Busy bee

There is a new cafe in Buffalo, Wyo., called the Busy Bee and I now love it.

My coworkers and I stopped in there a few weeks ago for lunch and we were not disappointed.

The place is attached to the historic Occidental Hotel on Main Street and is situated right over the little creek that runs through town.  You can't sit outside, but they do have big windows that allow you to look over to the water.

The place was packed too.  I guess everyone wanted to check out the new kid in town.

And this...this was my sandwich.  A grilled portabello mushroom with pesto and tomato.  It was delish!  Doesn't that mushroom look like a thick, juicy chicken breast?

So, the next time you are going through Buffalo definitely stop by the BB and see what all the buzz is about.

Fur trade

While doing some window shopping on a recent trip to Jackson, Wyo., I stumbled upon this interesting item:

A fur jockstrap.

Huh.

It was in the window of a normal enough looking store - not some Jackson version of an adult store - right on the town square.

I sent the photo to Todd telling him I had found his Christmas present.  I'd only get the one with no tail.  A fur jockstrap with a tail is just odd...

More bear

Here's another photo of me and the bears outside Yellowstone.

I didn't have this one handy when I posted the others.

We were pretty darn close!

BEAR!

I have wanted desperately to see a bear in the wild.

Desperately.  

But they have inevitably eluded me.

I will go through an area and not see a thing and someone I know will go through there later and basically run smack dab into one.

It's like I was born with a natural bear repellent (which will be helpful if I ever do run smack dab into one).  

A couple weeks ago, my coworkers Matt and Scott and I spent a day traveling through Teton and Yellowstone National Parks seeing everything but a bear.  I told the guys I didn't care if the bear was dumpster diving - I just wanted to see one!  

Then, on our way out of the East Gate of Yellowstone there it was: A gaggle of cars pulled over staring at something on the side road.

We pulled over too and sure 'nuff...

BEARS!!!!!

And not just any ol' bears - Grizzlies!

I could have just died!

At first we saw just the one bear... (Ok, so they very strangely look like pandas, but I swear I'm not at a zoo. And that they are Grizzlies...)

Then up popped the cub...

One of the coolest days EVER!  

Bounty

On my way home from my sister's 30th birthday weekend I passed this sign outside a very small town in Nebraska.

Isn't it great?

Rigby

About this time last year, I drove to Omaha, Neb., to pick up our lil' puppy.

I had wanted my own dog for so long, but was never allowed to have one in my D.C., apartment and with the lifestyle I led I couldn't have justified it anyway.  Todd had never been allowed to have a dog growing up and also wanted one.  We looked at the shelter a couple of times and each time I left in tears.

Then out of nowhere my mom called to tell me she had found a black lab sitting so pretty on the side of the road as she drove home one night.  She had him at home.

Two weeks later he was in Cheyenne with us.

He is the best lil' doggie ever!  (Aside from our last family dogs Cindy and Rajah - RIP).  Sure, there's been a few instances with the trash.  And just today he found Todd's rotting elk head in the yard and decided to gnaw on that, stinking himself up so bad he immediately got a bath!

But he's smart - he rarely gets punished for the same thing twice, he hardly barks - unless there's a squirrel, he's never once chewed up anything of ours or gotten on the furniture...  He just wants his lovin' and lots of it!

We just couldn't imagine not having him!

My mom says she thinks he was meant to be.  That there was something special about him - and I believe it.

He's got it good and knows it!

And so do we...

Wyoming road warrior

I was gone all of last week on a work trip around the state.  I love that I get to travel around Wyoming for my job.

We talked to so many neat businesses and the weather was PERFECT for a fall trip.  Fall can be kind of iffy weather-wise in ol' Wyo.  You never know if you're going to have snow, but the week was absolutely gorgeous.

Here's a few photos from the trip.  I'll be spreading some of these over the course of the next few days!

In Rock Springs, Wyo., there is a brewery I've been wanting to try.  They've been around for a while and I have to say, it was pretty good!  They brew several types of beers, the Bob being their most popular...

Here's their beer list...

And here's a sampler.  I like getting samplers because you can have a little taste of everything!

From Rock Springs we made our way to the western part of the state - basically to Idaho.  It was breathtaking there!  The mountains were beautiful with fall colors, the communities were so cute...  It was a nice place to be.  From a scenic overlook...

And another...

After stopping in Thanye, Wyo., we continued north into Jackson.  One of our office's board members owns the Antler Inn in downtown Jackson which is where we always stay for a good rate.

The next morning, we ate at a very popular restaurant called The Bunnery.  I wish I owned a place like it.  Super cute and super yummy... (Photo courtesy their website)

On the way out of Jackson we went through Teton National Forest.  Again, it was awesome.  The colors were beautiful and there were hardly any people in the park since it's after peak season.  It made for a very nice trip!  Here are the tetons...  Notice the perfect reflection in that lake?  It was really pretty.

You can't tell as well as I'd like, but this photo was of all brown and gold - Wyoming's colors...

More brown and gold...

Ok, this will take some explaining: Yellowstone is full of geysers or thermal areas.  This is what's called the Fishing Cone or Chowda Pot.  To prove the Internet has everything on anything I actually found a site devoted to it: http://www.fishingcone.com/ So, mountain men, Native Americans, etc., would stand on this hot cone and fish and and just dangle their catch in the boiling thermal water to cook it up right on the spot.  It's right on the shore of Yellowstone Lake...

A hot pool...

Get a load of the water bubbling on the edge of this pool...

Here's a closer shot.  I can see how something would cook pretty quickly!  Maybe throw some veggies in and make a nice stew...

If you don't understand how hot those pools are maybe this illustration from an informational board will clear it up.  Don't mind that the woman's arm looks like it's on fire.  That's nothin' compared to the boy about to be boiled!  But maybe none of this is something to worry about.  That other man is pretty unconcerned so why should we be?

Old Tardy... I believe he is Old Faithful's arch enemy.  Or maybe what Old Faithful aspires to be?  It's got to be tiring going off like clockwork for so many years!  I mean, maybe Old Faithful would like to be Old Tardy just once...

O.F. was still at it when we were there though.  My coworkers and I joked how the staff at the Old Faithful Inn probably sneak out each morning to sprinkle some Metamucil in the old guy.  I mean, how else can you be that regular?

Something really cool?  The Brink of the Lower Falls on the Yellowstone River.  You walk down a winding path that drops about 650 feet to right where the river is about to go over...

Whoosh!

And away it goes...

There are a couple viewing areas right over the water.  It's very cool!  But be prepared for a hike back up the hill.  Good workout...

I just thought this was pretty...

And this too.  One of our last Yellowstone photos on the way out of the park...

This was only half of our trip.  It was a long Wyoming road home!

School girl

Did I tell you I'm in school?


Yep.


I took the plunge and signed up for a couple online classes at the community college this semester.  It has been 11 years since I've taken a college class.  It's hard.


Let me clarify: It's not that the actual school work is very difficult, it's the balancing of the reading (and there's lots of it!), projects, and online class participation with working a full time job that requires me to travel, doing home renovations, working out, spending time with Todd and Rigby, cleaning...and the list goes on.  


But I've been wanting to make a career change from PR gal to high school teacher for, well, several of the last 11 years.  I love the industry I'm in and have gotten to do a lot of really neat things through my jobs, but PR's just not my final calling.


Not only do I think I'd make a good teacher, but with Todd's final job location not secured yet, teaching will give me the ability to also have a career in whatever town he gets moved to.  


Maybe Todd will carry my school books...