The Schafer Family Quiz - 2012 Edition

The Schafer Family Quiz - 2012 Edition

1.       Who went shirtless 350 days of the year, despite the complaints of the rest of the family?

A.       D                         B. T                   C. B                           D. E

Answer: C. B (9) – He says he is too hot to wear a shirt. Rarely pants either. Usually he is found in cutoff sweats or shorts. No socks.

2.       Who rode a bike to the elementary school a mile away in order to get on a bus to ride to their elementary school nearly every day last year and this year until 20 degree temps and a flat tire stopped them (yesterday)?

A.       B          B. D            C. M           D. C

Answer: A & D, B & C (11) - They are in 4th and 5th grade this year and ride two miles a day back and forth.

3.       Who chopped off all of their hair just before the first day of school?

A.       T – He’s going bald anyway.

B.       B – “It’s too stinking hot!”

C.      M – She wanted something new and exciting for the last year of middle school.

Answer: C, M (14) – It is really cute. See the picture.

4.       Who got a new Fuji bike in May and rode 250 miles on it this year?

                A. K              B. T                    C. C                           D. B

Answer: Well it’s not T. He rode way more miles than that on vintage road bikes, because that is how he rolls. It could be C or B, they did ride a lot of miles to and from the school last year. The answer is A, K. It is light turquoise and she really likes it.

5.       Who spent hours in the neighbor’s basement playing with Legos to make a robot for the Lego League competition?

A.       D          B. M            C. E                D. C

Answer: C & D, E(12) and C joined a First Lego League Robotics team for 9-14 year olds last year and again this year. They did okay last year and better this year. They will be going to the state competition in January. Stay tuned.

6.       T and his friend, Rob, went on a day hike in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho. That day they covered...

A.       5 miles           B. 15 miles            C. 21 miles            D. 30 miles

Answer: D, Yes - 30. Crazy. We agree. (This cameo is payback to Rob who always includes T in his annual Christmas letter and has never appeared in ours. Enjoy the moment. It will be another fifteen years until the next shout out.)

7.       Where did the family go on a fun-filled summer vacation?

A. Disneyland       B. The Alamo       C. Broadway         D. Yellowstone        E. Ogden

Answer: both D & E, Yes we toured the Wyoming and Utah border including Yellowstone, Teton Park, Jackson, Montpelier Idaho, USU in Logan, Lagoon, and OGDEN. Don’t ask about the ghetto Motel 6 near 12th on Washington Blvd in Ogden. It was an adventure in smelling like cigarette smoke and wall-to-wall beds and cots for seven people in one $45 a night non-smoking room. Nothing was stolen and we only feared slightly for our lives.

8.       On our summer vacation T took...

A.       Some great pictures of the natural wonders.                         C. Way too many pictures!

B.       A lot of pictures that rarely featured people.                           D. Something like a billion pictures!

Answer: It depends on which family member you ask.

9.       Who went to camp in June and swam in the Sun Valley pool, repelled down a rock face, white water rafted on the Salmon River, and shot lots of arrows?

A. D            B. E                  C. M           D. C          E. B

Answer: C, M had a great time at Camp Hodia because apparently Type 1 diabetics get to do a lot more in the outdoors than the Boy Scouts.

10.    Who went to Scout Camp for the first time, experiencing a lot less adventure than his sister, but getting a whole lot dirtier?

A. D             B. E                  C. C

Answer: B, E - He was filthy and happy. He doesn’t know that his sister did a lot more.

11.   Who finally broke down and got a real job as an office assistant at a local mental health counseling office?

A. K                              B. T                   C. D

Answer: C, D (16) - K continues dabbling in volunteer work and writing/editing non-profit grant proposals. T still works for MarkMonitor, who was acquired by Thomas Reuters this summer. D, thanks to K and all her volunteering contacts, got hired to enter data, file, and generally fill out Medicaid forms for a PSR company. (Okay it wasn’t just K’s connection to, and lunch with the wife of the boss on the day they started hiring; it also helped that the office manager was the mom of one of D’s good friends from Jazz Choir last year.)

