Happy, happy, happy!

The heater quit working here in Freedom last night.  Some kind of temperature sensor failing.  It got down to 7 degrees.  The dogs, Mike and I snuggled under our down comforter.  He turned the whole thing off during the night. 

When he turned it on this morning - it is working!  I love it when mechanical things "fix" themselves.  Happy news!  We snuck out in the darkness in the 7 degree calm (yesterday we hit the all-year high wind of 39 miles per hour - the hot tub cover blew off) and soaked in the 104 degree hot tub water.  The moon light dazzled bright the snow covered fields. 

A shower was had.  The heater, a boiler, heats our water too.  It was a hot shower!

Coffee, showered, and the magic view to the south.  Happy, happy, happy!  What a glorious morning to close 2017! 

We got to enjoy yesterday's Chariot Races.  Friend Coralia raced and won her run!  The track was muddy.  Here she is, glowing!  We love, admire, and greatly respect this gal!  She and her husband are passionate horse people.  He races too. 

Today we will welcome in the new year here in Freedom with dear friends Todd & Janet.  Steak, crab legs, and fat shrimp slowly thaw.  Bottles of bubblie and wine await their demise.  Janet is bringing her famous cannoli for dessert.  We will eat, drink, soak, and laugh in the new year.  You can't get a much better start than that!  

A few more pictures from yesterday's races.  May your heaters keep running, your wine cellar be stocked with delicious libations, your refrigerator full, and may you be surrounded by amazing friends and family!!  Happy 2018!

The Grinch Who Stole Christmas

The alarm came in at 5:32 Christmas Eve.  Mike and I had just arrived at a Christmas Eve party where we were to wear our Ugly Christmas sweaters, which we both were wearing.  I had a couple of chances at the appetizers there before I had to leave for the call.  Occupants smell smoke and are evacuating the home.  Next the alarm company receives smoke alarm notifications.  Then they report fire sprinkler had gone off.  First due engine reports heavy smoke in crawl space.

To make a very long night of strategies and tactics sum up quickly.  Upon arrival, I took Incident Command.  We lost the house.  Per our local GIS, it is worth >$12 million dollars.  I would guess the artwork inside was worth that much or more.  The owner noted there was artwork that was over 2000 years old inside the home.

Mike arrived later to be an important responder helping immensely with air supply and water operations.  His vast years of being on the department make him an especially valued responder.  All have great respect for Captain Trumbower (including the Incident Commander)!

Here is the news report which I am so pleased that they actually reported what I said to the reporter correctly!  Big Christmas Fire

By the time it was all over, I had been awake for 31 hours.  I got home at 1pm, pulled my ugly Christmas sweater off, took a shower, and spent the rest of Christmas day sleeping. 

It's hard to lose a house when you are a firefighter.  We go home with our tails between our legs, heads drooping.  With fire in the crawl space and probably already into the walls upon our arrival, we had little chance of winning.  Still, a very very sad day for a family who put their love and hearts into a spectacular home.

Winter Came Yesterday!

The snow kept piling up.  Deeper and deeper as the morning crept toward noon.  Sixteen inches accumulated; on the roofs, on the driveways, on the alfalfa fields.  The west wind blew drifts behind fences.  As the sky cleared, cold temperatures whipped around the brave souls at the Afton Cutter Races.  A ground blizzard ensued.  The kids kept digging in the snowbanks, the burger lady kept making her famous Chariot Burgers, and the teams kept racing.  Here are some images from yesterday's event.

 The trailer where the burgers are made.  That bumper sticker is for you, Mom!

 Coralia wins big!

 Burger in hands.

 Look at the light on those horses backs!  Beautiful! The driver in the blue is putting his whip in his mouth right at that moment.

 Ground blizzard.  Mike helps the Robinsons get ready for their next race.

 Winter does not phase.

I love these dogs!!  Next picture, last race of the day.  The man on the left is the timer and teams are just about to cross the finish line. 

Today

Cooking Bliss

There is nothing I love better that amazing recipes!  To find and enjoy something so wonderful as, for example, the hibiscus habenero tequila recipe.  I have savored that amazing drink ever since the ingredients were discovered.

Dishing Magazine is a really great place to find incredible recipes!  Many of you will be getting a copy in you holiday package.  But if not, check them out online!  How easy is this - leaf through the publication and soon you will find a new something to create.  Check them out at the links below.  There is one for Jackson and one for Park City.  Super cool!!

(Click on the tab for the magazine to see all kinds of local restaurant recipes within!)

Jackson Dishing Site

Park City Site

Eat well.  Delicious and beautiful food.

