The Wild, Wild West (Jackson Hole & Yellowstone)

As I've commented before, the Better Life can be enjoyed regardless of the setting.  And this island girl travels!  Most recently, Beau and I enjoyed a journey into the Wild, Wild West - an area of the United States that neither of us had previously explored.  In short, it was fantastic!

Jackson Hole, Wyoming

This area still feels like the frontier as it's a looooong way from the Bahamas, but it was entirely worth the trip!

After arriving by plane last week, stepping into the chilly mountain evening and eating a late dinner by the hotel, we fell soundly asleep in our log cabin at the lovely Rustic Inn Creekside Resort & Spa.  

We awoke early the next morning - by habit and due to the two hour time difference - but lounged for a while before venturing outside to the hotel's hot breakfast buffet in the main building.  Overnight lows were in the - gulp - 30 degrees (F), so we waited until the sun burned off some of the cold!

Stepping out into the crisp day, I inhaled deeply, breathing the fresh mountain air and enjoying the spectacular vista.  Our "backyard" consisted of a bubbling creek, changing leaves on trees, hillsides, tepees and fire pits.  What a beautiful time of year in a beautiful setting!

Our backyard, Rustic Inn, Jackson Hole, WY.

Venturing into downtown Jackson later that day, we strolled around the Town Square, enjoying the local art, quaint shops, restaurants, bars, friendly locals and western ambiance.

All four corners of Jackson's Town Square park are graced by archways of antlers (shed every winter).

Grand Tetons

Early the next morning, a guide from Grizzly Country Wildlife Adventures picked us (and a couple from Israel) up for a 12-hour guided tour of the Grand Tetons and the lower loop of Yellowstone.  The guided tour was worth every penny!  Instead of wrestling with maps and twisting mountain roads, we relaxed and enjoyed the views - many of which we wouldn't have found on our own - during our 250 mile jaunt.

First stop was a scenic look at the Tetons in the soft morning light.

Grand Teton is the highest point in the middle of this picture.

Entering Grand Teton National Park, our next stop was the picturesque Oxbow Bend along the Snake River.

Oxbow Bend, with the Tetons reflecting in the Snake River.

Yellowstone National Park

Leaving the Tetons, we entered our famous national park.

Just a pair of happy tourists!

First of all, I never realized how HUGE Yellowstone National Park is - spanning almost 3,500 square miles!  Really glad to have our guide!  I also hadn't known that it is volcanic in nature - Yellowstone Caldera is the largest supervolcano on the continent.

One of our first stops in the Park was a visit to Old Faithful Geyser.  Perhaps the most predictable geyser, it erupts approximately every 90 minutes.  Our guide called a hotline to check the projected schedule for the morning!  We took our seats - at a presumably safe distance - around the bubbling, steaming area and patiently waited.

Sure enough, within 10 minutes of the predicted time, the geyser erupted, shooting thousands of gallons of boiling water approximately 140 feet up into the air.  Amazing.

Old Faithful Geyser erupting, Yellowstone National Park.

We learned that Yellowstone boasts hundreds of geysers, hot springs, bubbling mud pits, waterfalls and petrified forests.  It was strange to see a pool of water (like the one below) that looked like a Caribbean blue hole, with clear turquoise water, only to realize that the steaming water is more than 200 degrees (F) - no swimming!

Yellowstone National Park.

Another spectacular sight in the Park was the grand waterfall crashing into the river at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone Park.

Waterfall and Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.

In addition to the spectacle of nature's beauty, the Park is rife with wildlife.  Our favorite - encountering a herd of bison along the road.

Bison herd, Yellowstone National Park.

It was impressive to see these massive creatures in person.  I was also surprised to hear their snorting and other noises.

 

Less pretty, but equally astounding, were the surprisingly large droppings of, err, Bison scat.

For perspective, that's my little foot next to the huge Bison scat.

Entering yet another scenic area, our guide sent us to explore (keeping an eye on us, of course) while he set up a gourmet picnic lunch alongside the river.

Lunch in Yellowstone.

Returning from lunch to the main road, we waved to this immense bison ambling along the road.

Photo of this bison taken through the car window!

