Christmas in Yellowstone

Merry Christmas!

Christmas in Yellowstone is celebrated every year on August 25th.  Rumor has it that some tourists were stranded by snow in Yellowstone one August and to entertain them Christmas was celebrated.  Here at Fishing Bridge we all wore Santa hats in the store on the 24th and 25th.

Christmas Dinner

Dominican 3 singing "Feliz Navidad"

August 24th we had a big turkey dinner at lunch time.  Yummy!!!  That afternoon people were in and out of the EDR (Employee Dining Room) making cookies and other treats and decorating for the Christmas party Friday night.  The store closed a little early so all could attend the party.  Lots of treats for everyone, a talent show, and a round of Family Feud.

Jan playing "Jingle Bells"

Rose - busy making chocolate mice.

Dave and Jeanne hard at work!

A day at work:)

Several people have asked about my work days, etc. here at the park, so . . .

I am one of the cashiers in the gift department and am working 4-5 days a week.  The store is open from 7:30 a. m. to 9:30 p.m. so there are two shifts that alternate weekly.  I much prefer the early shift!  Early shift is from 7:30-5:30; late shift is from 11:30-9:30.  Each has a 2-3 hour break in the middle - nap time!!!  Fishing Bridge is one of the largest stores and sells everything from groceries to camping supplies to gifts of all kinds.  We stay pretty busy!!!

Coworkers at a fish fry in the employee RV park.

THE Group

Coming here I thought I would lose weight - hasn't happened:)  We have the best chef of all the locations and eat really well.  The EDR (employee dining room) is behind the store in the same building.   There is a group of us that usually eat together depending on our shifts.

Ready to ride!

Dorm life is interesting:) The dorm is above the store and right now is full.  Age group ranges from 18 to 70s if that tells you anything:)  We have a lot of people leaving in about 3 weeks to go back to college or their contract is up.  My roommate, Rose, and I get along great and will both be here until the store closes on October 1st.
 

Days off I either explore the park - or escape.  Living, working, and eating with the same people 24/7 means you need to escape every now and then!!!!  We get great rates at a hotel in Cody and another in Bozeman so I have taken advantage of both.

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FB Quartet (Bill, Gleen, Susie and I)
performing for Bill and Renee before
they headed home.

Update:  Several of my close friends have left; visitor numbers are way down; and things are coming to a close.  Most of the college kids have also left.  I wasn't expecting to form such close friendships in the few months I have been here - but its a good thing.  The store hours will change to 9 a.m to 6 p.m. for the last few weeks.  My end date is October 1 and I'll be heading to Houston.  Babysitting date with Caden on October 6th!!!  From Houston I am going to Foley, Al; Huntsville, AL; and back to TN and then???  I still have wanderlust and am thinking of buying a small trailer (and a bigger car) and wandering.  Next March's adventure is a month in Thailand with my friend, Susie.

Weekend in Durango

Thursday after a visit with Peg and Dave, I headed for a weekend in Durango with Doug, Leigh Anne and Caden to attend the wedding of Forrest and Lyndee.  I spent the night in Grand Junction, Colorado and then drove over the mountain passes with hair-pin turns to Durango.  I think I can now drive on any road in the states!!!  Some of those hairpin turns had speed limits of 10 mph!!!!

The groom with his bride!

Friday, around noon, I met Doug, LA, Caden and their friends, Steven and Jessica, in downtown Durango for lunch before we headed out to the condo they had rented for the weekend.  Friday evening while the four of them were at the rehearsal dinner, Caden and I got to play.  The little guy has grown so much and is such a happy baby!

Doug and Forrest

Saturday the guys fixed a great breakfast for all of us.  The four of them went across the street to try the alpine sledding while Caden took a nap and I played on the internet (it was so nice to have a fast connection).   Saturday night we all went to the wedding of Forrest and Lyndee.  The ceremony and reception were all outdoors with the Colorado mountains as a backdrop.  Gorgeous setting!!!  Forrest and Lyndee are adventurous, free-spirits and their wedding suited them perfectly.  Doug spoke and made a toast.  He did a great job!  He and Forrest have been friends since elementary school.  I had fun catching up with people I had not seen for several years.  Caden was a big hit!!!  He was so good and many of these people had not seen him before.

