The great expanse, and oh have we Explored!

Behold, the local LDS chapel.  If you are puzzled by the design, think Provo temple + wood shingles= early 70's edifice.

Church is always full of surprises.  Today, we had a man with a fantastic handlebar mustache tell us over the pulpit that if you squeeze your butt cheeks together when you're getting emotional, it will quell your crying spells.  We've yet to try it, but we believe him- especially after he recited some cowboy poetry.

One afternoon outing, we discovered a buffalo pelt merchant.  The pelts were clipped to a rack, draping down like a great brown fountain.  This particular piece had the head still attached, which justified the $1400 price tag.  All were sufficiently creeped out by the vendor, who was far too excited to demonstrate how water repels from the pelts when you spill on it.  He even promised Jake a fox skin hat if he was lucky.

The Playmill.  A place where aspiring pseudo-actors and actresses come to slave away over the summer.  They, of themselves, form a sort of warped version of the Justice League- so far we have: The Watermelon, Goldilox, Mr. Dreamy, and The Bearded Snoop.

 

This grand building is the historic Old Faithful Lodge, located inside the park right next to Old Faithful himself.  Sean, Drew, and Brooke Foster had a joint date in the park, exploring the beauty of mother nature, and exploring each other.

True to form, the door frames in the Old Faithful Inn do not accommodate for overgrown, RBST-fed human beings, such as Sean.

           Where's Chasey?                   Peekaboo Chasey!            

Uh oh, Peakapoo Chasey!

Sustenance

 Praises be given for our refrigerator shelf plentiful in processed meats perfect for a genuine Mantanan.

The Slippery Otter, located in the Yellowstone Park Inn and Suites (one of the hotels where we work), emits ridiculous drunken sounds that help break the tension when Asian tour buses arrive and start screaming at you all at once.  

Some pancakes that came from batter so thick that it had to be forcibly spread on the griddle by tugging it on all sides.  

Jake's Chicken Curry Sundays always elevate our level of culture in our little family unit.  The flowers were found growing in the sidewalk cracks by our front door.

Aww that's nice.

Closer.

That seems a bit more accurate.

Dalliance, Drowsing, and the Daily Grind

 

Bear Country Bakery: home of banga ranging breakfast burritos, early morning morsels, and the second workplace of Chase, Jake, and Drew.

 

The Three Bear where Jake waiters, caters, and looks for maters.

 

Sean is employed at the Bookworm where he (much like an alcoholic who works at a bar) spends most of his earnings on books with his 30% discount.  The latest, The Teachings of don Juan: AYaqui Way Of Knowledge.

We always look so attractive waking up to the dry mountain air.

Young Lovers.

Yellowstone National Park has over three million tourists each year from all over the world.  Many of these tourists visit the small city of West Yellowstone. 

It appears that geothermal pots lead to the creation of melting pots as well.  In the image below is Andre Luiz, our friend from Curitiba, Brazil who stayed in one of our hotels.  Here he is rewarding birthday girl Brooke Shoko Foster with 20 spankings.  Foreign fingers on one's fanny are usually concerning, especially those belonging to someone you just met moments before.

Chase, nicely glazed after baking in the sun multiple hours in the park.

Because we encounter so many new faces each day, first impressions are key.

There's always time for Spider in the park.

The Women of our Lives in West Yellowstone

The quaint community of West Yellowstone has a surplus of meth, elderly penny pinching tippers, overzealous Asians, buffalo droppings, and, just recently, color TVs. 

While the city does lack some of the commodities that we enjoyed at home, West Yellowstone certainly does not have a shortage of wonderful hardworking women.

Behind every good man, there is a strong woman (Bubble's wife & kids).

 

Just as mighty herds of bison traverse together from one location to the next, these women of Bountiful have traveled north to join their male comrades in greener pastures.

Lynne Kelly: Montana Mother, Mentor, and Miracle Worker.

 Tiffany with her son Riley.  Tiff is the grandmaster of the Yellowstone Park Inn & Suites, knowing all of the mysteries, tunnels, and haunted rooms the YPIS has to offer.

 

  Our chick from Chickamauga, Savannah Oliver.

In loving memory of Edna.