Later, also just off the main road, we stopped to admire grazing elk.

Elk in Yellowstone.

Elk lunchtime.

Another breath-taking spot was the large Jackson Lake, nestled right against the mountains.

Jackson Lake, Wyoming

Although we did discard our jackets during the sunniest part of the afternoon, clouds rolled in late afternoon, the wind picked up, and we bundled up again!

Ending the day in the Tetons.

Horses, Cowboys and Friends

The next morning greeted us with another sun-filled, blue sky kind of day.  Weather was wonderful all week.  We could handle the brief bits of cold (overnight lows in the upper 30s) for the pretty days (highs in the upper 60s and lower 70s).

Another beautiful Wyoming day.

After a leisurely lunch at a restaurant situated high on a butte with breath-taking views, we stopped at a local stable for some horseback riding!  In this day and age of liability and waiver forms, I didn't expect that we'd be able to work up much speed.  However, when our group included a dad with his babe-in-arms, we knew it was going to be a really slow amble!

Nonetheless, it was fun to be on horses, and the hour-long journey over the top of a mountain with the views below was exceptional.

Beau having fun with Horse Trey - look at that view!

Later that day, we cleaned up for a tasty dinner in town and to go hear some live music.  Like the night before, we enjoyed live bands with country music, entertaining dancing and friendly locals and visitors.

We especially enjoyed meeting a real live cowboy who regaled us with stories.  This cowboy has never left the country and thinks he might wither in an island sun, but he certainly enjoys his own Better Life and embraces a similar philosophy.  Becoming fast friends, we enjoyed his company on several evenings and left amid promises to keep in touch and visit again.

Our cowboy friend gifted us this picture of him and a favorite horse.

Our last day welcomed us into sunny arms yet again.  After a leisurely morning, we met dear friends for lunch at the National Museum of Wildlife Art.  Beau has known this lovely couple from their years of frequenting our island world, so it was a special treat to see them in their mountain world!

With friends at the National Museum of Wildlife Art, Jackson, Wyoming.

We enjoyed our first taste of bison burgers - tastier and leaner than ground beef - as we sat outside in the sun, enjoying the view across to the Elk Refuge and the company of good friends.  

Would you believe that I had to leave the islands to suffer a little sunburn?!  I underestimated the proximity and strength of the sun in the high altitude.  After lunch, we viewed the various galleries of the museum, oohing and ahhing at the splendor.

Heading Home

All too soon, it was time to return home.  Being in altitudes of 6,000 (Jackson) to 8,000 (Yellowstone) feet, we occasionally had a headache (which Beau joked was due to beer!) and mild shortness of breath.  Time to get back to sea level!  Also time to get back to humidity - we went through about a gallon of body lotion in the dry mountain air.

We traveled back to Florida for an overnight before heading on to the island.  The overnight stay with my father brought its own vacation enjoyment as Dad and Beau continued their decades-long challenges of pool and dominoes.  

Dominoes, especially, is a favorite Bahamian pastime, and Dad always enjoyed the fast-paced game coupled with fast-paced banter and trash talk.  Beau, on the other hand, enjoys teasing Dad for taking too long to play his turns.  "Study long, study wrong!"  Beau emerged the victor that night, duly noted by Dad on the ongoing score sheet that lives on his refrigerator.  But Dad insists that I tell you all he gave Beau a good run for his money!

Beau and Dad - Bahamian style dominoes and trash talk in Florida.

What a great trip!  I thoroughly enjoyed my journey into the Wild, Wild West and understand how the Better Life can be enjoyed there.  The pretty weather (which has just turned colder, so we had perfect timing!), amazing views, majestic mountains, impressive wildlife and crisp mountain air fed my soul in a different-but-still-good way.

Now, back on the island, I am - as always - happy to be home and appreciative of my Better Life here.  Cheers to your Better Lives at home and in your travels!

Island Back-Story Take Two

Good morning, Better Lifers!  

Today's post is a revised version of an earlier post from March 16, 2012, giving you the background of how I first discovered this island on a family vacation in my teenage years.  Having combed through my storage unit when I was last in Florida, I retrieved old photo albums.  So you now have pictorial accompaniment for the story!  

