A Hike to The Most Beautiful Spot on Earth

Friday was the day my friend Suzanne and I have been training for all summer - a 14 mile RT hike up Cascade Canyon to Solitude Lake. Jayne and Toni were fellow hikers on this spectacular walk of 6+ hours. There is no question in my mind that our picnic spot seen above looks out, over and up on of the most beautiful spots on earth.
There is also no question in my mind that my surgeon of the Feb 15 major surgery did a very, very fine job to have me hiking into this beauty at just over 6 months. I am grateful!

Eddy and Marlena

Scene With a Sack

OF COURSE.....

....it HAD to be done!

( no photos allowed, so while this big shoot was taking place, Marlena's grandmother was breaking rules behind the photographer's back. Fortunately, at 15 months, our toddler cannot read the NO PHOTOS sign so, at least for the moment, no bad examples have been set!)

Into The Park

An afternoon into GrandTeton National Park-
Lunch at Jenny Lake Lodge ( where french fries and catsup was the starred item )
A first lake wade, String Lake
A fist meeting with horses
ALTOGETHER A BRAVE NEW WORLD!

My New Boots

Marlena's Daddy bought her some real cowboy boots - pink and brown and made by - of all people - John Deere. Along with the boots Marlena acquired and( proudly struts with above) a pink pocketbook complete with toy moose poking it's head out of the top.

Marlena and Co. will be with us now just a bit over a week. I can safely promise that this blog will hold little else for time being!
CLEARLY I have joined the ranks of Doting Grandmas!

Why?

Why do people take pictures of babies with food all over their faces? Because they cannot help themselves! In the case of Tom's superb Spaghetti Bolognese and Marlena's gustatory delight in said same, Jolie and I were both rushing for cameras and laughing to the point of tears at our babe's enthusiasm.
Tom, as you see above, handled the necessary clean up both deck and highchair.

Fair Play Turn About

Its all about negotiation!

Lauren and Karen ...

...at the top of the Coal Creek hike which I am guessing to be around 2,000 feet and 2 miles one way. Almond butter and honey sandwiches do taste awfully good at that height in such relatively short distance especially on a gloriously sunny day.

Lady Marlena

Wish I could say I had something to do with this picture!

Credit where it is due-
Picture; Mama Jolie
Outfit: Aunt Heather

Maybe she LOOKS like me here!

Whats summer without s'mores?

Old Pass Road

A super morning hike up Old Pass Road with Jolie, Marlena and Tommy. We went up as far as Crater Lake, the lake where logs gather at the outlet, the lake where a twelve year old boy naturally could not resist testing the logs. Later said same boy proved to be a fine tester of the bear spray just for the fun of it.

Tommy has gone back to Atlanta now, along with Karen and sister Meme. Today, coming down OPR from the lake, I sure did miss that boy!

Yard O Kids

At the end of July and into August we had a large and delicious gathering of kids and their kids. Very often, with kids in the yard ( in the case of the image about there is also one mom, Karen, the bottom half of The Flying Angel) it felt like Merchant Ivory Muller. Marlena, even on this her first night here, fit right in just like a really big girl.

Gratitude 8 08

Marlena en tub.

August 08 - Gratitude

This mornings walk along the Snake:

A beaver in a great hurry to get to the river crosses the levee a few yards in front of me.

A lovely girl, wires coming from her ears, jogs past, her blonde pony tail making a spiky crest at the top of her head with every bounce.

At a turn in the river the sun turns the water so silver that I have to stop walking, have to stand and be awed by the sight and sound of liquid silver.

A chance meeting with a friend and her large, new "puppy" Alphonzo ( of some exotic Italian descent) leaping and bounding in big dog happiness.

The subsequent memory of my friend Steve's words early on in his life with ALS. When asked what one could do for him, he offered a litany of ways to enhance one's own gratitude for the ordinary things in life....one example was to savor " a chance meeting with a friend".

This blog was started for and in a way continues, although he passed almost a year ago, for Steve.