Powell, WY

It's been an interesting work week.  Many folks have come in at the last minute to file for office.  We have nine guys running for county commissioner, and 53 others running for various other jobs.

Spirits are still high in Elections Department.  We joke and laugh a lot.  I guess we still have too much free time, but we are getting busier.

This morning I conducted a Mail Merge in MS Word to create custom letters to our Election Judges letting them know when and where the training will be.  Then I printed out the 172 letters.  I took these to the Pitney-Bowes DI380 Document Insertion System, and let it fold these up into a "Z" fold with the address facing up.  Then Eric and I stuffed them into window envelopes.  After this I went to the Pitney-Bowes Postage Machine and let it seal the envelopes and print postage on them.  Then I simply dropped these into the blue mail box out front on the street.

Good news today - the Space X Dragon capsule safely returned to Earth this morning.  It splashed down in the Pacific Ocean around 9:45 AM MST.  I am glad for Space X.

If it is not raining tomorrow, we are going to try camping on our land over in Clark tomorrow night.  Saturday morning we will go fishing, and then come back to Powell for the chick party at Jerri's house.

Powell, WY

Route from Custer, SD to Powell, WY.

We were up early to return to Wyoming.  We headed up US 385 to Deadwood, SD and then got onto I-90 W.  We had to stop for fuel at Beulah, WY - the first exit after the WY state line.

When we arrived in Gillette, WY, we stopped at Perkin's Pancake House for breakfast.  We had a large breakfast, so big we would not need any lunch.



Bob at Fallen City in Big Horns.

I had intended to stop at the antique store here again, but we accidentally passed the exit and could not turn around, so we continued to press on toward home.

We passed Buffalo, WY because we intended to cross the Big Horn Mountains via US 14 and US 14A.  I figured all of the bad weather from last week must have passed by now and the route would be clear, dry, and easy.  Well, we were in for a surprise.

At Ranchester, WY, north of Sheridan, we got another tank of gas and then followed US 14 up the front of the mountains through multiple switchbacks and grades of up to 10%!  The views from the top were stupendous!

Then we turned west and headed into the mountains.  We stopped at an interesting area where some very large blocks of stone collapsed and tumbled down the mountainside.  The sign called this spot "The Fallen City", and we were supposed to imagine that the blocks of stone were buildings.

We followed US 14 farther and higher and soon it began to snow!  There was some snow visible in the woods along the road, but nothing to be concerned about.  Why, that snow should be completely melted in a couple of weeks!  The snow began to come down harder and the sky became very dark.



We followed a snow plow on US 14A.



At Burgess Junction US 14 peels off to the southwest and heads to Greybull while US 14A continues to the west to Lovell, WY.  We followed US 14A.  Just out of Burgess Junction, a big snow plow pulled out in front of us!  He had a big front plow and an offset plow on the side.  His yellow and blue lights were flashing and he was salting and sanding the roads. 



A total whiteout.

A couple of miles farther down the road he set the plow down and began clearing the roadway.  I was glad we were following him because soon the road was just covered in snow!  If he was not there I would have turned around to find another way over the mountains.

We were very surprised to see snow drifting up to 10 feet high next to the road and flowing down into the eastbound lanes!

The windshield had big drops of ice on it where the wipers did not reach and the hood was covered in a thick coat of shiny ice too.  I made Bob hold Buddy down in his lap so that the dog would not bump my arm as I steered the truck or shifted the gears up and down.

Soon the roadway began heading downward.  A turnout came where you could pull in and test your brakes before starting down the steep road on the west side of the mountains.  Here the plow pulled over and let us pass.  He had to turn around and plow the eastbound lanes!



Taking a break while our brakes cool.



As we headed down the steep slopes to the west there were signs warning us to test our brakes and notifying us of Runaway Truck Ramps.  We pulled off at a scenic overlook to let the brakes cool off before we headed the rest of the way down to Lovell.  It became warmer as we went down and you could hear the ice dropping off of the bottom of the truck as we went.

We arrived home in Powell at 2:00 PM.  After putting our stuff in the house, I got the lawnmower and grass whip out and cut the lawn.  Later we went to Pizza Hut for dinner because we did not feel like cooking a meal.

I spent the rest of the afternoon editing the pictures from our trip and we were in bed around 9:30 PM.   A short work week for us!

Snow Storm

We were surprised to find a true-to-life blizzard in progress up on top of the Big Horn Mountains!  Lucky for us a snowplow pulled out in front of us at Burgess Junction and cleared the road infront of us all the way to the western slope.

Without the plow in front of us, I would have turned around to find another way over the Big Horns and back to the Big Horn Basin where we live.

Custer, SD

Bob in Downtown Custer, SD.

Buddy would not let us sleep past 5:30 AM.  I got up and took him for a walk on a nearby exercise trail.  With his business out of the way, we returned to the room and he got his breakfast.

Bob and I packed a bag and got into the truck.  We went to the bank and took some cash out of the ATM, and then went to breakfast.

After breakfast we headed up US 385 toward Mt Rushmore National Memorial.  On the way there we saw the Chief Crazy Horse Monument being sculpted out of a mountain in the Black Hills.  You can see this statue for miles and miles around.

Vince and Bob at Mt Rushmore, SD.

There is no admission charge at Mt Rushmore, but you have to pay $11 to park in the parking garage.  The nice thing about this is, if you keep your parking pass, it is good for unlimited admissions for the rest of the year.

We went up to the Grand Viewing Terrace to look at the sculpture of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln on the mountain.  I set up the camera on a tripod and snapped a picture of ourselves with the mountain behind us.



Bob and Vince at Mt Rushmore, SD.



