Remember this…

Last week I had some new friends come by for coffee and to visit.

One of my guests was distraught upon seeing the little headstones.

She thought we had lost some pets.

I had to explain that I haven’t been able to pull the Halloween stakes from the frozen ground.

At least I was able to wrestle the skull from the frozen earth.



I can chuckle about it now, but at the time she was truly concerned.

Out on the empty road...

Yesterday afternoon the Legal Dude and I took a ride out of town on a road we’ve not traveled before.

People here are big on biking.



I always get a kick out of seeing these bikers so far from civilization.



I always wonder...



“Who are these people," who choose to live in such isolated areas.

Then again, I'm sure they wonder the same about us city folks.




The narrow, two-lane road eventually turned into dirt and mud



so we turned around so as not to get stuck.

We passed some young men with rifles, who we thought were hunters.

We soon realized our mistake as we heard gunshots as we drove by.

They were out there for target practice.



Too late, I realized I could have gotten some really great shots of all the spent shotgun shells.

The view heading back to town.





The gates and sign I always get a kick out of seeing, even if it is a little creepy Stephen King-ish for me.

I've never managed to get a close-up, until now.

Click on the photo and check out what happens to those who don't follow the rules.



Freight trains are always passing through Laramie.



I find something wonderfully lonesome and forlorn about these trains, moving across the empty vastness of the plains and against the backdrop of the mountains.



Getting closer to civilization...



Entering Laramie city limits...



What a wonderfully diverse landscape that surrounds us.

Thanks for peeking...

[BTW: The Wyoming steaks were delish!

We’ll definitely be buying locally grown and cut Wyoming meat again and again from the butcher.]

Wyoming meats

The local grocery stores don’t carry some of the cuts of meat we’re used to.

We can sometimes get them at Whole Foods in Ft Collins, CO, but that’s an hour in one direction to hit the food store for meat and who wants to do that on a regular basis.

Well, the Legal Dude is up for it but I’m not.

We heard about two butcher shops in town, but we never manage to hit them at the right time.



This morning we hit the shop on the West side of town at the right time and tonight we’re going to try some thick, cut to order Wyoming steaks.



The butcher shops also cut-up game and they must smoke some of the meats cause it smelled heavenly inside the shop.

Thought I’d share some photos…





'cause I'd say they look a little different from the butcher shops the other side of the Mississippi.

Spring Break Reading

While the teenager is reading, Night, I have books to read for my book clubs. So I’ll be reading be reading this…



and this…


I just started, The Help, but can already tell I’m going to enjoy it.

I enjoy reading about the travel and people in Tales of a Female Nomad, but there are other aspects of her story telling that haven’t quite captured my fancy.

Maybe I just need to get into it a bit more.

At any rate, I'm looking forward to some reading, for the pure pleasure of reading.

Night

Is the teenager too young?



I don’t think so.

Elie Wiesel was 14 when his family was sent to Auschwitz and then he to Buchenwald.

No, I don't think the teenager is too young...

Free Play…

Thursday morning was my last class and the beginning of my Spring Break.

The teenager and the Legal Dude also have off, but alas, the Legal Dude heads first to D.C. and then Salt Lake City for work and a conference.

There’s no rest for that weary dude.

I have an exam and mid-term project to study for during break, but I’m free to play, and there’s quite a bit of playing I have planned.

I’m glad Daylight Saving’s Time falls this Sunday, so there’s no worries about waking up tired on Monday morning, cause there’s no need to hurry off anywhere Monday morning!

Sweet!

Soft and silent…

It turned cold yesterday afternoon.

That wet, bone-chilling kind of cold that is more common to “winters” in the Mid-Atlantic area and less usual for our dry Wyoming climate.

Last night, the snowflakes started to fall.

“Sheared glass” like flakes, resembling glitter swirling and sparkling in the lamplight.

This morning, the campus was soft and silent, as the blanket of fresh snow muffled the voices of my campus mates, who in turn seemed to be speaking in respectfully modulated and hushed tones, as they made their way across campus.

It was beautiful, while it lasted.

The sun is shining once again and the new layer of soft white snow is melting. The old stuff, however, is still in it's usual place.

I tried to capture “the mood of” the campus this morning with my little camera...


View of one of the several tree lined walkways criss-crossing campus


These trees won't be seeing any leaves for several months

This sign is to protect the kid-lets attending Prep, the teenager’s K-9 school, which is on campus.

The kid-lets have to cross the walkway to get to the little play area.

University students on bikes whiz by, creating a hazard for any little ones in the way.

This isn’t the first sign that's been put out.

Those earlier signs are probably decorating someone’s dorm room.

This one has a heavy metal base and poles, which means, someone would need to drive a truck onto campus to haul it away.

We’ll see how long it remains…