Meteors in the Sky

The next couple of days offer a dark sky and the Geminid meteor shower.  Thanks to the Phaethon comet passing very close to earth, there is a very good chance for an amazing meteor shower over the course of the next few days.  Learn more at this link Geminid Meteor Shower

We have a new hot tub habit, thanks to summer time temperatures.  Who wants to soak in a hot tub after a hot, summer day?  So, we started soaking in the morning, pre-dawn.  Now with cold temperatures, we are finding ourselves enjoying the night sky both in the morning and at night!!  It doesn't happen that often, but when it does, it is a stellar thing to do (no pun intended - stellar, get it?!).

Anyway, look up to the night sky.  This could be darn amazing.  I am setting my alarm clock for 2am for Wednesday and Thursday night.  Let me know if you want me to call if the show is incredible. 

Star gaze away!  Here are some star gazing tips Star Gaze Tips

Wonderful Weekend!

What a great weekend!  Mike and I stayed Friday and Saturday night in Freedom.  We slept in both days until the morning sun topped the eastern mountain tops.  And then we stayed in bed a bit longer!  It was luxurious!

I am making silk scarves again this winter.  Big, warm silk scarves.  They start at 45" square.  Having purchased a used serger, I spent most of Saturday figuring the thing out and getting it set up for the silk I use for scarves.  By the end of the day, scarves were getting sewn perfectly!!  Yeah.  Here are the beautiful silks I'm working with.  Labeled - just in case you might want one or two!

Big news for the house.  We found our cook stove!  Of course, we had to buy one that was too big and may be now destined for the airplane hanger.  Still, this is the perfect stove!  Mike and I love the way it looks in the nook the Shinkles made for Jeanie's mother's stove (moved with them to their new home in Afton).  We are hoping to fire it up next weekend.

Christmas rushes into all of our lives.  Time goes by just too fast this time of the year.  We got out our cards and Mike is working on mailing today.  Remember to find time to pause and enjoy the moment.  It's not easy to do right now!!

A Work in Progress

Most Wednesdays, I make the journey north to the Moran Fire Station to join the fun and committed crew of firefighters up in the north part of Teton County.  Despite just getting home (and really not wanting to!), I joined the crew for last night's training at Jackson Lake Lodge.  As we descended the darkened wide stairway (power is off this time of year) in our bunker gear and carrying tools, I couldn't help but think of our firefighter brothers and sisters climbing stairs just like these up into the Towers on 9/11.  I shared my thoughts with the crew and we climbed in silence, each of us thinking we would do the same thing. 

On the way home, the inky sky was pinpointed by planets and stars.  A meteor shot across the southern sky in front of my headlights, horizontal and running east to west.  A herd of elk dined close to the road.  As I topped the hill at Deadman's, the snow-covered Teton glowed in the rising moon light. 

I need to do more work, but here is my first try at trying to capture this night time beautiful scene.  The temperature outside was 16 degrees.  It was quiet and cold.  I felt like the only person on the planet.  And I said a silent thanks to those who lost their lives that day.

(I'm pretty sure it's Venus and Mercury to the right of the Grand).

Naples, New York

People think "New York City" when you are visiting New York.  Not so where we sit currently.  The hills roll and are striped with grape vines and corn rows.  The landscape is more acreage than buildings.  It is quite beautiful here.  Long, deep lakes carved from ancient glaciers sit in the valleys.  White caps slicing through their deep, inky black waters.  It is New York winter.  Gray skies.  A cold wind out of the west.  Chunks of glassy salt on the pavement. 

We settle into the Green Farm House.
 

Scott and Stephanie have done so much work on this old house.  It is warm and comfortable.  We settle into the upstairs bedroom. 

  

The Thanksgiving table was set so beautifully.  Remember that big bottle of wine?  Here is it decanted.  We drank the whole thing - of course. 

A wonderful dinner was enjoyed last night at Kindred Fare .  Knowing that we would be connecting with Steven later for chicken wings, it was a bit unusual to eat and think about eating again!  But, hey, we did!  Here are some images of our delicious meals.

Creamy cheesy grits with shrimp.

Scallops - oh, so beautiful!

Calamari and chick peas - who would think of that combination?  Very good.  

Today, we all gather up with Janet for an amazing meal of clams, crab, pie, wine, and festivities.  Thanksgiving.  Family, food, drink.  

Thank you Scott and Stephanie!  

My Favorite Holiday

Mike and I sit in Ohare waiting to board a plane.  The plane will land in Detroit and we will board another which will deliver us to Rochester.  Using our GPS, we will navigate the hour drive to Brother Scott and Stephanie's house in Naples, NY.

