Fishing the Gros Ventre, Fall 2016

You can tell if a person is from Wyoming, by listening how they pronounce the name of the river, Gros Ventre, (its pronounced Grow Vont). The river flows westward from the Gros Ventre Mountains and finally empties into the Snake River just north of Jackson Wyoming.
Its a beautiful river and one we hadn't fished this year so George and Val joined us for one last fishing trip before we headed south for the Florida, Texas and and Louisiana Coasts, our usual winter journey.

Arriving at Crystal Creek Campground we found the campground closed and the river clear and low. Donning our vests and boots we all tied on different dry flies before heading out to test our luck. Renita and I stopped at a great looking hole and as she fished it I went further downstream so I wouldn't disturb her.

Casting my fly, a purple haze, size twelve, I watched as it made a good pass through the hole and past several rocks that should be holding a hungry cutthroat.Noting happened and so I cast again and again, all to no avail. I saw that Renita wasn't having any takers and so I moved further downstream to the next great looking spot. Again nothing happened and so I changed to a lime elk caddis. It didn't make any difference, nor did the  next two flies I tied on.

Returning upstream, Renita told me she hadn't had any bites or even rises. Perhaps the stream had been heavily fished and the trout were all gone. After all we were fishing the stretch near the campground.
She moved upstream and I decided to tie on a prince nymph. Its a wet fly which means it sinks and bounces along the bottom. You can tell when a fish takes it as you also use a bright strike indicator, (like a little bobber). When a fish takes it the usual motion is sideways and sure enough on my second cast it moved. I set the hook and was onto a really big fish as it stayed deep. Now this isn't how a typical cut fights and so I figured it was a mountain whitefish.

I never did find out as it threw the hook, but three casts later I had another strike and after a long battle finally landed my biggest mountain whitefish of the year. Another three casts and another fish but again this one pulled free.
Lunch time arrived and so we met at the truck. No one had had any luck with the trout and so we headed back downstream, Its a rough road and it took about half an hour to go the ten miles to the town of Kelly.

Stopping at a stretch near Black Butte. we again spread out. Renita and I went one way and George headed to his favorite spot. Neither one of us had any hits, which is no surprise as this stretch is heavily fished and in the National Park.

George however caught and released two fish, including a seventeen inch Snake River Fine Spotted cut, his biggest of the season. We congratulated him on his fine fish just as the rain started to pour. It drove us into the truck and just like that our fishing day was over.
It had been a good day and a fitting end to our summer. The next few days will find us packing our new to us fifth wheel. We plan on heading out on Monday, taking two days to drive to Casper where I have one last doctors appointment. Clear skies.

ps the remnants of a Mexican hurricane arrived here yesterday and it is pouring rain. Hopefully it will stop today and start to warm up as the snow is almost down to our elevation

Celebrating My Sixty Fifth Birthday, A Day in Grand Teton National Park

We had hiked the trail, alongside the Wilson Moose Road, hoping to see a moose or bear. The lush wetlands below looked perfect for feeding moose and the bear warning signs both held promise but we didn’t see a thing. We were almost to the car when we rounded a bend in the trail and there was a moose and her calf only twenty-five feet away!

She watched us as we stood still and when her calf wandered into some golden aspen she decided we were harmless and so started to browse before following and then leading the calf into the thick copse of trees. Happy to have such a grand birthday gift we returned to the car and headed further toward Wilson.

The road turned rough and as we were in George and Val’s small car we turned around. Reaching the place where we had seen the cow and calf moose a large crowd had gathered and were looking down at the marsh. Finding a parking spot, we were able to watch the cow and calf feeding on aquatic plants.

It was now lunchtime and so we drove to Moran Junction and Jackson Lake Lodge. The last time we had eaten there was at Matt and Patty’s rehearsal dinner which was eight years ago. How time flies! The food was actually reasonably priced and we enjoyed our meal. As we ate we spotted and watched as a cow elk moved through Willow Flats.

Our next stop was to drive up the Pacific Creek road. Of course we hoped to see a bear but it quickly became apparent that this was not the time to be bear watching on this road. WE never spotted any berries and so with no bear food there weren’t any bears. In fact, we never saw any elk, a first for us in this area.