Downstairs, under the terrace is a theatre with a movie about the construction of the sculpture, and there is a bookstore there.  There is a giftshop and a cafeteria upstairs on the same level as the terrace.  We bought a book of park ranger stories.

We walked around to the front and found a pathway that leads down to the sculptor's studio.  We browsed the studio and then followed a trail around the front of the mountain for the closest views possible to average tourists.

After getting our fill of this monument, we got into the truck to leave.  We were surprised to see cars backed up down the road trying to get in!  I am glad we got there early!



Bob at entrance to Wind Cave NP.



We stopped back at the motel to re-charge camera batteries and check on Buddy.  I peered into the window and saw his shiny eyes looking back at me.  He was curled up on the bed!

In the afternoon we went to Wind Cave National Park.   This park is the seventh oldest in the national parks system.  Wind Cave is named that because winds blow to and from the natural entrance of the cavern as atmospheric pressure outside changes. 

We parked the truck and purchased tickets for the Natural Entrance tour.  During the tour we were surprised to see that the natural entrance to this cavern is only 16 inches across!  Pretty small for a cavern with over 138 miles of mapped passageways!  The natural entrance is a couple thousand feet north of the visitor center.

Guests are spared the indignity of trying to squeeze through that tiny opening and another entrance with a revolving door and stairs was constructed near the natural entrance. 



Vince and Bob inside Wind Cave.

The Natural Entrance Tour is about half a mile long and takes about 75 minutes to complete.  Our tour guide was a park ranger named Brie Covert.  She had her hands busy keeping a tour group of 40 people together on this underground adventure.  It is important that everyone stay together too - with so many passageways down there, if you wander off of the tour, it might take a long long time to find you!

The tour concluded with an elevator ride to the surface from a point several thousand feet south of the visitor center.  We had so much fun we decided to take the Fairgrounds tour as well.  As it turns out, Brie ended up being our guide for that tour too!

For souvenirs, we bought sweatshirts with a color map of the Wind Cave system on the back.

At the end of the day we returned to our room, took Buddy for a walk, a enjoyed a dinner of Subway sandwiches and strawberry-rhubarb pie we bought in town.  We watched more of the old sitcoms on the TV and began packing for our trip home.  This was a fun trip for a long weekend!

Custer, SD

Our route to Custer, SD on 5/26/12.

We got up at 5:30 AM and I took Buddy for his walk.  There was a good inch of snow on the yard in front of the house.  When I returned I pulled the truck out of the garage and we began to load our clothes, dog supplies, and other items into it.

Breakfast was a quick stop at the McDonald's drive-thru window. 



Bob and Buddy on US 16 above Tensleep Creek.

Because Jerri recommended that we drive south to Worland and follow US 16 over the Big Horns to Buffalo, WY, that is exactly what we did.  She said that the roadway is not as steep and they keep it plowed.  The drive was very scenic - almost like taking a little vacation!


Bob and Buddy in the Big Horn Mts.



We drove to Gillette, WY where we stopped and shopped in a big antique store.  An old bench plane, a small oil can, an old milk bottle, and an old wood rasp with a plane-like handle/holder.

After filling the gas tank at Shell, we headed across the road to Subway for lunch.

We headed out of Gillette and back to I-90.  We took I-90 and then followed US 16 down to Custer, SD.  As we headed southeast we caught glimpses of Devil's Tower far to the north.

Our route carried us through the national forest and past Jewell Cave National Park and in to Custer. 

Arriving in Custer we stopped at Super 8 Motel because we knew this chain was pet-friendly.  As it turns out, Memorial Day Weekend they had no vacancies.  The front desk lady recommended The Bavarian Inn as another motel that would be receptive to pets.

We drove past The Flintstone's Bedrock City, and innumerable other tourist-trap establishments, but did not see the Bavarian.  Exasperated, we decided to head up to Rapid City figuring it must have more motel rooms since it is on the interstate.

As we we headed up US 385 toward Rapid City we passed the Bavarian Inn and pulled in to check if they had any vacancies.  They did!  We stayed for two nights.

Buddy stayed in the room and guarded our stuff while Bob and I went to The Dark Horse restaurant for dinner and beer.  The room had cable television and we watched the MeTV network which has old TV shows and movies for programming.  We enjoyed reruns of The Brady Bunch, Star Trek, Lost In Space, M.A.S.H., and other old favorites.



More Snow? !!

It was lightly sprinkling as I left the house this morning.

I stopped in at Blair Supermarket to get two bottles of water before continuing on down to Cody.  As I left the store, I saw an old man with a long gray ponytail in a leather jacket getting out of his Jeep Cherokee.  His hound dog on the passenger seat was barking.  I said in a doggy voice, "Hurry back Daddy, hurry back!"  The old man said, "That ain't what she's saying at all.  She says she's glad there isn't a damned 'Support The Troops' sticker on that Japanese piece of shit."  I smiled and said, "Well, this piece of shit is the most reliable thing this veteran has ever owned."  He shot back, "Well, you ought to go live in Japan then!"

Snow and ice on the Toyota after work.

Get some coffee, Mister, it will make you feel better.

As I headed down the highway to Cody the rain began coming down heavier.  It almost looked like snow, but I said that it couldn't be.  As I got into Cody, I slowed down, and realized that it was drifting down like snow.  Yep, it's snowing.

It snowed all day, and it began to stick by the afternoon.

Molly got a good chewing out today too.  A voter called in upset because we moved the polling place from Grace Baptist Church out to the Southfork Fire Station.  He called in and said, "I want to talk to the person who's ruining this country!!"  Molly said, "Well, I guess that would be me."  He was screaming at her and calling her an idiot.  She said that he did not have to call her "an idiot", but he retorted, "if the shoe fits...".  Molly hung up on him.

