A lot of pictures from Yellowstone

Surprise! I got up EARLY all of the days we were in Yellowstone and these pictures were my reward! Alana and I covered a lot of ground during our 5 day adventure. We put on over 1,500 miles! Here are some of the sites on the way to and from Yellowstone: We spent the night in Jackson and had dinner at a popular brewery and saw the Bourne Ultimatum at the local theater. There were only two other people there with us.

The Tetons

A very popular spot for photographers. On our way to South Pass City, we drove through the Red Canyon. South Pass City, one of my most favorite historic sites: I love the various geysers and hot pools we explored while in Yellowstone. Despite the strong smell of sulphur, they were very enjoyable.
Animals we saw:

BISON OSPRAYMOOSEELKAnd the wildest animals of all... Yellowstone Lake & River:

A day hike along the canyon rim:

I can't wait to go back!

A Tribute to Scott

When we think of our Scott…

…We think of wildflowers and walking in the wheat fields of Montana.

…We think of the best story-teller, who could keep us on the edge of our seat and we would ask him to hurry up so he could get to the end.

…We think of long, long stories and 15 minute phone messages and second messages that would start off with him saying, “Part 2 of first message.”

…We think of short shorts, dirty fingernails, a bare chest and dirt from head to toe.

…We think of boating on Possum Kingdom Lake in Texas and snowmobiling on Cross Lake.

…We think of running through the airport and trying not to miss the plane or the time he ran ahead and kept the plane from leaving.

…We think of him as a teenager, taking the car (without permission), to visit best friends in La Crescent.

…We think of a perfectionist who numbered his socks so each was sure to wear out at the same time.

…We think of someone so full of love that he would have given anyone who asked, the shirt off his back.

…We think of brown signs along the highways of America where he would have to stop at each one and read THE WHOLE THING.

…We think of “Greimann-time” and that meant he would be very, very late.

…We think of him telling the story of doing a wheelie with his motorcycle trying to show off for friends and him scraping his rear all the way down 14^th street.

…We think of peace and a spirit that could calm the most raging soul.

…We think of Suzi, his beloved black lab, and how she would retreive every single ball that he ever threw.

…We think of him calling and saying “this is just your brother” and ending with “I love you.”

…We think of driving on Hwy. 1 in Oregon, listening to E-L-O, and all four tires squealing.

…We think of six week old food in the refrigerator that he would actually eat and say, “Just scrape the green stuff off cuz it was good underneath.”

…We think of how spontaneous he was, showing up on our doorsteps with out any notice or giving gifts for no special reason.

…We think of him tying a slip knot in a rope and fishing for pigs from the hayloft.

…We think of over a hundred speeding tickets and a boat and trailer coming unhooked and passing the pickup going down the hill in Montana.

…We think of Corpus Christie and how he loved running with Suzi on the beach.

…We think of the adventures he had hunting up north with friends and family and staying in the old broken down shack.

…We think of eating ice cream and how he would say, “It’ll make you smart!”

…We think of white water rafting, hiking the Grand Canyon and losing your camera.

…We think of funny t-shirts that would say, “Good to go” or “Stick a fork in me…I’m done.”

…We think of oatmeal and brown rice mixed together with a side of coffee for breakfast.

…We think of the tarantulas, spiders and snakes he would sneak home from his travels and give to the kids.

…We think of all the countries he visited and the people he touched there.

…We think of him flying with Bruce Iverson in the rainbows and clouds.

…We think of a black hole and how he would spiral out and in.

…We think of him laughing and saying, “I’m so funny!”

…We think of immense love for his mother, his sisters, his brother and all his farmer friends throughout the United States.

…We think of how he was a Christian, believed in his Savior and prayed every morning, “Please God, save me.”

When we think of our Scott and all the lives he touched, we feel sad because although he loved everyone, he could never figure out why they loved him. We are here today to honor that love.

Scottie, we hope you are free, feeling no pain and basking in the glory of the Lord you prayed to every morning. We hope you have a parts trailer to organize, some grain to dry and at the end of the day, you feel good enough to take your boat and ride into the sunset.

We love you and will miss you until our dying days.