12.    Who spent a lovely weekend at the Sun Valley Jazz Jamboree in October?

A. D                            B. T                    C. K                             D. All of the above

Answer: D, D sang with the Jazz Choir for a second year at the Sun Valley Jazz Festival. K pretended to chaperone, but mostly just let all the type A moms take over all of the duties. T drove the car up and back, ate the free food, rode his bike about 65 miles during the day Friday and Saturday, listened to some music, and made all the boys go to bed at night. All the kids and chaperones stayed in the Sun Valley ski season employee dorm which was less than plush but still a step up from the previously mentioned motel in Ogden.

13.    What did we name the mouse who invaded our home for the kickoff of the 12 Days of Christmas?

A. Jerry      B. Stuart      C. Mickey     D. Algernon       E. Fieval        F. Ralph             G. Reepicheep

Answer: D, Algernon - This was a really brilliant mouse. He evaded capture for several days holed up under the dishwasher, stealing the food delivered multiple times daily to his door on a bright yellow spring loaded tray. (It was a 98 cent trap people! The mouse kept taking the food without springing the trap.) Finally in desperation we set up four traps, only baiting the very farthest one from the hole and lured the mouse to a dramatic death at 12:12pm on 12/12/12. (Okay, it was really 11:34am, but the rest of the story is true including the name Algernon. We did not get him flowers.)

The Schafers 2011 by Miss M

Dear Whoever,

I am writing this letter because apparently you care what we do. I personally find this very stalkerish but whatever.

Anyway, this year we did stuff. My dad (40 something – I don’t keep track and he doesn’t tell me) climbed mountains. What their names are I really don’t care but you can email him if you want to know.

My mom (not as old as my dad) fed us, and cleaned for us, and did other stuff. It was very nice. My dad says to tell you she also read a lot. So - SHE READ A LOT. WOO HOO. Like I care.

D (15) did some singing in a Jazz Choir at school. He also debated. I hear he is good. He’s pretty good at arguing with me, so whatever. He says he’s talented. I think mostly obnoxious.

I (13) did some stuff at school, like being Lady Macbeth in a play. I also played the saxophone, which is really irritating when it is crammed into the bus seat with me and two other girls. I should have played a flute or a clarinet like Egan, but my dad had this saxophone…parents are so bothersome.

E (11) started sixth grade. He apparently thinks that this is a great accomplishment.

C (10) did Lego robotics (and Egan did too.) He also played soccer, I think.

B(8) broke the kitchen faucet, played some baseball and soccer and was generally annoying.

As a family, we did some things like…um…going camping and go to Burley for Aunt Carrie’s wedding. We also went to Salt Lake for our other Aunt Carrie’s wedding. We have two Aunt Carries. We are special like that.

I’m sure we did a lot of other stuff this year but I can’t remember most of it so I will just leave it at this, because I don’t really care, and I don’t see why you do either.

I don’t know how to end this-

The Schafers (though primarily Miss M) - 2011

An Average Christmas 2010

2010  

- Just another average year in Our Home -

Another year has slipped by for our family, and it’s been a pretty average one. We slept, we ate, we worked, we argued, we laughed, and we played. Below we share just a few of the average happenings –

• T averaged 8.1 hours of sleep a night. On week days D averaged 6.7 hours of sleep, He averaged 12.6 on weekends. M 6.2 on weekdays, and 10. 1 on weekends. E 9.3. C 8.4. K 7.9. B averaged 8.2 but needed 10.7.
• Our family consumed an average of 2.9 boxes of cereal each day.
• An average of 8.5 gallons of milk were guzzled each week.
• An average 1.3 loaves of bread disappeared into stomachs daily.
• Weekly, an average of 1.5 jars of crunchy peanut butter disappeared, usually on the bread.
• Dishes sat in the sink waiting to be done an average of 4.7 days.
• An average of 8.3 loads of laundry sat waiting for washing, drying, or folding each week.
• An average of 2.9 evenings a week were spent finishing homework. An average of 1.6 hours were spent after 10pm.
• An average of 7.8 pairs of shoes laid in the entry from 5pm to 7am. 2.1 from 9am-5pm.
• On an average day, 3.7 orthodontic rubber bands, in puddles of spit, littered the kitchen table.
• The family room floor hosted an average of 4.8 dirty socks daily.
• Family members attended an average of 14.2 debate, scouts, soccer, basketball, tennis, volleyball, swimming and/or wrestling events each week.
• D, M, E and C practiced .57 hours of piano per day. M spent .16 hours on the saxophone.
• An average of .78 choir, band or piano recitals occurred each month.
• An average of 5.6 hours of the week were spent in church related activities.
• An average of 3.8 arguments occurred daily.
• An average 14.8 family group hugs occurred each week.