Twenty minutes later that man appeared at the counter demanding absentee ballots.  Molly said that he needed to come with her because the County Clerk wanted to speak with him.  He followed her over to the clerk side.

Jerri spent about half an hour with this cranky 80-year-old man.  Jerri took what came in as a negative and turned it into a big positive.  Amazing.  As he was leaving he shook her hand and said it was a pleasure to meet her, and it was too bad that his call couldn't have been forwarded directly to her.  Jerri got his business card and even sold an American flag to him!!

Everyone got yelled at today.  Just a strange day.

The drive home was cold, wet, and snowy.  It is still snowing like crazy now.  So far it isn't sticking on the ground, but who knows how cold it will get tonight?  I took the window fan down and closed the bedroom window.  I turned on the little 1000 watt electric heater in there.

This is a three-day-weekend, with a paid holiday on Monday!  Yippeee!

Powell, WY

A storm system came through yesterday bringing rain and cooler temps.  Despite the cooler temps outside, it was hot inside the courthouse today - Bighorn Electric was putting new controls on the air conditioners.

The heater fan motor in the truck is starting to fail.  While it is possible to rebuild them with new brushes, it is more practical to just pull one from the boneyard.  I guess I will have to start looking for a Tacoma or T100 in a local automotive disassembly and recycling center.

We have the comb guides glued to all of the top bars on our hive project.  We will begin applying spar varnish to the exterior of the box soon.  Then we will drill entrance holes and apply the draw latches.  I still need to make a winter floor for it too.

Good news this week - the Space X Dragon capsule was successfully launched on Tuesday, and its testing has gone well.  It is scheduled to dock with the International Space Station tomorrow morning!

I ordered prints of our calf branding event from Snapfish.com on May 14.  As of this morning they had not been delivered.  I phoned Snapfish and my call went to a call center in India.  I complained bitterly and succeeded in getting another order printed out and sent overnight with zero charges for shipping.  Bob wrote to me at work to let me know the pictures were delivered this afternoon.

This evening I went to Ace Hardware and bought 3 packs of tack cloth and 2 bags of composted cow manure.  The tomatoes will love the manure.  We are also saving egg shells to mix in with the soil to avoid calcium deficiencies like we saw last year with the peppers.

Buddy was given a bath this evening.  He did not like it, but he smells like Johnson's Baby Shampoo now.  He is easier to live with when he is clean.

Payroll was deposited into my checking account today.  Now I can pay Shell, Lowe's, Bank Of America, Verizon, and USAA.  We are saving the City Of Powell bill and the land payment for the paycheck on June 7.  I am sure I will be getting a Montana-Dakota Utilities (natural gas) bill soon too.

Another week is almost finished!  Here comes Memorial Day Weekend!

Cody, WY

Some of my favorites from this week's POLICE REPORT:

April 30

• 6:28 PM  A South Day Street Resident reported noticing a shower curtain in their Dumpster with what appeared to be a large amount of blood on it.  An officer responded and said it did not look like blood to him.  He said it was probably pizza sauce from all of the pizza boxes in the garbage.
• 11:30 PM After a report of two males running across the street to an East Coulter Avenue parking lot, an offices found that the males were just looking at a van one of the males wanted to buy.

May 1

• 7:36 AM  A cat with an apparent old leg injury was caught on North Day Street and taken to a vet.
• 6:17 PM  A white car was reported to be spinning cookies in East Madison Street.

May 2

• 11:55 PM  Two right-handed baseball gloves and a plastic softball bat were found on West Second Street.

May 3

• 8:40 AM   Report that someone broke into an East Seventh Street backyard and wrote obscenities on the sidewalk in chalk.  An officer advised the resident that the chalk could be washed off and to put their chalk inside at night.  No damage was done.
• 1:32 PM  A citizen on South Jones Street complained that a house was a major health and fire hazard.
• 4:55 PM  A couple of juveniles reported finding some boxes of cigars in the trash on Homesteader Court.  One juvenile reported that the other was trying to smoke the cigars even though they knew it was illegal.  An officer determined they hadn't smoked any cigars.  He threw them away and advised the children not to dig in the trash anymore, either.

May 4

• 8:02 AM  After a report of someone slumped over a steering wheel in a vehicle parked on East Fifth Street, an officer spoke with the occupant and found everything was okay.
• 5:59 PM  A vehicle key was found on North Bent Street.

May 5

• 12:46 AM  Officers responded to a report of a male who had been kicked in the head on East Coulter Avenue.  They found the assailant had fled and the victim was not injured.
• 2:09 AM  A male dressed in black was reported to have gotten out of a vehicle and taken off running on West Coulter Avenue.
• 3:37 AM  A citizen reported vehicles had been drag racing earlier on Bernard/Fifth Streets.
• 1:16 PM  A resident reported they had sent $2,100 to Mexico the day before because they received a call from someone claiming to be their nephew in trouble.  The purported nephew called back crying and said he needed $300 more.  The resident learned from relatives that it was a scam.  The matter is under investigation, but the Western Union transactions had already gone through.
• 3:33 PM  A skunk with a jar on its head was reported on South Division Street.  An officer was unable to find the skunk the first time, but later found the jar was removed and the animal was  finding its way out of a yard.

Weekend

On Saturday morning I sent Bob out with Buddy for a walk while I prepared spinach and cheese omelets with sausage links and coffee for breakfast. 

After breakfast I got the lawn mower and grass whip out of the garage and made sure both of them had gas and oil in them.  Then it was time to take care of our lawn full of dandelions. 

Bob at the beginning of the hike.

