutes.) Add both cans of soup and the milk. Add water if the consistency is too thick. Simmer (light boil) until potatoes are tender. We topped our soup with a little shredded cheese and crumbled bacon. Yum.

BASIC QUICHE

Ingredients:
1 9-inch refrigerated pie crust
1 Tsp olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
Kosher salt & black pepper
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
4 large eggs
¾ cup half-and-half
⅛ tablespoon ground nutmeg
8 ounces Gruyere, grated (2 cups)

Instructions:
Heat oven to 375°F. Fit the crust into a 9-inch plate. Place on a baking sheet.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the parsley.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and half, nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Stir in the onion mixture and the Gruyere.

Pour the egg mixture into the crust. Bake until a knife is inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Clayton & Matu

2009-04-07T22:44:00.004-05:00

Knitting Retreat

2009-04-05T21:26:00.010-05:00

My retreat to Comfort was awesome.

I left Houston about 12:45 Friday afternoon and had a leisurely drive to the Hill Country. The bluebonnets and other wildflowers are in bloom which made for a beautiful drive.

I did not take this photo.
I did see fields like this on my drive.
Seeing the bluebonnets reminded me of being a child and believing that picking our state flower is illegal. I'd swear we were actually taught this in elementary school. I now know, from a few online searches, this is just an urban legend. It is not illegal to pick bluebonnets in Texas. I was also reminded of a house in Country Club (the neighborhood where I grew up) having bluebonnets in their front yard. One year they let Jean & I each have one to take to school. I don't remember if they offered or if we asked - but it was awesome. That reminded me that we had rose bushes in our front yard in that house and in the spring Jean & I would each cut a rose to give to our teacher.

Isn't it funny how the mind work? One memory leads to another and another. Mine just kept going.

After thinking about the bluebonnets and elementary school I started remembering school lunches. Jean & I would take a packed lunch almost every day. Although we did like cafeteria food on pizza day. (Remember the rectangle pizza slices?) Sometimes my mom would make chicken noodle soup in the morning and put it in our lunchbox thermos. One day Jean spilt hot soup all over herself and had to call home for more clothes. (I think it was Jean but the memory isn't clear now. It's possible I'm the one that spilt the soup.)

Anyway - the memories kept coming and I was glad for the distraction because I've been crying every time I think about K.P. at daycare. Ashley told me he's having a tough transition. He wants to be held at school and carries his blanket everywhere. (He's becoming a little Linus.) With me he was always playing and rarely wanted to be held. I want to go save him from daycare but I know it will get better.

Back to the Retreat (which was organized by my local yarn shop, Yarntopia.)

I stayed at Meyer B&B and loved the location. My "room" was the Lindner which is actually a small building with a living room, vanity area, bedroom and indoor jacuzzi. It also has a covered porch with seating and hammocks. From the back porch there is a view of Cypress Creek surrounded by huge trees. It was perfect but I wish a friend (or sister) had come because there was plenty of room.

For dinner I went to Cypress Creek Inn Restaurant. I chose this restaurant because it was listed in Texas Monthly as one of the 40 Best Small Town Diners in Texas. The food was good and the price was better. I had a diet coke, bowl of gumbo, chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, corn and a piece of peach upside-down cake for less than $15. If you're in town it's worth a visit (but I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here.)

When I was at the Cypress Creek Restaurant it became clear Comfort is VERY small. (Population: 2,358) Everyone in the restaurant knew everyone else. There was lots of greetings and chatting. My waiter even asked where I was from. He knew I was a non-native just by looking. It was funny.

After dinner I enjoyed my night with a little reading and a dip in the jacuzzi. Then I tucked in early so I could make it to breakfast on time (i.e. before 9:30.)

Saturday I did make it to breakfast and then whet shopping in Comfort. In 6 hours we (the friends I made and I) barely made it 3 blocks. We stopped to check out all the shops as we walked down the street. Within a block we got hooked at the Comfort Antique Mall. We were at the mall for a couple hours looking around and (eventually) buying things.

I actually bought some awesome furniture at the mall. (You can see photos below.) It's smaller scale than what I have now but still chunky with nice dark wood. I even like the fabric so I won't have to refurbish them. I had to leave my new furniture in Comfort (because I drive a small car) but plan to go back soon and bring it home. Unfortunately, I won't be able to use it until I return from Wyoming.

After buying antiques we had lunch at High's (which was delicious) and then headed to The Tinsmith's Wife (the local yarn shop) to spend more money. The yarn shop was awesome with lots of great choices in color and fiber. It was also bright and neat, which I love. After buying yarn it was time to head home for dinner and knitting.

Today I was up for breakfast again - which is rare for me. Then I said bye to my new friends, visited my furniture and headed to San Antonio. In San Antonio I was able to meet the newest member of my family, Bella. She's the cutest little girl EVER. From there I headed to Austin to see my little red-head. Jean cooked dinner and now we're hanging.

It's been a great weekend.

P.S. I didn't get any knitting done - but I did buy yarn!

Food Friday: Scalloped Potatoes

2009-04-03T19:00:00.000-05:00

Hello from Comfort, Texas.

I'm in Comfort this weekend for a knitting retreat and excited for the vacation. I left around lunch time today and arrived at the B&B at 5 p.m. We got a goodie bag when we arrived (full of yarn and chocolate), dinner was on our own and 8 p.m. is group knitting. The rest of the weekend is full of free time, knitting, shopping and sleeping - at least that's my plan for the weekend. I'll give full details in a later post but so far everything is awesome.

Today, in honor of southern living, I give you scalloped potatoes. This recipes is from the November, 2001, Southern Living magazine. My dad makes this recipe for holidays and other special occasions - like when his daughters visit. Everyone in the family loves this dish. I hope you love it too.

SCALLOPED POTATOES

Ingredients:
6 medium potatoes, peeled, thin sliced
6 to 8 bacon slices
1 large onion, thinly sliced
⅓ cup chopped fresh chives
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 tsp salt
¾ tsp pepper
¼ cup butter
¼ cup flour (all-purpose)
3 cups milk

Instructions:
Bring potato and salted water (to cover) to a boil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat and cook 8 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside.

Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Remove bacon from skillet. Drain on paper towels, reserving 2 Tsp drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon and set aside.

Saute onion in drippings in skillet over medium-high heat 15 minutes or until tender. Stir in bacon and chives.

Layer a lightly greased 13x19 inch baking dish with ⅓ of potato slices, ⅓ onion mixture and ⅔ cup cheese; sprinkling mixture with ⅓ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper. Repeat twice.

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat; whisk in flour until smooth. Cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk until smooth. Pour over potato mixture.

Bake at 400 for 35 minutes or until golden. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.