Still the leaves were beautiful and so we decided to call it a day and head back home. Renita asked me if I wanted to keep the camera out but I told her not to bother. After all we had seen the mountain goats only once all summer. Of course we rounded a curse on the Snake River Canyon, and there stood a Mountain billy goat.

He posed as if to show us his superb winter coat. It must be the rut season as his neck appeared to be swollen and his body taunt and muscular! He took a few steps behind a bush before reappearing on the other side, again posing for more pictures!

It had been a great sixty fifth birthday! Moose, elk, and mountain goat all combined to make it a birthday worth remembering. Best of all, I have been so blessed with having such a wonderful and amazing family and friends! Clear skies.

Takin It To the Streets, The Jackson Fall Arts Festival

Five am was really early and as we finished packing while making coffee, we knew it was going to be a long day. The drive to Jackson was scary as we kept a constant lookout for wildlife. Sure enough a huge bull elk gave us a scare as it stood in the ditch and watched as we drove by. Renita said it had a huge rack but I was too busy watching for more elk to risk a glance/

Arriving in Jackson we set up in the early morning light. It was cold, about thirty-five degrees Fahrenheit, and we wished the sun would hurry up and climb high enough to peek over the stores. Our spot was just east of the antler welcome gates and not on the park side, (the park side spots are much more desirable as not everyone walks down both rows of vender tents.

The show officially started at ten am and the sun chased the shadows away just as people started checking out our booth. The first sale was small, a twenty-dollar cabochon, but at least we would be able to afford hot dogs for dinner, one of our standard jokes.

It remained slow for the next hour and then the people arrived. We barely had time for a lunch break and so we took turns eating and answering questions. Our work and stones were well received and we even had the president of the Jackson Hole Art Association stop by to chat. He said we had the first green Wyoming jade he had seen in years and complimented us on our displays.

The president of the Jackson Geology Association also stopped and invited us to become members. She was also impressed with our stones and even bought a pair of jade earrings and a matching cabochon. It’s a real compliment to have a local resident compliment you by buying some of your work!

Many of the visitors were from out of the country and we sold one of our most beautiful green jade pendants to a woman from China. It’s always a huge compliment when a person from China buys a piece of our Wyoming Jade!

Renita tried to stroll around and look at the other booths but I had to call her back as the crush of people was just too much. A little after three pm we made a sale of a Spencer opal and just after that person left a huge gust of wind threatened to blow down the vender tents. The artists near us actually had paintings and cards blow away but our rocks didn’t move.

Just like a house of cards the other venders started to tear down exposing us to more wind. While our tent was staked out with four seven gallon containers of water, we still decided discretion was the better part of valor and tore down ourselves.

It had been a very good day, even with closing early and we had met some new and old friends. That’s what the shows are really about. It was our last show of the year and now we can concentrate on finishing up with doctor’s appointments and getting our new rig ready, well new to us anyway, for our winter travels. Clear skies

A Busy Week of Fishing and Art in the Parking Lot, 2016

The summer is drawing to a close and yet we are still too busy to get everything done. It was almost Labor Day weekend which meant we had a three-day show in Alpine, Wyoming. We also had heard that the fish were biting and so we stopped working on stone to make a quick trip up the Grey's River.

It was our friend George’s birthday and as he loves fishing we packed a lunch and took George and Val along. I knew that with George along we would be out fished as he is only eighty-one and usually out fishes us.

It was no surprise then that both he and Val caught some large fish, pushing seventeen inches. Ours were smaller but that was how it should be, the birthday boy should catch the most fish. It was a beautiful day with friends on the Grey and the fall colors had staring to explode throughout the valley.

Friday arrived and we loaded our jewelry, hoping to set up the day before the show. However, a strong front was coming through and so we decided to wait till the morning of the show for our setup.

The next morning we set up in the cold and waited for the day to warm. By noon warmer temperatures and with the warmth, people started to arrive. Art in the Parking Lot is a small show but a good show as it gives us the chance to reconnect with people we have met since we have moved here.

Some of the people brings their rocks for us to identify, and one brought opals she had dug at the Spencer Opal mine. Even through it was the first time she had dug for opals she had some really pretty finds and I showed her how the material should be worked.

We ended up planning an opal dig for next summer and that’s the best thing about why we do shows. Making new friends and listening to new stories is really what it’s all about. As to the show, we had a very good turnout and a good three days. We have been blessed to have so many people love our work.

