And on that early February morning, there was smoke. And all that goes with it. And my in-laws were wakened by firefighters rousing them in time to get away from the danger.
By the time I arrived on the scene, hours later, all the flames were extinguished. The smell of smoke hung thick in the air. Water from the hoses still swamped the weathered tile. Where there had once been weddings and birthday parties and rehearsal dinners and showers, there was now charred wooden beams and fallen insulation. Memories of what used to stand.
I have never thought of fire as one of my fears but I still didn’t need to linger long in that space. I didn’t want to remember it that way. The very sight of the destruction just repulsed me.
I watched our family review the scene. My daughter was immediately shaken. “Things can be replaced, people can’t” I said, over and over again. I meant it. But that didn’t change the feeling of loss. It is hard to see a place with that many memories just go up in smoke.
Now the work of rebuilding begins. I try to frame it as an opportunity – it will come back better than ever. In the mean time, our family schedules and rhythms shift. Some of us have to be sure to get our steps in when it used to come through the course of work. Sleep interruptions are more frequent. Minds race with very different concerns than before.
I am reminded to be grateful that everything can be fixed. And to appreciate what we have while we have it. And especially, to appreciate who we have while we have them.
I had breakfast today in West Yellowstone, Montana. Opted to hit the road to visit the famous Grand Tetons in Wyoming. Due to road closures this time of year I took the path less traveled. That meant I had lunch in Idaho and dinner in Wyoming! How much fun is that for a day? I also tried some new snacks: bison jerky and elk sticks. Pretty adventurous for me.
The ride out of Yellowstone put me in the forest so to speak. Trees, wildlife and wide open spaces. I loved it. Before I knew it I was in Idaho. Never been to Idaho so I was looking forward to the brief experience.
As the morning progressed the scenery did not disappoint. From the vacant roadway with the sun shining perfectly to accent to the sky to the view of the Tetons in the distance. This drive I would definitely recommend on a clear day like I had. Farmland galore. Oh all the potatoes hail from Idaho.
The time seemed to pass as I snapped a million photos and made pit stops along the way to enjoy the prestigious views all around. Before I knew it, Wyoming was in sight. A little climb over a mountain but what a spectacular view at the top. It’s hard to read the song in the photo but it stays Howdy Stranger, yonder is Jackson Hole, the last of the old west. Pretty cool sign in my opinion.
The down hill descent was steep. Not going to lie. I would not want to do that downhill trek in inclement weather! As I dumped into the town of Jackson I met some swans by the elk refuge center. No elk today but the swans were entertaining enough. The land reserved for the elk was huge to say the least.
Just a short drive beyond the town was the entrance to the Grand Tetons. What a special place to visit. Every camera angle captured a unique view of the scenic landscape. Words and photos don’t do any justice to the lived experience but I will share a few of my favorite shots.
The reflection of the trees and the peaks were simply amazing. The water was clear as can be. The air was fresh and crisp as it was in the 30 degree temps range on this day. It wasn’t super busy on this day therefore there was peaceful quiet at each viewing point. It seemed like I had the entire wilderness to myself. The trip back was a little hurried as snowfall was on the horizon. I had to beat the snow and ice conditions as the sun went down. And believe it or not the sun is down by around 5 pm and the darkness creeps in just before 6 pm.
I sincerely hope you enjoyed this clip from my travel journal. I would definitely encourage a trip to see the Tetons, if you can.
It was a random Saturday. I had taken my mom out on a whirlwind adventure to Nashville, TN. Rain was in the forecast, but there was still so much on our potential to do list. What could we cram into our short afternoon?
Off to the races we went. 12 South was the area to be highlighted. A section of murals. We would attempt to snap candid photos in each art setting. Our own little mural tour. My mom had no idea what this tour would include. The clock was against us. We had an hour before the rain would catch us. Off we went.
The first stop by our parking spot was a little pop up store made from a container. It had a beautiful floral wings display. Look how cute she looks.
Just a hop, skip and a jump to the side and we found this outdoor display on the back of a lemonade stand. This was interesting as it was more of a canvas vs. a wall painting. Vibrant colors picked up by the sun before the cloud cover approached.
We had a lot of water breaks along the way since it was a scorching hot day outside. We found it appropriate to snap this action shot of the water break with the hydration sign on a local bike shop. Such a fun time and as you can see this tour we did is wheelchair-friendly. Highlighting fun activities for seniors is so inspiring and why I opt to share the beauty.
Five Daughters donuts is definitely an area sweet shop to visit. If you do, there are a few cute murals to choose from at their store. This is just one to remember to sweet taste of donuts. We ate the donuts the day before as a coincidence. Lots of tastiness in that box along with a whole lot of calories.
A monster encounter at the tail end of the bike shop made for a good photo opportunity. I must note this adorable great grandmother was on her first mural tour at the age of 84 and she had a blast.
This stop we had the pleasure of sharing the sidewalk with some international tourists. There accents were adorable. And this sign says it all. Looking pretty!
This one shows our visit to nature. Strategically placed outside an outdoor recreation store. There were many more murals. Some we took pictures of, some we bypassed. 12 in an hour before the rain drops hit us. We got spooned. We saw Nashville looks good on you. We strolled to Reese Witherspoon’s place to catch the Draper James brand, which was one of my favorite backgrounds for the day.
