Vacation Leftovers...

I didn't say much about my vacation, it was three weeks long so by the time I'd returned home I'd forgotten what I did the first two weeks (I'm sure you know me by now and that's not only completely normal, but also completely predictable).

The first week I spent three days with "Tiny" in her apartment in Orem, Utah.....

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Tiny in her apartment actually I spent three days in the apartment, unfortunately being a struggling college student she had to work 16 out of every 24 hours, but I loved seeing where she lived,
The place Tiny calls homegetting acquainted with her roommates, and meeting the unauthorized "Stinky"...
"Stinky" and Daughter #3
When she initially told me about "Stinky" becoming a part of their little apartment family I warned her that his name may be portentious.....I wasn't wrong. However in spite of his stinkiness Daughter #3 and I learned to like him. It was funny to see the lengths to which these 4 girls would go to keep Stinky hidden from management. Being a "purse dog" has it's advantages!

After spending some time with Tiny we traveled north to Star Valley Wyoming where my mom lives .... we had a family reunion for her side of the family and three of her brothers and one sister were able to come along with much of their families. It was nice to see everyone under these circumstances (the last few times it's been to attend one funeral or another).


My nephew, Daughter #3, me, my mom, my aunt, my middle sister and her boyfriend.....hey where's my youngest sister?......holding the camera!


Me, my youngest sister, my middle sister, and my mom!
Star Valley is just my favorite place on the planet (I probably should even mention it as the multitudes of the world have already started decending upon the place). I was born there, as were both my mother and father.


Daughter #3 riding horses in Star Valley at grandma and grandpa's ranch.

It has the most beautiful scenery, a wide green valley flanked on the East and West by mountains. The days can get quite hot but the nights are always cool....even in July when I was there it was only 40 degrees some mornings yet got as warm as 87 during the day. If there were some way to transport our business there, and some way to cut their nine-month long frigid, snowbound winter to something reasonable like 4 months then I'd be there! Come to think of it so would everyone else! Until just a few years ago the population was still 90 percent LDS, the streets were quite and quaint, and there wasn't a fast food place to be seen. As nearby Jackson Hole has grown and become impossible to afford the population has almost doubled and horror of horrors (and against the best efforts of the townfolk) they now have a Burger King.....my mom swears Wal-Mart is looming on the horizon and it'll be all downhill from there.

From Star Valley I went to spend a few days with my Dad in Cody, just outside the east entrance to Yellowstone Park.


A grizzly in Yellowstone Park -- rare sight!


Daughter #3 with Grandma and Grandpa in Cody
Next to Star Valley I think Cody is probably my favorite Wyoming town. There is lots of tourist trade there as you can imagine, what with it being Buffalo Bill's homeland and all. I love the shopping there and we manage to be there around the 4th of July every year because the parade is just wonderful.






Love those miniature horses!!!

I can remember back when I was in High School (yeah, I know...that's a long time ago) Cody was frequently honored by the presence of famous people. John Wayne was the Grand Marshall of the parade one year. Robert Redford showed up to announce the relocation of Jeremiah Johnson's grave, and Candice Bergen came to dine at "Irma's". Cody has grown too though and I hardly recognize it as the same town ..... my dad says it's being overtaken by "Californians". This has driven property values through the roof just like Star Valley so I probably won't be retiring there either.

After leaving Cody I went back through Star Valley and stopped long enough to drop off Daughter #3 at Grandma's for 10 days then went on to Florida to see Nutella and her hubby in Jacksonville.


Nutella and Jonathan in Florida
This was my first trip to Jacksonville though we've spend innumerable vacations in Florida. It is a HUGE city. I was thankful to have Nutella and her husband as guides. It was extremely hot and humid there but being from Indiana I felt right at home. I did end up with an "altitude adjustment headache" from spending the previous two weeks in the Rockies but it didn't slow me down much. Nutella lives in a very nice condo that's more like a resort than anything. I loved it. They also have a beach house in Flagler Beach where we spent one day, Nutella and I bobbing around on our boogie boards in the waves while watching her husband surf.


Jonathan going out to catch a wave......


Nutella Sunbathing


Me sunbathing!
It's a beautiful little beach and the house there is so cute. My only regret was that dear HH, Tiny and D3 couldn't be there too. AND of course that I had to leave.

I came home with so many treasures, none of them purchased at stores. I have two boxes of pictures from my mother's family that I'm going to scan to CD's, loads of memories of the time spent with Mom, Dad, Tiny,Nutella, my sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews and that good feeling you get when you are privileged to witness the happiness of your extended family.

Glad to be home but missing all of my loved ones!