I just spent an hour entering July's weather data for our town into NOAA's data base.  I was not really that surprised to learn that so far we've had 8, yes EIGHT, days of record high temperatures this month.  No wonder I'm melting.

My mother called this morning to tell me that my dad found more lumps in his neck. 

Not good.

Not good at all.

 Sunset from yesterday. 

         Clouds to inspire.

I don't like hot weather.  It has been in the 90's all month, with one day over 100.  We don't have air conditioning.   I just don't feel well when I'm so hot all the time. My ideal temperature is in the mid 70's. 

With cloud cover.

And maybe a little bit of rain thrown in. 

That's why I keep fantasizing about moving back to Corvallis.  We lived there for a year while my husband was in grad school.  I have happy memories of that place.

On my computer at work I have 2 gadgets on my Vista desktop.  One shows the current temp and weather conditions of here and the other of Corvallis.  Corvallis' always looks more inviting to me.  Of course the grass is always greener ....., well, you know.

This morning, I got up early to go out and weed before the weather turned hot.  It was early for me, anyway.  I got up at 7:00.  It was very pleasant out in my front yard.  My flower beds are starting to look like they are cared for and it was shady on that side of the house. 

As I was working away I heard the unmistakeable sound of honking geese.  I looked up and saw the first group of the season migrating back.  We must live in the goose super-highway because this is not an uncommon site.  I'm always amazed at how early in the summer we see them. They must have an awfully long way to go.  I was glad to get that little reminder that cooler days are coming. 

I won't be melting forever.

Yesterday I took my three daughters to go pick huckleberries. Huckleberry pickin' in these parts is serious business.

I was born and raised within 30 miles of where I now live.  During my entire life I have been surrounded by huckleberry fanatics.  I call them fanatics because of the nature of their obsession.

Rule #1.  You must never, ever, ever, ever tell anyone where you go to pick huckleberries.

This information must be handed down from one generation to the next.  If you must bring along a friend they need to be blindfolded, tied up, and placed in the trunk of your car for the trip.  This will ensure that your huckleberry patch will be there for you in the future.

This rule is adhered to with such ferocity that I was 45 years old before I broke down someone long enough for them to tell me where to go.

Actually my friend and art mentor Scott told me.  He teaches art here at the university where I work.  I was taking a class from him about 5 years ago during the summer.  One morning he told us the story of going huckleberry picking with his wife's family the night before.  Scott was not raised around here.  He had us laughing so hard tears were raining with tales of the ride to "the patch", with talk of the importance of maintaining Rule #1.  Scott had envisioned a little secluded spot with bushes made entirely of pure gold holding onto those illustrious berries until the "chosen ones" showed up to collect them.  When the car stopped he proceeded cautiously up the hillside looking for "the berries".  Suddenly he realized he was SURROUNDED by them.  There were thousands of bushes everywhere.  He said an army couldn't possibly pick all those little critters. 

He then proceeded to BREAK Rule #1.  He told us exactly where to go to find huckleberries.  I have never been so grateful to anyone my entire life.  I had IN--LAWS who would not tell me where the berries were.

The very next day I loaded up my children, and we headed for the hills. 

I was a little nervous about my adventure.  I had heard story after story about bear encounters.  Most people would say things like "the bears are usually pretty laid back from eating so many berries, so you shouldn't have any problems." I worried that I was placing my children in a dangerous situation, but determined that THEY would grow up knowing where huckleberries were, and how to pick them. 

We had a great time.  I brought along a radio that played the CD soundtrack to "I Am Sam".  It has become our official huckleberry pickin' tune.  The reason for the loud music, other than for the entertainment value, was to let all those bears know exactly where we were.  Usually if bears know where people are they will avoid them.  That was the plan, anyway. 

As we're picking those little berries I suddenly hear a loud noise through the bushes.  It sounds like a very large animal.  The crashing and rustling gets closer and closer and I start to panic a bit.  Suddenly it breaks through the last bush and is almost on top of me. 

It's a cow. 

As soon as my heart slows down a little I start to laugh.  I've just been attacked by a killer cow.

I think maybe the cow heard the music and thought "PEOPLE".  Maybe she was lost and thought we could help her find her way home.  She looked a bit disappointed when she saw us.  We definitely didn't look like wranglers. She kind of wandered off and we settled back down to huckleberrying.