Here is the link to the updated post.  Enjoy and have a great week!

Dawn of a New Day

Good morning, Better Lifers!  What a glorious day.  I hope you take a moment from your busy Saturdays to simply breathe, look around you, and smile.

I've been rather contemplative lately.  I just feel so FULL of Life, in a quiet, contented way.  I think perhaps my senses are becoming more finely tuned to the little things in each day that bring me peace and happiness.  Combined, they can outweigh the moments of the blechy stuff - the chaos and frustrations of everyday life.

Anyway, in this spirit of contented contemplation, I awoke this morning with a clear mission in mind . . .

First of all, keep in mind that I don't use alarm clocks anymore.  Beau might as well be an alarm clock because he wakes so early and regularly.  Angel, too.  I love waking slowly to the quiet sounds of their morning stirrings, the buzz of an early boat carrying someone to work on a neighboring island, the darkness slowly dispersing as I blink my way into the day.

So, at 6:30 a.m. this morning, I was sleepily making coffee and giving Angel her breakfast.  However, already having my mission in mind, I skipped other morning routines (dishes, email, etc.), put on some clothes, grabbed my camera and headed out the door.  Angel scampered happily along with me toward the golf cart, excited to go for a ride and likely curious about this deviation from our usual morning routines.

Our mission?  To experience the sunrise, up close and personal.

On this small island, I face west and enjoy glorious sunsets on a near-daily basis.  As much as I love and appreciate such beauty at the close of the day, there's just something special about the peaceful quiet of morning and the anticipation of a new day that prompted me to go get a sunrise fix.

Five minutes after we left home, Angel and I arrived on the eastern side of the island, the "ocean ridge" where the waters are less protected and rougher.  From here, we enjoyed the dawn of this new day . . .

6:45 a.m.  

The sun has not yet shown her face, but her advance team has begun to brighten the eastern sky.

Turning slightly southeast, the sky pinkens and the sea grass blows in the wind down the long stretch of empty beach.
 

We walk down the sand dunes and onto the beach.  Not another soul in sight, we enjoy the serenity of the beach with only the sounds of the wind and the waves.

Well, I am serene.  Angel is beyond excited at this big-beach freedom.  She races down the beach, then gallops back toward me with a happy, panting grin.

As the sun continues her journey toward the horizon, I am struck by the beauty of a large rock jutting out of the sand at the shoreline.  It's glossy surface and ragged edges are beautiful.  The pretty and peaceful symbolism of a rock in the midst of a stormy sea comes to mind for me as well.

As Angel and I stroll along, I am also reminded of a beloved childhood poem that used to hang on my bedroom wall, Footprints in the Sand.  Do you remember it?

I turn back to look at our path, and I see Angel's tiny paw prints next to mine.



We return to our starting point and sit down to take in the rest of the sunrise.



 

 Here she comes!  The sun rises, a tiny orange ball sitting on the horizon.

 And now, getting larger . . .

 And higher in the sky . . .

 Beautiful.  A new Dawn.

Sated, Angel and I strolled from the water's edge, through the soft sand, up the dunes to the golf cart waiting on the rocky road up high on the ridge.

I brushed the sand from her pink belly and off of her paws, deposited her on the seat, took a swig of coffee, and turned the golf cart toward home.

As we drove back to the western side of the island, I continued to enjoy the brightening sky, noticing how the pinks and oranges bounced off the clouds reflected in the western sky.

So imagine my delight when I arrived home to a breathtaking rainbow!

Angel and I went out back, to the calm shallow water, and I could see the rainbow emerging from a little cay and stretching into the clouds . . .

 . . . ending only when it encountered the brilliant blue sky.

A rainbow!  What a glorious finale to our sunrise experience!

Then, as a delightful post-script, Angel and I enjoyed a visit from our neighbor dog, Billie Girl.  They sniffed each other, tails wagging, then Billie came over to give me kisses and check out the trail of scents in our yard.

After more doggie kisses (and a wave to Billie's Momma to let her know where Billie was), I headed back inside.  Angel cooled down from her adventure, and I continued to nurse my coffee.  (I also ate a piece of chocolate cake for breakfast.  Just because.  Oh glorious day!)