We wish you a very average Christmas & New Year too!

And he still says, "I am bored" 4 years later OR Christmas Letter 2009

My name is B. I’m 6 yeres old. I‘m riteng the Christmis letr this yere. – There’s a silent e at the end right?—

C is 8. He relly, relly, relly likes Oreo pudn. He goes crazy for it.  Today I made sum with E. It was relly exasting. I had to ster it for 2 awrs – E was it two hours?—O, 2 minits. That was exasting. C likes playing on kumputrs. Ca duz not like to see me at school. Neether duz E. I think I mite drive them crazy. It is not fun to be the yungest. I hope sumdae I’ll get a miracle and gro big and strong. Til then I’ll try and do evrything rite but sumtimes I mes up.

E is 9. We play all kinds of games. Sumtimes win we play a game, E thinks that it is not fare and I do, but sumtimes I think it is not fare and E duz. But it is not fare. E likes to play at reses at school. Mom says he likes siense and math too, but I don’t no about that. Those things are kinda borine for me. I like reses, free choise and moovees.

M is 11. She is nice sumtimes. Sumtimes she is helpful and I like her here. Sumtimes she teaches me art. She likes to decrate her room and draw girl stuff like flowrs and buttrflys. I don’t like them much. She draws rainbos too. They are prety. Sumtimes she logs me onto the kumputr so I can play games. I have to sit by her on the bus becuze I was being bad at the frunt. It is kinda borine at the back of the bus with M. But I get to lisen to her mp3 playr.

D is 13. He teezes us win we don’t want him to. But sumtimes he is good, not uzualy, and hugs us. He eats like a pig. He needs to go on a diet. But Mom duzn’t think so since he is taler than her and oly ways 123 ponds. We no his wate becuze he resld. I need a lot of food. I only way 51.5 ponds. It is not fare. I need to gro more than him. He is all redy big. Kinda biger than Mom. He is biger than Dad if he stands on the little step stool. So he shuld stop eating so much and giv his food to me.

Mom is not that nice sumtimes. Sumtimes she sends me to bed erly becuze I was being bad. I probly deserv it, but I hate it. She helps me get down toys that I want to play with and sumtimes she can’t becuze she has gone sum where like Walmart or Fred Meyer. She sumtimes lets me fall asleep in her bed, and Dad caryees me upsters. I have a hard time falling asleep in my bed becuze C is smack in the middle of the bed and there isn’t a lot of room for me. Sumtimes I roll around in my bed. C duz not kinda like it.

If you ticle Dad he doesn’t laff. He werks at Suprvalu. It is kinda boring becuze he cumes home at nite and I don’t get to play on his werk laptop. E says they shuld pay him more or let him werk less. Dad has hiking gear. I don’t no eneethng about his gear exsept he has a lot. Dad has about a bilyun hiking poles. Mom thinks that they are an adicshun.

Riting this took to long and I’m bord so Merry Christmes in a happy noow yere!

Schafer Adventure Park 2006

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All We Really Needed to Know, We Learned Again this Year With Our Kids - 2003

The December 2003 Christmas Letter written with apologies to Robert Fulgum

Our life this year has been filled with opportunities to learn and grow and recall the important things. Most of the important things have been brought to our remembrance by our children. Here are just a few of them:

With the help of C, the 2 year old, we discovered that wearing your favorite shirt really starts a day on a happy note, and that the more favorite shirts you own, the more happy days you have.

M, who is now 5 years old, has reminded our family that all large groups need a leader to organize them. We, in turn are teaching her that it is important for the leader to listen to the masses, so that they work together for the common good, as opposed to revolting into greater chaos.

D, at 7 years, taughte rus that if you can read, the world is your to enjoy. And that a good book, unlike most other media, is a quiet thing which will open the door to imagination and calm even the most talkative and savage beast.

A 20 lb, 6 month old, B, confirmed that all you really need to thrive and grow is food, clothing, shelter, and LOVE.