So yesterday, we went in search of the huckleberry.  We drove, we laughed, we told stories, we got caught in the middle of a cattle drive, and we startled three humongous moose in the middle of the road.

But we didn't find any huckleberries.  It didn't look too hopeful for later either.  This summer has been very dry.  Maybe we'll try again in a few weeks. Maybe next year.  That's okay, because the joy was in the journey.

Tonight I felt like hiking one of my favorite trails. It's only a short drive from my home, so when the evening air started to cool off a bit I took my two younger daughters with me and we hiked the Cress Creek Nature Trail. 

This trail starts just a bit above the river elevation and continues to climb until you get a magnificent view of the valley.

The only negative thing about it is the fact that you just might run into a rattlesnake or two.

As we are just about ready to start, Joni receives a call from her dad wanting to know if it isn't just too hot to hike.  It was actually very nice.  We started the hike at about 8:00 and being next to the river helped cool things down a bit, also.

As we start up the path we can look back and see how far we've come.  There are a lot of places any self-respecting rattlesnake would love, but we don't spot any.

One of the really great things about this trail is that about 1/3 of it is a cement walkway.  It's a pretty steep climb up, but is totally handicapped accessible.

The reason they call this the Cress Creek trail, is because of the warm water spring that comes out of the ground allowing cress water plants to grow here.  The water is warm year around.  There is a swimming area nearby called Heise Hot Springs.  The water comes from this same source and feels so good when you go to soak your tired muscles.

Because we live so close to Yellowstone there are quite a few of these little spots around.

We continue to climb.  The paved pathway ends and we are hiking on gravel now.  There are quite a few little bridges as we cross the creek several times.

There are benches and picnic tables placed here and there along the trail.  They seem to invite you to linger and look out over the valley, maybe ponder on life, or God's handiwork.  There are berries and wildflowers at every turn. The river seems to be sinking farther and farther down.

My daughters can sense when I am feeling a good photo coming on.  That's a good thing.  They are developing an artistic eye.  On this bridge they stop and look at me.  When I pull out my camera, Joni exclaims, "I knew it!"

When we reach the summit, Joni exults.  The valley floor is far below. 

The river is beautiful from this vantage point.  The sun is sinking low in the sky which makes my inexperience with photography painfully obvious.  I can't get the rich colors I am seeing.  The sun's rays are washing everything out in the photo.

You can see the farmland beyond the river.

Swirls in the fields show the path the tractor took when planting.

The sun is starting to set.  There have been fires to the east of us which give the sun a reddish glow.  The hillside reflects that.

The sinking sun reflects in the river.

It's a peaceful time.  The reflections in the water seem to be a catalyst for inner reflection.

We start down the trail, heading for home.

It's been a good hike, a good day.

The trail seems to mimic the river in its undulations, turning and doubling back on itself.

As we drive home the sun sinks lower and lower in the sky.  It's time for all things to slow down, maybe pause, and ponder the blessings of the day.

Last night I  took a short drive from my home  an tride to find a good spot to capture the sunset.

This little park is at the entrance to one of the new sub-divisions being built around us.

It was hard to capture all the subtle colors in the sky, but I liked how they were reflected in this little lake.

Today is my last day of regular work for a month.  Our University runs on three tracks, fall, winter, and summer, and then there is a 6 week break.  I will still be in and out of the office.  I still have to gather and submit data from our  weather station.  Our library is torn up and I have to supervise that being put back together.

I look forward to showing up when I want, staying as long as I want, and then leaving. 

Tonight I will be standing outside the bookstore at midnight with my kids.  We plan on making a few purchases as the clock strikes twelve.  My son is driving 90 miles to join us for the event. 

His wife is in Utah visiting her identical twin sister who just had a baby on Sunday.  It was a scary thing, and we're glad the baby (and mom and dad) are all okay.  (She looked down during an uncomfortable night and saw the baby's arm sticking out.)

I have lots of plans for the break.  I hope it's not so hot the whole time that I don't feel like doing any of it.  There are huckleberries to pick, trails to hike, campsites to invade, things to paint, and a house to get back into order.   Stay safe, until we meet againl

I'm typing up some online quizzes for the new natural disasters class this fall.  Some of the questions are pretty interesting.  How well do you know your environment?