– Kelly Ann and your loving family and friends.

Thanks to Kelly and Makenzie for sharing this tribute. I'm still looking for old pictures of Scott. Most of them were before the digital age so it might take me awhile to get them posted.

Anyone interested in participating in the summer 2008 tribute ride for Scott through WY, please contact Terry at: tlbeyer@bellsouth.net
Jason and I will be organizing the event from this end.

Yellowstone

Alana and I got back from Yellowstone Monday evening. I've been at work since and haven't had time to upload photos. I'll get to it... in the meantime, check out Alana's blog at: http://colefaber.blogspot.com/

Alana the fab photographer:

Tonight is my first volleyball game with the rec. center league. Wish me luck! Jason is keeping BUSY with hunting season so we see each other sporadically.

Check back soon!

Pictures from Atlanta

I was so busy with the conference and socializing with friends, I didn’t take nearly as many pictures as I wanted. Thanks to those who made time to see me. Especially those that traveled to traffic congested downtown Atlanta to visit! (Scary stuff)

I’ll be home again in Dec. if I missed you this trip.

View from my hotel:

Mom, Dad, Grandpa & Grandma: It was SO good to see you!

For Jessica:

Nikki (my roommate from West GA) and I presented a session entitled “Exhibits on a Shoestring Budget” which was well received. That evening we took a self-guided “tour” of Centennial Olympic Park and Underground.

The rest of the time was spent learning about new interpretive methods, technology lead tours and heritage trails, concerns of young professionals, and visitor surveys.

Tomorrow I leave for Yellowstone. Check back for more pictures. In the mean time, read Jason’s posting below:

My Father, the Wyoming "Curiosity"

We always suspected it. Mom’s been saying it as long as I can remember. Now she has documentary evidence (supposedly, a whole case worth). They say it must be true if you see it in print, so Dad (Bill) must really be one of “Wyoming's Curiosities.” “His” article proudly sits on pages 112-113!

Several months ago he told us he had been interviewed by an author (and suggested he had dazzled her with his amazing stories of snowplows and Wyoming’s lonesome highways). Apparently, he and another long-time Department of Transportation employee had spent the better part of a day "astounding" the writer with their colorful experiences. Upon hearing him tell us of this, we suspected we were listening to one such “amazing” tale.

Fast forwarding to the present, a book suddenly appears at the Post Office with his name in it (as opposed to on it, like most things coming through the Post Office)! Seeing the title, we thought we immediately understood the author’s intense interest in my father. However, our first impressions were wrong and the book is actually an extensive register of many short anecdotes about Wyoming. Dad’s tale of surprising a stranded motorist during a white-out blizzard is but one small piece of the book (obviously, the best piece, though). The story probably won’t lead to any David Letterman appearances, but he usually goes to bed early anyway.

Hmmn, after reading his two pages of fame, now I’m wondering if he was on State time when this interview took place. . . . Anyway, we'll keep you apprised of his book signing schedule.

My Schedule:

I won’t be around much in the coming weeks. Didn’t want anyone to worry so I thought I’d post my schedule. Sept. 4th through the 10th I’ll be in Atlanta visiting my parents and attending (and presenting at) the American Association of State and Local History with my friend Nikki. Wish me luck!
Sept. 11th and 12th I’ll be back in Laramie, trying to catch up with work before heading to Yellowstone Sept. 13th-17th with my friend Alana. I just finished Jason’s hunter safety course so I’m feeling very prepared for the great outdoors!
When I return, I’ll post pictures from my adventures and a photo tribute to Scott Griemann, my godfather, who passed away Aug. 28th. Jason and I just got back from the funeral in Blue Earth, MN. The eulogy was so beautiful, I hope to get a copy and post it here. In the meantime, those of you who knew Scott can visit http://www.pattonfh.com/ to sign the guest book, read and leave memories.

Scott came for my confirmation in Lancaster, CA. I was in the 8th grade with funny hair, big glasses and a mouth full of braces.

Please pray for safe travels, that the dogs will behave while I’m gone, that Jason will stay busy and safe, and that the house will miraculously be clean when I get home!