Some bunnies.....

Some bunnies are less shy than others.....this one seems not to have developed a healthy fear of humans yet. He came up to within two inches of Gary's boot, but moved a little too quickly for me to perfectly focus on him.

I Say, It's a Pig-Nic!!

So, one of my adventures over the weekend was an annual company picnic - I mean, PIG-nic - in Wyoming. This event and the antics surrounding it have achieved near mythic status within the company. It only occurs in Wyoming as a joint effort of the folks in that region, and probably has much more historical / company significance than I can even begin to relate here. It's also fairly common for annuitants to join in the celebration if they are in or near the area. One aspect of the tradition is that the pig-carvers don upside-down trash-bags as aprons to protect them from their work. I'm not much of a meat eater (as guessed by Shawn, second from left), but couldn't resist - it smelled delicious and tasted even better. Gary and I were able to go there together as employee and annuitant of the company, and it was great to see familiar faces from Texas, Louisiana, Tennessee (via Wyoming), as well as the Wyoming folks and a number of annuitants. Oh, and seeing the other folks that I see every day at work in Ohio was really fantastic, too! The most amazing aspect of this and numerous other events that took place surrounding the meetings the previous week was the sheer hospitality of the Wyoming hosts. I always thought people in Texas were friendly - but people in Wyoming, I have to say, have them beat, hands-down.

The PIGnic took place in National Forest in the Big Horn Mountains, so everything needed for it had to be brought in, and it was the Wyoming folks who did so - from the custom-made roaster on a trailer, to the drinks-and-ice trough, to the firewood for the all-night campfire from the previous night (and that night's fish-fry), to all of the varieties of side-dishes: sweet corn, pasta salad, bread, salads, baked beans, and other goodies too numerous to count. We're not talking Kroger ready-mades, either - these were all home-made delights. It was a treat, and a massive effort that the Wyoming gang undertakes each year to maintain the PIGnic tradition. Job well done!

What the....??

An unfortunate angle, perhaps, of a pig after having been removed from a rather large diameter spit.

Table of Friends

At this table, we've got Jerry (in yellow) and his wife Jackie, who I was able to meet during some previous project activity. We called Jerry and another annuitant, Wayne, out of retirement to join in on the project activities, and the two of them worked circles around many of us. Wayne wasn't able to make the Pig-nic, which was a shame, because it would have been a great Triple Threat reunion. Together, Jerry and Wayne (who have known eachother forever) were nicknamed on the project as "Double Trouble". I enjoyed them so much, when the three of us were together, others would call us "Triple Threat", and I felt like a 12-year old up to mischeif. It was this duo who bestowed the nickname of "Ramrod" upon me, which is no small feat in a male-oriented industry, during project activities, largely secured during field visits. I tried to spend a little time at each table - because each had new faces and names, as did this one, but this was definitely the most entertaining table at the event! They kept me in stitches (even still!).

Wildflowers at Meadowlark Lake, Bighorn Mountains, WY

...and from West Texas:

Mr. & Mrs. Marty Bootman. These are two of the nicest folks anyone could hope to meet. And in person, their eyes are blue-er than the clearest, most blue sky day you've ever seen.....

Turk, Linde, & Fancy (in that order....)

I initially planned a quick (1.5) day visit to Gary's place in WY after my work commitment, prior to a work-related picnic on Saturday, and then to do some camping and hiking afterward. In my time visiting Hyattville, though, I had such a good time, I was reluctant to leave - for one thing, I hadn't been able to visit with Gary other than a few emails and phone calls since around late 2004 - and for another thing, because we had not yet had time to go horseback riding. So, we ended up working a deal - I offered my completely inexperienced, tenderfoot labor / assistance services on a part-time-ish basis in exchange for a little more R&R time at the Hyattville hacienda. This seemed to work in well with "if you were going to be here tomorrow, we could take the horses out......" and flash! - plans were afoot. So, anticipating great adventure, this was my first meeting of the Horses that Would Eventually Be Ridden. yay! You can tell from this photo they're equally excited about the prospect of toting around a tenderfoot who doesn't know how loosely to hold the reins.

Medicine Lodge State Park, WY

Pictograph....
Petroglyph....
and recreation!!

On my first day in Hyattville, Gary showed me around town, introduced me to several neighbors, helped me explore the local cafes and the one bar, guided me around the ranch, took me fishing, and showed me around Medicine Lodge State Park. Besides the pictographs and petroglyphs, there is an outstanding fishing perch nestled on the side of Medicine Lodge Creek, with a detailed panelboard describing some of the various favorite nibbles for the fish. This was prior to our fishing effort, so I read through the panel indicating which types of nymphs are preferred by which fish - when I realized, at the bottom of the panel, that it was dedicated to Walt & Dorothy W. - Gary's parents! So, I was able to explore town with a bona-fide legacy heritage son in Gary, here pictured next to the observation deck / fishing platform / information panel.