1. What percentage of the U.S. population now lives less than one hour's drive from a coastline?

a. 10

b. 20

c. 30

d. 50

e. 70

2. What does fetch refer to in terms of ocean waves?

a. wind velocity

b. length of time wind blows over the water

c. the distance that wind blows over open water

d. a command given to a seagoing canine

e. none of these

3. What is the most consistently destructive natural hazard in the United States?

a. earthquakes

b. volcanoes

c. river floods

d. hurricanes

e. landslides

4. Which hurricane caused the greatest loss of life in the USA?

a. Katrina (2005)

b. Galveston (1900)

c. Hugo (1989)

d. Camille (1969)

e. Agnes (1972)

5. What is salt used for?

a. food

b. making chlorine gas

c. making steel

d. making aluminum

e. all of these

6. If oil and tar sands are included where is the largest oil field in the world located?

a. Saudi Arabia

b. Canada

c. Kuwait

d. United Arab Emirates

e. Venezuela

7. True or False - On the average, each person in the USA produces between 4 and 5 pounds of trash every day.

8. True or False - The chances of being struck by lightning are about three times higher than the chance of a non-smoker dying from an asbestos related lung disease.

9. What is the French translation for the vocanic term nue'e ardente?

a. "run for your lives!"

b. "every man (or woman) for themselves?"

c. "we're toast!"

d. "watch out, she's a gonna blow!"

e. "Glowing cloud"

10. True or False - Ordinary rainfall interacting with atmospheric CO2 produces weak carbonic acid.

11. What is a "water witch" also known as a "dowser?"

a. a female spiritualist who likes to drop water balloons on hapless vistims

b. a type of insect

c. a person who claims to be able to locate underground water by special means such as diving rods

d. a well drilling device

e. a device for hydralic mining

Answers

1. D - I was pretty surprised to learn that half the population of the US is that close to the coast.  I WISH I was closer, but .... maybe someday.

2. C - Although I really thought D was an interesting choice.  These are questions sent to us by the textbook company.  Somebody there must have a sense of humor, because I actually found quite of few of these types of choices.

3. C - River floods consistently cause the most damage.

4. B - My Texas friend probably all knew this one.  I can't imagine how awful that must have been.  Katrina was bad enough.

5. E - Isn't salt useful?

6. B - This one is for you, Lisa!

7. TRUE

8. TRUE

9. E - This is another case of someone over at the textbook company having a lot of fun at work.

10. TRUE

11. C - I remember my dad having someone come to our farm and do this.  My husband was there and tried it.  He couldn't believe it, but it actually dipped down in the same spot that the "douser" got a hit.

The Old Dog

A wealthy old lady decides to go on a photo safari in Africa, taking her faithful, elderly poodle named Cuddles, along for the company.

One day the old poodle starts chasing butterflies and before long, Cuddles discovers that he's lost. Wandering about, he notices a leopard heading rapidly in his direction with the intention of having lunch.

The old poodle thinks, "Oh, oh! I'm in deep doo-doo now!" Noticing some bones on the ground close by, he immediately settles down to chew on the bones with his back to the approaching cat. Just as the leopard is about to leap the old poodle exclaims loudly, "Boy, that was one delicious leopard! I wonder if there are any more around here?"

Hearing this, the young leopard halts his attack in mid-strike, a look of terror comes over him and he slinks away into the trees. "Whew!", says the leopard, "That was close! That old poodle nearly had me!"

Meanwhile, a monkey who had been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree, figures he can put this knowledge to good use and trade it for protection from the leopard. So off he goes, but the old poodle sees him heading after the leopard with great speed, and figures that something must be up.

The monkey soon catches up with the leopard, spills the beans and strikes a deal for himself with the leopard.

The young leopard is furious at being made a fool of and says, "Here, monkey, hop on my back and see what's going to happen to that conniving canine!

Now, the old poodle sees the leopard coming with the monkey on his back and thinks, "What am I going to do now?", but instead of running, the dog sits down with his back to his attackers, pretending he hasn't seen them yet, and just when they get close enough to hear, the old poodle says ... "Where's that damn monkey? I sent him off an hour ago to bring me another leopard!

Moral of this story ... Don't mess with the old dogs ... age and skill will always overcome youth and treachery!  B.S. and brilliance only come with age and experience.

This made me feel a little better.  I'm feeling like an old dog this week. 

An out-of-control, tired-of-the-heat, old dog.

