9, 10, And Closing in on 12

9.  Kayaking with the STP.  On the Big Horn River.  Put in at little town south of Dodge City.  Got out at the bridge in Dodge City.  A distance of 7 miles by road and 11.5 miles by boat on the winding river.  Saw deer and cranes and ducks and an eagle and skinny dippers.  Managed to get a picture of the STP.  

10.  Kayak with friends.  At Paint Rock lakes.

It was a long and bumpy ride to the the mountain lakes. We would have gotten there faster if the wildflowers were not so beautiful. ( If this were a wildflower post I would share more of the 117 pictures I took.  But it is a kayak post, so on to the lake.)

 Time to unwrap and try out the new tandem.

Which in one day became my favorite kayak.  Because it is black cherry red. And because I can chat with my rowing partner.  And let my rowing partner row and steer while I take pictures.

And more pictures.

Of my kayaking friends.

Kayaking.

And just floating. And soaking up the quiet peacefulness.  Until it was time to reload the kayaks and head back down the mountain.  Because I had to go to work today.

But those kayaks are still on the SuperSuzuki.  Because tomorrow we head to Flathead Lake and onto Glacier Nat'l Park.  And those kayaks are going with us.

Sadly, these friends are not going with us.  

But I couldn't be more excited about who we are meeting there.

Free Shipping

When you live in Dodge City, online shopping is a way of life and free shipping is your best friend.

But sometimes 'free shipping' is a better deal than other times.

Say 'Hello!' to the latest addition to the kayak collection.

Somehow '13 feet' is bigger in person than in my best internet imagination...

Jackson

When you grow up in house and a time where your parents were country music fans before country was cool, you know some good ol' Tex Ritter songs, you watched HeeHaw episodes when they first aired, and you've wondered what it would feel like to fall into a burning ring of fire.  Also, when you say "I'm goin' to Jackson,"  suddenly Johnny and June are singing a duet in your head.

We got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout,
We've been talkin' 'bout Jackson, ever since the fire went out.
I'm goin' to Jackson, I'm gonna mess around,
Yeah, I'm goin' to Jackson, 
Look out Jackson town.

We've been talkin' 'bout Jackson ever since we moved to Dodge City.  Jackson has been on the sand bucket list for several years.  But it isn't easy to get there from here.  Until this past weekend.  When I just got in my car and drove myself there.

And met up with a friend from high school whom I had not seen in about 25 years.  But thanks to the exchange of a myriad of well written Christmas letters we were able to pick up pretty much where we had left off.  And we hadn't changed a bit.

I asked a young lady to take this picture of us with Einstein.  We were telling her that we were friends from high school, that this was my maid of honor, that this was my anniversary, blah, blah, blah.  "Just push the silver button on top,"  I say.
"Oh, my Mom has a camera just like this,"  she replies.
Oh, I have a 'mom camera'.  Guess I'm not as young as I feel.  Guess that zit on my face wasn't fooling anyone.

The quintessential Jackson picture.  Part of the thought is that if we stood in front of really large things, we would appear smaller.  At least you can't see that our faces are still breaking out.
We ate some really good food, talked and laughed, and maybe teared up a time or two.  We rode the ski lift to the top of the mountain.

And we hiked back down.

And we decided that we should not wait another 25 years to get together again.

 I am immensely glad that I made the trip.  And I will go back to Jackson and take the STP with me.  Because he is a fan of good food, and talking and laughing, and beautiful countryside.  He does, however, consider 'country music' an oxymoron, so we will not be belting out a duet of 'Jackson' in the car on the way.  (Sometimes it is not a bad thing to travel alone.)
Taking numbers 13, 48, and 49 off the non-resolution list.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Finished book 3 in the Harry Potter series.
3 things I would not give to a thirteen year old:  A rat, a time turner, a flobberworm.
3 things I never learned in school:  How to read tea leaves, how to change a teapot into a turtle, which teachers were werewolves. 
3 things I might like to own:  A crystal ball, an invisibility cloak, a signed permission slip.

Alpha and Omega

Crossed off the first and the last things on the non-resolution list this past weekend.
1.  List 54 things to do in 2013.