On this quiet morning, I give thanks for so much:  the simplicity of the day, the inspiration to go on our excursion, the majestic beauty of the sunrise, the startling surprise of a rainbow, the friendship of neighbors, the love of dogs, the delicious decadence of chocolate cake, the peace of the ocean and sky, the Grace that brought me here and so much more.

And as I write, I think of you, my beloved family and friends and my dear Better Life readers, and I give thanks for each of you, too.  Have a wonderful weekend.

Stepping on a Sea Urchin

Last week, I blogged about Angel's medical emergency, but I'm overdue to fill you in on mine . . .

As regular readers may recall, the end of July was a fun, but particularly hectic, time for me.  During a brief lull one Sunday, Beau went out diving (free-diving and spear-fishing) for the day, and I decided to treat myself, too.

French Toast

I slept in a little - anything past 6:30am is a luxury!  When I woke up, I was craving French Toast, but I didn't have any bread in the house.  I used that as an excuse to do the decadent thing that sounded fun to me - I took myself out to breakfast!  Just a short golf cart ride away, I went to the local marina/restaurant and enjoyed a sit-down breakfast while greeting various friends who were working or passing through.

One friend joined me for a while and suggested I join her group on a boating excursion.  I hesitated, with laundry on the line and thinking of the leisurely things I could do back home before joining Beau and the guys for fish-cleaning camaraderie later.  But it was a beautiful day, and it sounded fun.  "We're not even packing lunch," she said, "so we'll be back by early afternoon."  That clinched it.

Boat Ride

After a brief stop home to take care of Angel and change into a swimsuit, off we went.  What a glorious day!  Our small group ended up in a particularly beautiful area of shallow water and sand bars.  We anchored the boat, floated a cooler to a sliver of sand in the midst of the shallow sea, pushed a sun umbrella into the water's bottom, and proceeded to float in bliss.

Knowing from prior experience that I should not attempt to "keep up with" my girlfriend and her copious amounts of wine, I had a splash of wine with my club soda and enjoyed a spritzer while we hung out in the water.

After a while, we noticed a friend out on his property on the small private island nearby.  My girlfriend and I left the others and swam over to say hello.  After chatting, he invited us to cross over the little channel to his main property and come up - the others had pulled the boat around to his dock and would join us.

Uh-Oh

As I waded through chest-deep water, I was surprised by how strong the current was in the little channel.  Because of that, I was perhaps stepping more forcefully as I made my way across.  All of a sudden, "OWWW!"  I had stepped on something sharp.  I commented to my friends, but we figured I'd cut my foot on a conch shell or something, and we kept going toward shore.  However, the pain started to worsen, and I couldn't walk so well.  I lifted up my feet and started to swim.  But my leg was kinda seizing up, and my brain was feeling a little muddled by the sudden pain, so I wasn't able to swim as strong as usual, and I felt myself being carried away by the current.  

I called out to my girlfriend and was able to grab her hand.  She pulled me to the rocky edge of the property, and our other friend suggested we take a look.  I lifted my foot out of the water.  The entire sole was covered by grey dots.  "Oh my God," he said, "you stepped on a sea urchin.  But I've never seen so many!"

After nearly three decades around these parts, I've never stepped on a sea urchin.  I've only admired them while snorkeling.  They are roundish, come in a variety of sizes and colors, and are covered with porcupine-like needles or spines.  Images and info about these creatures can be found here.  All of a sudden, I had a whole new appreciation for them.

My leg had totally seized up by this point, and my friends told me not to put any weight on my foot.  Apparently, when I stepped on the unseen sea urchin, the spines broke off in my foot.  So, with one friend pulling each arm, I floated while they dragged me over to his dock.

Our other friends had joined us by this time.  I'm sure I was the picture of grace as I crawled up the steps in my swimsuit.  Once we reached the landing (where our friend has a spectacular outdoor living room), I collapsed on a couch. I asked them to call Beau and let him know where I was.  The time had gotten away and it was mid-afternoon, and I knew he'd be looking for me to join him at the fish-cleaning bench, and my cell phone and stuff was still in the boat.