I just had a meeting with my new department chair this morning.  He is extremely well organized, energetic, and a real "go-getter".  He asked what my biggest concern was about him taking over this post.  I told him it was that he expected me to be as organized as he is.  He laughed, and then we spent an hour talking about ways to get more organized.  I'm feeling out of control in my life.  Things just keep piling up higher at home and at work.  I am not handling the heat well.  I really need a vacation, which I will get after this week.  Our term  is ending today, and then after all the final cleaning up of paperwork I will be "semi-unemployed" for a month.  I look forward to the extra time to get back on top of things in my life, but I'm also starting to get stressed out about not receiving a paycheck.  Mike was counseling me way back in January to start putting aside money for August, but we had a wedding coming up and I kept spending for that.  I'm starting to become a bit of a worrier and trying to come up with ways to bring in some dinero.  My house is still torn up from the tiling and painting, the laundry is piling, and my flowers are competing with the weeds.  I keep thinking about all the wonderful things I want to do, and then I put them out of my mind because I can't even do the things I ought to do.

Maybe it's a good thing I have this new boss.  I'll bet I'm going to learn a lot.  Maybe you can teach an old dog new tricks.

With temperatures in the mid 70's it promised to be a great day for hiking.  Lisa and Tyler, married just one month, joined Abby and I for the hike.  We started about 10:00 in the morning.  The trail wound, dipped, and rose.  Rocks, tree roots, and other obstacles made looking at the ground a neccessity unless you wanted a twisted ankle.  The trail was crowded; word has gotten out that this is a great day hike. We walked at a fairly brisk pace, but always seemed to be slower than many of the groups who passed us on the way. Our goal was to hike around the lake to the back side, then to go up the canyon a ways to a spot where a waterfall, named "Hidden Falls",  cascaded down from the Teton Mountains.

On the trip to the falls  there was a lot of laughter, talking, and photography. We enjoyed the views, the woodsy smells, and the sounds.  One group of three young men seemed to be having a particularly good time.  Strains of music followed them down the trail as they sang hiking and other songs.

    "I often go a wandering

    along a mountain path.

    And as I go, I love to sing,

    My knapsack on my back."

Their long legs and lengthy strides carried them farther and farther away until at last we could only hear the occasional bird, gurgling water, and our own heavy breathing.

People who want to see the falls, but do not wish to hike, are riding ferries across. 

Back and forth they sweep. 

And we keep hiking.

Through the tree-canopied trails we pass a variety of wildflowers, foilage, and downed trees.  A couple of these have the bark on one side ripped off, evidence of a hungry from the previous winter.  There are signs posted: "Be Bear Aware", but we are not concerned. 

The air got warmer and drier, and the trail seemed to steepen.  I was starting to feel every one of my 49 plus years. We passed the west boat dock and saw many tourists, fresh and cool from their ride across the lake, laze up the trail to the falls.  Lisa was starting to get concerned about the time.  She had a gig in Jackson and needed to be there by 3:00.  We were so close. We decided to push on to the falls.  When we arrived we rested for a few minutes.  The powerfull sound of the water falling and hitting the rocks below was a little hypnotic.  The air was getting hot.  He took some photos and started back.

The return trip was quieter.  With temperatures rising to the 90's and muscles straining to keep legs moving, the talking, photography, and joking stopped.  The focus was turned inward. Keep those legs moving, watch for rocks, sip your water. Every time the path rose I groaned inwardly, thinking I couldn't make it up one more hill,

but I did.

Finally after three and a half hours we returned to the parking lot and drove back to Jackson. 

After dropping off Lisa and Tyler at their car, we went to eat lunch.  We ate in slow motion, Abby and I.  Every trip my hand took to my mouth seemed like work.  Abby felt the same.  After we finished we just sat there, looking at each other.

"Are you ready to go?"

"Yea."

And we kept sitting there looking at each other, not moving. 

I still had to drive 90 miles over the Teton Pass to get back home.  The Teton Pass is extremely steep.  At 10% grade it is not uncommon to smell burning brakes as you are forced to continually brake to slow down.  The trick is to slow down to 20 MPH and then coast.  Within seconds you are already up to 45 or 50 and need to brake again.  Those who are inexperienced "ride" their brakes, not allowing them to cool between, and they burn them out.  There are 2 runaway truck ramps on just one side of the summit.  I don't know how a runaway truck could make the hairpin turns to get to the ramp, but they are there, non the less.

