Jackson Hole…..part 2

Jackson Hole, Wyoming is a tourist town. 

Most of the people you see there are either taking pictures, posing for pictures, or carrying around a camera waiting for a good picture moment to happen.

We had to wait our turn to pose in front of the famous antler arches.

I hate having a camera hanging around my neck as an obvious sign that I am a tourist, but since everyone else had one it seemed to take the stigma away.  (At least I wasn’t wearing a bright, neon colored, flowered Hawaiian shirt with my camera hanging on top!)

Everything there seemed to call out for a photo moment.

Even the stores had scenic spots to pose along side beautiful stuffed animals.

(My husband was getting tired of being in all my photos by now, so mostly all you get to see is the scenery itself.

It is a beautiful, charming town for sure!

Lodging in a tourist town is kind of like sightseeing.

Everyone is needing a place to stay.

Motels, hotels, and lodges in a resort town usually involve one of two things:

1.  Expensive rooms

2.  Competition for space

Since we didn’t make plans to go to Wyoming until a few days ahead of time,  we had some slim pickings to choose from.

We went with a national chain and booked a room slated as a

“Delux Queen”.

It was priced higher than we usually pay for a pretty good motel room, but not as outrageous as most of the ones advertised.

Shouldn’t be too bad, right?

Well…

Does the phrase “Shampoo available upon request” gives you any hints that this was going to be a bare necessities,stripped-down model?

The “Delux Queen” didn’t mean the bed.  The one and only bed was just a full sized one (without a box spring or any additional pillows). 

Furniture was mighty skimpy, too –just one triangular cushion built in the corner with a small wall mounted table.

The bathroom didn’t have any separated spaces (and no tub).

We had to unplug the fridge to sleep since it made a loud whirring noise.

And…

No free internet,

which we didn’t discover until we were getting ready for bed (since there weren’t any chairs to lounge in anyway).

But…

IT WAS CLEAN!

(I’m feeling a little gratitude-guilt as I write this knowing that many people in this world would be thankful for a safe place to sleep.  It’s just that this was supposed to be a relaxing get-away, so complaining seems o.k.)

We survived the night and hurried to get started with our sight seeing the next morning.

A short drive North and we were greeted by these gorgeous mountains- the Tetons!

The mountains have been called things like regal and splendid,

and they really are breath-taking!

Having no foot hills, they just rise straight up so they seem so massive and powerful.  The highest peak, Grand Teton is 13,770 feet at its highest point.

We made a little loop around Jenny’s Lake and captured this stunning view.

It was a short little vacation, but we enjoyed ourselves and got some needed relaxation.  We’ll definitely do it again some day.

We might even splurge a bit for lodging!

JoAnn

P.S.  The drive home was also beautiful.  The west has some amazing mountains!

Do you have a scenic place you like to visit?

 

Wild West Weekend

My husband and I had a fun weekend get-away!

It involved cowboys, antlers, and rugged mountain peaks.

A family gathering in Rexburg, Idaho,  celebrating a temple sealing and baby shower for my niece Amy and her husband Trevor, gave us the idea of driving a few hours longer to escape in cowboy country- Jackson Hole Wyoming- for the rest of the weekend.

We drove through the little towns of Sugar City, Tetonia (remember the Teton dam disaster?), and Driggs,  commenting on the beautiful farm land, and over the mountain via the Teton Pass Highway to Wyoming .  The drive there was spectacular and the ten percent grade going up and down the mountain pass wasn’t even too bad.  (I held on tightly to my door handle the whole time!) 

Jackson Hole, Wyoming is a small area completely surrounded by mountain ranges, and just a short drive from the famous Teton Peaks.  It is the southwest gateway to Yellowstone National Park, and the beautiful Snake River adds to the charm of the area.  It is an outdoor dream-come-true for the adventurous (and even those who just want to appreciate the beauty of the area).

We started our get-away at the Bar J Ranch in nearby Wilson.   We arrived just in time to quickly browse the surrounding ranch before the dinner bell was rung, beckoning us to a chuck wagon dinner and cowboy entertainment. 

They have quite the set up and can quickly serve around 700 people delicious fixins’ like steak, BBQ beef or chicken, baked beans, and baked potatoes.  We had rolls, apple sauce, cake and lemonade, too.  It was delicious!

