The Family

Becky just posted new photos on Shutterfly! Here's the gang. That is Chase in the middle. I can hardly believe how big he's gotten. And talking to him on the phone...who is that man with the deep voice? Surely it can't be my little Punky?? Travis is sitting on a stump, so Chase really isn't taller than his dad. But he is taller than Becky! This looks like it could become a Christmas card photo, don't you think?

PS...you'll want to check back in the next couple of days. I'll be making a BIG announcement!

Farm Life

Bob and I lived with a foot in two worlds. One world was Yellowstone; the other was our farm in southern Iowa. I wish we would have named it something catchy, but we referred to it from the beginning as the Promise City Farm and unfortunately that name stuck. Set on the top of a ridge, it should have had a view of the South Fork river valley. Instead the builder chose to orient it to have a view of the road...guess that was more important back in the early 1900's when the house was built. I felt very happy and at home here even though living on a farm was 'way out of my comfort zone. What does a girl raised in suburban California know about farm life? Not much...but I soon learned! We were dirt poor and in fact, I started life here washing clothes in an old wringer washer and hanging them on the line to dry. Here's a bit of trivia you might like to know: in the depth of an Iowa winter, it takes exactly two and a half days for blue jeans to dry hanging in the basement. Besides learning the intricacies of the wringer washer (which BTW is awesome for washing really dirty stuff!), I learned how to drive a tractor, rake and bale hay, and use a chain saw. I helped build fence, build corrals, and build ponds. I learned about raising buffalo, raising chickens, and raising step-kids. I helped restore several acres of farmland to native prairie grass and helped restore the old Methodist church I attended in town. I planted two huge gardens, learned that in Iowa God provides the irrigation with rain (who knew..I'm from California), and taught myself how to can and preserve my crops. I became part of a small town community in Iowa where life revolves around church, family and the local school. And experienced the pure joy of fireflies, bullfrogs, and skinny-dipping in the pond under a velvety Iowa sky and twinkling stars. Good memories!

The Yellowstone Years

Married, divorced....single again I made my way back to Yellowstone in 1979. Working again at the hospital in Lake, I reveled in all things outdoors...hiking, backpacking, riding, fishing...during my off hours. Meeting Bob introduced me to the world of the back country Ranger and life in the wilderness. I absolutely loved it! We hiked the boundary of Yellowstone National Park and the Absaroka Wilderness, we pitched our backpack camp in remote valleys and hauled supplies by horsepack into the back country cabins in Pelican Valley. I learned how to pack panniers, throw a box hitch, and lead a string of mules. I cooked over an open fire, in a wood cookstove, and on a tiny backpacker's stove. I split wood, wrangled horses and cleared trail. I became a real mountain woman, and I still count that among my most worthy accomplishments. I was lucky to be able to share this life with Travis and later on with Bob's kids, Sunni and Scott. These are experiences that none of us will ever forget. And they became the catalyst for Trav's career in bear management at the Yellowstone Center for Resources in the Park. The photo on the bottom shows me, Travis, Bob, and an oldtime Thorofare Ranger, whose name, of course, I can't remember! We visited him at his camp deep in the Teton Wilderness just outside the southeast boundary of the Park. He was back for a nostalgic visit to a place that was very special in his life. How well I can relate. Thorofare and this part of Yellowstone still holds a piece of my heart as well. It is one of those magical places for me that gives me a sense of my place in the world, a place where I tested myself and proved myself worthy, the place that made me realize....if I can do this challenging thing, I can do anything!

A Stroll Down Memory Lane

One of the fun things (actually the only fun thing!) about all the packing/purging I've been doing has been looking through old photo albums that I haven't opened in a long time. I've alluded in this blog that I've had 'other lives' before Red Bell Farm, but I haven't been able to blog much about them since I like to add a photo to my blog entries. Earlier this year I purchased a new copier that also scans and faxes. Voila...I can now share some images from those other lives from far away and long ago! August 2, 1969: I married Skip Wyman at the United Methodist Church in Point Loma, CA. That's my dear friend, Mickey on my right; Skip's friend, Carlos Joseph stood up with him. It's hard to believe that was almost 40 years ago...OMG! where does time go? Travis was born Feb. 1, 1972. Look at him hugging his bears...who knew he'd be in love with bears 38 years later?