Thanksgiving is a holiday to reflect on oh, so many blessings!  I am thankful to be sitting next to my partner, my husband.  A man who can fix anything, helps others, understands how to put up with me, and so many other really great traits.  I am thankful to have good health. I am thankful to have such a great family.  I am thankful to live in a country where you can drive down an interstate, drop off your rental car, check into an airport, and feel safe.  I am thankful to have enough money to be able to travel and visit with family and friends.

Take time to reflect on your blessings this Thanksgiving.  Take at least one day of the year to pause; you have much to be thankful for.

We arrived Monday in time to enjoy a delicious dinner - complete with farm sweet corn! - with Dad and Linda.  The next day, a fine lunch at Soft Tails in Ladd.

Gary and Diana were wonderful hosts and set us up with a fantastic bed for sleeping.  We woke up at 9:30am - in disbelief!- the first morning!!  Mom arrived later that afternoon, safe and sound, from Mattoon and settled in to her "salt cave" bedroom upstairs.  A fine dinner was prepared by the Carlson's and savored by all!! 

The next day Mom, Mike, and myself traveled to ooh and ahhh over the lovely fabric at the quilt shop in Morris.  There are a couple of new projects on the horizon!!  The Morris Fire Department has a beautiful fire truck with a great story. 

This lovely brass truck was purchased in the late 1800s for over $7000.  That's a pile of money back then.  When the town decided to sell the truck to a scrap metal shop, the truck suddenly disappeared.  It would spend the next ten years in hiding.  Thank goodness some firefighters had the sense to do the right thing.  If you ever get to Morris, it's worth a look.

We enjoyed lunch and a beer at the new brew pub in Ottawa, Brew Pub in Ottawa  Good beer, not too great of a ceasar salad. 

The pretzel and wings looked really good.  I love what they did to the old store.  Very neat inside.

Dinner on Wednesday night with the Carlson's and Mom at the Pink Chihuahua check out the menu at Pink Yippie Dog!, Raynette's restaurant in Ottawa.  Drinks and orders and soon the table was filled with food.  My favorite, the blackened duck breast!  MMMMMmmmm!!  All dishes were really delicious.  We left full and satisfied, but without a photo - I regret that.

Diana's business, Salt Tree Yoga, continues to prosper.  I admire Diana's commitment to grow her business, adding new treatments and filling the store with the beautiful salt lamps for the holiday shopping season.  What a beautiful space she has created!  A great gift (or two), consider adding a salt lamp to your gift list.  The lamps glow a beautiful golden color and emit negative ions into the air space - good for you in so many ways! 

I finish this posting sitting in Scott and Stephanie's kitchen in Naples, NY.  We got in safe and sound, had a wonderful farm-egg breakfast, and treated ourselves to a brisk day-after-Thanksgiving walk down the water front of a finger lake side - complete with a heart-pounding hill.  After that - mimosas in the new hot tub, of course!!  This is what vacation is all about.  Turkey #2 is in the oven, brother Steven is headed north, and a giant magnum of Schug Pinot Noir 2009 is in our very near future!  So many things to be thankful for!! 

Let Vacation Begin!

This is Evan and Dani.  Aren't they a handsome pair?!  Evan is Mike's nephew.  Standing over six feet tall, he sports a "Tom Hanks" look with the long beard and hair.  Evan is a wildland firefighter.  Dani spends summer doing the same.  We are so proud of these two!  Such a great pair.  Dani, an omnipresent optimist, smiles and laughs and keeps all around her upbeat and happy.  Evan, sweet and thoughtful, carries on Trumbower traditions keeping eating and drinking top priorities.  They came to visit this last weekend and made their way to Dani's family's home on Sunday - while the weather was still good.  As we lifted off the runway this morning in Jackson, the gray ominous clouds backdropped the horizon behind the snow capped Teton range.  The weather is about to get lousy.  I'm glad they "got out of town".  We look forward to their return during a spring break visit!

Staged now in the Salt Lake City airport waiting to make the jump to Ohare.  Dad's house for dinner, Diana is housing us during our Illinois stay.  Inspired by Stephanie's disciplined blog posts with awesome images from Africa, I commit to make postings often on this Thanksgiving jaunt.  It already feels good to be taking a break.  Check out her blog site at Stephanie's Blog .  You can sign up at the bottom of the blog and get her blog postings.  Talk about going out of your comfort zone!!  I love watching her posts and seeing the amazing pictures!