 

After dinner we were entertained by the Bar J Wranglers, five cowboy musicians with amazing talent at singing and playing instruments, including the fiddle, banjo, guitar, and etc.  I didn’t get a picture of them, but you can read more about them here.

It was a great beginning to an interesting, relaxing weekend.

Oh, and just to add to my theory about it being a small world, we sat right across the aisle from a couple from our home town (friends of our kids who had spent a lot of time at our house).

It was a great day!

JoAnn

P.S.  Not everything was peachy.  Check back later to read all about our lodgings!

Waiting for perfection…or not

 

Remember these Mother’s Day planters?

After the grand kids went home, I filled my  two pots with a few little plants, put them in the sun, and have enjoyed watching them grow. 

I brought my geraniums home from school to add to the color. 

They are adjusting to the heat so they aren’t quite at full beauty.

The perennials have been so pretty.

(I wish I’d taken pictures of some of the earlier ones!)

I was waiting until everything was weeded and I missed out on the pictures!  (I think there is a life lesson in this!)

The flowers below are waiting for my shovel to move along and finish the edging job, but I took the photo any way.

Often, I wait for the perfect moment to enjoy things-when the weeds are all gone, when the house is completely clean, when I lose weight, when I’m all caught up on things.   It’s a fault I’ve always struggled with, compounded by the fact that I seldom have everything in order AT THE SAME TIME!

I’m trying to stop looking at the whole picture and focus more on the details.

I’m one of those people who has to have the closets neat and tidy to have an out door party!

I avoid buying new clothes because I need to shed major pounds, even though I know I’d look better in something that isn’t ten years old.

I avoid getting together with old friends until I can fit in smaller pants.

This mind set usually leads to FRUSTRATION!

Does anyone understand my problem?

I know that while I’m waiting for things to be perfect, life is moving on and I’m missing out on wonderful moments.

There.  I said it.

So, I’m going to be trying very hard to appreciate small victories, or baby steps, in my quest for perfection.

Don’t be surprised when you see pictures of my flowers with tall spires of Johnson Grass sticking out of the top, or finger prints on the glass doors in photos I share.  Please try to ignore my bad hair moments in family pictures.

(I may resort to some photo editing!)

Hello.

My name is JoAnn

and I’m a recovering perfectionist-wanna-be.

 

Framing history… and Schools out!

Our oldest granddaughter, Maddie, is pretty excited for school to end for the summer.  She just finished first grade. 

I don’t have a picture of myself running from school  on the last day, but I am pretty certain that I had that same grin on my face (o.k., maybe not that much energy in my step either…).

While I will miss my students, I am tired and need some catch up time!

School is now officially out for the summer (insert a big “Yeah!”)  and I survived the last hectic week- hot classroom (my cooler was broken), packing-wrapping-every thing-up for new carpet, restless-student-frenzy.  We endured walking field trips, sunny soccer games, and having everything boxed up for summer remodeling. 

To celebrate the arrival of summer, my sister Linda and I set off for a day of dreaming  and exploring at the Utah Valley Parade of Homes.  We have this little tradition that every summer we  sneak away and spend the day, armed with our cameras, looking at new homes. This year we saw some great houses and some fun new ideas.We had a delicious lunch at Paradise Bakery, a fun place to eat,  and we enjoyed getting caught up on a lot of news. 

One of our favorite ideas involved framing old family recipes, on the original cards and in the cook’s handwriting.  I have a lot of recipes that look very similar to these from my mom.  They even have a few splatters and stains on them!  I can’t wait to frame some of our favorites.

 

These recipes were sitting along side old family china and tea cups.  Imagine the stories that were shared by the ladies as they sipped hot drinks and ate delicious home made treats!  I’m sure they found great pleasure in the few moments of relaxation they had.

Hopefully, I will get to some of my  summer projects soon.  I have a big list of things lined up to do, and some fun breaks, too. 

Right now, however, I am going to put my feet up and watch some television.  Just because I can!

Do you have some fun summer projects planned?

JoAnn

P.S.  Thanks for sharing the pictures, Liz!

 

Good-bye spring, welcome summer

These beautiful spring tulips we saw at Thanksgiving Pointe are long gone now. 