Bob said that it looked like a nice day to make the hike to the summit of Heart Mountain, and indeed, by the time we were done with the yard, it did look like it was going to be a great day.  So we cleaned up, packed the red and black leather bag with bear repellent, sunscreen, cameras, batteries, and cellphones.  We stopped at the grocery and added bottles of water and trail mix.

We drove out to Heart Mountain Ranch which is owned by the Nature Conservancy to sign our names in the visitor log.  We signed in a 10:30 AM.  Then we drove another five miles or so down a deeply rutted, pot-holed gravel road to the trail head.  On the way to the trail head I spotted an antelope sticking its head up over the grass, so I stopped and snapped a picture of it.

At the trail head we parked behind two other cars.  The car right in front of me was from Bighorn County - you can tell because the license plate starts with "9".

We went through the white gate and started up the path.  I don't think we were even 1,000 feet from the truck when I started huffing and puffing.  I told Bob, "Wow!  I am really out of shape!"  Still, we continued up the hill with my heart pounding and my lungs burning for air.

We stopped several times on the way up to catch our breath or take a sip of water.  Soon we reached the treed part of the mountain.  I liked it in the woods because it was shaded and the trees protected us from the winds.  Bob wore a small bell on his belt loop to warn any bears up here that we were approaching.  It jingled and jangled as we walked. 

After a short walk through the woods we came to a clearing where a wooden kiosk was erected with information.  This is the highest point on the mountain 4-wheel-drive vehicles can reach. It took us about two hours to get this far.  After the kiosk we would be on a narrow foot path for the rest of the climb up.

Bob taking a break on the way up.

The path led off into the woods again.  Periodically there were little metal markers mounted on the trees to let you know you were still on the trail.  We climbed up, switch-backing back and forth, higher each time.  My heart was beating to get out of my chest and my lungs were burning for air, but the views from up here were really spectacular.

At one point we passed a back pack somebody had left out on an exposed cliff.  We did not touch it, but instead turned to follow the path back into the woods.  I was feeling very light-headed and decided to sit down here and munch on some trail mix.  Soon, my blood sugar levels were back up and I felt better.  We kept climbing up.

As we neared the summit we passed four people coming down.  They told us that we were close now, but the last several hundred yards would be a teaser as it switched back and forth.  They said the coming down was easier, but harder on the knees.

Bob thrilled to be at the peak.

We continued on up through the evergreen forest and soon we approached a clearing with a lot of loose scree and a steel box mounted on a steel post.  This box contained a visitor log and ink pen.  Bob made our entry up here at the summit.

At the top we took a few pictures and enjoyed the expansive views, but I could also see a rain storm coming from the west and knew that we would have to start making our way down.

 So we began to descend the mountain.  That lady was right - the going down is easier on the heart and lungs, but murder on the knees.  My right knee in particular began to ache from the going. 

Vince at the top.

I am sure we came down faster than we went up simply because we did not have to stop very much for breaks.  I think we stopped at the kiosk for a few minutes to get a drink before continuing down the path.

We felt it sprinkle several times as we walked, but the sun kept shining.

Bob had to be particularly careful coming down the rocky path on the hillside.  His toes were numb from being pressed inside the steel-toed hiking boots, and one wrong step, or a step not high enough would send him tumbling.

The sun was starting to get low in the sky as we returned to the gate at the trail head.  We tossed our stuff into the bed of the truck, got into the cab, started up, and headed back down the rocky, pot-holed, rutted road. 

As we came to the top of a hill, we were surprised to see a herd of antelope crossing the road.  I jumped out, got my camera from the bag, and took several shots of these animals.

We returned to Heart Mountain Ranch where we signed out at 5:05 PM.  Then we drove back to the paved highway.  We stopped in Ralston and filled the gas tank.  Then we went home.

I took Buddy for a walk while Bob took a shower.  Then I got a shower.  We went to Pizza Hut for beer and pizza.  I felt like I deserved it.  On the way home we stopped at the IGA to get milk, shredded cheese, bananas, lunch meat, and chive seeds. 

We slept like dead people.  My feet, legs, right knee, and back hurt.  I was glad to get to sleep.

This morning I took some pain reliever, walked Buddy, and made bowls of cereal for us with sliced bananas on them.  Then I set the tomato seedlings outside for some honest-to-goodness sunlight.

Bob got another terra cotta pot out and we filled it with gravel and topsoil.  Then he planted chives in this pot.  Next I drilled drain holes in the storage tubs, lined the bottoms with newspaper, added two inches of pea gravel to the bottom, and then poured two bags of topsoil into these.  I am preparing these containers for the tomato plants.  Once the tomatoes are planted, we are going to plant carrots in there too.

I ran the vacuum cleaner through the house and then changed my shirt to go out.

For lunch we stopped at McDonald's.  I had a burger and fries.  Bob had a salad.

Next we went to Linton's Big R Store where we got a tackle box, assorted fishing weights, leader lines, grass whip line, tomato cages, a small hand held herb mill, some liquid fly float, and a few more fishing flies.  We are getting ready for Free Fishing Day on June 2!

After this we went to Aldrich's to get spar varnish and a 2 x 8 board.  We took all of this home and continued to work on the top bar hive project.  We cut the 2 x 8 to length and then started to work on making it fit the bottom of the hive, but we found out that a 2 x 8 actually measures 1.5 x 7.  It was not wide enough!

We took the scrap piece and ran it through the thicknesser/planer until it was 1/2 inch thick.  Then we cut it into strips 1/4 wide with the table saw.  These pieces are going to be used as comb guide on the top bars.  We will attach them after we get some indoor/outdoor carpenters glue.