Loafing Around

My Mother's Day weekend included lots of activities, but also a lot of just loafing around like these cute little bison calves. The big Mama is in charge of the nursery; she keeps a watchful eye on the babies while her sisters graze and relax. And yes, they are taking their siesta on someone's front lawn. Animals have the 'right of way' in Yellowstone! Earlier this day we drove the road towards Norris Junction; Travis had been keeping tabs on a grizzley there feeding on a carcass. Sure enough we spied a huge boar bear across the river. Trav estimated him at around 600 pounds. He was moving south and so did we...to the next pull out where we saw a smaller female bear grubbing around in the copse of trees. We watched as she sat down, sniffed the air and looked across the river. There about a quarter mile away was the male moving fast in her direction! She stood up, turned tail and ran straight towards all of us watching her. While everyone jumped back in their vehicles, she ran across the road about 20 yards in front of us. Becky got some great photos; my little camera even with its great zoom only captured dark spots on the horizon...darn. Quite an exciting encounter even for us veteran bear watchers!

What's Not to Love?

Okay...the weather sucked and there were a couple of other not-so-pleasant issues as I traveled to Montana. But once I got there...what's not to love about these adorable little faces? Made the whole wretched travel experience so worth it! Marley has two teeth with another about to pop through. She babbles away, a mile a minute, in her own little language. I have a feeling once she starts being understandable, she's not gonna stop. She loves music and adores books. One after another, she brings them to you to read, climbs up on your lap and helps turn the pages. Our Mother's Day activities took us to Chico Hot Springs where she sat in her lily pad floater and giggled all morning...she's a water baby, for sure. Parker decided to fish with a branch in the little creek outside the Pine Creek Inn where we had Mother's Day brunch. He's all boy...loves to be outside, wears his Spider Man costume to bed, and has been known to not only wrestle with the dogs, but also with Marley. He better watch out...pay backs can be hell, and I'm certain Marley's going to be one tough little girl! He took his big and little great white sharks to Chico to swim with; he loves all things of the ocean. Parker's best friends are Hawken and Sawyer, but he has a crush on Maya whom he says he's going to marry. He's into videos more than books; we watched Avatar, his favorite, and he couldn't get enough of Sponge Bob Square Pants.

What a great way to spend Mother's Day weekend!

Road Trip Woes

I couldn't have picked worse days to travel to Montana! Going and coming home I drove right into the teeth of major winter storms....in May. My route followed Interstate 90 through South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana. That's the only way to get to Gardiner this time of year since the roads through Yellowstone are not completely plowed. And Interstate 90 was where the storms were centered. I ended up laying over a day in Spearfish, SD to avoid driving right into the center of a huge storm. This morning I left Rapid City, SD in a heavy rain/snow mix. Within minutes it changed over to all snow that eventually began accumulating on the road. The next 40 miles were a challenge! I almost pulled off the Interstate once, but soldiered on. Sure enough by the time I got to Wall, it was warm enough (33 degrees) that the snow became rain. I drove in rain all the way home. Not the most pleasant driving conditions for my road trip! But my time in Montana was wonderful....more on that later.

Shy Birthday Boy

Today is Walt's birthday. I've stopped keeping track of how many candles should be on his cake. Since he's my 'baby' brother, however old he is just makes me 7 years older. Let's agree to ignore numbers, okay? Walt's young at heart anyway...loves his restored '57 Chevy and his motorcycle; loves his girls...Debbie, Elaine and Emily even more. He's one of the good guys.

Walt's the brother in the striped bow tie.

Bathing Beauty and Water Boy

 

Becky's posted new photos on Shutterfly, so of course, I have to share! We are all water-lovers in my family....looks like that's been passed on to our newest members as well.

Somebody Has a Birthday!

