Brr-rrr

This is what we woke up to on Monday morning - right when we were getting in the mood for spring, outdoor work, hikes, etc. Surprise!!!  Actually it was not as bad as other winter mornings we've had this year; the temperature was about 12 degrees and there was only about two inches of snow - the drifting made it higher in places.  It seems to me that this winter has had more below zero temperatures than we have seen in all our years here, but Dick tends to argue that point a bit.  Guess I'm just ready for spring!!  Hope the weather is better where you are!!!  This actually won't last too long, as it is bright and sunny today.

Spring is Delayed

Well, it is hard to believe that we went for a hike just last Saturday, because today (Saturday) we spent a cold and miserable morning watching Ashley's first track meet of the Spring.  Having on two coats, gloves, hat and wrapped in a blanket with Dick, we had a wonderful time.  Ashley didn't do so good with the cold weather either.  It is unfortunate that the first track meet of the year is always hear at Cody and it is nearly always cold.  Have looked at the weather report, and all of next week looks pretty cold.  With it being an overcast day, we did not take any pictures.  So I had to dig back in our winter file to add pictures to today's blog (I love pictures).  The first is a picture of the female of the fox couple that live under the old Pahaska Lodge on the way to Yellowstone.  Their two kits were killed by wolves last month.  On our last cross country ski trip this year, we heard the wolves howling at about 11 o'clock in the morning.  It was really eerie - made you wonder what they were up to with such commotion.  The second picture is scenery in that same area.

cedar mountain hike

The top picture here is of a Bighorn ram that has been visiting in the North Fork valley this winter.  As you can see, he has been in a few fights for those ewes standing behind him.  This picture also shows you one of the reasons that we love this country.  We will try to share other wildlife photos with you once I get used to using this site.

 We have had some good weather up here lately.  Ashley went on the last ski trip of the season with friends on Saturday, which left Dick and I ready to go on a hike.  We headed up a stretch of Cedar Mountain right west of the town of Cody.  As you can see in the picture, it is a rugged and steep place, but we sure had a good time!!!

a note from Laura

Dick has been back from his trip to New Mexico for some time now, so I am a little late in getting pictures posted.  Here is a picture taken at Anne and Eli's wedding that we wanted to share with everybody.  It was a nice wedding, with mostly family and a few friends. Dick had a good trip visiting Pat, Leonard and Susie, Don & Harriet Zickert, and Kay Burick;in addition to heading on down to Albuquerque to visit my son, Aaron, and his family of four.  It was sure good to get him back home though!!!

We had only one big camp out this summer in the Bighorn Mountains east of us.  Most of our summer had been spent in Ashley training her mustang, Sage; along with small trips here and there.  But on this trip, we spent a week up there checking out the West Ten Sleep Lake area.  Hiking, fishing, and traveling around in the truck.  All four (Dick, Laura, Ashley, and Axl) of us had alot of fun and brought home many memories. Here is a picture of Dick and Axl on one of our hikes.  This was about 10 miles round trip, so they are looking a little tired.  But the best news is that Dick's knee did fine on the trip, and we are so happy to be able to hike again!!

From Ashley, With Love

There are some things in life that are easy to ignore, easy to forget. That doesn't mean they are taken for granted, but they're the little things that I somehow let slip by me. I don't take the time to savor them. The first smell of coffee; tea before bed; finishing before time runs out; the exhilaration that comes with the last mile; good books; rain; ice tea; the last half of my favorite song; seeing the first star at night; family pictures; baby smiles; missing front teeth; best friends; snow; frosted windows; leather furniture; homemade crêpes; gel pens; finishing a good book; rivers; family; car trips; sunflowers; wild flowers; flowers in general; smiling; laughing until your stomach hurts; Enya; green grass; trees; that new car smell; handmade gifts; two hour phone calls; crazy socks; clean sheets; new bubble bath; heirlooms; new shoes; rings; answered prayer; the grace of God; mercy; fairy tales; white knights; teachers and love. Although I may feel like I'm drowning, I'm not. And when the walls are closing in, they stand up straight again. Because I am stronger then what does not kill me. And it had better be able to out run me. ~*Bre*~