Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Fall into Winter

bald eagle in tree, off in the distance


Winter is arriving slowly.  Some days the temperatures are cold, some days warm.  Snow King and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort are busy making snow, supplementing Mother Nature. As my 9 year old recently said, "Mom, Mother Nature should really work on the lower mountain, oh and she could work on Snow King too!" 

What is new around the valley this winter?  We look forward to checking out the new high speed quad chair that has replaced the Casper lift out at the Jackson Hole Ski Area.  I imagine this will make the ride up the mid-mountain area a bit quicker.  Not sure how easy it will be to get to the lift, we will see.

Our apartments are full this winter.  We are thankful for our tenants and look forward to sharing our space as the snow starts to fill up the yard.


Friday, August 31, 2012

New Paint, New Doors, Big Smiles

We love our new doors!  A nice coat of paint and some vibrant colors make such a difference.    Kilmain Painting arrived with 3 guys, two days later the entire building was done!

-- Before --
-- After --


2 bedroom

1 bedroom

1 bedroom

Monday, August 20, 2012

Summer Visitors

One of our favorite tenants, Gaylia is back this summer in all her glory!  She is one of the many not-so-hidden treasures that enjoy our valley each summer.  She is not content to sit on the couch reading her book though.  Between waking up early and hiking the "king" (more info on this can be found at the Snow King site), heading north to the  Jackson Hole and Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center to volunteer 2 days a week, and entertaining guests, she somehow manages to hang with our bunnies, bake cookies for the kids and generally bring joy and love to our lives.

She had an amazing couple of weeks hiking recently and shared her photos with us.

very cute black bear (where is mom?) they didn't stick around to find out!

glorious fireweed -- where you may ask?

if you buy Gaylia a treat, she may share her slice of paradise!

Hello!!

Monday, June 18, 2012

Welcoming Committee

Annabel and Grant welcome Alexis and Claire

Summer is here!  It has been very nice overall.  I have the garden planted, the yard is greening up and the trees are happy to be providing shade.  A very nice family arrived last week, all the way from Tennessee! Ya'll! (they don't really say that though).  Annabel and Grant are enjoying their company.  Tomi surfaces, checks in, and then disappears again, the life of a teenager.

We are so happy to share our slice of heaven, and in return we enjoy the company of some very special people.

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Charlie Brown sweater

Charlie Brown sweater at Center for the Arts
The Charlie Brown Sweater has returned!  Artist Suzanne Morlock knit this amazing work of art.  It was on tour and now it is back!  This is a great distraction from the very inclement Memorial Day weekend we are having!

Spring is in the Air

Spring is in the air!

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Thankful for Our Visitors

Winter is slowly moving into Spring.  It is 50 degrees today.  I know that this is temporary, and the next snowstorm is around the corner (or over the mountains).

We had a moose in the front yard on Monday.  Boy, she was hungry!  She was so delicate as she ate the small apples.  She wasn't so delicate with the branches, but that is OK with me.  Winter is long -- we can share!

 
Moose delicately eating crab apples


We live in a community surrounded by amazing people and beautiful places.  Jackson draws a crowd that loves to explore -- the arts, the mountains, the restaurants, among other things.  We had the good fortune of meeting 2 such people (and their sweet cat Maddie).  Corey worked at the Jackson Hole Ski Area making snow early in the season.  Since we didn't have much snow early in the year, this was a good thing!  Sadly, the seasons have changed. Alaska was calling!

We bid a fond farewell.  We are thankful for our apartments, so thankful!  We meet people that truly enrich our lives.

Happy Birthday Louise

Corey, Louise and crew

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Katie's notes about her trip to Jackson


Jackson Hole Moose hockey game (at Snow King skating rink)
Taking a walk up Cache Creek (minutes from our house)
Wake up Daniel, today is the day you go back to Virginia (:<)

Boo Hoo, our good friends head back to Virginia
We had the pleasure of renting our 2 bedroom unit to a very nice family last winter.  They stayed with us for 4 months!  We were so lucky!  Katie wrote a story about her adventure and I would like to share it with you:

 Last year, my parents notified my brother and I that we were moving to Wyoming. My dad was on sabbatical, and he had a year off of work. He loves skiing, and so do we. But I was all for staying home to “watch the house.” We were going to be gone for about four months, at most. I really didn’t want to leave home to drive for six days across the country. Most of all, I didn’t want to leave my friends in Virginia.

 We began our tedious drive in Virginia, and thencontinued through West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, and finally, Wyoming. Did I mention we were driving with both a loud cat and a psychotic dog?  The dog is very neurotic when it comes to big things, loud things, moving things, little dogs, and men with hats. We stayed in hotels that allow pets, not the highest quality either. One night, the fire alarm sounded at two in the morning.One of the kitchen staff forgot to turn off the stove!

Upon reaching our destination, Jackson, Wyoming, we searched for our apartment. It only took a few minutes before we located the house, and half a dozen other places we had to visit later. Since we were in the center of town, we could walk almost everywhere without getting too tired.

 When we reached the apartment, I was glad. I wanted to lie down and cry. Unfortunately, my parents needed my help unpacking. We were halfway unpacked when I heard a loud burst of barking. I looked around, not seeing anything. Then, suddenly something small crashed into me. I looked down, and sure enough, a tiny dog staring at us. It seemed like the puppy was trying to take us all in at once. I looked around, wondering where her owners were. A sharp whistle followed by an “Angie, come!” emitted from near the landlady’s home. I turned my head to see a tall, friendly-looking woman exit the house. The dog ran over, and stopped barking. My parents introduced us, and the landlady introduced herself as Audrey.The next day, Audrey and a younger girl came over to the apartment with coats for my brother and I. The girl’s name was Annabel. (She was ten years old, and had two brothers.) Annabel was glad to help out with anything. She and I were soon to become great friends. I met her brothers Tomi and Grant next. They were some of the nicest people I had ever met.

 Annabel, Tomi, and Grant were welcoming, and helped me fit in to Wyoming life. They made my time in Wyoming bearable, and not torturous like I had expected. I guess I thought living anywhere but Virginia would be terrible, without my friends and my house. Actually, I was wrong in thinking that. I learned from my time in Wyoming, that wherever you go, there is always someone to welcome you and make you feel at home.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Waiting for snow, moose and more

Although the busiest time of the year around here is the summer, the people that experience Jackson in the winter have their own special treat!

beautiful, healthy moose enjoying a breakfast treat on Snow King

We had a moose visit our yard last winter.   This photo was taken out by our garden.  I'm sure she walked over the fence, the snow was so deep!  When we saw her, we opened the gates.  She got up and walked out!

Winter moose taking a snooze

We are lucky to have enough snow to ski, but barely!  Grant is on the ski club J6 ski team.  His first race was at Snow King resort (3 blocks away!) on the 31st of December.

Grant almost to the finish line