And finally we learned, that even great movie lines can be improved upon form 3 year old E, when in his surprisingly low, Arnold Schwarzenegger-like voice and accent, he said, "I dough-ing to be back!" And we too will return next year with more mundane yet profound bits of wisdom from our home. Assuming of course, that we don't get lost in a book, busy organizing everyone's lives or bummed out because the laundry isn't done.

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas filled with joy and love, some of the most important things of all time.

You know you live with a lot of young children when...

You know you live with a lot of young children when you tell time not by the clock, but instead by the cartoon showing on PBS.

You know you live with a lot of young children when everyone starts out the night sleeping in their own bed and wakes up the next morning in someone else's.

You know you live with a lot of young children when the most requested meals are pbj sandwiches, pizza and hot dogs, and the nicest restaurant you've eaten in lately offered $.69 hamburgers and $.39 ice cream cones.

You know you live with a lot of young children when the closest you've come to an art gallery is the collection of paintings that you keep picking up off the floor and returning to the increasingly overburdened magnets covering the refrigerator. .

You know you live with a lot of young children when the last novel you read was The Little Engine that Could . And the next novel that you are likely to read is The Little Engine that Could .

You know you live with a lot of young children when you and your friends opt to take a four-passenger sedan over your roomier min-van because you don't have to remove and reinstall any car seats.

You know that you live with a lot of young children when you dream of hiring a real maid as you wipe up the bathroom that your one year old son has just "cleaned" with the toilet brush and toilet water.

You know that you live with a lot of young children when your two year old Golden Retriever, answers to the name Egan, and is also known as your son. And you are grateful that you can enjoy two things a dog and a son for the price of one.

You know that you live with a lot of young children when your floor is covered with paper scraps, your table is covered with paper scraps and your four year old daughter is covered with paper scrap and glue from her latest art project, which you now must find a spot for in the "art gallery". Of course you can just call in the one year old maid. He cleans refrigerators, inside and out as well as bathrooms.

You know that you have hope that these children may someday grow up when your six year old informs you that he is going to be a businessman and sell the books that he is now writing when he gets older. Of course some of the excitement is lost when he continues telling you his plan for building his office in you backyard!
But at least your retirement years will be provided for by his plans to build another office next to his, so that Dad can help manage the business.

You know that you are happy with your life when you and the other parent in the house can look up from the clutter, crumbs, and chaos all around you and smile at each other.

December 2002

Deck the Halls 2007

Deck the Halls 2007

Start the fall with a new job for Dad.

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Went to HP ‘cause Micron was so bad.

Fa la la la la, la la la la

He thought that was plenty of stress-

Fa la la la la, la la la la

But read on to know the rest.

Fa la la la la, la la la la

We bought a new house, a great place to dwell,

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Room for us and all our stuff as well

Fa la la la la, la la la la

A park with a pond and climbing trees

Fa la la la la, la la la la

We’re sure we all will be really pleased.

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Pack up the old house, move some boxes.

Fa la la la la, la la la la

‘Tis not the best season to move houses.

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Found some things we’d forgot we had.

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Lost much more, it’s really, really sad.

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Try to find the winter jackets-

Fa la la la la, la la la la

While we move and stack and stack it.

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Move the piano in the snow,

Fa la la la la, la la la la

At least the mover is taking it slow.

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Have Thanksgiving at the old place

Fa la la la la, la la la la

With everything gone it has a lot more space.

Fa la la la la, la la la la

“Maybe we should just stay here.”

Fa la la la la, la la la la

“Have you lost your marbles dear?”

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Thought we’d love that park and pond.

Fa la la la la, la la la la

It even has geese of which we would be fond-

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Except for turds from honking birds.

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Instead of gaggles they must come in herds.

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Spend our first night in the new abode

Fa la la la la, la la la la

We’ve only moved a mile across the road.

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Miss the bus at the new bus stop-

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Run back home, avoiding goose plop-

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Think about dear family and friends

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Plan to write them before the Holidays end.

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Good intentions are thwarted once more.

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Hope the New Year is great for you and yours.

Fa la la la la, la la la la

In case you didn’t follow the song, On September 4, Tad started a new job at Hewlett-Packard here in Boise. His life was pretty much turned upside down. On October 10 we made an offer on a roomier home about a mile away from our old home. The builder accepted the offer and suddenly everybody’s life was turned upside down. We signed and signed and signed on November 14 and began an exhausting holiday adventure which we are still in the middle of.