Seeing Ghosts

I'm hooked! Yes, Ancestory.com finally got me. That and Lisa Kudrow's new series, "Who Do You Think You Are?" I've sleuthed around on Ancestory's website and found a few things. I've blogged about a distant cousin who sent me information about my mom's family, but not until yesterday have I really gotten into looking into the past. Using the little information I have about my great-grandmother, Jennie, and the connection to her great-grandfather who was killed in the Civil War, I was able to hook into family trees on Ancestory.com that led me back from those folks. Several of the threads stopped the generation before people immigrated to the US, leaving me 'stranded' in Ireland, Holland, and France. But a couple of threads back into England and Scotland continued. The English kept great records. Occasionally I'd see an ancestor "Sir So & So" or someone who was born in "Castle Whatever." Then I found the Plantagenet name...interesting. From there the branches exploded into lines from Henry II of England, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Louis VII of France and the 4 daughers of Raimond Berenger of Provence who at one time were all queens in Europe. Could I be distantly related to royalty? Was one of my favorite women in history, Eleanor of Aquitaine, a family ancestor? More sleuthing to come, I think. In the meantime, I'm seeing ghosts!

Who Are Those Cute Kids?

I just bought a new print/scan/fax machine and decided to try out the scan feature with this photo I received in the mail a couple of weeks ago from my brother. I remember this photo session; there were many proofs for my mom to choose from. I got those tres glam glasses in 6th grade, so I'm thinking I was in either 6th or 7th grade when this stupid photo was taken. I don't believe this one was the final choice, at least I hope not! Could I look more geeky?! And why did my rascally brother send this to me...' just in case you want to put it on your blog'? Could it be because he looks absolutely angelic and adorable? They both are so darn cute in their little matching sweaters and spiffy bow ties. The 'rascal' brother is Jim, in the solid bow tie; Walt wears the striped one. So, who are those cute kids? Well, two of them are my brothers!

Birthdays, Birthdays!

There in the foggy mist at Chico Hot Springs lurk two birthday kids. Travis' birthday was Monday, Feb. 1st and Becky's birthday is today. It's so hard to find a photo of both of them together. Becky is usually behind the camera for family shots. This picture was taken over the Christmas holidays while Chase was visiting. He's back there behind Becky. Parker is chewing on his finger and Marley is looking quite glam in her little knit hat. Why the hat, you ask? The hot springs pool is outside. As warm as the water is, it's still winter in Montana and I'm sure her little head was cold. Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday, Travis and Becky!

Dad and His Brood

It's been a long week, so I was very pleased to find an email from Becky saying she had uploaded some new photos in Shutterfly. What fun to enjoy Christmas through her camera's eye! Almost as much fun as actually being there. So many nice shots to choose from; I know I'll be posting a few more in the upcoming days. This one, though, just made me smile :-) Seeing Travis with his lovely children made my 'grandma heart' sing! And who can resist grinning right along with that little Marley?

Remembering Family and Friends

I travel alone, but I always carry family and friends in my heart as I journey. Frequently, I come across a sight, an image, a color that immeditately calls someone to my mind. Then even if it's a not a particularly memorable shot, I feel compelled to snap a photo of it. Take this zaftig sculpture that sits on a promenade along the harbor at Banyuls-sur-mer. Created by Aristide Maillol, she was given to the town in thanks for the sculptor's visits there. I almost backed into her as I photographed the colorful harbor and its bobbing boats. My surprise gave way to delight...I knew my friend, Mickey would love to see her sitting there by the sea since she's a huge Maillol fan. Snap!

I saw St. Jacques everywhere I walked in Conques. OMG...throw a sombrero and a cape on my brother, Jim and hand him a walking staff....he could be St. Jacques! Even the names match..St. James in English. Snap!













Every time I'd see one of these adorable deux cheveaux automobiles puttering along a country road or parked by an old stone building, I'd think of my brother, Walt...the car guy! Not that he'd ever in a million years drive one of these antiques, but he would certainly appreciate the loving care that their owners lavish on them to keep them shiny bright and running. Snap!





Some of my most vivid memories of my dad as I was growing up are trips to the beach where he would surf fish. Standing thigh deep in the salty water, he'd fling the heavy tackle out into the crashing surf hoping for a catch. His fishing rod and reel seemed huge to me, and I was always amazed that he could stand for hours in the cold, frothy ocean. When I spied the fishermen casting out into the brilliant blue Mediterranean waters at Collioure, I immediately thought of my dad doing the much the same thing along the coast of southern California back in the 1950's. Snap!



