Museums Get Good PR

Museums in the 21st Century, NPR
and
The Next Big Blockbuster: Night at the Museum 2: Battle for the Smithsonian.
As soon as I find a trailer, I'll post it!

VACATION!!!

Jason came home the other day and said "It is time for a vacation". But not just any vacation - no! We are celebrating the end of HUNTING SEASON (almost over). So, we are headed to... New Orleans the second weekend of Dec. I'm so excited!!!

We found the cutiest B&B to stay in:
http://www.blockkellerhouse.com/

And really low airfare.

A nice little get away, just for the two of us!

Game Warden News

My handsome husband made the local news:
http://www.laramieboomerang.com/articles/2008/10/30/features/outdoors/doc490a89c080f05059973644.txt

Hair Cut

I finally decided it was time for a change. After only 1 hair cut in 2.5 years, this was a long time coming!

Before:

After:

It is dinosaur big!

Have you every seen a brontosaurs? Wonder what it would feel like? Visit an above ground coal mine in Gillette, WY and ask to see the drag line - it will blow your mind! This thing is HUGE! Our tour guide shared the stats with us but I was too busy staring up with my mouth open to retain much of that information. I do know that everything at this mine seemed to cost millions - from the drag line, Caterpillars, drills, staplers... J/K. But in all reality, this is an expensive operation. The small brown circle to the left of the beast is a crew member.Inner workings of the beast.
Tools to repair the beast.

The hole the beast helped dig... sorry this is dark but at the bottom is a seam of coal.
Leadership Wyoming classmates and tour guide standing on the deck of the beast. It was moving dirt away from the coal seam. The bucket was huge and as it gathered dirt, I imagine the sound it was making was similar to that of a brontosaurs tearing leaves and limbs off a tall tree. That's me, far right. Like the hard hat?When it stopped so we could get on board, I was so intimidated! Once in stow, the driver started the engine and went back to work. I got a little sea sick and felt like a sailor on a submarine. It was quite daunting but my classmates were there for support! What a wonderful opportunity to learn more about Wyoming's coal mining industries.

Wyoming in the News

My friend Randy was interviewed for this article with CNN on the natural gas industry in WY:
http://money.cnn.com/2008/09/18/news/economy/wyoming_drilling/index.htm

Alana sent me this link about the revitalization of the Northern Arapaho language on the Wind River Reservation. My former intern Matt has his Master's Degree in Native American Studies and is learning to speak Arapaho.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/17/us/17arapaho.html?pagewanted=1&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

San Francisco de Asis Church and the Scary Bridge!

“The Spanish Mission-style San Francisco de Asis Church was erected in the 18th century as a spiritual and physical refuge from raiding Apache, Ute, and Comanche. The earthy, clean lines of the exterior walls and supporting bulwarks have inspired generations of painters and photographers.” – Fodor’s The Old West: Travel Historic America.

The scary bridge:

Our visit to this bridge outside of town was the first time I understood vertigo! Wow, it felt so wobbly. So while Meg was brave and took photos from the middle of the bridge, I wondered around on solid ground and took took these landscapes:

I would highly recommend Taos for its beautiful sunsets, good food and friendly people. More Taos photos below...

Cooking Demo at La Hacienda de los Martinez

The day we visited the Hacienda there was a community Trade Fair with local artisians. Meg and I met Susan and Pearl who are part of the Red Willow Tribe. They live at Taos Pueblo (see post below for photos). They were cooking bread, pies and cookies in the adobe oven called an horno. Meg, master chief that she is, jumped right in and asked for a cooking lesson! The bread was REALLY good!We were so intriqued with the cooking demo that I forgot to take pictures of the hacienda! We did make friends with some of the locals. The community historian swore up and down that he'd meet me before and then hand painted each of us beautifully images of San Francisco de Asis Church to bring home! Susan, Pearl, Meg and I exchanged addresses and hope to stay in touch. Needless to say, we found everyone very welcoming and warm.

Taos Pueblo, New Mexico

This past weekend a girlfriend and I traveled to Taos, New Mexico for some warm weather, sightseeing and good food. It was my first trip to Taos and I found the area beautiful and the people warm and inviting. Here are some pictures from the Taos Pueblo:“For nearly 1,000 years the mud-and-straw adobe walls of Taos Pueblo have sheltered Tiwa-speaking Native Americans. The pueblo today appears much as it did when the first Spanish explorers arrived in New Mexico in 1540. The adobe walls glistening with mica caused the conquistadores to believe they had discovered one of the fabled Seven Cities of Gold. Even after 400 years of Spanish and Anglo presence in Taos, inside the pueblo the traditional Native American way of life has endured. Tribal custom allows no electricity or running water in the two main buildings, where varying numbers (usually fewer than 100) of Taos Native Americans live full-time. The pueblo Church of San Geronimo, or St. Jerome, the patron saint of Taos Pueblo, was completed in 1850 to replace the one destroyed by the U.S. Army in 1847 during the Mexican-American War.” – Fodor’s The Old West: Travel Historic America.Taos Pueblo is the only living Native American community designated both a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and a National Historic Landmark. The multi-storied adobe buildings have been continuously inhabited for over 1000 years. We welcome you to visit our village when you travel to northern New Mexico.
For more information, visit: http://www.taospueblo.com/

Jackson Retreat

I spent most of last week in Jackson, WY, Grand Teton National Park to be exact, at my Leadership WY (class of 2009) Retreat. It was an AMAZING experience. Something I got to share with 43 other AMAZING individuals. It was VERY positive, uplifting, thoughtful, FUNny, relaxing, insightful, exercise inducing (thanks to Jake and Doreen)... A good time was had by all.

We learned a lot about ourselves and each other, about Brain Maping, cultural phrases (How are the Children?), new perspectives, issues facing Wyoming, and reflected on our personal time lines. (I tracked my not so much by year but by what state I was living in!)

I can't really find the words to express how helpful this has all been to my personal journey. I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone better and sharing this experience with family and friends.

Now, some pictures...