Leigh Anne on the bull!

Jessica had done her research and found a great breakfast spot in Durango.  The six of us went for a fabulous breakfast and Caden sat in a high chair for the first time.  Sunday afternoon, the four of them drove over to Ouray while Caden and I took a nap.  Caden woke up way before I was ready!!!

Steven

Miniature golf!

Leigh Anne, Caden Doug and I

Guess who?

Monday morning we all packed up and headed back over to the ski resort to play!  We all rode the Alpine slide (Jessica BARELY beat me) and played miniature golf.  Several of them did the bungee jump (I used my back as an excuse) and all four of them rode the mechanical bull (I used my back as an excuse again!)  The last time I had been on an Alpine Slide was over 20 years ago - Doug was so little he had to sit in front and ride with me!!  

More fun visitors!

Peggy and Dave

This past Sunday, my good friend and sewing buddy, Peggy White, and her husband, Dave, came to visit at Yellowstone.   Peggy and I met on Pattern Review years ago.  They were able to park in the "Employee RV Park" about a half mile from the store.  It was great to see them!  The store wasn't too busy on Sunday so I was able to take off the second half of my shift.  While I worked during the day, they explored Yellowstone, The Grand Tetons, and drove over the Bear Tooth Pass.  Dave even managed to get in some fly fishing.

They had to give tours of their great fifth wheel!

Their fifth wheel was the talk of the RV park and they gave several tours to some of my co-workers.  It was really beautiful!  They spent December to March in their rig in Florida.  After seeing their Florida album, I am really tempted to buy a little trailer.  I still have wanderlust!!!

After a last visit on Thursday morning,  I headed to Durango, Colorado to meet Doug, Leigh Anne and Caden to attend a wedding.

Peg and Dave were able to extend their stay from Friday until Monday so were going to do some more exploring. There is lots to see and do in Yellowstone.   Dave had another fly fishing trip planned with a couple of my co-workers.

More Adventures - and Visitors!!!

Beartooth Mountains

The last several weeks have been super busy and great fun!  Unfortunately, the internet connection is so slow or non-existent that it is hard to keep up with the blog.

At the entrance to YNP with Rose

The Beartooth Pass is a gorgeous drive over the Beartooth Mountains to Red Lodge, MT.  Roger (a co-worker) drover Rosie and I over one day because we were a littler nervous about driving on all the switchbacks.  It was gorgeous!  We had lunch in Red Lodge and drove back to the park through Cody.

With Ann and Nancy in the Grand Tetons.

Hiking in the Tetons

Two of my childhood playmates from Glenbrook Valley days, Ann and Nancy, came to visit.  They rented a condo in Jackson Hole for a week.  After visiting me in Fishing Bridge, they explored the park on their own.  I met them for a busy three days in Jackson Hole.  We went to the Western Art Museum,   white water rafting on the Snake River, hiking in the Grand Tetons (saw two gorgeous bull moose), Rosie met us for a float trip down the Snake River and dinner, and then a day exploring Jackson Hole and lunch at the Teton Village.  Busy and fun catching up on old times.

Rose and I got a kick out of these two
 - hiking with a parasol:)

Moose in the Tetons

Rosie and I spent our next days off wandering around the Tetons.  Third time is a charm!  Rosie and I booked a horse back ride at Canyon Village a couple of weeks ago but it was cancelled due to rain.  Next time another co-worker joined us but about the time we were ready to mount our horses, it was cancelled again.  A buffalo was on the trail and they were having problems.  Rosie and I rebooked that afternoon and finally went riding.  I even bought my first hat - splurged on a Stetson - the real deal.

Rose and I getting ready to ride.  Check out that Stetson!

Today I am in Cody (with internet) and am going to the Buffalo Bill Museum.  Sunday one of my sewing buddies, Peggy, and her husband, Dave, are coming to the park for several days.  Next weekend I am headed to Durango, CO for the wedding of one of Doug's best friends.  I am hoping to get some babysitting time in with Caden.