Baby eclipses.

I walked Buddy while Bob got a dinner of thin pork chops and boiled potatoes ready.  We ate this, and cleared the dishes.  I brought the tomatoes back inside and put them under the grow lamp in the basement.  Then Bob went to shower.

While Bob was showering, I noticed something odd about the light coming through the little holes in the window blinds.  I held a piece of paper up to the light and saw a necklace of little partial eclipse images!!  I had forgotten about the partial eclipse today!

Buddy (safely) views the partial eclipse.

After Bob finished showering we used painters tape to cover holes in drainer pan, propped the pan up in the kitchen window, and projected the image onto another piece of paper taped to the wall across the room.  We were able to watch the partial eclipse in comfort.  Even Buddy was able to come with us and watch this occur.

Now I am getting my blog, Flickr, and Facebook caught up.  This was another productive weekend.  We are tired and sore.  I almost look forward to going to work so that I can rest!

Heart Mountain Hike

Follow the URL below to view a slideshow of photos taken during our hike up Heart Mountain, Park County, Wyoming on Saturday, May 19, 2012.

http://www.flickr.com//photos/vthigpen/sets/72157629814939778/show/

We now have bragging rights for reaching the summit of this iconic Park County landmark.

Cody, WY

Bob rode to Cody with me yesterday morning.  I left the truck with him to take to Rim Rock Tire to have the broken stud and lug nut replaced on the rear passenger side wheel.  I got in kind of early and had to wait until Carol came in to unlock the office door.

While Carol was fumbling through her purse for the keys, Sally Henderson came through, "Good morning guys!  How are ya?"  We told her we were fine.  As we were entering the Clerk's Office I told Carol, "I give her three weeks - she's on her best behavior right now."  Carol looked up surprised and said, "Wow.  It didn't take you long to figure it all out!"

While we were chewing the fat at the vault door, I heard some noise at the Elections door and stepped out to see what it was.  It was Bucky Hall, County Commissioner, letting himself into our office with his own master key.  Bucky is running for re-election, and he came to pay his $25 filing fee.  The 17th is the first day for filing for office and we were off to a jackrabbit start!

To our surprise, Molly came in despite her dog having surgery in the morning.  She said that she just couldn't bear to leave us by ourselves when it was going to be so busy.  Well, we were slammed twice, but it only lasted for a couple of minutes at a time.

Bob came back to the office at 12:30 and we went out to lunch at Wendy's.  He told me that the stud and lugnut replacement only cost $27.  He also browsed the fly fishing stores on Sheridan Avenue, got a haircut, and bought a fly rod and some bear spray at Sierra Trading Post.

After lunch he went up the hill to the Cody Public Library to look for fishing books and videos.

In the afternoon it clouded up and rained.  The weatherman said it was going to rain and I guess he was right after all.

Molly left early to go see her dog, Pip, before the vet closed for the day.  She took him to Dr. Bischoff in Powell. 

By the end of the day we had four (4) people running for precinct person, one (1) person running for Meeteetsee Museum Board, one (1) running for school board, and five (5) running for county commissioner.

Bob returned with the truck at 4:30 and at 5:00 PM we went to Sierra Trading Post to look for some new Teva sandals for me.  I could not find sandals that I liked in my size, so, after browsing the rest of the store, we left without buying anything.

When we arrived in Powell, we stopped at Subway to get dinner.  Bob got a salad and I got a sandwich, then we went to the house.  After taking Buddy for his walk, we ate our dinner. 

Molly was out today and stayed home with her dog.  I picked up a "Get Well" card at Blair on my way to the office.  We passed it around and let everyone sign it.  There really hasn't been any rush today.  We got the voter registrations for this week scanned in, and then filed.

It is cloudy and raining outside today.  I think the temperature is in the 50's.  I told Bob to leave the tomato seedlings in the basement under the grow lamp - I think they will be better off there today.

Tomorrow we are planning to mow the lawn.  Then, I dunno.  Maybe we will finish up the top bar hive, maybe we will go climb Heart Mountain, I don't know, and it depends on what the weather does.

Cody, WY

It's been a couple of days since I've written because the laptop computer is acting very flaky.  Bob think's its hard drive is about to die.  I told him that if it does, we will get him another one, but it will be one of those tiny "purse size" laptops that would be easier to travel with.

I think we will be getting cable internet at the house soon.  That will be better for both of us.

Yesterday Bob baked a blueberry pie and we had some of it after our steak and sweet potato fry dinner.  Then I went to check on my tomato seedlings.  It looks like they have shot up another 1/4 inch!  They need to get busy and grow because I am going to put them outside in two more weeks.

Today Bobby is taking the truck to Rim Rock Tire to have the broken wheel stud replaced.  Then he is going to browse the fishing stores on Sheridan Avenue, browse the Sierra Trading Post Outlet store, and maybe go to the Cody Public Library.  He knows that I get lunch at 1:00 PM, and we will go to Wendy's because I have coupons.

Molly didn't make it in today because her little dog got out of his yard yesterday and was hit by a car.  One of his front legs will be operated on this morning.  Molly was very upset when her mother came in and told her about it.  So, it's just Eric and me in Elections today.    Today is the first day of the candidate filing period, and so far we've had two candidates come in.

Yesterday was cloudly like it was going to rain, but today is sunny, bright, and without a single cloud in the sky.  The weatherman predicted rain for today and tomorrow.  We don't see rain very often here in the desert.

Powell, WY

Molly shows off the giant hamburger.

 Our giant hamburger was a novel hit at the pot luck today.  Eric brought in a hamburger made with 3 to 4 pounds of ground venison, antelope, and beef.  I made the bun, which was just about the right size.  Molly brought the sliced tomatoes, cheese, lettuce, and condiments.  We sliced it into pie-shaped wedges and everyone got a serving.