Thanks to friend Russchelle who is keeping the house, dogs, cat, chickens, and fish.  She drove all the way over from Kaycee, Wyoming and got up early to deliver us to the airport front door!  Now that's service!!  

Travel Adventure

Ah the holidays!  After a long dark and gloomy day of rain yesterday, I must admit, I am looking forward to "getting out of town" for a break.  Had it snowed, we would be buried today!  Instead, things are wet and cold and muddy. 

Mike's nephew Evan and his gal Dani are here for a visit.  As they will not be back east for the holiday gathering, it will be good to hook up and see them a bit.  They spent the night in Freedom last night; it's great to have some room to put visitors up!  I'll get some pictures and post on this site soon.

It's time to start thinking about holiday gifts.  Need you ask what my number one choice for this year would be?

My Favorite Appliance

If you are going to get one and click on this link, I actually get $$ from Amazon for you doing it!!  Crazy, right.  Well, thought I'd give it a try.  You'll see more links to come.  And really, if you are not a Prime member yet, what are you waiting for?  For those of us in the NE corner of Wyoming, Prime is awesome.  No shipping charges.  Order and it's here in two or three days.  Easy peazy.  Shopping opportunities are somewhat limited.  This is a great resource for us here! 

Safe travels.  Warm and happy holidays!  Stand by for more posts; I'll actually have time now!!

Hunting 2017

Day 2.

I arrive to the parking lot at the furthest most place in the elk refuge.  There is one vehicle parked, a pickup, the hunter already gone.  Shooting light is 15 minutes away and things are lighting up.  To the east, I see Jupiter and Venus rising above the sun and in very close proximity of each other.  Check it out - this morning was a special day to see these two planets!  Rising Planets  It is still and quiet.  Only the sound of Flat Creek, down below, can be heard. 

The half mile flat land hike takes me to a straight-up hill.  Over the course of the years, a path has been stomped out by wildlife and predators up the hill just north of a slight drainage.  The ground is frozen but bare so traction is good.  I step, step, step up the steep path, pushing to get my heart rate up.  I pause and pull up binoculars, glassing the hillsides beyond. 

There are tracks up top.  Elk tracks, deer tracks, and a couple of big dog tracks - wolf.  They were here and now they are not!  The landscape continues to light up.  I hear a shot off in the distance on forest service land.  Then a few to the north off the hay fields.  Someone is seeing elk.

My climb culminates on a prominent knob in the refuge.  The north slope is thick in dark evergreens.  This is a great place to see acres and acres of the elk refuge.  And to see the sun light up the magnificent Teton Range.  I catch a glimpse of a lone bull elk below running.  This bull is all the wildlife I will see today.

It is a short morning.  No need to hang around.  The elk are not moving yet.  I got a good walk in, saw two planets gracing Sleeping Indian Mountain, and watched an amazing sunrise. 

They should be charging me a fee for this!! 

So, 2017 hunting for me scores a big, round zero!  It's not the first year I have been skunked and I'm sure it won't be the last!  Mike still has a tag for the refuge for when we return.  There is still hope. 

Hunting 2017

The fall has been busy.  Topics re-prioritize our lives in various degrees of importance.  We finally went hunting today.  I have an elk refuge tag.  We saw 32 bulls (they tend to come first to the refuge in large guy-group herds), 9 wolves (really, not kidding), and 68 pronghorn antelope (they need to get out of here!!).  A couple of herds waaaaayyyyy off in the distance were too far to do anything more than watch them through binoculars.  The morning temperature was 17 degrees, but I would guess 12 to 15 up at the refuge.  A mid morning walk was needed to warm our cold toes. 

Cosmo and Gus did the work today, both mules fat from standing around doing nothing and eating Mike's hay.  I have one more day tomorrow and will go for an early morning walk before I head to work. 

The week before vacation.....much to do!

Musings and Photos

Carpe diem.  I keep thinking about this Latin phrase.  The definition, as defined online, is "used to urge someone to make the most of the present time and give little thought to the future."   I feel like we have been succeeding quite well at this phrase running around like crazy, doing this and that and getting ready for the big weather event this weekend. 

We will be travelling.  We'll see how that goes!  Pretty good storm coming our way this weekend.  Check it out!

Here are some photographic musings from the last couple of weeks. 

1.  We drained and cleaned the hot tub, preparing for the winter soakings ahead!

2. Hibiscus margarita with straw, needed for full lip surgery recovery!!  It is a beautiful thing, you have to agree!!

3. Mike's new barn door!  This is so beautiful!  He used some old barn wood found in the barn and made this AND put it up by himself.  What a great addition to the beautiful barn!