Trumbower Kids

Okay, I have to walk away from the computer now!  But not before posting THIS great shot!!  The Trumbower "kids"!  From left to right, Evan (wildland firefighter in Idaho), Taylor (second year UVA college), Hillary (working at Mass General), Michael (works at NE Aquarium) and his lovely wife, Angela (art teacher).  What a beautiful crop of the next generation!  There is hope for the future!!

The Trumbower Boys and Mom

Awwwwwwhhhh!  This is a nice picture too!!  Celebrating Janet's birthday!  From left to right; Scott, Steven, Michael, and Mom.

The Outlaws....as Victoria Says!

Truly, one of my favorite images from the trip!  Stephanie - Scott's wife, Kathy - Mike's wife, and Victoria - Steven's wife!

Back In Jackson

We made it - though just by a whisker.  The plane sat on the runway in Denver for 35 minutes waiting for someone to show up with a ramp.  Tick tock, tick tock - we ran to our connection.  They may have held the plane for the half dozen of us!  Arrived on time and in good order.  More pictures to come!

Movie Review - watched Elsa & Fred last night - the Spanish version.  It was nice.  I see today there is an English version for you who may not enjoy subtitles.  I'm betting the foreign version is better - find out more here Movie Info .

Stephanie becomes a Blogger!

Check it out!  Another great site to follow!

Grapes & Good Living

Thanksgiving Images

We dined.  We wined.  We ate very well!!  Here are some pictures of Thanksgiving.

The Moms!

Happy Thanksgiving

 

Happy Thanksgiving to All!  The best holiday of the year - a time to remember all the many things to be thankful for!  Here are some photos from the last couple of days taken in upstate New York.  It's like hilly Illinois country!

 

 

 

 



More from the Party

Thank you to Victoria's sister Betsy for this fun video and other pictures!  Michael and I  are so in love!!

Please forgive Steve's pose.....!

 

YESTERDAY -

Yesterday we toured New York wine country!  Pictures forthcoming! 

 

Made It!!

Despite the challenges of winter and flying, we made it to the gala event!  Victoria graced the event in her beautiful gown and Steven shined in his white dinner jacket.  Everyone was beautiful and happy!  Amazing food was served, the wine never quit flowing and we danced into the night.  What a great celebration for all!  Mike and I are SOOOOO glad we could be at this once in a life time event.  Thank you!

Steven, Victoria and Zoey

Scott and Stephanie

Yeah, that's us!

The Girls off to the Party!

 

 

 

And, We Wait....

Now, we won't be leaving Denver until midnight. That puts us in at 6am! At least the snow has quit here. Hope to find some sleep on the plane.....

 

 

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Denver Delay

This is what it looks like in Denver. All of us waiting another half hour to learn how much longer the maintenance issue will be. We now get into Dulles at 1:30 am, as in tomorrow! A hotel reservation awaits us there.

 

 

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A scene from JH Airport

 

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Arrival. Tomorrow.

Well, at least we have seats.

 

 

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And the day begins.......

Plane did not get into Jackson last night.  Flight 2520.  Now leaving at 12:30 rather than 7:30am, we have 30 minutes to make a connection in Denver......ah, the joys of flying.  I have increased the number of books to carry on!

Will We Fly Tomorrow??

Check out Town Square web cam.  We're having a pretty good snow storm today....

Town Square Web Cam

Flat Benjamin's Visit

Meet Flat Benjamin!  He came to visit Jackson Hole.  Here are some pictures and his post card back to his family.

Benjamin's Post Card to his family in South Carolina -

Wow!  You will never believe where I have been visiting!!  I found my way into a mail box in Jackson Hole, Wyoming!  This is a little town at the south end of Grand Teton National Park and just a bit further north, Yellowstone National Park.  What a place to visit! 

To top it off, I skinnied  my way into the Fire Marshal's post office box!  I have learned so much!  This is a vacation and school all at the same time!  Yowzie!  I am so excited, I don't even know where to start!

