from my bookshelf

Time is a River by Mary Alice Monroe

I picked this book up at Sam's back in May solely for the cover (and the back looked good, too) to take on my beach trip. Well, I read the other book at the beach, but forgot about this little gem.



Sunday afternoon rolled around and Wiley was down for his nap. I opened up this book that I had started earlier in the week. I did not leave the sofa for 3 hours during nap time {Sunday is a day of rest, right?}. Then when Wiley woke up I was a bit disappointed to have to stop right in the good part of the book, but my sweet, sweet husband came home in between his errands to take a bright eyed and bushy tailed 3 year old to the grocery store and to wash my car! You would have thought it was Mother's Day or my birthday. I was beyond thrilled. So I continued to read, paused for amazing homemade, George's pizza (Rosemary Roast and Rattlesnake, for you Wake readers), put Wiley to bed, and laid down on my bed to keep reading. Wil watched Defiance, I read and blocked out the violent scenes thanks to the river sounds I was imagining.

I could. not. put. it. down.

It includes fly fishing, outdoors (I wish I was outdoorsy sometimes), Charleston (barely), love, mystery, and amazing characters. You have to read it! I'm tempted to send out to my sister in Jackson Hole since she and her friends are the ones doing to fishing!

It even inspired me to retrieve the picture of my first trout catch out from the Snake River in Idaho. (Our guide Zack(h?) who was an instructor at Idaho State in fly-fishing and works for South Fork Outfitters. He is an Idaho-an, -ian, -ite, and I was pretty sure from 9 till about 1 pm that if I had to take his class I would have failed. He was pretty tough, but thankfully patient. He was determined that I catch a trout and sure enough I did!)



{the whole time my Dad and I drove through and to Idaho, I kept thinking this little dialogue: "Why are you in Idaho?" "I dunn-o."}

We're going on a bike ride

Yesterday, we ambitiously set out on a bike ride to Jenny Lake. It was 8 miles each way from Dornan's in Moose. I was hauling Wiley behind me in a trailer. Brooke and mom were on their own bikes with dad coming to meet us later in the car. When we approached the first hill (the only big one) I knew we were in trouble. Luckily, Wiley has the BEST aunt and she offered to pull an extra 30 something pounds up the hill. She and I took turns getting there (again, the BEST aunt), and my knee and legs were aching when we FINALLY arrived. We rode right along by the Tetons--a truly magnificent view! Jenny Lake was beautiful and we walked around a bit before going back. We even saw an antelope (we think) on the way back!






The way back was SO much easier (more downhill) that I pulled Wiley the whole time. He had a couple fits, then Brooke and I had a bet that he would fall asleep. Sure enough, by the time we arrived back at Dornan's, he was out like a light. We woke him up for pizza, and came back to the ranch to rest up for dinner (ha!). It was such a fun day, and it just added to an already memorable trip.

Out West

Out west we like to...

Help lead songs at the cookout and play in the band.


See old friends.


Roast marshmallows.


Watch the rain come in over the Tetons.

Ride Em Cowboy!

Yesterday was such a wonderful day! So wonderful that I took 500 pictures. From about 4:15 to 9. That is absurd. But there was so much to capture!

This trip has been so fun for Wiley. He went to Antelope Flats Road to look for buffalo with BaBa; he rode a horse around the corral; and he helped lead songs and played the kazoo in the cookout band. Aunt B, the actual song leader, may have lost her job last night. Wiley was quite the entertainer! I was able to go to a beautiful church yesterday, The Church of the Transfiguration, a part of the St.John's Episcopal Church in Jackson. You announce where you are from after the passing of the peace. There were quite a few of us representing from Alabama!



Wiley riding the horse, Sugar.



Here is Wiley leading the group in Twinkle Twinkle. The man playing the guitar was supposed to sing a solo. Wiley interrupted him to say "I think we should sing Twinkle Twinkle." So they did. It was hilarious.

Now, I'm off to fly fish for the day with my dad! Wiley has an exciting day ahead with Baba! Thanks Baba!!

Hello from the Ranch!

We are just regular ole cowgirls and cowboys out here at Moose Head Ranch!

After our flight, we were met with a surprise for Wiley from Aunt B. She had new cowboy boots for him, a hat, gun and holster, and bandanna complete with a sheriff tie. After we convinced him that the big cowboys (wranglers) wear the cowboy hats, he agreed to wear it.



Watching the horses being let out at the end of the day was so much fun. And he even got to pet a couple!



We had a relaxing afternoon with picnic lunches, rest time for Wiley, and a walk with Lucy, Brooke, and Ellen to the MH entrance. The scenery here is amazing. I will get some Teton pictures today, I hope! And the cookout is also tonight, which is sure to be a lot of fun...especially since Aunt B is a song leader!

(Pictures are really slow to upload, and I got some really good ones. I'll have to camp out in the Lodge and do some major uploading, but these are a few of my favorites from day one at Moose Head!)