Mmm....home-made cherry pie!!

Upon my arrival in Hyattville to visit Gary, I could smell this charmer in the background - a home-made cherry pie. Gary and his brother Dave labored incredibly hard, so I was told, to pick the cherries from the tree just on the main road (still heavily laden), then de-pit them, and baked up this delicacy that was doomed to a short life-span. Fantastico!

Streamside Paradise

While in Wyoming, one of my main objectives was to meet up with a friend from Houston, Gary, who seems busier in his retired life than I knew a body could be. Gary hails from Hyattville, a hamlet of about 100 fine folks in the NW / central part of the state, graced by beautiful Paint Rock creek. Behind his house are these turn-of-the-century log cabins, facing the creek, that he's spending some of that retirement time on by doing some interior updating and remodeling them into guest houses.

Mmm...muddy!

Now let's say you're a rental car company. Let's say you're in the incredibly picturesque state of Wyoming, where the men are Men and the women are equally tough, and the best driving is on roads yet to be (and hopefully never to be) paved. Let's say that your stock of vehicles is all-wheel-drive Subaru outback little station wagons, and that you charge a fee of $50 if they are returned "excessively dirty". Seeing here that I had about a quarter inch of clearance between the caked up clay on the tire and the wheel well (that I had to create using a stick), and that I had to use the 4 wheel drive function in first gear to get out of not one, but three mud-sticles, I'm worried that I might see that $50 fee crop up on my bill. Of course the nice folks at the rental car company don't start their day before my flight leaves, so I'll have to wait and see when that hits my credit card account....because I'm sure not going to call them up and ask, "hey, that little grey car, with the bottom third covered in red? was it returned clean enough for you?" Any takers on the chance that I won't be seeing that convenient little charge? (Of course they're going to nail everyone with that charge who does anything more than drive from an airport to a KFC in their rental car when it rains in Wyoming in July, multiple times - that's like a miracle event!!). Just in case, I've got a few pre-emtpive names in my back pocket on standby.

Rainy Horizon

Wyoming BLM back road, between storms, muddied up with mud/clay/bentonite.

Red Gulch Road, WY

Trying to outrun a storm....in July!!

Guess what This Is.....

A) directions carved in mud
B) unfinished peace sign earthwork art
C) fossilized dinosaur footprint
D) 1:59:50
E) ____________

The Answer? C. Yes. Really.

Wyoming Update on the way...

Played with some sepia toning of a few images at my friend Gary's ranch. I'll do more updating soon.

On the Road Again......

Guess where I am!

I'll give you a hint.

Starts with "Wy".
Ends with "oming".

Even better: company paid travel! I have a meeting/presentation tomorrow.

Because of my complete inability to plan my personal life, I'm flying on lack of sleep, but that's OK. Because, after all, I'm in Wyoming. And, I'm taking a couple of days afterward to visit some friends who live around the area (lucky me) to maybe learn some fly fishing, horseback riding, picnicking, etc - if i can stand the heat. of course it showered today, thank god.

I've only ever been here in May and September - before and after the mad tourist season, so I'm not sure I could take tourists AND triple-digit heat. It feels hot here to me when it's 75. And normally, I get cold when the temp drops below 70. Must be an altitude thing (mile high). Dunno, don't care....in my element.

I was hoping to do some camping but I didn't pack last night, and overslept my alarm by 90 minutes, so literally threw some t-shirts and a pair of shorts and hopefully both pieces of a bikini into a backpack before speeding off for the 110 miles or so to Detroit to catch the first of my flights for the day, which of course, was late (thanks, Northworst and Un-United!!!).

I may still camp, but in a wholly new, unconventional, spontaneous way (car-camping, or: drive forest roads till you can't see anymore and crash for the night, figuratively). I'd be happy here sleeping on a rock.

Impressions after a summer rain (during a picnic dinner at Dead Indian Point):

sagebrush and juniper scented
skin-temperature breeze with ankle-high pockets of isolated, cool air
vertical horizon interruptions
eye candy
altitude
wide open spaces
big sky country
touch-the-clouds close to heaven
no unnatural noises
geology exposed
tectonics at play
p e a c e

first snapshot after too long an absence (over a whole year!)

End of the Road...beginning of a good place to start walking for a picnic

Mmmmmm............crusty!!!!!

Napoleon, OH courthouse

Hey!! Check out that hay....

More Outdoor Fun in July

So, earlier this week, we had a great series of sunsets.







Later, I tinkered a bit more with the camera and broadcast some Neil Young from the .mp3 player. (Live from Massey Hall, 1971....)


I paid a photographic homage to wheat last week, this week, I thought I'd play with corn. Since it was surrounding me on three sides, and all...

Capped off the evening staring at the stars underneath a moonless and practically cloudless sky. Falling star count: 2. Black cat count: 1. Shoes on table count: 1. Friday the 13th superstitiousness: negated.