They said it was a beautiful day outside, but I did not go outside and see it.  It is probably just as well - I would become depressed at having to stay inside all day.

Bob sent me an email message with the welcome news that his first social security disability payment and the back payment will be sent to his bank imminently.  We have some plans for that money.

Buddy nudges the UnbreakaBall.

Molly gave Buddy a toy that her dog, Pip, did not care for.  It's a durable plastic ball call "UnbreakaBall", and you can put treats inside of it.  This ball is big enough for a horse to play with!  As long as we had liver treats inside of it, Buddy was very interested in it.

This morning Molly mentioned that the weird neighbor, Brian Florez, is moving.  I do not know how she knew this, but when I came home, I found a U-Haul van in the alley parked in back of that house.

Two more tomato seedlings died today.  Probably from being dried out.  Bob should take care to watch them better!

For dinner we had a red chili with mango flavored Kool-Aid.

The laundry is done - we folded it when I got home and Bob returned with Buddy from the walk.  We also stripped the bed, washed the sheets, and made the bed again.  I am ready to climb into that bed and sleep!  MMMMMmmmmmm!   ZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!

Mothers' Day Weekend

On Saturday morning I walked the dog while Bob prepared breakfast.  As soon as I brought the dog back I went to the garage to open the big side door and bring out the lawn mower and the grass whip.

We ate breakfast, and then I went out to the back yard, started the mower, and began cutting our lawn of high grass and dandelions.  I lowered the mower deck to cut the grass about an inch-and-a-half high.  Bob came out in jeans and started up the grass whip.  He trimmed all of the edges - against the house, edges of the sidewalk, anything the mower could not reach.



Bob visits with goats at Square H Ranch.



The lawn was done in about 45 minutes.  Then we showered and dressed to go to the calf branding event at Square H Ranch in Frannie, WY.  Somehow I misunderstood when the branding would begin.  When we arrived the branding was over and they were herding the cattle (and llama) back to the pasture.  However, we got there just in time for lunch!

After lunch we wandered around and saw the chickens, goats, and other livestock.  Lucky said that their chickens give them about 14 eggs a day.

We helped set up folding chairs for the wedding ceremony in the afternoon.  We got some rakes and swept up all of  the cut grass so that guests would not get it all over their shoes or risk stumbling in it.

We went back home around 3:30 PM to let Buddy outside for a walk and shower and dress for the wedding, but I noticed that my house keys were missing.  We spent some time looking in the grass for them.  I don't really know why, but I thought that I had tossed them down in the grass when I was putting the broom and grass whip away.  We did not find the keys that evening and decided against going to the wedding.

Sunday turned out to be a beautiful, cloudless, sunny day.  While walking Buddy, I found the house keys in my jacket pocket.  I must have put them there after unlocking the garage door.

After breakfast I ran the vacuum cleaner.  This has to be done every week.

 I called Mom to wish her a happy Mothers' Day.  She told me that they were going to the assisted living to eat lunch with Grandma Pat.  She also said Aunt Edie got hired at Delux Checks permanently, so she is quitting her job at Marshalls. 

We changed the oil in the truck, then backed it out and parked it on the concrete pad to rotate the tires.  While taking the rear right tire off I broke the mounting stud.  There are still four more studs holding this wheel on.  I will just take it to a tire place and have the stud and lug nut replaced.

I called Dad later and heard from him that he split is thumb in half using the tablesaw.  He went to the hospital and they had to put 36 stitches in it.  Otherwise, he's enjoying the summer out at Berlin Reservoir.

We baked a very large hamburger bun from an Internet recipe.  The bun is about 10 inches diameter and is supposed to hold a 14-inch hamburger for the pot luck on Monday.  The bun did not rise as much as we would have liked.  We forgot that you have to add more liquid and more baking time for high-altitude baking.

We planted a terracotta pot with cilantro and another pot with basil.  We have to remember to water these each day because it's so dry here.

I put a few more screens in the windows at the house.  It is really starting to get warm!  With the window fan running we can really pull a lot of cool air into the house at night.



The north west corner of Lot WH-12.



In the afternoon we drove out to Clark and walked our property down.  We walked the back line because it is the longest (1600 feet), and located the markers at the corners.  The lot corners are marked with an iron rod.  There is an aluminum cap set in the ground next to it that shows the lot numbers meeting there.  There is also a tall pipe next to the iron rod so that the corner can be found from far away.

There are lots of small wildflowers in bloom right now.  We saw butterflies feeding on these.  A jackrabbit startled me as we were walking.  It quickly ran to it's lair under a big rock next to a deep draw.

The day was very nice.  It was warm and  there was just a little breeze blowing.  I wore shirts, t-shirt, ball cap, and hiking boots.  I think my face and legs were sunburned.  Bob got some sun on his arms, but he wore jeans, so his legs were safe.



Bob waving as we walk property line.



It is about 120 paces between telephone poles.  I stepped off 120 paces from the last pole and found that one more pole can bring the electric right up to where we want to put the house.

We drove off to Belfry to get some cold drinks at the Belfry Country Store, but we found it closed on Sundays.  So we headed over to Red Lodge and got some chicken, potatoes, and water at the IGA store there.

After eating the chicken we drove down Highway 212 for about 12 miles.  It gets up into the mountains, but before it starts to climb up to Beartooth Pass we found the road closed with a road block.  We had to turn back.  It was starting to get late and we had to get home to walk Buddy anyway.

Over all this was a good, productive weekend.

New Plates

New WY license plates!

