Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Last year we fell in love with the Grand Tetons, so we decided this year we had to stay for at least three days. We stayed in tent cabins (two wooden walls, two canvas walls and a canvas roof) at Colter Bay. By luck of the draw, we got a site with an amazing view. We could have stayed here for weeks more!

Exterior of tent cabin; G, Jake and Aaron eating sloppy joes by the firepit

Aaron & G test out the bunks

View from our site: full moon setting over the Tetons

G, Dan & Aaron, early morning, Jackson Lake

Blue relaxing

Kate at Jenny Lake

Dan, Jake, Aaron & G on a hike to Inspiration Point at Jenny Lake

The last group shot!

Ten Sleep, Wyoming

Ten Sleep figures prominently in Dan's family's lore. They camped there when he was a kid, and his brother Jamer and family rediscovered it on a trip in 1996. Kate & Kenny & Co. make it a stop in both directions during their annual visit if they can, because of its stunning scenery and great swimming. The place gets its name from the fact that it was 10 days (sleeps) from major Great Sioux encampments to the north and south.

The rain from Powder River Pass caught up with us while we were in town at "Dirty Sally's." We'd already set up camp, so there was no pushing on to Thermopolis. G had a blast in spite of the rain. I woke up with cold, wet feet because the rain had puddled between the tent and the tarp right under me. Obviously I lived to tell the tale.

Campsite at Ten Sleep

The view of the canyon from our campsite

Leigh Creek from our campsite

Jake, you know what the caption is for this! :)


The camp host recommended a new swimming hole on Ten Sleep Creek. It was a hit with everyone!

Group shot!

Powder River Pass, Wyoming

On our way to Ten Sleep from the Black Hills, we had to go through Powder River Pass, elevation 9,666 feet. When we left Grizzly Creek it was sunny and in the lower 80s; we watched the temperature plummet as we made our way through the Bighorns, and by the time we reached the summit, it was 48 degrees and raining. I was doing cartwheels (figuratively anyway) because I figured we could skip camping at Ten Sleep and head right for the hot springs and the Best Western in Thermopolis. It was not to be. As we made our descent, the sun came out and it was back up to 86. Pit toilets were in my future once again.

Grizzly Creek, South Dakota

Despite having only pit toilets, Grizzly Creek (south of Rapid City, a mile from Mount Rushmore) was beautiful. It is one of the quietest places I've ever been ... so when some early Sturgis-goer rode through the pass blaring Journey's "Send Her My Love," it echoed weirdly through the area.


G & Sophie scope out the campsite

G setting up the sleeping quarters

Our campsite

Firestarters!

What's camping without s'mores?


Jake, G & Aaron at the Rushmore lighting ceremony

Group shot!

Palisades State Park, South Dakota

The first stop on our trip was Palisades State Park, which is a beautiful spot just over the Minnesota border. The very large, drunk men who were tent camping next to Kate & Kenny's cabin were pretending to be Australian (although their accents and vocab seemed more Cockney to me), greeting anyone who appeared in their sight line with a hearty "Hi Neighbor!" It was annoying the first 20 times, but by the time we left, it was pretty funny.

G on our cabin deck

Kate & D and the breakfast setup

Swimming in Split Rock Creek

G, on a split rock

We're Back!

We've just returned from our 10-day odyssey out to the Tetons and back. More details after we've imposed some cosmos on the the chaos. Here's an idea of what it was like ...

It's a Wisconsin Thing

What are we doing when we're not engaged in Harry Potter activities, you might ask? This is Sheepshead Central 24/7, baby!

Friday afternoon

Friday night on line for HP

Saturday morning


Saturday afternoon at the pig roast

Sunday morning

Sunday night

Monday morning

Half Dome

Hey Candy Pants, whaddja do this weekend?!? This is what my nephew Justin did:

Family Reunion

The eleven grandkids (mostly).

12:20 P.M.

HP Party

A blast.

Waiting in line

Harry Potter, Nymphadora Tonks, Horace Slughorn, Sybil Trelawny, Bellatrix LeStrange, Dobby, Dolores Umbridge & Justin Finch-Fletchly at the farm

Newest Member of the Tribe

(with Uncle D)

Lazy Days of Summer

HP Mania

Apparently the Heir of Slytherin visited Rainbow Hill today. However, no petrification has taken place... yet ...

(Psst ... it's really crushed black raspberry!)

Anticipation

Woohooooo ... only 10 more days until Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is released! To say this is a much-anticipated event here at Rainbow Hill is a gross understatement. We've discussed what is going to happen in Book 7 so much over the last few weeks that I've started to keep a list of our predictions. I won't list them here, but if you really want to know, email me and I'll send them to you!

Dan, G and I have all read each book (sometimes multiple times) and listened to the audiobooks too many times to count. (We have to do something during our 14-hour car trips to my folks' place.) We'd heard the American versions by Jim Dale so many times that we now own Stephen Fry's British versions as well.

G and I ran into the owner of our local independent bookstore, where we have attended Harry Potter parties. Our conversation prompted me to come home and root through pictures of Potter parties past. It will have to sustain me until 12:01 a.m. on July 21st!

My first HP party at our local indy bookstore in 2000 with my niece Ellie. We were daunted by a line of about 50 people. (In 2005 it was almost 1,000 people long!)

Dan, G and I met Gilderoy Lockhart at G's first HP party in 2003.

Lucius Malfoy, Luna Lovegood, Bellatrix LeStrange, Ron Weasley, Fred Weasley (with Skiving Snackbox), Hermione Granger & Ginny Weasley showed up at Rainbow Hill in 2005.

Chicken Little

For the first time in several years, a hen who was sitting on a nest actually incubated her eggs. G heard a peep-peep-peeping racket in the barn, and found four little chicks (much to their mother's chagrin). Dan and G moved them into a large cage, so that varmints prowling at night can't get them.



There are four there, if you look closely. (Click on picture to enlarge it)

Raspberries

Raspberries are in season, and our canes are finally producing copiously!

A Mighty Wind

We had a nasty isolated storm with high winds and brief, heavy rain yesterday.

The hollyhocks made it, and probably actually enjoyed the rain ...

... but one of our old hickory trees went down in the gale. This is not just a nut-bearing tree, but part of a Rainbow Hill tradition. A woman who grew up on this farm comes out with her husband in the fall to gather up as many nuts as she can, and they spend the winter cracking them. She makes wonderful cookies and treats from them. Now there'll be fewer hickory nuts for them to find. It's a quite a loss.

No Place Like Home

We were at my mom & dad's for over a week. My mom is progressing well. My dad is doing too much and needs to take more time for himself. (Maybe if several dozen people email him and tell him that, he will LISTEN!)





Ginmiya delivers!












A bustle in their hedgerow

Traditional parting shot