Winter 2024 Photo Catch-Up
The winter of 23-24 was not as epic as last year, but we got our share of snow.
Freja
Welcome to the Hefti family, little Freja! Freja was born January 18th and we got to pick her up in Worland, WY on March 9th. She is mostly potty-trained now: to let us know she needs to go, she rings bells that we’ve hung from the front door. She is still very much in puppy mode: lots of nipping and […]
Spring Break 2024: Dodging the Weather
With tools spread orderly about the driveway, work jeans covered in grime and various dirt renditions, Stéphane meticulously and determinedly brings the Gruffalo back to life. YES, the Gruffalo is ours again! As she begins the next chapter of her life with us, the Gruffalo was in need of some TLC: a leaky toilet, a second, random water leak, broken […]
Spring Break 2023: Las Vegas
Our plans to play in the Buckskin Mountains on the southern Utah/northern Arizona border fizzled when, just a few days prior to departure, its 10-day weather forecast read like a broken record: rain-rain-rain-rain-rain. Plan B was Las Vegas and I was not very excited about it. Red Rocks Canyon, a very well-known climbing mecca, lies just west of Vegas. It’s […]
The Long Winter
“We haven’t seen a winter like this in over twenty years.” Our next-door neighbors Forest and Gina didn’t grow up in Wyoming, but they’ve been here long enough to be considered “natives”. So when they tell us that this is just about the worst and longest Wyoming winter they’ve lived through, I take their word for it. Because surely, this […]
What is the point?
When searching online for “fat tire bike”, one of the first entries that pops up is “What is the point of a fat tire bike?” This question (statement?) is in complete alignment with what Stéphane and I had previously thought about fat tire bikes – what is the point? Why are the tires so fat, why do people ride bikes […]
Exploring Vernal
April 2022 North-East Utah is the land of dinosaurs. Dinosaur trails that lead to fossilized dinosaur footprints, dinosaur museums, and the Dinosaur National Monument. Entering Vernal, Utah, you are greeted by the happy pink brontosaurus (?); you can order an Allosaurs Amber at the Vernal Brewery or a decent (according to our German friend, Florian) Oktoberfest beer at the Dinosaur […]
Winter happenings
Stéphane hit an antelope on the way home from Rawlins Dan came to visit – charbonnade and museum. Guest house progression – more wires and pipes; Trip to Menards, let’s pick out some lights! and more: we need flooring, and cabinets – a fan! Tiglet retired; welcome Eagle to the clan: she’s white and she’s peppy, has minimal miles plus […]
The Driveway Dilemma
The slope of red rock across the street peeps out from under its blanket of soft, powdery snow; five inches of fresh white lies over Lander and its quiet and cold this morning. Hugo excitedly packs his little blue snow shovel in the Tig so that he can help clear the sidewalks at school, and all I can think about […]
Home On The Range
A herd of buffalo lounge about in the distance just beyond the back fence. A doe followed closely by her two skittish littles treads shyly across the yard; they all take a sip from the pond and lie down in the shade of the trees, expectantly. They are waiting for me to put more corn out under “the feed tree”. […]
Thankful
The mid-afternoon light slants softly through the kitchen window exposing the little hand-print smudges on the refrigerator and magnifying the streaks on the glass windows (I thought I just cleaned those!). Outside on the deck, Thanksgiving is currently grilling. Just a few chicken thighs this year, nothing fancy. I pulled the bread out of the oven only thirty minutes ago […]
Outdoor explorations
Our first weeks in Lander have been filled with meeting new people and discovering all of the places to explore and play once work and school are done. Sinks Canyon is a mix of bare, rocky cliffs on the south-facing side with pine and aspen-covered faces on the north-facing wall. The Popo Agie river flows down the middle. Dusty forest […]
Five
You are five years old, Hugo! Although they change fairly frequently, the most popular books of the day are the adventures of Tinker and Tanker (particularly the two new “old” ones purchased for your birthday, which include Tinker and Tanker in the Wild Wild West – how appropriate). Every day you bring home sweet drawings filled with hearts, rainbows, and […]
First Goodbye
Wish his little blonde head peeping out between the two curtains that enclose his elevated nest in The Grizz, Hugo exclaims (twenty minutes prior to his morning alarm clock’s eruption), “Hurry we have to get ready for school!” It’s Hugo’s first day of school, ever. The first of many firsts for him. The first of many goodbyes for us. Thanks […]
Where the Rails End and the Trails Begin
The Heftis have landed in Lander, Wyoming! After much deliberation, soul-searching, school / town research, and early morning coffee chats poolside Chez Porthole Place (VA), we decided that this little town at the foot of the Wind River Mountains will be the best place for us. The fact that we have never been here does not deter us; we’ve moved […]
A few summer weeks in The Mitten
Carrying the physical contents of our lives, each carefully wrapped, strapped, and boxed, the UHaul growls to life, takes a final slow roll down Porthole Place, a left onto Mainsail, and from there West to Wyoming. Stephane leaves in the early hours of the morning to begin ticking off the 2,000+ miles between Suffolk and Lander. Hugo and I stay […]