Eric said, "There's been a disturbance in the force!"  Because he arrived at 8:00 AM, and I was not at my desk.  No, I was next door in the Treasurer's office getting my truck registration and new plates.  Yes plateS, two (2) of them - Wyoming requires a front and back plate.

My license plate number is 11 19187.  The eleven (11) stands for Park County.  The next county over, Bighorn, is nine (9).  Wyoming counties were ranked 1 through 23, and they were ranked by property appraisal values.  I guess Park came in midway because 42% of the county is Yellowstone Park and we can't tax that.

The bucking horse and rider image are copyrighted by the University of Wyoming, but it can be licensed to promote the State of Wyoming.  

I will probably get a Wyoming Drivers License next month.

This morning I filed the 103 voter registrations we processed this week.  That took about an hour to get done.

We signed birthday cards for Molly and Karen.  We also signed a sympathy card for Jerri.  The office took up a collection and it is being donated to the hospice in Manderson that took care of her sister in the last days.

During lunch I went to Wal*Mart to get frozen chicken breast strips, two oil filters, a 5-quart jug of 10W-30, two 0.75 cu ft bags of pea gravel, and a 0.5 cu ft bag of top soil.

Bob put the seedlings outside for about 3 hours today.  The natural sunlight will do them some good.

In the afternoon Molly popped in unexpectedly.  She was surprised I was wearing jeans.  "Cat's away, the mice will play".  Then she asked where Eric was.  "He's at lunch."  But I think he was really at a job interview.

While she was showing her cousin, John, around the office, Mike came in.  We joked with him about the trip down to Pinedale and back.  We told him before he left, "Take a bottle of oxygen.  Molly's gonna use up all of it inside the car!" 

They both left after about 30 minutes.  Mike had his wife pick him up, and Molly rode home with her cousin.

The last couple of hours seemed to take the longest.

My drive home was pretty, but there were several Wyoming Highway Patrol cars on Highway 14A, and several drivers were pulled over!

I stopped at Blair Supermarket and filled the gas tank in the truck and then came home.

Bob made sauerkraut and franks for dinner.  He also put Just For Men color in his goatee and hair.  We have another branding event and wedding to attend tomorrow.

After dinner we read the sales flyers and cut the dog's claws.  Then we played with him for a while.

Tomorrow morning we are going to cut the lawn and then get ready for the branding in Frannie, WY.  We will probably take some pictures of this one too.

Powell, WY

Mule deer doe next to CH building.

When I got to the office, Barb Atkinson told me that Jerri's sister died of cancer last night and that Jerri would not be in.  She asked me to let everyone in Elections know.  Because Mike and Molly were out today travelling to Pinedale for a county clerks' meeting, it was just Eric and me today.

Eric left at 8:30 with Karen Stimac to go to Meeteetse High School to register voters.  They came back three hours later with two voter registration forms - one student and one passerby.

While Eric was gone, Dossie Overfield of Northwest Rural Water District came in to canvass her election.  I told her that Jerri was out today, but she said it was okay - she just needed one person from Elections to certify her election.  There were only 22 votes (12 from Park County and 10 from Bighorn County).  The canvass took about 10 minutes and I signed off on it.

Eric returned and then went to lunch at 11:30.  He was going with Karen across the street to Cody High School in the afternoon.

A mule deer doe decided to hang out on the west side of the courthouse building today.  We did not know if she was sick or if she was in labor.  Her coat looked mangy because she was shedding her winter coat.  Soon a Game and Fish warden drove her away.  It would have been cool to see her calve right there next to the courthouse!

There was a brief busy time during the afternoon when a family came in requesting to register to vote so they could get the voter info card to go to the DMV and get WY drivers licenses.  Complicating their request was the fact that they are from Yellowstone National Park and have non-standard addresses.  While helping them more people came in to register and request absentee ballots.  Tami saw the line and helped get some of these people started.

Eric returned from CHS with about 44 new voter registrations.  I entered a handful of them, but we will save the rest so that we have something to do tomorrow.

My drive home was sunny, warm, and very pretty.  The only problem for me is going outside with all of the pollen blowing around.  There is still a lot of "cotton" from the cottonwood trees blowing too.

Powell, WY

Bob adjusts the top bars in our hive.

Today we did voter registration at Powell High School.  I met Tami Keehn at the school and set up at 9:48 AM, but the teacher in charge said that we were supposed to be there at 10:30 and staying until 1:00 PM.  Tami couldn't stay that late, so she phoned Molly to ask her to come up and help.

Molly got in around 10:45 and we registered about 44 seniors.

Leftover salad went with me for lunch, but it got ruined sitting out in the hot car for longer than I expected to be at PHS.  I got a Wendy's chicken sandwich on my way to the courthouse.

I arrived in the courthouse at 1:30 PM.  It was a beautiful sunny day, but there is a lot of pollen blowing around from the Cottonwood trees budding.  My sinuses are miserable.  Even my eyes are bloodshot!  I need Claritin or Zyrtec or something. 

Molly and Mike are going to Pinedale, WY for a county clerks' meeting.  They will be gone for the rest of the week.  I will be by myself for most of the day as Eric and Karen are going to Meeteetse in the AM to register the six (6) seniors at Meeteetse High School.  In the afternoon they are going to Cody High School to register seniors.

Bob made Hamburger Ole for dinner this evening.  Leftovers will go with me tomorrow for lunch.

Powell, WY

Follower board inside top bar hive.

Back to the grindstone...

I made a stop at Blair Supermarket to buy a tank of gasoline.  With my customer rewards card I got a $0.07 per gallon discount.  Nevertheless, the total came to $44.00.

