We Remember

By on September 12, 2011   /   Events, History, Lodging, Recreation, Vacation   /   Leave a comment

A quiet, relective Sunday in Ashton at The Rankin.  Our flag at half-mast to remember and honor those who were killed by the violence of the 9/11/01 attacks.  The war on terror continues.  Our son has completed 2 tours to Iraq.  We are proud he is serving his country.  He was a junior in high school when the attack occured.  That moment defined his future.

A memoir my family members published is titled “We Remember”  The stories are those of homesteading, the depression, WWI and WWII.  Cousins Beth and Lois each owned a single dress.  They planned dates carefully so as to have a different dress available for a date.  And woe to the person who spilled anything on the garment!  Cousin Winn flew over what remained of Hiroshima shortly after the atomic bomb was dropped.  He was overwhelmed with the destruction and evil that thing had unleashed.  His life would never be the same.

I worked steadily all afternoon in my pansy garden bed.  It is a small area around an old cottonwood stump, shady and protected.  A huge bumble bee was suddenly crawling on the stump in front of me.  As it flew off, I saw a bird taking a bath in the water fountain 4 feet away from me.  The bird splashed furiously and sent beads of water into the air and sunshine.

I worked several more hours into the afternoon and another bee!  Could it be the same one?  I had my camera this time.  He circled in the air several times again before leaving.  The beauty of everything surrounding me was overwhelming.  He had come back to make sure I was appreciating it all.

We welcomed guests later in the evening.  Travelers from Germany were eager to see Yellowstone and wanted to know all of the good places to see.  They especially appreciated the mileage / estimated travel time map we had.  It’s an easy guide to help you navigate the park.  Of course if you come across a buffalo standing in the road, you aren’t going anywhere!  And we always point out the Mesa Falls scenic drive- Robert shows them the road on the map to take, and I show them the picture of the falls we keep on the end table.   All of our other reservations made it safely.

 

We dedicate this post to our dog Rocky.  We remember.

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Marathon Daze

By on September 8, 2011   /   Events, History, Lodging, Recreation, Vacation   /   Leave a comment

The Mesa Falls Marathon has been run and our guests all finished in good shape!   The beautiful scenery of the trails impressed the newbies and many said they would be back to stay with us next year!  Late check-outs were very much appreciated as our sweaty runners finished the race with the temps in the mid 80s.  That is pretty hot given a very bright sun, few clouds and an altitude of about a mile before you head up the hill!

Labor Day weekend, the last big holiday of the season was so busy!  Mornings now have a cool edge to them.  The hot days of August are gone and autumn is here.  The lawns and flower beds survived the heat thanks to Robert’s diligent irrigation efforts.  The perennial gardens are now showing off the black-eyed susans,

cone flowers,

with a few last Shasta daisies.

Harvesting is gearing up as well.  The back fields of grain are golden and the apple tree branches hang low with fruit.  We’ve picked the last batch of raspberries from Uncle Dave’s patch.  Monday evening, a road-tired family stopped to stay with us.  The kids, a young lady of about 11 and her young 3-year-old brother were anxious to run around a bit before bedtime and were having fun on the lawns.  As I worked in my pansy flower bed, she noticed how many apples were on the tree and offered to help pick them.  Not being one to turn down help, I grabbed the buckets and we managed to gather about 2 buckets full before it was time for her to go to bed.  We selected the best ones for her family and said goodnight.  I peeled about half of the rest of the apples that evening and filled the house with the wonderful smell of cooked apples and cinnamon.

Besides a hot cup of coffee, there is nothing like homemade applesauce for breakfast on a cool September morning.  Our ancient cottonwood trees are beginning to shed a few leaves.  Our guests this time of year enjoy a quieter season in Yellowstone.  No summer crowds and hot weather.  The beauty of fall colors surrounds us.  Travel safely!  We’ll see you soon!

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