finally here.

after a long drive and exhausting vacation, i'm finally here for the summer. classes start tomorrow and i plan on getting to bed early tonight to try to kick this sore throat i've had all day. signing off for now, i'll keep you posted on how things are going.

yellowstone :: day three

we ended our visit to yellowstone on a cool, foggy, rainy day. the serious rain held off for most of the day so we were able to keep mostly dry. we spent the majority of our time in the northern area around mammoth hot springs. the fog made the steam off the hot springs seam even more creepy. as for wildlife, today we saw the grizzly bear + 2 cubs (again), great white heron, great horned owl + 3 owlets, elk, black bear (running across the road), mountain blue birds, and bison. our last stop was at the paint pots.

yellowstone :: day two

the day started out a little rough with a 1 hour "bison operation" on the road into the park. once we reached the construction area we were told there were 50 bison in the construction zone and 200 in the heard following - road closed. it took us another few hours to take the road around the park to reach our destination for the day. way too much time in the car. we did have a day filled with wildlife. we saw bison, elk, pronghorn, big horn sheep, osprey, bald eagles, prairie dogs, black bear + cub, and grizzly bear + 2 cubs. we also took a very short hike. and the rainbow at the end of the day shows promise that tomorrow will be more exploring and less driving.

yellowstone :: day one

yellowstone is really amazing. if you haven't been, you should put it on your list. today we did the geyser tour around the south-west side of the park, old faithful and all it's counterparts. tomorrow we're headed to the north-east side and lamar valley for a little wolf watching and a day hike. most of these photos are straight from the camera, it is beautiful, colorful, and inspiring here.

on the road again

another long day in the car again - this time 14.5 hours on the road.

we get 3 days off from driving now to spend in yellowstone national park.

life is a highway

3 states down, 3 to go

stopped a little earlier than we hoped because of the weather.

so long midwest...

so long midwest, see you in the late summer when i return from the mountains.

packing

just around here finishing up my packing. trying to decide what i will actually need to have with me this summer. of course things like treking poles, tents, and the backpack are essentials. i would say the camp/hike gear is the only 'extra' stuff i'm taking beyond linens, clothes, photography equipment, and a couple books.

i also wanted to try out the cruddy telephoto kit lens i have from the old camera with my new body. seems like it will be okay, not too great with the color or the sharpness like the other lenses i have but it will do the trick if i only need it for a couple of shots this summer.

have a good weekend!

rain.

enjoying the sounds and smells of a very soothing and calm late afternoon rain shower; one of my favorite parts about late spring in the midwest.

i spent the day around the house getting things situated in my last few days here before i leave. planted some morning glorys on the east side of our house and i'm excited to see what they will be when i return in august. filled some pots for the end of our driveway to live next to that purple stuff that blooms all summer and some dark red lilies that don't bloom until the end of july or later. the big pot will hopefully sprout some snapdragons (the tall ones) in the center where i planted the seeds.

other than that i've been cleaning, dusting, vacuuming, scrubbing, and everything else to get this house ready for 3 months of bachelor-pad-ness. (don't worry about the flowers while i'm gone, the hubs is usually the one who remembers to water them anyways). i'm feeling quite relaxed after a day of elbow grease and dirty fingernails.

how's your week going?

do u txt?

i was way overdue, 3 years, for a free phone upgrade. and since my old, trusty phone only held a battery charge for about 12 hours it was time for a new phone. i splurged and added texting to my previously talk only plan but i'm debating about it still.

do you text?

do you find it convenient?

is it too un-personal?

i also chose to go to the store to get my phone instead of ordering online because i like the person-to-person service. do you think texting is wrong for me?

hmmm, it's a conundrum for sure.....

pw's pinapple-chicken quesadillas

put the chicken in the pan to cook and went online to look up a recipe for sweet-and-sour chicken because i had some fresh pinapple in the fridge. when i got to pw's cooking page to find a link to the tasty kitchen, her headline was these quesadillas. i made a few modifications to her original recipe; used pepper-jack cheese and sharp cheddar cheese, and added green onions. to season my chicken i used salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, and cumin. shoot, i just realized i forgot to add the bbq sauce! man, that would have been good.

it was tasty though! :)