Visitors

There is nothing like fresh eyes to help you see your own place differently. I had the lovely pleasure of hosting J and L, my dear friends and former colleagues, at my parents' house a few weeks ago. They practiced being cowboys with my dad, my mother made some amazing meals, and Tom and I showed them around Fort Laramie and the Oregon Trail.

J & L standing on the ranch by a tens-of-tons rock that either broke off a) during seismic testing for oil, b) when they put a cell tower on top of the bluff or c) in the fullness of time
Local landmark Laramie Peak
Hard times
Oregon Trail wagon ruts

"Your Great Father...has sent me with a handful of braves to visit you...I am opening a road for your white brethreen, and your Great Father directs that his red children shall not attempt to close it up. There are many whites now coming on this road, moving to the other side of the mountains...You must not disturb them....Should you do so, your Great Father would be angry with you although he is the enemy of all bad Indians, he is the friend of those who are good." Colonel Stephen W. Kearny, Commander of Presidental directed Military Show of Force Expedition, June 16, 1845, Council meeting with Brule, Ogalala, and Arapao near Fort Platte, Wyoming.

Bob Dylan's "God on our Side" plays in my head when I read this.

A picnic shelter built by FDR's Civilian Conservation Corps at Guernsey Reservoir. Oh that modern public assistance programs would have such an output as this.
Then we went to Idaho for 10 days where Tom once again worked hard and I once again hung out at the hotel. But because he used to live there, it was an excellent chance to catch up with a bunch of his friends. We attended one of his friend's 65 birthday. I included this picture as an update on my relatively new hair color and relatively new glasses (both since January). You may note I have softened a bit.

And now I'm in Michigan again, hence the posts.