I knew I needed to be alert for the ride home, but I was pretty well worn out.  I stopped at a convenience store and got some chocolate covered peanuts.  The sugar kept me alert enough for the drive.  I've sworn off pop, so was very grateful that the chocolate did the trick.

When we got home I had a headache from the heat, two blood blisters on my feet, and a jammed toe.  I could hardly drag myself to the bed for a nap.

It was great.  Would I do it again?   YOU BETCHA!!!  In fact Lisa and I have already planned 2 more hikes.

Oh, and Lisa DID make it to her gig.  She played with a string group for a wedding in Jackson.  It was out in the middle of a field, with a bison 100 feet away watching the festivities.  There were animal droppings on the ground and dirt blowing all around.  The backdrop for the wedding WAS the Teton's, so I guess the Bride thought is was worth it.  Not only did Lisa play for 3 hours at the wedding that afternoon, but she also played a concert in Jackson that night at the Grand Teton Music Festival.  I don't think the hike phased her at all.....but then again, she IS training for a triatholon.

1. Pick up cat and cradle it in the crook of your left arm as  if holding a baby. Position right forefinger and thumb on either side of cat's mouth and gently apply pressure to cheeks while holding pill in right hand. As cat opens mouth, pop pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow.

 2. Retrieve pill from floor and cat from behind sofa. Cradle cat in left arm and repeat process.

 3. Retrieve cat from bedroom, and throw soggy pill away

4. Take new pill from foil wrap, cradle cat in left arm, holding rear paws tightly with left hand. Force jaws open and push pill to back of mouth with right forefinger. Hold mouth shut for a count of ten.

5. Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of wardrobe. Call spouse from garden.

6. Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly between knees, hold front and rear paws. Ignore low growls emitted by cat. Get spouse to hold head firmly with one hand while forcing wooden ruler into mouth Drop pill down ruler and rub cat's throat vigorously.

7. Retrieve cat from curtain rail, get another pill from foil wrap. Make note to buy new ruler and repair curtains. Carefully sweep shattered figurines and vases from hearth and set to one side for gluing later.

8. Wrap cat in large towel and get spouse to lie on cat with head just visible from below armpit. Put pill in end of drinking straw, force mouth open with pencil and blow down drinking straw.

9. Check label to make sure pill not harmful to humans, drink 1 beer to take taste away. Apply Band-Aid to spouse's forearm and remove blood from carpet with cold water and soap.                                                                                                                    

10. Retrieve cat from neighbor's shed. Get another pill. Open another beer.. Place cat in cupboard, and close door on to neck, to leave head showing. Force mouth open with dessert spoon. Flick pill down throat with elastic band.

11. Fetch screwdriver from garage and put cupboard door back on hinges. Drink beer. Fetch bottle of scotch. Pour shot, drink. Apply cold compress to cheek and check records for date of last tetanus shot. Apply whiskey compress to cheek to disinfect. Toss back another shot. Throw Tee shirt away and fetch new one from bedroom.

12. Call fire department to retrieve the cat from across  the road.  Apologize to neighbor who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid cat. Take last pill from foil wrap.

13. Tie the little terd's front paws to it's rear paws with garden twine and bind tightly to leg of dining table, find heavy-duty pruning gloves from shed. Push pill into mouth followed by large piece of filet steak. Be rough about it. Hold head vertically and pour 2 pints of water down throat to wash pill down.

14. Consume remainder of scotch. Get spouse to drive you to the emergency room, sit quietly while doctor stitches fingers and forearm and removes pill remnants from right eye. Call furniture shop on way home to order new table.

15. Arrange for SPCA to collect mutant cat from hell and call local pet shop to see if they have any hamsters.

How To Give A Dog A Pill :

1. Wrap it in bacon.

2. Toss it in the air.

I got this in an e-mail today and it really struck a chord with me.  Today we are supposed to be giving our cat his second pill.  None of us wants to do it.  In the past we have tried just about all the methods that are outlined above.  We haven't tried the drinking straw one, so maybe we'll try that tonight. 

In desperation we have taken our cat's back to the vet to have them do the honors. The odd thing we have discovered is that the more tame the cat is at home the more wild he is at the vet. 

I once took two cats for medicine, one very high strung and one very very mellow.  I warned the vet about the high strung cat, but the vet had no problem at all.  When he brought out the mellow cat it raked his claws down the poor vet's arm opening a very deep gash.  We  employed the towel wrapping method and between the 4 of us adults we managed to get that little pill down that devil-cat's throat.

