They Voted Out Pluto!

What's next Mickey Mouse?

I spent my grade school years memorizing the order of the 9 planets. Now they tell me that Pluto is not a planet. I'm heartbroken - distraught! I liked Pluto - it was small, far and cold. So what if its orbit overlaps Neptune (that big behemoth!). For that reason, astronomers re-classified Pluto as a "dwarf planet" - that's no fun. To be part of the "classical" nine was elite. Pluto got downgraded. Sigh. Double sigh.

Yellowstone

I have a lot of wonderful memories from this trip. My time with my sister-in-laws is one of my treasured one. We talked in easy, companionable way. We came from different backgrounds but shared one bond: we married a Chickles. Yet, we are alike. Especially now. We are all mothers now. Amy (in red cap) became a mom about nine months ago. She's going through what Jeanette (in pink shirt) and I went through when we became new mothers. We talked, discussed, gave advice and joked to one another. Amy and Jeanette are both smart,funny and beautiful. I am blessed to have these two great women as my sister-in-laws and as friends.

Here are more pictures from the trip:

The boys at Mammoth Springs:

This is Boiling River where 2 river systems come together. See the Danger sign? Yet, we still went in! I guess we're just fearless. Boiling hot water, be damned, I say!

328 steps down were easy with an occasional vertigo but 328 steps up were brutal. I imagine the climb was worse with a 25-pound baby on your back. August seemed to be enjoying the view of the Yellowstone Falls. August had it easy, Justin was another story. Lauren and Theresa counted 332 steps (those 4 extra steps are killers!).

August.

I made chili one night but it started to rain midway cooking. In the meantime the adults went into one tent to play cards and drink wine & the kids went into another to play Uno (no wine). Luckily, the chili cooked well under low heat and the corn wrapped in foil over the fire grate kept the flame nice and dry. The pot was empty and the corn consumed at the end of this dinner.

Lauren and Emma were wearing their hats the whole time during the trip. The sun at that altitude was very strong. Definitely wear hats and lots sunscreen. Besides, the hats were stylin' !

Emma was taking a spoonful of my Grizzly Berry ice cream even though she had her own cup! It was that good. She usually does not like fruity ice cream. She made an exception! We were seated on the deck of the Old Faithful Inn with a view of Old Faithful Geyser. We stayed 2 nights at the Inn to basically shower off the dust and dirt from camping 6 days (it took 2 days to get it off)!

Lauren in front of the Grand Geyser. The geyser erupted toward the end of a 3-mile hike in the Upper Basin. We were lucky to time it so well. It was a wonderful reward after a great walk. Lauren loved her red track pants (trackies, she called them). She paired them with her red hoodie sweater. We called her the walking buffalo target.

The Brothers Chickles

We were humbled by the sheer size of her. Her beauty and wonders amazed us. We were continually awed. Yellowstone.

(That's Old Faithful with a sleeping bison in front.)

We spent some glorious days in Yellowstone. WE meaning the Brothers Chickles, their wives and their children. After many months in planning, phone calls and emailing back and forth, we camped (yes, with tents) in Yellowstone. The children re-discovered their cousins and met the newest member of the clan. It was wonderful to see all of them in one place, having a ball, running around the campground, playing pretend in an elaborate storyline and telling stories around the campfire - stories that became more bizarre as it gets passed from one person to the next.

We consumed enormous amount of the pancakes (plain, banana & chocolate chip), french toast, oatmeal, sausage, bacon, eggs and coffee (oh! heavenly coffee). These fares were normally eaten fast before the morning chill rendered them too cold. We would lunch wherever our journey had taken us that day - mainly consisting of sandwiches and an occasional cold pasta from the night before. At the end of the day, we dined like kings. Gourmet dinners with wine. Roasted marshmallows and, better yet, peach and apple cobbler cooked over the fire rounded out our meals. We deserved these treats since we logged in many miles during the day.

We saw the marvels of Yellowstone. We oohed and aahed at the geysers (Old Faithful, Grand Geyser, Grand Fountain, Castle Geyser, Beehive), chortled (and made similar noises) at plopping mudpots, delighted in the colors of the hot springs and gasped at the bisons, elks, bear (singular), yellow-bellied marmot, eagles and ospreys. One standout was soaking in the Boiling River where two river system (thermal and fresh) came together to make the water warm (and interesting) for bathing. It was bizarre to be sitting one moment in hot-tub temperature water and then gasping when cold water washes over you.

What made this get-together wonderful was our time together. All three brothers live in different part of the country. Massachusetts, California and Missouri. We will miss the small things (which really are big things): playing cards, talking, laughing, telling stories, cooking and dining together. With our sites next to each other, we luxuriated in being neighbors even in such a small amount of time. It was grand. Even in such short time.

Hiking around the geysers.









The cousins from left to right: Theresa, James, Uncle Justin, August, Lauren and Emma








Emma and James playing War