How do you remember family and friends when you travel?

Life's a Beach!

Even though the weather couldn't have been more perfect last weekend in San Diego, we were still surprised how pleasant the beach was at La Jolla. Parker kept saying over and over "I wanna go to the ocean." So, we did! Watching Marley have her first experience with the sand and sea was so special. I loved watching the salty foam curl over her little chubby feet. Parker, of course, couldn't get enough of the water. Becky and I think he may be a marine biologist when he grows up. Even more than snakes and lizards, he loves 'sharks, orcas, and sea lions, Grandma!' He played and played in the waves...and almost lost his britches in the process! We watched the surfers, Travis buried Parker in the sand, and we all just enjoyed the beautiful sunny almost windless day.

As much as I enjoyed Collioure and the Mediterranean, there's something about salty air, crashing waves, and surfers that satisfies my soul at a deep level.

Let's Do the Zoo!

The best thing about spending a long weekend with family in San Diego last weekend was...spending time with family! A close second, though, was spending time at the San Diego Zoo. Parker is especially interested in snakes and lizards (it's got to be a boy thing, eh?)

He and Travis looked at every snake in the snake house, every lizard, every turtle they could find. I thought the snakes were a bit creepy, but my boys loved them. I have to admit the Zoo has a great collection.

The Zoo offers lots of photo ops along with its wonderful animals...

I think every kid that comes to the Zoo has his picture taken with this guy!

Even three year olds run out of energy!

Two Precious Babies

Becky sent me an email yesterday with photos of two of the most precious babies I know. This is Miss Marley. I haven't met her yet, but I will in late October. Trav and Becky will be in San Diego to attend a wedding (Travis' half-sister, Jessica) and I used my frequent flyer miles to get there too. We'll all stay with my brother, Walt. He and Debbie are always so gracious to let the whole clan crash there. Debbie and I will watch the babies while Trav and Becky attend the wedding. Works for me!! The only down side of this trip is that even tho I had beaucoup miles, to get there on the day I wanted to arrive, I had to buy more! So my free trip ended up costing $200. Every cloud has a silver lining...I get to fly the long leg of both going and coming home in business class. Call me spoiled!

This is Parker...Mr. Ham-bone! What an outgoing little guy he is. Every picture Becky sends me, he's got the biggest grin going. This photo looks like it was taken on the shores of Yellowstone Lake. I'm excited to get to spend a long weekend with both of these little people. Stay tuned for more Grandma blog posts come October!

Happy Father's Day!

It's Father's Day and every daughter should be blogging about her dad today! Here's my Daddy and me. I'm the one in the jeans, in case you wondered. I believe this picture was taken along the Sacramento River in northern Calif. I was about 3 years old. Look at that fish, will ya? No wonder I grew up to be a fisherman....I had a great role model. My dad loves the outdoors. In his younger years, you could find him fishing, working in the yard and camping during his 'down' time from his work as a banker. We camped in the mountains, at the beach, and in the back of our station wagon on road trips. And speaking of road trips...that's another thing my dad loves. We always tease him that he should have been a truck driver, he likes driving so much! At 87, he's still healthy and vigorous and fun to spend time with. I'm so glad we had time together earlier this month. Every moment is precious! I love you, Daddy!

Graduation 2009

One reason for my trip to Reno was to see my nephew, John, graduate from high school. This is us after the ceremony. Yes, he is really that tall! 6 foot 4 inches tall. And yes, the rest of us aren't tall. It was always my fantasy to be a skinny, long-legged blonde...that never happened! Typical 18 year old that he is, John refused to give us any more of a smile than what you see here. Oh well! He graduated from an alternative high school called the Academy of Arts, Careers, and Technology. It was the perfect school for him. He took all the necessary academic subjects...English, advanced math, history, but also took electives that made sense to him. His area of interest was computer aided design. Other elective courses were in technical fields like welding and electronics, videography, culinary arts, health sciences, etc. The graduates who spoke for the class were kids whom the public school system had failed and their speeches reflected how grateful they were to have elected to finish their education at the Academy. John will attend the University of Nevada-Reno in the fall. 'Way to go, big guy!