This sunday, we have our last show of the year, and it’s in Jackson, Wyoming. That show is called, “Takin it to the Streets”, and is a weeklong Fall Arts Festival. There we will be set up along the park with the elk antler arches in the center of the city. Clear skies

A Busy Week of Fishing and Art in the Parking Lot, 2016

The summer is drawing to a close and yet we are still too busy to get everything done. It was almost Labor Day weekend which meant we had a three-day show in Alpine, Wyoming. We also had heard that the fish were biting and so we stopped working on stone to make a quick trip up the Grey's River.

It was our friend George’s birthday and as he loves fishing we packed a lunch and took George and Val along. I knew that with George along we would be out fished as he is only eighty-one and usually out fishes us.

It was no surprise then that both he and Val caught some large fish, pushing seventeen inches. Ours were smaller but that was how it should be, the birthday boy should catch the most fish. It was a beautiful day with friends on the Grey and the fall colors had staring to explode throughout the valley.

Friday arrived and we loaded our jewelry, hoping to set up the day before the show. However, a strong front was coming through and so we decided to wait till the morning of the show for our setup.

Saturday morning arrived and with it cold temperatures so setting up we waited for the day to warm up and by noon warmer temperatures and people had started to arrive. Art in the Parking Lot is a small show but a good show as it gives us the chance to reconnect with people we have met since we have moved here.

Some of the people brings their rocks for us to identify, and one brought opals she had dug at the Spencer Opal mine. Even through it was the first time she had dug for opals she had some really pretty finds and I showed her how the material should be worked.

We ended up planning an opal dig for next summer and that’s the best thing about why we do shows. Making new friends and listening to new stories is really what it’s all about. As to the show, we had a very good turnout and a good three days. We have been blessed to have so many people love our work.

This sunday, we have our last show of the year, and it’s in Jackson, Wyoming. That show is called, “Takin it to the Streets”, and is a weeklong Fall Arts Festival. There we will be set up along the park with the elk antler arches in the center of the city. Clear skies

Jen and Eric's Wedding

They called it the first look, or something equally romantic. It’s the moment when the father of the bride sees his daughter in her wedding gown. The father stood on the alcove until his daughter touches his shoulder and turning there she is. The little girl who once wore rabbit ears was now a stunning woman grown, where did the years go?

We had flown to North Carolina for our daughter’s wedding. Guests had arrived from as far away as San Francisco. The couple has been blessed with so many friends and family. The destination wedding, at a mountain resort allowed us to meet the groom’s family and friends.

Now we stood poised to walk down the sandy beach and of course it started to pour as a torrential mountain downpour swept over the ridge. The wedding facilitator and others quickly ignored the rain and carried the folding chairs into the reception building, a rustic dance hall and speakeasy built in 1904.

It all fit into the theme, a nineteen twenties wedding. The guests were mostly dressed in flapper dresses, zoot suits, knickers and bow ties. Waiting at the door the music started, the theme song from Jurassic Park, and I made a few steps before bursting into tears. Trying to smile we walked slowly down the aisle and reaching the minister, Jen’s Aunt Mona. I still tried to smile but I was simply overcome with emotion and love as I handed her to the bridegroom.

The words were all said, stories of love told and sacred vows exchanged. Renita and I cried but we were not alone as I glanced at the groom’s parents. Her dad, also named Mark and her Mom were all we could hope for. Jen was marrying into a close knit and loving family.

Later we gathered in the speakeasy as the rain finally stopped and heading back upstairs the music begin and the dances followed. The newlyweds smiled as they danced their first dance and then it was the groom and his mother's turn.

Now it was my time to dance with Jen and the song I had picked was one of my favorites. It was a 1930’s jazz recording of Summertime, sung by Bille Holiday. When I was a teacher I would start singing it every May and here I was trying to follow the words.

The dance floor itself was filled with dancing and artistry. At least seven of the guests, were or had been professional dancers and the movements and energy filled the hall. Jen herself was once a member of a professional Jazz Dance Company and she picked up her train and did her steps with ease.

The last dance played and it was time to wish our families and friends goodbye. I never got to make my toast, I know I would have botched it and broke into more tears of joy, and so I write it here, “ To Jen and Eric, and to the family and friends. May the blessings and friendships from this marriage last through time.” Clear skies