Wyoming Breezes

I asked my sister and brother-in-law how many houses were in the  North Pole village  display in the atrium of their home.  "A lot!" was their reply.   My brother-in-law created the mountain on which the houses are arranged. The cheerful display greets all who enter their home and is visible on four sides. Several of the houses and accessories were purchased at half the normal price when a Riverton store was reducing inventory and/or eliminating displays. The bargains were too good to pass.  It includes more than one ice-skating pond. It took a holiday village to add a spark of nostalgia to the season.

The Western Region Oddball Knitters have been busy. Below are the blankets that have been finished since October on which I had the honor to knit a section. Spring Happens started June 2013 Yankee Doodle Dandy started August 2013 Pastel Blocks started May 2013 Bubblegum started May 2013 Snips and Snails started January 2013 Splish Splash II started April 2013

Betty Moore Clark AFB December 1980 Betty and I lived in the same BOQ building, and she is the one who made all the arrangements and moved my belongings onto base while I was on vacation. She was a great friend and a lot of fun. In 1980, Betty and I planned a Christmas trip to the Philippines and arranged for travel orders (TO). With the TOs we were eligible to travel on military planes on a stand-by basis. We got to Yokota AFB near Tokyo without any problem, but from there to Clark AFB in the Philippines only one seat was available. Betty told me to go on that flight, find a place for us to stay in base billeting and meet her at the airport the next day. It sounded pretty easy, so I flew ahead. When I tried to arrange for billeting, I was surprised there was nothing available on-base due to a large training exercise and numerous airmen on temporary duty. Plan B was to find a place to stay off-base: that would have worked except, it was quite a distance. Plan C was to cry an...

Trinity Lutheran Church Riverton, WY

Lea at Sheep Camp Quilts accepts Stars of Valor December 18,  2013  Last week, I received a package from Nancy H. in WA, containing Stars of Valor , quilted, labeled and bound. Thank you, Nancy for being so generous with your time and talents during this busy season, and thanks to  Pam for directing Nancy to my blog. I laundered the quilt and made a pillow case out of similar fabric. On Wednesday, the quilt and case were delivered to Sheep Camp Quilts : the State QOV coordinator (Stephanie Logan) owns the shop and accepts the quilts for later distribution. Stars of Valor (front, back, and label) Top pieced by Nancy S., Riverton, WY Machine quilted and bound by Nancy H., Walla Walla, WA Stars of Valor (front) Top pieced by Nancy S., Riverton, WY Machine quilted and bound by Nancy H., Walla Walla, WA

Mom adds tinsel to the Christmas tree - one strand at a time. approx. 1969 I was thrilled to find some photos of my mother decorating the Christmas tree. She loved Christmas and took great pride the placement of the tinsel. I have no idea how many hours it took her to carefully place the icicles on the tree. The tinsel icicles were crinkled and not the straight, slippery ones sold today. Note that some of the glass ornaments can be seen on the upper branches. Mom added the tinsel from the bottom of the tree to top. In this photo she is nearing the top of the tree.  I have no idea why the tree in the center of the room in this photo other than it was probably easier to work on the whole tree. The decorated tree was always positioned by the windows to my mother's right where the beige rocking chair can be seen. The decorated tree must have been carefully maneuvered to its spot in front of the window. Note the aluminum foil on the TV rabbit ears  in t...

Senior Class 1980 - 81 Robert D. Edgren High School Misawa AFB Misawa, Japan Back row : Sean Patterson, Lance Kirk, Bettina Quick, Raymond Turner, Lynn Lackey, Carl Manning, Shelleen Martinson, James Brewer.  Middle row : Carmel Beasley, Jeff Mellot, May Cortezano, Carrie Fear, Noy Bussler, Steve Naguillen, Peggy Reberry, Selena Arnold, Phil Wood.  Front row : Marble Christensen, Lee Williams, Jona Flynn, Cindy Mathie, Kat Heller, Shelley Biggs, Emmanuel Bradford, Ray Marriott. * * *  I was the sponsor for this class, and after 32 years, two of these individuals still send Christmas cards and letters. I am truly blessed.  Senior class party Golf Course Clubhouse Misawa AFB Misawa, Japan 1980

