Memorial Day

It's Memorial Day...a day to remember all of those who fought in wars to ensure our freedom and independence. These are real heros...not athletes or show business folks. Today my hat is off and my prayers are for the unsung American Veteran. Thank you for your sacrifice. 

Chocolate RIver

Today we took a drive to Jackson. The scenery was spectacular. Last week there were fields upon fields of yellow dandelions...this week the flowers are gone. They were replaced by greenery and snowy topped mountains.

We had a rainy day this past week, and more snow fell on the mountains. Nevertheless it was just the right temperature. The most surprising sight was the Snake River.   

I've never seen it so muddy! It looked like a river of chocolate. At the confluence of the Snake and Grays Rivers, near Alpine we noticed the muddy Snake River merge with the relatively clear Grays River. Twenty miles away, at the confluence of the Snake and Hoback Rivers, we saw the source of the mud. The Hoback was super muddy and the Snake was relativelyclear. The run off into the Hoback is causing the mud. 

The water level has risen since last week too. We could see the walls of the canyon last week, this week, they were underwater. 

The high country is pretty this time of year.

 

White Day

White Day and Other Signs of Spring Today was "white day" which is not a racist comment, but a comment on the berry blossoms. Today is the day when the majority of the berry bushes send out tons of white blossoms. White Day is pretty spectacular as it's rare to see so many flowers bloom at exactly the same time.Tomorrow most of the blooms will be gone. It's a very short natural event.

I like to see White Day, but we are not always here when it happens. This summer we arrived a bit early.

There are other signs of spring. 

You might call this a dandelion and therefore a weed...but up here it's a bright flower of spring.

About 16 years ago we planted a bunch of vinca with the idea they would spread all over the garden. Now it's years later...and they are in exactly the same spots we planted them. 

One more sign of spring are the nests...this robin's nest has already been abadoned. In a good year, mama robin will raise 4 or 5 broods of chicks.  

 

 

 

 

 

Snowy Mountains

 

The local valleys are ringed by snowy mountains. 

Caribou Mountain

Elk Horn (mountain with 2 peaks)

Bridger Tetons ... see the yellow flowers...those are dandelions! This time of year we call them wildflowers. In a few days the yellow will turn to white puff balls and the field will look "snowy."

The mountains near Jackson

Given the fact that there is snow in the mountains, the valley floor is dry. 

 

Back in Wyoming

We are back to our "home" state of Wyoming. We went from sea level and late spring to over 6000 feet and early spring. The valley is ringed by snow-covered mountains. When we left CA the days were warming up to 90. I don't think we'll see 90 here all summer! 

The Snake River is flowing swiftly and the water level is high. 

The mountain west had a wet winter and spring might be slow in coming.

 

No matter what the kids are playing soccer...and it's cold!

 

More...

I sent a picture of the GTX to my friend Earl….here’s what he said about it… “I think it is a Challenger with the 440 cubic inch engine and a ‘six-pack’, i.e., three two-barrel carburetors, hopefully installed with progressive linkage.   That means that around town in ‘normal’ driving conditions only the middle two-barrel carburetor is providing the air-gas mixture to the intake manifold.   Then, when the driver pushes his foot down on the accelerator, when the middle carburetor is three-quarters of the way toward wide open, the two end two-barrel carburetors start to open.   As the middle carburetor goes from three-quarters open to fully open, the two end two-barrel carburetors go from fully closed to wide open.    As you may imagine, the owner of such a car is not interested in the miles-per-gallon of fuel consumption.” I know that’s more than you wanted to know…but that’s what the 440–6 stands for. A true gas guzzling beast.

BTW, he's writing about the "sister car" to the Plymouth GTX...the Dodge Challenger...they were virtually twins except for the brand. 

Plymouth GTX

You know how I like old cars...and today I saw a 46 year old beauty --- A 1971 Plymouth GTX.

The GTX was manufactured by Plymouth between 1967 and 1971. This is the third "iteration" of the car, and less than 4000 were made. I wonder how many are still around? This beast can move with her huge 440-6 engine turning  a whomping 385 horsepower. A hemi was made that was even more powerful. One of the last of the "Muscle Cars" what was built for fun. 

She definitely does not look like the modern "refrigerator" car ... she has personality and attitude! You should hear her roar!

How about that spoiler? And the back louvers. 

The name plate is gone

But the car is still alive and well. 

 

Going East

It's that time of year when we pack up the RV and go east. 

This year we are more heavily packed as we have stuff for a European cruise and another big camping trip. Watch this space for pictures.

Our first stop was Reno. That's Mt. Rose in the background and she has more snow on her than I've seen in a long time. The big tall building in the mid-ground is the Atlantis Casino which is about 20 stories tall...that gives a good idea how tall Mt. Rose is as she looms behind the city.