While it has been a stressful year with many ups and downs we feel truly blessed. We are very appreciative of the help and support of so many friends, the opportunities we have had to connect with many old friends, and the chance we have to build new friendships. Although it has been a year full of changes for our family, we recognize even greater changes for many, many of our friends and family as they have faced moves, loss of jobs, job changes, illness and personal tragedies. We feel blessed to know so many good, courageous people. You are always in our thoughts and prayers.

Love,

The Schafers 

Christmas Quotes 2004

The Top Ten Quotes Heard in the

Schafer Home in 2004

10.   “I have lots of talents, and I’m going to get lots more when I get big like you.”

9.  “I think that probably everything you learn as a kid you remember as a grown up.”

8.  “It’s daytime, but the clouds are hiding the blue.”

7.  “A thumb is a kind of finger that is fat.”

6.  “You’re going to miss the next Eat if you don’t come. So Come!”

5.  “You aren’t over the hill Dad. You are just on the Top!”

4.  “Kids aren’t suppose to serve their parents.”

3.  “I don’t need bubble gum. I can blow bubbles like this.” (With spit)

2.  “Parents aren’t suppose to give their kids toys away!”

1.  “Parents are suppose to serve their kids.”

The Schafer Family wishes you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year with lots of daytimes of blue not hidden by clouds!

For Some Must Push and Some Must Pull (and none of them possessed a Y chromosome)

Have you heard of the Women's Pull?

Have you asked yourself why? Why, oh why would you do that? Once upon a time somebody made it up. Some masochist I'm sure.

Now it is tradition. And unfortunately the LDS faith, as a culture, is like unto the Jewish faith when it comes to TRADITION, TRADITION....TRADITION! (I personally do not follow LDS TRADITION blindly. I believe that nearly every TRADITION should be analyzed and pretty much unilaterally thrown out. Because they are stupid. And if they aren't deemed less than stupid, they then should be improved upon not just accepted as a good idea and practice because we did it a MILLION times before. Except funeral potatoes. Those are a pretty good tradition. As long as you have no heart problems.)

So to my story --

I did my very best, quietly of course, to discourage the Women's Pull for our ward trek. Losing that silent battle of wills, I determined to understand and resign myself to the TRADITION.

I googled, because that is what one does these days when one has a question. I also prayed and pondered. And I learned some things.

1. Some women think the women's pull is to show how strong and completely capable they are without the men. (I disagree. More later.)
2. Some women think the women's pull is to prove to themselves how amazingly strong and capable they can be when necessary. (I agree, with reserve.)

I personally learned that the message that members of our Women's Pull, and specifically me, needed to learn was this --

Everyone you see (including yourself) is pulling a heavy cart behind them daily. Some you can see. Some you can't. Your job is to help ease the load of the cart. Maybe you help push and pull. Maybe you can't stand to be near them for any number of reasons, so all of your help involves prayer. Prayer for them to have strength. Prayer for you to obtain a heart full of love for them. Maybe your job is to tell them that somebody much stronger than any of us already pushed and pulled that cart overflowing with all of those problems up that steep hill, and we can set some of them down on the wayside and walk away forever. Other burdens, we can testify, will be essentially lifted by angels until we have the strength to bear them or the time comes when they are magically removed.

Regardless we should recognize that we are not alone in this endeavor. We can always look for help and always help in some way. Push our cart up and go back down to help another. Sing. Pray. CHEER. Whatever...

The answer to why do we do the Women's Pull eventually boils down to "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30

And also in answer to point number one, women need men, and men need women. Yes we can get along without each other for awhile, but seriously people, it really does work better if you have each other. (Especially if you have to pull a heavy cart up a hill through sand in the desert's sun scorching temperatures. My thanks to brilliant eighteen year old Sarah for pointing this important truth out.)

So that's what we learned on our Women's Pull.

The men were marched away up the trail. We were given the goal of getting halfway up the steep hill. Some groups fell behind. We set down our carts and helped those in front who were struggling. Those at the very front, who had lighter carts or stronger abilities, came back down to help. No cart was left behind. At the halfway point we talked about a couple of dead people who had to pull heavy loads (See coming post about dead people stories.) Words were spoken about the experience Sister Carole M. Stephens from the LDS General Relief Society Presidency shared in the September 2012 Relief Society Broadcast. Time was taken to discuss how this all applied to us today.