They have been replaced with later blooming blossoms such as roses, Sweet William, and iris.

While it is sad to see them go so quickly, it also means that school is winding down for me with just four more days.

I might even make it!

Yeah!!

This morning I spent a few hours digging in my garden.

There is still a lot to do, but it is starting to look pretty.

We have a lot of beautiful perennials that give us color in the spring time and early summer-just not too pretty with weeds mixed in.  But, I am working on it. 

When the weeds are under control I’ll take some pictures.  For now, I’m enjoying playing around with my tulip festival photos.

Don’t you think they would make fun note cards?

I’m pretty sure I owe a few thank you letters and encouragement card to some one.

One more project for my summer list…

Have a great weekend!

JoAnn

Remembering…

When I was younger, Memorial Day for me was a fun day off from school with cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents joining with our family to remember those who had gone before us.  The day usually involved trips to the local cemeteries where we put pretty flowers on the graves of those relatives whom we had loved and lost, and some on the graves of those we only knew through stories.  We would often run into distant cousins and neighbors who were there paying respect to their loved ones, too. The rest of the day involved picnics, scenic drives, or some other way of celebrating.  It was always a great way of sliding into summer and the winding down of the school year.

This year was a little different.  My husband and I split up so that he could accompany his dad, sister Carolyn, and brother-in-law Ron to visit his side of the family in Heber City, Mapleton, Provo, and Salt Lake, while I went with my sister Julie, brother-in-law Travis, and Aunt Mardene to visit my nephew Shane’s grave.  My sister lives in Idaho Falls, Idaho and Shane is buried in Southern Utah in a small town called Parowan.  They made the first leg of the journey to spend the night at our house, and then they were going to drive down to Parowan and back the next day (another 7 hours driving).   Usually they stay over night in Parowan with Shane’s in-laws (Holly is back East), but they were out of town, so I invited myself to go along with them and we talked Aunt Mardene into coming, too.  We figured we could have some good catching up time during the long drive.

Shane left this earthly life at a much too early age.  He left behind a young wife and small son.  Julie and I were staying with him and his wife Holly in Washington D. C. at the time he passed away.  It was a heart breaking experience!  You can read about it here.

The Parowan cemetery is located against the foot hills and quite took my breath away with its peaceful beauty and charm.  The red soil is a beautiful contrast to the countryside I’m used to.

We had a few teary moments as we thought about the wonderful man Shane had become and how much we missed him. 

 

• .

While we were there we had one of those “random” moments, or “it’s a small world” miracles.  (The kind that you could never create by yourself.)  We were several hundred miles from home, in a town I’d never been to before, at an unassuming time of day, and on the Saturday before Memorial Day.  I remarked to Julie that a lady in the section next to us reminded me of our daughter-in-law Brittany’s mother.  I didn’t even begin to think it really was since they live further North than we do.  As we got in our car and started to leave, I realized that is WAS Brittany’s mother, father, and brother.

They were on their way home from St. George and had stopped to visit the grave of her dad’s sister.

Guess what the sister’s last name was?

Clegg.

Kind of a cool “defying the odds” moment!

We ended our visit with lunch at the Parowan Café- famous for its home made hot rolls.

Today and tomorrow we will be spending more time visiting with family and remembering those we miss.

It will be much more than a fun weekend off from school!

How do you celebrate Memorial Day?

JoAnn

P.S.  Memorial Day may be about remembering those we have lost, but it is also a great time to connect with people we still have with us!

How does your garden grow?

My husband picked up these planter barrels for our daughters/daughters-in-law for Mother’s Day. 

Look how quickly they were filled up.

I’d say these blossoms are pretty much perfect!

The master gardeners say you need three things for planters.

Thrillers:  plants with striking colors, textures or shapes that make the arrangement pop.  I like  spiky plants in the center.

Spillers:  trailing or vining plants that spill over the edge of the planter.   Sweet potatoes have  great leaves.

Fillers:  mounded plants that fill in around the other plants, such as begonias, pansies, coleus, seed geraniums, and impatiens.

Who needs thrillers, spillers, and fillers when you have grand kids?

Thanks for visiting!

JoAnn

P.S.  What do you like to put in your planters?

Thanks for the picture, Liz!