Treatment
 
They reached Beau and turned to tending to me.  Now, the well-known home remedy to relieve the intense pain from a sea urchin sting is for someone to PEE on it!  I was hurting enough that I welcomed that.  Alas, none of my friends cared to oblige (and it didn't occur to me until later that I may have been able to maneuver that feat by myself?)  Instead, they brought me a basin of fresh water with Epsom Salt, and I began to soak my foot.

I was proud that my friends were all calling me brave.  I hadn't shed a tear or whined too much about the pain.  BUT IT HURT.  We counted the grey spots on my foot, and I had NINETEEN holes where sharp spines had pushed into my foot and broken off.  Good times.

In addition to the Epsom Salt, my friends decided it would be a good idea to medicate me by plying me with alcohol.  One friend had prescription painkillers, but I had the presence of mind to figure that was not a great idea for me.  And yet, I permitted myself to be liquored up.  Not good.

From here on, the story gets a bit fuzzy, as did the pain.  I vaguely recall wine, champagne, vodka and who knows what else being poured.  I recall the sky darkening as day faded to night.  I remember waking up and being in a different location on the deck, still salty and in my swimsuit, but covered with a sarong wrap, and I could hear my friends in the other room.

If this had been my little island, I would have gotten myself home from the inception of this mess.  But I didn't want to impose on my friends' time by interrupting their fun to take me home.  At some point, however, I no longer cared.  In my inebriated state, I was a little out of my head!  I was crying and calling out Beau's name.  So much for not crying and conducting myself in a calm manner.  I just wanted to go home!

Homeward Bound
 
My next memory is hearing Beau's voice in the distance.  He's here!!  I started crying and calling out to him.  My girlfriend came over to reassure me, but also to tell me to get it together!  Beau walked onto the porch and saw me lying there, a mess, and said "Oh Lord."  My friend showed him my foot, and we started to head for Beau's boat.  I couldn't hobble very well, so Beau ended up carrying me to the boat to take me back to our island a few miles away.

My next memory is being in the nurse's office.  Although it was evening by now, Beau had called her and taken me to the clinic.  So there I was, lying on the examining table in my bikini, and trying to act like I wasn't a total wreck.  The nurse cleaned my foot and used tweezers to pull out two of the spines that were near the surface.  WOW did THAT hurt.  We both thought it best not to dig any deeper.  The spines are known to come out on their own later and/or be absorbed into the body.

The nurse gave me some painkillers and antibiotics and wrapped my foot.  Heading home with Beau, he stopped to pick up some food that he'd ordered at a local restaurant and insisted that I eat, then I fell straight into bed.  Poor Beau.  That had to be a test of his patience as well as his care-taking skills!

In dire need of a pedicure, but that's the least of my concerns.

The next morning, the pain had diminished.  I believe that is typical, but I also think any remaining pain was overshadowed by the massive hangover I was enduring.  I managed to shower off the prior day's salt.  Then I spent the rest of the day on the couch, with a brief visit to the nurse for a follow-up check, and alternating rounds of soaking my foot in peroxide.

Angel providing moral support during a foot soak.

Overnight, the pronounced grey spots had changed to faded red spots.  Thankfully, no spines were in my toes or on the ball of my foot, so I was able to hobble around for the next few days on my tiptoes.  The pain was gone, except when I put weight on my foot, and over the course of the next week or so, that subsided, too.

Hard to see all 19 when this was taken, but - trust me - they are there!

This non-dramatic photo undermines how much pain those little suckers caused.

The spines never did "pop out."  Who knows - one friend told me he had some come out of his foot a YEAR later!  I picked out two of them a few weeks ago.  They were so small it was incredible how much pain they had caused.  As for the rest, I think some have been absorbed.  In other spots, I can still feel hard little bumps deep down, but I'm going to just let them do their thing at this point.  

There's no pain at all now.

Well, except for the embarrassing memory of the day.  As we say around here, "What a mess!"

Fragments of a Thursday: Golf Carts, Dogs and Aloe

G'day, Better Lifers!  I'm having a delightful Thursday and thought I'd share some of it with you.  This isn't a comprehensive view of the day, but is a glimpse into some of the little snippets that are blending together to bring me joy today.