The last time Joni tried bravely to give a pill to Burns his tooth chomped down on her fingernail, breaking through to the quick beneath.

Needless to say, I am not looking forward to giving Burns his medicine tonight.  I left a note for the kids to do it today, but I'm not having very high hopes.

I've joined an art group.  It's called Illustration Friday.  Every Friday you are given a word and then you have to do and submit an original piece of artwork that has to do with that word.  Last Friday was my first time.  The word was "geeky".  I didn't have a lot of time, but I did do this sketch. 

My plan was to paint it up in watercolor or do it on Adobe Illustrator, but I ran out of time. I didn't post it to the site as I am still a bit intimidated.  This week's word is "discovery". I'm not sure yet what I'm going to do with that.

Tomorrow I am going hiking.  There's a beautiful hike around Jenny's Lake in the Grand Teton National Park.  I can't get anyone here to go with me, so I may be hiking alone.  I'm not worried, though.  This hike is so popular that the trail is usually crowded.  I plan on taking my camera.  

When you have indoor cats there are a few things that you just have to put up with.

You have to have a litter box

They shed, so there is some cat hair around even if you vacuum and brush your cat daily.

and

They like to sharpen their little claws on

nice furniture

carpet

and YOU!!!

With my Dad's platelet counts

being

in the toilet (so to speak)

having indoor cats

who lovingly knead and paw and

draw blood is NOT a good thing.

One day

while I was searching on the internet

for a solution to this problem

I found

Soft Paws.

Now my little feline friends

are fashionable

non-destructive

and

safe.

Who could ask for anything more.

Parking on campus is premium. It is regulated with the kind of Gestapo-ism that would make old East Germany proud.

Faculty and Staff are given two permits for their cars.

One is a sticker for the windshield labeled “B”. This is for students.

The other is a plastic tag for “A” parking that hangs from the rear view mirror. This is for faculty and staff.

Both of these must be in place if you are faculty or staff to avoid a ticket .

Abby was between jobs (that’s another post for another day) so we had her take Andy to his golf tournament in Cody, Wyoming. I switched cars with her so that they could have air conditioning for the trip. Since her car had a “B” sticker I thought I was safe to take my plastic tag into her car and park in the “A” parking lot.

When I went to my car yesterday I found a nice $40.00 parking ticket on the windshield. Later that night Joni checked her campus e-mail and found this nice little message:

A vehicle with a parking permit issued in your name was given a parking citation
today in a BYU-Idaho parking lot.  This is a courtesy notification that the
citation has been billed to your account.  If you have questions or concerns,
please refer to the information on the back of the citation.
Sincerely,
Parking Services

She was incensed. The car is not registered to her and never has been.

I drove to work this morning and decided I’d better park in a “B” lot to avoid another ticket. I drove around and around. I drove down some side streets and could find nothing. I normally don’t mind walking, but because I have to wear heels to work I didn’t want to walk a mile.

All the “B” lots were full, and I’d just wasted 20 minutes of my work day driving around. There were quite a few empty stalls in the “A” lot, so I decided to take a chance and park there.

When I reached my office I called the parking services. They questioned me for 20 minutes.

Is the car Joni’s? (No it’s Abby’s and we switched cars today.)

Is the car my son’s? (David graduated and is moved away.)

Do I know P_______? (No. Never heard of him.)

And on and on it went. Finally he said that the car registration, the “B” sticker, and the plastic tag were all registered to different people and that’s why they issued a ticket. In his words, “something was fishy, so someone was going to have to pay.”

I was finally able to take Abby’s car up to their office where they scraped the old “B” sticker off, put on a new one registered to me, and they cancelled my ticket.

It only took an hour and a half out of my workday.

I was bemoaning my troubles to my boss when I finally got settled into work and he told me about his troubles with them.

He got a flat tire and had to leave his pick-up in the lot overnight. When he came back the next day with another car to fix the flat he caught them in the process of having it towed. While he was arguing with them about not towing his pickup, his car got a ticket for not having an “A” tag. His “A” tag was hanging in the pick-up.

I love my job. I love this campus and most of the people who work here, but I wouldn’t mind it if the parking service people mysteriously disappeared.