Today we climbed the two big passes...Golconda and Emigrant on I-80. It felt like we were on the top of the world, but it was only 6,114 feet. Given that, the snow level was down to 6,000 feet. We have driven this route for many many years, and it's rare to see this much snow. The west had a wet winter. The rivers are swollen but we have not seen signs of recent flooding. 

I wonder what is in store once we get into Idaho?

 

Number 8

The blanket that took forever! I started it right after Easter and 3 weeks later it's done! Rarely does it take me that long to mke a blanket! As a consolation it's pretty and very cosy. A Project Linus child will like it a lot.

SouthWest

This past weekend I flew to LAX on SouthWest. The airline industry has received bad press recently, and rightly so, yet I only have praise to report. On Friday morning, I was part of a group of 3 women, 2 in wheelchairs. The nice folks at the airport bent over backwards to help my wheeled companions. Upon arrival in LAX, the reception was exactly the same. On Sunday, my wheelchair group increased to three. Again, the folks treated us as valued clients as we were wheeled thru a myriad of lines and airport construction. A clot of 3 wheelchairs is very awkward to work around...yet the nice folks at SouthWest helped us with a cheerful smile. Back at our home airport, we received the same treatment.  SouthWest Airlines personnel were courteous, friendly, and helpful. Kudos to them for a job well done. United--American--please look to the low cost leader for a good flying experience.  Thank you SouthWest!

My Dad

Today my father would be 106 years old. The earliest picture of have of him was taken in 1918 

When he was 7 and his brother was 5. They had just legally immigrated from Italy. At that time, my grandfather had to sign a form that PROMISED his wife and two children would NEVER be a burden to the United States. They never were. My dad was an American and very proud to be one. 

This is my dad in his early 20s. He's riding his favortie horse, Blackjack. As he reached his mid-80s he was ailing, but he wanted to live long enough to see the turn of the century in 2000 which he did! He passed away in July when he was 89. The day he passed away my first book series was published...he was so proud that his "little girl" was an author as well as a professor. The immigrant did well. Happy Birthday Daddy you are always in my thoughts and dreams.

Lake Oroville

A lot has been written about Lake Oroville recently. It's the lake that belongs to the Dam that has a huge hole in the spillway. In addition to that problem the secondary spillway was never paved so that when it was used this year, for the first time ever, it started to erode very quickly. So, after years of drought where the lake was low (which I have documented in this blog) folks did not think that the spillways would cause any problems. With the record rain we had this winter, the faulty spillways caused major problems, including the evacuation of 100,000 folks downstream. Right now, the spillways are being repaired, albeit behind "closed doors" as the public are not allowed anywhere near the area to take a look at what is being done. The public can see the Lake where the water levels are pretty high. 

This picture was taken near one of the boat ramps, Lime Saddle, and it shows the level of the water. It's not up to the tip-top as room is needed for winter run-off in the coming months. There's room for that additional water now. It's really good to see the blue wet stuff in the lake instead of tall weeds and way too much shoreline.

 

Back to Blankets

I took a break from blankets to make a score of Easter Bunnies. I'm back to crocheting blankets again. I finally finished an aqua/lavender creation for Project Linus. This is my eighth blanket for the year.

I hope they will take it as it does have some "holes" in it. Apparently some places will only take donated quilts saying they are easier to wash and do not get caught in "stuff." Given that, I will make fewer holey blankets. 

 

It's Easter

Happy Easter Everyone!

 

Cherokee

200 years ago Spanish explorers found gold on the south side of Table Mountain. Fifty years later Welsh miners and a group of Cherokees from Oklahoma mined the area and struck it rich. A hydraulic gold mining industry developed that employed folks around the clock for almost 30 years.

The miners created a city, which, during the boom of the 1890s, boasted a population in the thousands. They found gold and diamonds and lived quite well. Thomas Edison owned one of the mines, and he made sure the area had electricity. President Rutherford B. Hayes and his wife visited Cherokee, as it was that famous.  Today the town has less than 70 residents. The old mining days are gone, but the hobbyist can still find some gold and diamonds in the area.

Time has marched on, and Cherokee is just about forgotten except for a few relics from it's "rich" past.

Table Mountain

A great place to see wildflowers in our area is Table Mountain, not too far from Oroville Dam. We took a ride there this weekend, and we were treated to a nice display of yellow, purple and white wildflowers. Only problem--everyone from the area was there too. I was able to get some pictures without a crowd of my closest friends...I hope you enjoy them ...

The mountain is truly flat and the fields seem to spread for miles in all directions.

