Trip to Jackson

We took a day trip to Jackson and the Tetons on Monday. What an experience that was! It was my first time driving over Teton Pass. At a 10% grade it was really interesting to say the very least (esp. since we were stoppped at the base for road work). I found this great video on driving the pass that gives you a feel for the trip and shows the beautiful scenery. Can you see why they named it Jackson Hole?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtnHFKmwCP8

We had a good time. Bailee got to shop (she loved Yippie-I-O Candy), look at beautiful scenery, and eat fudge. That's a perfect day for the Bee. Photos will be forthcoming. We're having some trouble downloading photos from the new camera.

Monday, Monday

It's another Monday morning here in hot Idaho. Thankfully, there is a breeze blowing that is helping somewhat. Predictions are for another hot day though, so I'm trying to map out the activities of the day.

I should choose from one of the following list:

• clean house


• weed


• trim trees


• work on school curriculum


• write the brochure for Back-to-School Day


• update all my websites


• did I mention clean house?


• paint the living room


• water the lawn


• make a dental appointment


• make a grocery list for tomorrow and gather coupons


• write on my book

Now, the problem is that I do not particularly want to do any of those things right now. Sorry, I really don't. For some reason I lack motivation on Monday mornings. A simple reluctance to start the week I suppose. Since I am the family early-riser there's no one to nag me at the moment, so I chose what I see as the easiest of those tasks. Blogging is SO much easier than scrubbing the floor. Also less noisy, so I'm really being thoughtful of my still slumbering family, right? Yeah, I'm afraid I think so too ... lame excuse, but right now I'll take any excuse I can grab.

Getting the new computers up, running, and integrated is a pain. I'm one week into the transition, and I am still working on it. I might have to call out the Geek Squad again, as the Dell doesn't like talking to the Epson printer sometimes. The last thing I need is a moody computer, but my new Dell certainly has proven to be one. It did an automatic reset a few days ago and I lost all the work I'd done to customize it. Very aggravating.

Hadlee continues to be a brat. He staged an escape from the yard last week at midnight and we had to chase him down the street. He's still trying to dig under the fence. I don't know what his problem is, but he has become rather perverse. He's making mom a wreck with his antics. Won't eat, hides in the house and won't come when called, tries to get out of the backyard, etc. I don't know if he just wants more attention or what. Guess we need to call the Dog Whisperer, eh?

I have to go back to school in six weeks. Right now I do not want to go back to school in six weeks. New principal, the reality of the budget cuts, dealing with a ton of changes, and the prospect of a new group of students all have me a little on the gunshy side of things. I'll come around (I always do), but right now - not so much! We did take Bailee shopping for her school supplies. She can't wait for school to start. Diana and I both found it VERY hard to adhere to our vow NOT to spend our money on items for our classrooms. It just didn't seem right or natural to avoid picking up extra supplies, etc. for the school year. Difficult, but we're trying to stick to our decision. Neither one of us cares to subsidize our schools after the state cut our pay. Considering I habitually spend one to two thousand dollars a year in my room, the impact is going to be a big one. I know I'm hurting my students - but we had to choose between our family and our students. Sorry. No contest. The legislators will just have to live with it.

Road Trip #2

On the road out of Big Elk Creek.

Victor, Idaho

The view by Driggs.


Palisades Reservoir

The famous SQUARE ICE CREAM!

Yesterday we went on our second short road trip (our alternative to a vacation). We did the Teton Scenic Byway - a drive that takes you from IF to Swan Valley, Palisades Reservoir, Victor, Driggs, a slew of little hamlets, Rexburg, and back home. We revisited Big Elk Creek campground - the site of a rather infamous camping trip from a September in the early 90s. The place certainly has changed! It's been upgraded to a lovely little wilderness parking lot. I preferred it when it was rough around the edges and nature felt closer.

It was fun to tell Bailee the story. We went out in the middle of September, eager to get in one more camping trip. It poured rain, snowed, Diana's old dog Amy snuck out of the tent in the middle of the night and got lost. My dog Saber found her - but she was a mess! Burrs, mud, etc. I'm sure the story of her night in the woods would make quite a tale. It's a pity she couldn't talk!

I proved to the world that I CAN make a fire in the middle of a pouring rainstorm though. Quite an accomplishment to have under one's belt if I do say so myself. I'm sure the whole trip sounds like a disaster, but we had a great time. Crazy, eh? When the time came to go home, I ended up chasing Saber around and around the van. He did NOT want to leave to go home. Can't say I blamed him. The autumn mountains were beautiful and peaceful.

We had to stop at the Rainey Creek Store for square ice cream for Bailee. It's a must have on these trips to Swan Valley. Messy, but fun. We saw one bald eagle on our drive, but saw lots of young osprey. I got some cute photos that I will have to add later (new camera and I still have to figure out how to download).

We also had to stop in Rigby for a Bambino - a local treat (sort of a tiny pizza calzone). Bailee loves them. She also loves their fries, which she thinks are the best ANYWHERE. I must say, they are good. Crispy, fluffy inside, just basically perfect. Visit their website at www.pickettsbambino.com

We saw some beautiful homes on the drive. Some people are obviously doing all right in this stinking economy. (It sure isn't us.) I did see one home that gave me pause. It was located in the middle of a huge farm - a beautiful three story house with huge porches and decks. The odd thing? The big windows and porches were all on the west side of the house - looking out on the desert, while the rear of the house faced ... the Tetons. Okay, whose contractor was drunk? What a horrible waste! The view they could have had was the one on our banner. How crazy is that?

INL Fire

Yesterday we went to see the movie The Last Airbender (good show - I recommend it) during the afternoon. Our winds were horrible (40 mph), so doing anything outside was a misery - especially for those of us suffering with allergies (Bailee and myself). When we got out we saw this huge brown cloud off to the northwest. Dust storm? Fire? Turns out it was a wildfire out on what we refer to as "The Site." This is the huge compound of the Idaho National Laboratory located out on the desert west of IF. Whipped by the winds, this fire had consumed over 30,000 acres by the time we went to bed.

For once, the wind was with us. The prevailing wind bypassed IF and Ammon, so we were spared the smoke. Our allergies are thankful. Today the wind has dropped (so far), so hopefully the firefighters will have a chance to get a handle on this.

We're off to Staples to purchase some school supplies for Bailee. They have some really good sales on right now. Hooray. Bailee is excited for school to start. The adults in the house? Not so much. :)