This was an opt outside adventure starring my fabulous mom. She is a jewel that I chose to showcase in this mural display post. Until next time.
I decided to write with more pictures and less words to showcase my top ten pictures from traveling to snowy Park City, Utah. Hoping you will enjoy the refreshing photos of the outdoors and their quick captions. These photos are in no particular order.
This is a view I enjoyed from the eyes of one of my snowboarders. I didn’t take the lift to the top of the mountain thus I enjoyed this simple yet beautiful view. I smiled big knowing my people were enjoying their time on the mountain living the snowboarder life.
The best decorated and tasty sugar cookie with fabulous hot cocoa from the chocolate shop in town. A quaint little stop to snack, get warm and socialize after a day outside. This captures the sweetness of my trip.
The path through the trees when I was snow shoeing or snow walking as one of my teen travelers called it. These trees were amazing and the picture doesn’t even capture their beauty. The Aspens are the state tree and a fun fact is they have a dusty coating on them that is like a powder which can be used as a natural sunscreen. Just a fun fact I learned.
The path to nowhere as it looks. The simplicity of this photo is what I like about it. The grey skies before a snow fall.
The sunrise over the white barn. A barn we passed each day where you can see cross country skiers in the pasture at all hours during the day. A fun spot to remember.
A night picture from my balcony on a snowy weekday. The ice dagger hanging from above. The light shining on pathway illuminating the fresh powdered covered walkway. I hear the wind howling through the photo like it was today. A snowy memory.
Haynes Ranch. Founded in 1932. Pure bliss via a snowmobile. This photo shows the blue skies and the gateway to 40,000 acres of land and wildlife. Yes we saw moose.
This view was so amazing in person. A view from the ranch we snowmobiled. The blue skies were so welcoming after days of grey skies.
Fresh powder. Bright sun. Beautiful trees. That is all. Simply amazing and breathtaking.
The snow tracks. The blue skies. The sun shine. It was only 1 degree in this photo. Frigid cold yet I was still enjoying the outdoors.
It’s hard to pic just 10 photos but it’s great to have a picture post to look back on.
When I travel I take a lot of pictures. Mostly to capture memories. However, sometimes I stumble upon great shots when the photo reel is reviewed later. For this post I decided to post a few of my favorite or special views from near and far over the past several months along with a few quirky shots I’m tossing in for either humor or flair.
This gem came from a recent RV trip in the Tennessee mountains. The glows at different times of day were nothing short of amazing. The rays between the clouds reflected so nicely off the water. The mountains in layers was a great accent to create the overall beautiful view. From high spots to low spots each area we visited highlighted the water, the mountains and the trees just a little differently but so beautiful.
Coffee art. Oh how I am a fan. I have no clue how to make such art but I really can’t refuse some warm cups full of fancy coffee drinks with artistic flair. This gem was compliments of a local coffee shop owned by a friend.
Two pals just horsing around. No pun intended, right? This photo comes straight from 3Splitz Farm in Blairsville, Georgia. I may be a fan of the owners but there is nothing more beautiful than seeing horses enjoy a play day in the pasture. Whether up close like this or viewing from the deck above, the unique views are always a pleasure.
It’s not your basic to do list. As it it’s not on paper or a whiteboard. It’s permanently tattooed on a person’s inner thigh documenting cool milestones they are celebrating. A reminder of strength, courage and resilience. Red indicating complete. Blank showing what’s on the horizon. In this instance the person took out a thin sharpie to note completion of the 50k race since it’s not time to re-ink the tattoo yet. This is a fun one to think about.
My dinner plate. Grilled salmon, broccoli, zucchini and the little lemon for flavor. Folded up in aluminum foil, this is a quick and easy healthy dish to add into your week. So tasty. So filling. Just so happens to be healthy.
This photo is one for the record book. A tourist visit to Voodoo Donuts in Portland, Oregon to see what all the hype was about. Wasn’t I surprised when I was video chatting with my mom on donut selections only to see a donut called Cock N’ Balls! Design no less than a dick or a penis. And yes I did buy one and traveled home by plane with it to show my friends. Yes, that I did.
I’m a sucker for a sunset. I’m a sucker for reflection photos in water. Every second seems so different. The colors change so quick. This was a favorite from a summer trip out west. A beautiful day with friends and family exploring new destinations.
A view from the summer. The reflection of the clouds. The stillness of the morning while the water was idle. The old boardwalk posts sitting there serving no purpose added to the ambience. The still and calm of this photo keeps it as one of my favorites.
On the streets of New Orleans this spring . My Golden friend was earning money flipping people off. This is real life. This photo brings up so many questions for who thinks of this idea? Who puts money on the bucket? Does this person make a living this way? For now I will just think since the person doesn’t flinch. Rather he just flips off the passers by. Would you drop a dollar or two in the bucket?
I’m ending this photo reel on a unicorn note. A colorful collection of sticky notes. An accent pen. All together with a miniature unicorn piñata. A cool gift set I received that brings nothing but giggles when I look at it. I don’t so much use the items for their functionality, rather I use it to decorate a fun office space I have. Just because.
I hope these 10 shots brought you some enjoyment. Maybe they made you curious. Possibly they could cause you to take a trip. Whatever you fancy, I’m happy to have shared these few moments I captured and noted as views. My views.
2 Chicks and a blog 