54.  Photo with a roadside wonder

While traveling across Wyoming I happened upon the World's Largest jackalope in Dubois.   So I had to stop to pee to take a look.  Fortunately I had my camera with me.  Unfortunately, I had left the memory card in my laptop in Dodge City.  So on my way back across Wyoming (after purchasing a new memory card for the camera), I stopped again to pee take a picture.  And really you can't judge the size of a jackalope by it's picture.  In the picture it looks like you could display the World's Largest jackalope on a sturdy shelf.  But trust me that is not the case.  This jackalope is huge.

Because I was wearing my blind woman sunglasses, I didn't notice the saddle, so I did not get a stranger in a convenience store to take my picture on top of the world's largest jackalope. (Although I don't doubt that that would have been a possibility.)  Instead I just stood on my tiptoes and gave it a hug and took a facebook pic for you.  So you could better judge the size and appreciate the awesomeness of the World's Largest Jackalope.

I also did a little research on jackalopes for you and found that Douglas, Wyoming has laid claim to the World's Largest Jackalope.  Which turns out to be an 8 ft concrete statue of a jackalope.   Clearly not a real jackalope like my friend here.  

You can't fool me, Roadside America.  I know a fake jackalope when I see one.

Thirty Three

Thirty three years ago today I walked down the aisle with my best friend.

Still married to the guy waiting at the other end, but looking forward to the weekend with my maid of honor.

The South Side

Also known as the front of the house.  Which is kinda scary in the middle of a hail storm.

 But not so bad on beautiful sunny days.  Like today.

Park right here and we'll take a closer look.

Up the steps to the front door.

I'll just go in and get you a glass of iced tea before we sit on the porch swing.  Just make yourself at home.  

 Go ahead.  Look around.

Too bad I have to go to work this afternoon.  I could stay here all day.

Touring

This was the week I was going to take you with me on a tour of the grounds.

 We would have started on the west side.

 In anticipation of the tour I took a few quick pictures.

 Of the things that were blooming.

 The yarrow.

 The red wood dogwood.

 The clematis.

 The daylilies, which were just budding.  But before they could bloom, or I got around to posting about them, I came home to this.

And the west side of the house took the brunt of the storm.

 And then the next day it hailed again.

And hail is not kind to plants.  So if you don't mind we will start the tour tomorrow- on the south side.

Chamber of Secrets

It's our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.
Today I chose to put another coat of paint on the emerald dresser.  And take a walk with the dog.   And finish book 2.
And I would like to choose a house elf.  Just saying.

Well Begun is Half Done

Popped open the can of Emerald Cut paint this evening, and if the practically perfect, ever practical, and wondrously magical Mary Poppins is to be believed, I am half way to crossing number 8 off the non-resolution list.
Is "My dresser needs a second coat" an acceptable reason to call in sick?

It's a Mountain, Get Over It

Today's post is not about the mountain.  It is an announcement that I have started rereading the Harry Potter books, beginning with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.  About which I would like to say a few words, and here they are: 

Nitwit.  Blubber.  Oddment.  Tweak.

Plus I have added #53 to the list:  Make a treacle tart.

The End of a Long Day on the Mountain

By the time we got to Shell Falls,

we were mere shadows of ourselves.

Take a Picture

The STP and I went over the mountain.

To see what we could see...

And all that we could see...

And all that we could see...

Was the other side of the mountain.

 The other side of the mountain...

 

Was all that we could see.

So we took a few pictures along the way.

And I share these that didn't fit into the wildflower or animal posts. 

( The funny thing to us is that along the way there are a few signs that say "Scenic View--1000 ft."  None of these pics were taken at designated "scenic view" sites. )  

Last month, on my way to see the gynecologist in the big town, I drove past wild horses and antelopes and mountains with awesome expanses of clouds, sunshine and shadows in between.  I passed a car with a camera being held out the passenger side window.  And it occurred to me that after five years of trips to the big town, I no longer take pictures out the window along the way.  Maybe because I already have already photographed the whole trip.  Maybe because I know, that no matter how hard I try, I can't capture the awesome landscape with my point and shoot.   More likely, because I take the amazing scenic views for granted.  So I'm thankful today for a reminder to slow down, stop occasionally, look around, and take a picture.

You know what this picture means, don't you?  Sibley Lake is open.  Time to get the kayaks out.