First of all, this post is a labor of love because my rapid typing skills are on a major slow-down today.  I cut my index finger, and it remains sore on the typing tip.  BUT, what led to the cut is most excellent - I was cleaning Beau's new golf cart!  Yup, Beau got a new-to-us used golf cart that I'll be able to drive in lieu of the extremely temperamental and mostly brakeless 15-year-old one I've been using!  The golf cart was shipped from Florida, so I had to wash it down really well to make sure no saltwater splash residue remained - the salt is so corrosive.  Anyway, it's well worth a temporarily sore finger.

This is how I ride.

Today is a delightful, blustery day on the island.  We're enjoying the clouds and breeze and respite from late summer heat.  With the various clouds rolling around, we've enjoyed particularly spectacular sunsets and sunrises lately.  I was still sleepily nursing my coffee during this morning's brilliant displays of reds and purples, but here is a glimpse at one of our sunsets earlier this week.

View from the back deck with a glass of sunset wine.

I'm pleased to report that Angel is healthy and happy after her recent near-death experience.  (Now that she's safe, I find myself entertained by such exaggerations.)

The only residual effect is that my lick-at-everything dog proceeded to pick the shaved area of her arm until it was red and raw.  Sigh.  In order to keep her off of it, Angel has been relegated to the green cone.

My little conehead.

While telling my neighbor and friend how pathetic she looks in this cone, he made a brilliant suggestion - put aloe on her leg!  Apparently, dogs don't like the taste, so it will keep her from licking the area.  Plus, of course, aloe has good healing properties.

So, with a pair of scissors in hand, I marched to the aloe plant in my front yard and took a little snip.

Bush medicine.

Curious as to how it tasted myself, I flicked my tongue across the cut end - blech!  Bitter.  Terrible, lingering aftertaste.  Don't let curiosity get the best of you.  Trust my neighbor.  Trust me.  It tastes bad.

After a few swigs of coffee to cleanse my palate, I squeezed the aloe and applied it to the sore spot on Angel's leg.  A sniff.  A lick.  No more.  Voila!

Meanwhile, it was time to turn my attention to Milo.  After disappearing for a few days to roam and play with the other island dogs (eating by Brooks' cousin and generous others, I suspect), he has returned home.  But before he is allowed entry . . . bath time!

Drying on the deck.

Perhaps the most exciting part of my morning was the long overdue set-up of my little office area!  For the past year and a half, I've been using my laptop, usually at the kitchen counter with a variety of papers spread around.

But, from my former life in the States with a big home office, I still had one unpacked box of goodies - all the makings for a desktop setup.  Huge monitor, keyboard, wireless mouse, battery backup, external hard drive, etc.  After laying it all out, I realized that my tech-challenged self had forgotten how it all went back together.  This, despite my Type-A post-it notes on most of the components!

So I arranged a remote service call with my favorite techie - my brother.  We made a Skype date, and I proceeded to show him all the stuff, and he talked me through how to put it all together.  I think I mostly remembered after all, but it was good to have "professional" back-up, and it's always a delight to talk to my brother.

So, now I'm ready!  Having gotten my home in order, so to speak, I'm mentally ready and inspired to focus more on my writing.  It feels fun and exciting to me!

My new "office" enjoys plenty of light and an ocean view.

Since the glare in the above photo prevents you from seeing outside, I'll give you a more direct picture of my view - the very best part of this office!

Ahhhhhh.

I mean, how can I not write my little heart out in this setting?!

I had just sat down at my new set-up to email my friend and thank him for his brilliant aloe suggestion when I realized - oh no - Angel is licking her leg!  I grabbed the aloe to reapply a fresh patch.  No matter.  My always-hungry-will-eat-anything-and-everything dog apparently acclimated herself to the bitter taste and was calmly licking away.  Sigh.  Back to the cone!

But it's not all bad.  Angel in the cone provides endless chuckles for me and Beau, and she is fairly comfortable in it.

Napping, for example.

And on high alert, per usual, when anyone has food nearby.



I recognize this is a very random smattering of disjointed tidbits from my day.  But all of these little pleasures add up to one giant Better Life!