Now, I know, my family back home in South Carolina hopes I will travel world-wide, but I tell you - who needs to roam any further?  Certainly, this HAS to be one of the most beautiful places in the world!  The Teton mountain range, which runs through Grand Teton National Park, juts off the valley floor into these incredible granite monuments, piercing the sky, holding great white capes of snow, and becoming stunning backdrops for sunsets.  I have learned that these mountains were formed when two plates of the earth cracked and shifted.  From the bottom of the east plate to the top of the west plate is a mile of difference.  That had to be quite an earthly movement!  Like Beethoven's 9th symphony!!

Yellowstone National Park is a giant volcano.  They say around here, it's not a matter of if, but when the volcano blows again.  Yikes.  Meanwhile, there are deep sky blue hot springs, mud pools that bubble and belch, geysers that shoot up into a clear blue sky making rainbows in the air.  And if that wasn't enough to be considered amazing, there are great herds of bison (buffalo) and elk that roam the wilderness of this great park. 

Back at town, I spent some time with Fire Marshal Clay.  She wants me to be sure that you all know to have a smoke alarm in every bedroom and hallway outside your bedroom.  She says lots of people forget to check and change the batteries in their alarms.  Make sure you do.  Once you have a smoke alarm in your bedroom, be sure to close your bedroom door at night.  That door will keep a fire and smoke out of your room and give firefighters time to save you.  Don't hide from the firefighters.  Yell really loud, "I am here, I am here!!" so they can find you quickly. 

Fire Marshal Clay says you should get together as a family and make an outside meeting place in case you need to leave the house quickly.  As you make this plan, find more than one way out of the house.  She says these are really important things to know.

We talked about car seats and seat belts too.  You know what she is really worried about?  Distracted driving.  More and more drivers are crashing because they are looking at their phones instead of the road.  Driving is serious business.  Help your folks drive better and take their phones away from them when they are behind the steering wheel!  Just tell them you would really like to grow up to be an awesome adult like they are - this might help you get the phone!!

Winter is coming to this beautiful place.  Tonight it started snowing.  I am considering learning how to go sledding.  Why I figure with my slim body and laminated outerwear, sledding down a hill will be super-fun!!  I am so excited about tomorrow morning!!

This visit has lasted a bit longer than perhaps it should.  I just want you to know how hard it will be to leave.  Why, there is so much more to do!  Fire Marshal Clay wants to take me for a ride on her mule, she will be hunting for an elk in December ("a freezer full of lean, organic meat" she explains), giving a presentation on the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning, and she said if I hung around long enough, we would surely get a chance to run lights and sirens in her fire SUV!! 

I have included some pictures of me and the fire trucks – it is so awesome be drive these big, red fire trucks!  Fire Marshal Clay wanted you to see her favorite picture of the year – she caught the winning fish in a spring fishing derby on Jackson Lake.  It weighed 25.2 pounds!  She told me lake trout grow about one pound per year, so that makes this fish an old fish!  The really neat thing is that she threw it back in the lake!  It swam away so now someone else can experience the thrill of catching a fish that big!  Cool!

But, I must move on with this traveling adventure!  I hope to come visit again.  She says that my family and I are welcome to stop by the fire house any time we are traveling through Jackson Hole.  She would love to give you all a tour of the fire trucks and show you around.  I hope we can visit before Yellowstone blows!!

P.S.  I got to go sledding this morning AND got to slide down the brass fireman’s pole!  What a great day!

Beautiful Early Winter Afternoon

 

After five weeks of healing, my left hamstring went out for a trial walk around the place on this really, really nice early winter afternoon.  About 45 degrees out, no wind, and the warm south sun making the top layer of mud thaw with a frozen layer below.  Walking was slippery!  But my left leg is feeling better.  Here are some pictures from our stroll.

Nest in bush.

Dog grousing in horse crap!

The Tornado

Hooked Up!

Water from the new well. 400 ft down providing a whopping 3 gal/minute and even whoppinger bill!

 

 

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Ramblings.....

So tell me - does this cabin look like it will slide down the hill?

Below is what the water moving system at the top of the hill looks like.  We have been hauling water from the fire department to this set up for over three weeks now.....

The garden is on its last legs.  Last week we saw a night of 17 degrees.  Amazing the kale and swiss chard still look alive.

The dogs.  And my shadow.  Late fall afternoon light.