We have arrived in hot and humid Florida! Although the weatherman was talking about a “cold front” arriving for Christmas, with an expected high temperature of “only” 68 degrees. The weatherman recommended wearing a jacket if you would be going out on Christmas! We both had a good laugh at that!
We are currently staying in Clermont, until Thursday, and then will head over to the “east coast” of Florida, and stay until the end of March. We are pondering doing some different things for 2018, although we will be back at Luton’s Teton Cabins for the summer, by Grand Teton National Park.
Work/bar updates
The weather in Wisconsin was chilly, but tolerable, while we were helping out with remodeling work at our friends bar. We did leave a bit early, to get out before an expected snowstorm, which made its way across the country. It was strange driving through Birmingham, Alabama, and seeing four inches of snow on the ground. Dan continued doing electric, plumbing and whatever else was needed, and I continued staining and painting, as they continued putting up more walls. My big project was refinishing 13 tables that will be used in the basement/party room of the bar. I just turned it into an assembly line for staining.
Here’s a “before and after” photo of the progress. The bar is done, the lighting is up, floor finished and the wall is closed off for the kitchen.
There is still a lot more work that needs to be done, and Dan will be flying back to Wisconsin at the end of January, for a couple of weeks to help out again.
Wisconsin time updates
Thanksgiving was spent at Dan’s sisters, and we had a few dinners with friends as well. It made us (almost) wish we were back at Amazon, so we could walk off all those calories!
I met up with a few of my former co-workers for coffee, and it was wonderful catching up with everyone!
Katie, Jodi, Candi, me, Gail and Kari
Dan’s parents had a few “to do” items for Dan when we visited with them, including installing a new kitchen faucet. There was a lot of discussion going on during this, so I just tried to stay away. He had plenty of helpers, and “helpful advice!”
A Packer game was also on our agenda, and we did make it to Brett Hundley’s first start as the Packers quarterback. The annual Jack Link’s tailgate party was also that day. The Packers lost, but the tailgate was a lot of fun. This year they had on display a truck they restored with the Lorissa’s Kitchen brand on it. Lorissa is Jacks daughter-in-law, and she has her own line of grass-fed jerky products that are excellent.
Makena update
Makena continues to improve, and is happy that we are not working, so she doesn’t have to spend all day in her crate. We are still putting her in the crate when we leave. She is free to move about the fifth wheel, including going up the two steps inside to the bedroom while we are home. We continue to carry her to go outside, and have taken her on very limited walks. Her toys are still put away, which frustrates her, and she spends a lot of time staring at the drawer on the couch where they are stored.
Florida updates
We stopped in Tallahassee on our way down to Florida to visit with Melissa, who worked with us last summer. Her mom lives close by the RV park we stayed at, and they gave us a bunch of lemons and oranges from the trees in their backyard. Fresh Florida fruit!
The park we are currently staying at offers many activities, and we have been learning how to play Pickleball. Dan quickly picked up the game, which is a cross between tennis and ping-pong. It is played with a tennis ball sized whiffle ball, an oversized table tennis racquet, and it is a lot more challenging than I thought. 
I need to work on my hand/eye co-ordination!
Tom and Ellen, friends and co-workers from Amazon and Madison Crossing in West Yellowstone, are here for the winter. We have had several get togethers with them, and ventured out to Lakeridge Winery, just down the street from us. Tom and Ellen have seasonal jobs there by helping out when they have monthly festivals at the winery. It’s a nice job with good perks. We did a short tour, and tasting at the winery. Our tour guide, Deb, did an excellent job. Cheers!
We hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Quote for the day: “I once wanted to be an atheist, but I gave up – they have no holidays.” – Henny Youngman
I spent the summer doing a lot of playing with my football….maybe too much playing, which I will get to later. The weather was good all summer, until the end. My parents promised me when we ventured out on this crazy journey that we would always have warm weather. But once again, we ended up with quite a bit of snow. But I didn’t let it stop me. I made my mom put on her boots and winter coat (had to dust it off!) and get out and play with me. October in Wyoming!
I call it “a bigger jail.” But I am happy they put my dog bed in it, and set it in front of the electric fireplace. I’m on pain meds and anti-inflammatory pills, which are making me feel better. I have learned that they will let me out, “on good behavior,” for an hour or two at night, as long as I don’t run around. I heard the word “NO” for several days, before I complied with their rules, and just laid down on a blanket outside the crate.
It did make for an interesting drive over Togowotee Pass, at 9600 feet and a steep grade! And this is after they had “cleared” the pass! Normally we like to leave early in the morning when we are in travel mode, but we had to wait until late morning for the road to improve.
We are now back in Wisconsin. Originally, we planned to be here a few weeks, then head down to Amazon in Kentucky. However, our friend Mike’s bar and grill that we had helped remodel is not yet open. He was very busy this summer with his landscaping business, and did not finish the remodeling. So we are back helping him out, probably through Thanksgiving, and then we will head south for the winter.
The next morning we headed up to Yellowstone, making a few stops in the Tetons to view a herd of Elk,
followed by a mama and baby moose!
And no morning is complete without a stop at Oxbow Bend, with the low-lying clouds covering parts of Mt Moran.
and a lone buffalo taking a nap along the side of the road!
The cousins were impressed with the view of the Lower Falls.
No stop to Yellowstone is complete without a visit to Old Faithful. It was Roni’s first time seeing the geyser go off. Despite its name, it did not erupt until 25 minutes after its scheduled time. The crowd of thousands was growing very restless, and a lot of cheers erupted when it finally went off. Roni said it was worth the wait!
With all the snow, we knew the waterfalls would be spectacular, and we were not disappointed! It was a bit windy out, as you can tell by Dan’s hair!
But it was time to move on, and I really enjoy traveling. I was excited when we arrived back at Luton’s Teton Cabins, as it is my favorite work camping job for my parents. They walk to work, so I know they are close by. With a 45 minute lunch, I get to play every day when they come home. I have them well trained already! They even surprised me with a new football! I have acres and acres of playing field!
Yes, this place is a dog’s dream! What’s not to love about this view?