Temps dropped below freezing in Cody during the night.  Some of the fields I passed were covered in shiny ice from the irrigation equipment that ran all night.

Molly was out all day today.  She had her grandma's funeral at 10:30 AM, but then there was a dinner after and she said that her mother couldn't keep it together, so she was going to stay and help out.  Whatever.  It was quiet and everything was under control in Elections.

I packed a canvass bag with voter registration forms, absentee ballot forms, student election judge forms, pens, "Register To Vote" signs, and clip boards.  I am meeting Tami Keehn at Powell High School at 9:48 AM to register students to vote.  Then we will drive to Cody for the rest of the work day.

Bob made a nice fresh salad for our dinner this evening. 

Weekend

Bob standing by the Shoshone River syphon.

 We got up at 7:00 AM and took Buddy for his walk.  Then we got into the truck and drove to Cody for a breakfast at Granny's Restaurant.

After breakfast we headed up to the Northfork and looked around at the Shoshone Syphon which carries river water to the Heart Mountain Canal.  We peered down into Colter's Hell, and then we drove most of the way up Spirit Mountain.

There is a dirt and gravel switch-backing road that climbs up the mountain.  Although the weather was cold, and rainy (we actually saw snow flakes on the way up), we really enjoyed the huge views from the mountainside.  Bob was very uncomfortable because he thought we might get stuck and neither of us brought a cell phone to call for help.

We drove up as far as we could - to the locked blue gate, where private property begins.  Then we turned around and slowly picked our way back down again.

Once we were back on the highway we drove to Wal*Mart to get our monthly grocery shopping done.  We piled more stuff into the cart this month than probably ever before.  The total came to over $300!  We rushed this stuff back home and began putting everything away.  I broke the chicken, beef, and pork into smaller packages and stacked all of this in the freezer.

We continued to work on the Top Bar Hive.  We attached the roof boards to the frame and screwed them down tightly.  We covered the screw heads with walnut plugs.  It's really looking good!

 This morning I walked Buddy while Bob made a breakfast of scrambled eggs with ground sausage, coffee, and cottage cheese.

With breakfast out of the way I got the vacuum cleaner out and cleaned the carpets.  Lots of dust and dog hair.

Next I got the lawn mower out of the garage, filled it with gas and added a little oil to it.  I also got the grass whip out.  I started mowing the yard and Bob fired the grass whip up and got all of the weeds that the mower could not reach.

A metal cover for the roof ridge.

Later I went to the garage and using my Dremel tool, cut the galvanized steel flashing we bought to the correct length to cover the ridge on the TBH roof.  Next I folded the sharp ends over into a half-inch hem.  Then I had to spread the 90 degree channel open to about 120 degrees to closely cover the roof boards.  Once we have applied several coats of marine spar varnish to the roof, we will put some caulking or Liquid Nails adhesive under the length of the steel and nail it down with roofing nails.

For lunch we ate left over fried chicken and potato salad from our dinner last night.

Tomato seedlings transplanted to pots.

I went to the basement and selected the 15 tomato plant seedlings that looked the strongest and had the most developed roots.  I transplanted these into peat pots and watered them well.  I will probably have to water daily from now on.

Later I went back to the garage and took the roof off of the TBH.  Then I removed all of the top bars, marked the bottom of the follower boards, and trimmed them to length with the jig saw.  It took a couple of trips back and forth to get the length just right.  We want the follower board to slide back and forth easily with almost no clearances around it.

Vince trimming hardware cloth.

Next we turned the hive body completely upside down and trimmed some hardware cloth to size and began to nail it to the bottom with roofing nails.  The bottom of the hive will be open during the summer to allow debris and mites to drop out of the bottom.  Also, hive cooling and ventilation will be easier with the bottom opened up.  During the cold winter we will fix a winter floor in place over the screened bottom to help keep the heat inside.

 We are happy with the way the hive project is coming along. 
 I am going to attach draw latches to the roof frame and they will fasten to the legs in the front and back.  This will keep the roof from blowing away in the strong winds out at Clark.

Bottom view of the TBH. 

As I said before, we are going to coat the outside with marine spar varnish to preserve the wood from rain/snow, and protect it from UV radiation.  The inside will be completely unfinished - the bees will coat everything with propolis and wax. 

 This evening we had Caprese salads with more left over potato salad.  We have tomatoes and mozzarella for two more salads too!

Now I am dirty and need to get a shower, a shave, and get ready for another exciting week at work.

TGIF

My parking pass for the court house.

This Friday seemed to be a long time coming.

I took a plate of home made Kit Kats, a birthday card signed by Bob, me and Buddy, and an alpaca sweater for Molly's birthday.

Eric returned to the office today.  He brought in a devils food cake with chocolate fudge icing from the grocery store because he remembered Molly's birthday too.  She was thrilled that we remembered and brought stuff in!

Eric hanging the contest sign.

We continued working on the job we were given to put the Park County Flag Contest entries into the hallway.  We labeled each poster with the student name, grade, and school.  We strung string in the ceiling and hung the posters with paper clips.  Jerri was very happy with the way it turned out.

Dominoes has a single one-topping medium pizza, carry-out only for just $4.  So Bob ordered two of these and I picked them up on my way home.  This was our dinner this evening.

Bob got the laundry done today.  He ran the dish washer and made the bed.  He also worked out with the kettle bells, and took Buddy for a walk.

Jerri admires the flag entries.

The forecast was for rain today, but we did not see any.  Instead we saw fluffy white stuff floating around in the air.  This is "cotton" from the cottonwood trees.  We will see this while the trees are budding.

We will probably go to Cody to buy groceries tomorrow, and then continue working on our bee hive.  Maybe I can even find some time to just relax.