One of my relatives sent this link to my Dad.  It helps put the blood disorder MDS (or Myelodysplasia) in layman's terms.  Just in case anyone is googling this word and ends up on my space I would like to recommend that they go on to the link below, and good luck with whatever you're facing.

http://www.ib014a7519.f2s.com/rlb/MyelodysplasiaArticle.htm

We just returned from our little trip to Wyoming. The open house was very nice.  It was held in the lodge of the motel we stayed in.  It was kind of incongruous with the formality of a wedding and the wildlife decor, but somehow it worked.

When the party was winding down, Abby came and told me I had to get a picture of the sunset.

I grabbed my camera and went outside.  There was a gale-force wind blowing all around us.  Dirt was flying so thickly in the air that it pelted our skin and got in our eyes, and teeth.  Right where the sun was setting, however, there was a little window of opportunity through the trees.  I was able to get a pretty good shot of it.

Abby and I then walked back to our room and turned on the tv.  There was a severe weather warning on for the town.  We were advised to find a sturdy building, get inside and stay away from the windows.  The wind lasted about an hour.  We heard a lot of sirens and saw a bunch of fire trucks go by. 

The next morning was calm.  We saw a lot of very interesting scenery on the way.  Especially interesting if you work in a Geology Department at a university.  I had to snap a lot of photos.  (Mike is hoping some of these photos will be useful in the department so he can write off the trip on his taxes ha ha.)  I won't share all of them with you, but here are some highlights.

It was a very interesting drive.

Coming up on the Teton Mountain range I was a little disappointed to see that the sky was a bit hazy.  They still looked pretty majestic, though.  This is the view from the Wyoming side of the range.  I can just see the top-most part of these on the Idaho side from my front yard. They don't look quite as majestic from the Idaho side because of all the foothills in front.

  The cloudy sky put a lot of the mountains in a shadow.

This was a very rustic looking art museum that I wanted to stop at, but didn't.  It looks kind of like a fort.

Here are a few more sights.  This is not the kind of ATM machine you normally see. And we couldn't pass up this great photo op.

There was a herd of bison in a field and this little group was right next to the road.  They didn't mind having their picture taken.

We had a very nice time.  I guess I might get to see more of Wyoming tomorrow.  Andy has a Jr. Golf Tournament in Cody Wyoming on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Either Abby or I will be driving him over tomorrow.  This time we get to drive through Yellowstone Park.  I may have to stop and smell a few roses along the way. 

Cheers!

I'm not what you call a hot weather lover, and it's been unbearably hot all week.  On the 4th of July our family went to a park for a picnic.  It was thrown together at the last minute, so there wasn't a lot of homemade food, but it was still pretty good.

Afterwards, we relaxed in the shade, laughed, and cooled off in the fountain.

Mike got a little Grandpa time in.

Then we went to the baseball game.  It was 99 degrees when the game started and cooled off to maybe 98 by the end.

Since it was the 4th of July Andy got patriotic with the red, white, and blue.

Today promises more hot temps with highs in the upper 90's.  We haven't had any precipitation in a month and with afternoon winds coming the threat of fires is very high.  I don't look forward to that.  Every time we get fires in the desert to our west, or the mountains to the south or north our air looks ashy and and smells smoky.

We are leaving in the morning for Wyoming.  We'll be driving through Jackson Hole, a favorite spot.  Since we live an hour from Yellowstone and an hour from Jackson we get to frequent these places quite regularly.  We are going on to Lander for the Open House for Lisa and Tyler.  She gets to wear that gorgeous dress one more time.  We'll be back on Sunday evening, hopefully to cooler weather. 

Take care this weekend.  Stay safe, and enjoy the moments that come your way. 

Last night we were outside talking to our neighbors while the sun was setting.  I was lucky enough to have my camera with me.

I walked to my back yard to try to get another view.

This morning I was watering my flowers and I thought they were looking pretty good.  This is amazing because I have the worst dirt.  I've added so many things to it to improve it that it's more additives than soil.  I guess it was worth it.

My daylilies, heliopsis, and bluebells seem to be getting along this year.

Tonight we were driving home from a full day of playing and I couldn't believe the sky.  To the east there was a very interesting cloud formation.  The colors were awesome.  We were driving down the freeway, so the scenery in the foreground is not the greatest, but the sky.....awesome

To the west we saw the sun sink and the sky make it's subtle changes. 

I hope everyone had a great holiday with family and friends.

Joni and her dad were bonding.  Joni needed to practice bandaging a patient, and her dad was very patient.