Tiny yellow flowers coat the mountaintop

A narrow road soon leads you to...

...a meadow with trees in the background and a gleaming patch of yellow meadowfoam...

It's all good!

 

A Chorus Line...

Meet the chorus line of bunnies...I wonder if Mom Bunny (on the right) is teaching her little rabbits all about being Easter Bunnies. Two more were added tonight as I had some bunny requests. They were camera shy, but I'll try to sneak a picture of them tomorrow. 

 

Charlotte Arrived

Back in November, when we were on the Prisendam, I made several baby blankets...including this one for our tablemate's great-grandchild-to-be. The baby, Charlotte, was born March 24...

...and here she is wrapped in her special teddy bear blanket. These blankets do travel as they live in Louisiana and I made it while we were on the Amazon. 

And even more...

A few more bunnies have joined the "herd" and a few were given away. Soon they will all be hopping over to my friends where they will bring some Easter Joy. I've branched out and made a couple of Easter Eggs too.

FYI--the appropriate collective for a group of rabbits is "herd." And a herd of rabbits live in a warren. My house has definitely become a "wabbit warren." 

More Bunnies

The bunnies are doing what bunnies do...multiply. 

There are 2 tribes...and I'm having too much fun making them...one or two a night! Happy Easter everyone!

 

4 Stars for Beauty and the Beast

I saw Beauty and the Beast this afternoon. Disney has created an interesting interpretation of the fairy tale. I came out of the movie smiling and happy. There were some surprises, which is why I gave the movie only 4 stars instead of five.  Emma Watson (she played Belle aka Beauty) is portrayed as a handsome girl who is good and sweet and caring, but not your classic "beauty." One of the lessons the fairy tale tries to teach is that beauty is more than outward appearances. Hence, if you are looking for a gorgeous Beauty to sweep you off your feet, keep on looking as it's not there.  In addition, if you are looking for a story that takes place in a tiny provincial town in medieval France, you will be surprised that the inhabitants of that village are not French. The cast is a multicultural group with alternative lifestyles. Surprise, it's the 21st century so Disney had to modernize things.   Lastly, I did not realize the movie was a musical. There is some dialogue, but like Les Miserables, a lot of the dialogue is sung. It works...but it was a surprise to me.  The story is wonderful. The fancy dress French costumes are glorious. Beast is truly a beast and kind of scary. There are some classic  Disney-type scenes that take your breath away. The ending is as it should be. Along with creating a wonderful movie, Disney added an unneeded social statement to a fairy tale that already teaches a good lesson. 

Bunnies

My niece asked me if I could crochet this Easter Bunny...

 I looked at the pattern and decided it was the most complicated piece of crochet I've ever seen! That's some statement as I've been crocheting since I was 7! But I was given a challenge so I started lookinng for patterns I could do. I  found one that I modified and it was still cute. To date I've made 2

One has "button" eyes while the other has child-proof embroidered eyes. I think I'll make a few more, because, like Bugs Bunny says, rabbits are good at multiplying! 

Lucky Seven

The seventh Project Linus blanket for 2017 is done! I've been calling it "Stained Glass." 

The colors are not showing well--the pinkish stripe is actually lavender and the light blue-gray strip is turquoise. It's big enough for a twin bed and that's why it took me so long to finish it...plus the fact that I made a huge mistake and I had to tear out 11 rows to make it right. I tend to make mistakes when I'm sleepy

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Is it Spring?

I don't want to count my chickens...but I think spring is coming? There are all sorts of clues, even if Daylight Savings Time has not yet started. The hillsides are covered with a green felt of grasses and 

...there are a few daffodils in my garden. They are a surprise as I've not had the daffs bloom in over 5 years. I guess they need water?

The daisies are showing off too! I'm always happy to see them.   

The lavender is starting to send up purple flowerettes that are attracting bees while the redbud has a pink aura about it, but no blossoms yet...sadly, the rock roses are still "asleep." The rains bring the flowers!

 

Top Hat

I just watched the 1935 musical, Top Hat, starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The movie focuses on a case of mistaken identity but the "story" is all about dancing. Classic Hollywood dancing. Fred looks incredible in his top hat and tails...and Ginger steals the show with her fancy wardrobe, including her fantastic feather and satin dress that she wears in the Dancing Cheek to Cheek scene. That's the best!  The movie is fraught with stereotypes, lack of story line, really bad sets, and a predictable plot. Don't get me wrong...the "story" is awful. But, you don't see a Fred and Ginger movie for the story...you see it for the dancing. I think Top Hat has some of the best dancing from the era. It's a great "feel good" movie. I'm still smiling. If you have a chance to see it for the nth time (where N is a big number) see it...and I'm sure you will have a happy grin on your face too.