Thursday doors…the great outdoors

In much of Wyoming, the doors of choice are outdoors (or maybe sometimes outhouse doors), but if you look, you can sometimes find doors of the more normal sort. Both sets of doors today are definitely not geared towards people tending toward the wide side. But anyone can view them from the outside, the best place to by in Wyoming.

This is the door end of a sheepherder’s wagon. It’s not in use now in that capacity, but it works well for a unique door. Talk about tiny houses before tiny houses were the in thing! And this one is moveable. Click here for a short but very cool, one might even say cold, look at how an entire family lived in one of these! And seriously, you all need to take a look at these incredible Woolywagons. These days you can rent one also instead of a motel room if you so choose. Dan, Norm, or any other handy DIYers want to build your own? Here are “20 Awesome Shepherders Plans” ready and waiting. You could get more than one blog post out of that project!

Drat! I forgot Norm was taking this week and the next two off. Well, I hope you enjoyed the limited edition Thursday Doors. I wonder if anyone else forgot.

Thursday doors…Wyoming #2

As I mentioned last week, I didn’t get many doors while in Sheridan, but here’s another one I like, part of that lovely building I highlighted last Thursday.  Shoot!  I forgot Norm was taking off this week.  But the post’s already out there, so I’ll stick with it.

Saturday in the park

Although all Saturdays should be sunny, beautiful, and empty of things that must be done, the forecast last week was for rain, so I made Friday my Saturday and headed out in the morning with my Nikon ensconced in my camera shoulder bag, my iPhone in my easily-accessible pocket, my soul ready for fulfillment.

The air was still cool when I reached the park.  In the first open area, I gazed over a crop of dew-bejeweled spider webs.  They were everywhere, hundreds of them, each a different, appealing shape.  My two cameras were working overtime and I soon realized my index finger was going to get a workout.  Just one more shot and then I’ll stop.  Just one more. Just…  Add to that all those raindrops  on the plants.  I have no resistance when it comes to drop shots, either.  Ahh, well, there are worse addictions.

Daisies, wild iris, and a plethora of other flowers provided colors in contrast to the verdant green.  The sun grew warmer, birds sang.  Should have put on mosquito repellent, but I think the only bites were from a persistent, now dead, fly. I crept slowly to the edge of the river in search of frogs.  None in the usual spots, but of course as I moved to take other photos, I startled one into an enormous jump that took it into the river.  Drat!  No heron today, but driving through the parking lot prior to leaving, I spotted a egret on the hunt for sushi.  Not sure how many shots I took while sitting on a sun-warmed rock.  He walked slowly, stopped, stretched his neck, froze, went into slow-motion again,  once or twice ate.  As I got up to leave, a shriek and another plop indicated I’d once again failed in frog hunting.  Ah, well, it was a good morning.  And it was only a bit after 9 am! My plan for the rest of the morning was to push all my indoor work to Saturday, have some breakfast, do a few errands, and spend time downtown with my camera, searching for flowers, animals, people, and doors for the Thursday Doors challenge.  I’m happy to report all went according to plan.

Leaving Yellowstone

After watching Old Faithful erupt, we were ready to head back to the cabin.  It had been a long day–great, but long.  The highway took us past another part of Yellowstone Lake (this time on my side of the van!) The lake covers 136 square miles and has 110 miles of coastline. Those dry statistics aside, it’s simply beautiful, and the approaching sunset made it even more so. At one picture stop, we able to rescue a family whose van battery needed a jump. Out came the trusty jumper cables that I always carry in our van and their van was good to go…at least if they didn’t stop until they could get a new battery or get it charged! It’s always good to be able to help someone.

Makin’ tracks

Five haiku

Sitting on the porch
In a red shirt, drinking tea
Hummingbird zooms close

We walk hand in hand
By the calm lake in moonlight
Ankles scratched by grass

In my heart’s eye you
Are still young, running swiftly
On the rugby pitch

We lie on our backs
Seeing shapes in the clouds
The wind blows gently

Fireflies blinking
Above the lawn in the dark
Childhood memories

Friday Fictioneers–grapevines

Lakeside for our evening walk, we see him in the garden, engendering life, whatever the weather. 

A walk around “our” lake

The morning was too beautiful to spend inside, so I took a walk around the lake that’s part of the housing area in which we live and took a few pictures to share with you.