Community Dinner Theater cast Pavillion Players Summer 1995 (click to enlarge) I think the name of this melodrama was Wildcat Katie Brown , but I'm not sure. This was the second or third play that I helped Nancy stage with the members of the community, who were known as the Pavillion Players. Pavillion Players As shown above, the first melodramas were held in the town park in a large, striped tent rented from Tom Youtz Ford. One night a wind storm nearly lifted the tent off the ground, and had people not held the tent poles it probably would have taken flight. Eventually, the plays were staged at Wind River High School. The plays and an accompanying meal were usually presented two nights. One year, the food was served in pie pans that my sister Marilyn borrowed from  Marie Callender's Restaurant  in Denver. Nancy found caterers for the events, and the cast sold tickets. One year, the proceeds were used to purchase stage lights for the high school drama p...

Snowflake Western Region Oddball Baby Blanket started December 2013 Didn't I just say the Oddball group doesn't knit many all-white blankets, yet this is the second one on which I've knit in the last two weeks. The cast-on edge is taped down to get a good photo of the stitch pattern used in first section. I used the Box Stitch on my four-inch section and sent the blanket on to Sara in Nebraska.  Gladly, no actual snowflakes fell while this blanket was in my possession.

Evelyn, Marilyn, Brenda, Nancy Frankenmuth, MI June 1992 or 1993 I can't recall the exact year that my sisters, my niece and I travelled to Frankenmuth, MI, but I am almost certain it in was in the early 90s. Frankenmuth is a tourist town, known as Little Bavaria and a lot of fun to explore. One store, Bonner's CHRISTmas Wonderland , is massive (the grounds cover 27 acres) and has every type of ornament, light, or decoration that you can imagine. There is even a Silent Night chapel , a replica of the original Silent Night memorial chapel in Austria.

Bell Choir Trinity Lutheran Church Riverton, WY December 15, 2013 Twelve women played a variety of Christmas music prior to yesterday's service, and it was a lovely way to set the tone in the sanctuary. Some of my favorite Christmas carols: Joy to the World, Silent Night, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, but I could go on and on. What's your favorite Christmas carol?

Private Cemetery Japan Autumn 1979 This private cemetery was located on the side of a harvested rice field.

My favorite Christmas ornament approximately 1975 This fragile ornament is one of my favorites: I love the color and the peaceful scene on its surface, and I've photographed it many times over the years. When I was growing up, the boxes of Christmas decorations were stored in the attic, a large unfinished space that was cold in the winter and could only be accessed through a small opening in the hallway ceiling just outside the bathroom door. Getting the boxes down from the attic was always the exciting beginning of the holiday and required a ladder: some years a straight ladder was brought into the house, but eventually, a step ladder was used. When the garage was built in the 70s, the tattered boxes were stored on the shelves and carried into the house. Storing the boxes in the garage made getting them easier, but it took some of the anticipation out of the process. Even though some ornaments were never used, my mother kept them in the boxes, and each year, we sorted thr...

Pay Phone Lander Valley Hospital Lander, WY Late Summer 2013 I am still on the look-out for pay phones in my community. This summer, Sheila spotted this one at the Lander hospital. We had just finished visiting a friend who was in the ICU when Sheila pointed to the phone tucked in a small cubby hole. It's a good thing Sheila has sharp eyes and that my cell phone is capable of taking photos, or I would have missed documenting this vanishing American icon. Previous posts about pay phones, can be seen here .

Dean Weitzel Milk Truck Driver approximately 1976 I can't remember when the Fremont County dairymen joined the Mountain Empire Dairymen Association (MEDA), but it was some time in the mid to late 60s. Dairy herds were common and numerous in Fremont County at that time. In the 50s and early 60s, the milk was trucked and processed and distributed by the Morning Star Dairy in Riverton. Milk in the bulk tanks was tested before being picked up by the truck driver. Note in the photo below the driver has a sample bag in his right hand. If a producer's milk did not pass the inspection, the entire tank was dumped or arrangements were made for it to be sold to a cheese manufacturer in Afton, WY. I don't remember any of our milk being dumped or sold for cheese. With so many dairies in Fremont County, milk was in surplus, so the local producers and those from Park County joined MEDA, which included Colorado dairy farms. Fremont and Park County dairies transported milk to De...