Meanwhile at the top of the hill the men talked for a few moments, threw rocks, and generally wondered what was taking us so long. (Which proves the point. We could have used their muscles and strategic planning skills. They could have used some of our spirituality and planning of a lesson before hand, so that they had a bit more of a message than whatever it was that took two minutes and left them bored and rolling in the dust for the rest of the time.)

Much good was shared halfway up the hill. Much time was wasted at the top.

Finally we picked up those heavy carts and the men lined up cheering and together we got those carts up the rest of the hill. And boy was I glad that was over.

Nutty for Nuts

My family loves nuts. It's like I'm living with squirrels. I go and buy bags of shelled salted peanuts and smoked almonds from the bulk section. Three or four pounds of each. Sometimes I even splurge and fill a bag with cashews for my husband. Then I come home and hide the cashews from the kids, because the piles of nuts they know about are gone within the week: in their cheeks, down their gullets, hidden in a secret corner of their room. I don't know where they are. They are just gone.

A similar phenomena occurs around Thanksgiving. Each fall I get bags of nuts still in the shell and the cracking commences. It is the biggest mess.

After years of this behavior, some best practices have been identified. One is to used this type of nut cracker--

Another is to clean up the shells when you are done. That one is rarely followed in this rodent's nest.

Many of the squirrels crack and then drop the shells right back into the bowl. Others put them on the counter and then forget to clean up all or part of the debris. All of them are guilty of creating flying shell shrapnel with their cracking and leaving it where it falls as landmines for unsuspecting feet.

The favored nuts are hazel nuts. Almonds and Brazil nuts are also acceptable. Pecan and walnuts are not much appreciated as they are difficult to crack and clean.

The most interesting thing is that I don't participate in the nut gluttony. Unlike many other types of food, I can each a nut or two and walk away. Sure I like some sprinkled on my salad and pesto is always welcome, but nuts generally are not my favorite snack.

But it is a family tradition. And it is an easy one, so eat little chipmunk squirrels. Eat.

Jackson's Hole*

I spent many childhood summers in Jackson Hole with my maternal grandparents. At first they lived in a two bedroom apartment. Later they built a house on Snow King Hill. We went on all kinds of adventures up Snow King, down Cache Creek, out on the Elk Refuge, and into Yellowstone and Teton Park.

One of my favorite things was to visit Jenny's Lake, ride the boat across and hike up to the falls. I also hiked up to Inspiration Point with them once, but that was long and hot Hidden Falls was just right. Almost every year a trip would be made to Jenny's Lake including a ride across and a hike up to the falls. Then we'd often go to String Lake for wading and a picnic. It was a tradition. Sometimes the tradition was less easy than other times. Often during my teenage years, it was less appreciated than other years, but it was a tradition.

Last summer we decided it was time to take the kids to Yellowstone and the Tetons. We spent three days in Yellowstone

camping and seeing the sights. Then we drove down to Teton Park to camp some more.

I wanted to ride the boat across Jenny's Lake and hike to the falls as a family just like my childhood tradition.

But the cost for seven people was not exactly what I wanted to pay. As we wandered around the ranger station/gift shop. Tad and I looked at the map. The hike around the lake to the falls was 2.5 miles. Only 2.5 miles! Five round trip. Completely doable.

Except that half of them didn't want to. So I threw a little fit.

And we made it to the falls. A child pouted the first 2.5 miles, but was much more cheerful coming back.

Then I wanted to continue the tradition by going wading in String Lake. I remembered String Lake as a private place rarely frequented by tourists with pristine water that you could hike halfway across and only get wet as high as your thigh.

It is not like that any more. It is filled with many loud and busy people splashing and screaming.

At the lake water is as muddy as if a million egg beaters were constantly stirring on it's bottom.

We found that we weren't impressed with the reality of the memory. We determined to detour from the tradition. Off we went looking for a lake to eat our afternoon snack at and enjoy by ourselves.

And we found it along the north east shores of Jenny's Lake.

 

We finished out the day in downtown Jackson watching the Shoot Out.

*Jackson Hole, originally called Jackson's Hole, is a valley located in Wyoming, near the western border with Idaho.  The name "hole" derives from language used by early trappers ormountain men, who primarily entered the valley from the north and east and had to descend along relatively steep slopes, giving the sensation of entering a hole.