Wyoming Breezes

found near Teacher's Road Pavillion, WY approximately 1985 I found the rock one, cold, winter day when I was walking the ditch bank along the county road (Teacher's Road) north of Pavillion. Its color and shape caught my eye; however, when I looked closer, I found the rock intriguing. My imagination saw a flattened skull and a couple of teeth. The rock is sizable flip side of the rock The rock has some heft to it, as well. My Mom would probably have called this rock a Leaverite (as in "leave 'er right there"), but I picked it up that cold, winter day and through the years, it moved with me from the farmhouse, to the house in town, and now to my apartment.  Perhaps, one day I will release the rock back into the wild, but for now, it is an interesting door stop.

Marilyn & Evelyn (sisters) approximately 1948 or 1949 I love my sisters' silhouettes on the car in this old photo. If the photo was taken in 1948, Marilyn would have been three years old, and Evelyn (Sis) would have been seven years old. Don't you love the matching posing stances and their outfits - right down to the shoes and anklets.

Mom heads to the vehicle with someone's overshoes date unknown - probably mid-1940s My parents purchased a farm in the Pavillion area in the late 1930s. They developed the farm, and all of the buildings were constructed by my Dad. original farmhouse approximately 1940 The house started as a simple shack and additions were added as needed. The exterior of the house was tar paper until the mid-1960s when pink aluminum siding was installed (see post below). A cement walk and patio was added in the early 1960s. A white pipe clothesline pole is just visible over Mom's right shoulder, and two more poles were further to the right. The clothesline was large enough to hang all the family laundry. In the late 1960s a garage was built to the right of where Mom is located in this photo. Note the Wind River mountains can barely be seen on the horizon. The trees in back of the house grew considerably over the years and blocked some of the view. Behind the row of trees was a...

Eclipse "Pop" art Safeway store - Riverton, WY August 2017 The total eclipse has been in the news in my community for well over a year. Preparation has been made on the city, county and state level - extensive preparation, with predictions that the state's population could double during the event . Locally, my area could see close to 10,000 - 20,000 visitors. If that prediction is correct, Riverton could more than double in population in a three-day period. My town is nearly smack dab in the middle of the totality band, and the tiny town of Pavillion (pop. less than 200) where I taught for 25 years is THE place to be in Fremont County with an eclipse duration time of 2 minutes and 23 seconds. Residents are being urged to purchase their groceries, gas, etc. the week BEFORE the event and also warned that the hordes coming to witness the eclipse will put a strain on cell towers and local utilities, clog the roads, and create delays in travel. I purchased a ...

Standing: Oscar Lund, Nils Gabrielsen, Barbara and Bob Rohn, my Mom, Harold and Alma Schmidt, Linda Keldsen, Art Rohn. Seated: Karen Gabrielsen, Naomi Lund, and Lydia Rohn December 1970 or 1971 Last week, I posted a photo and some memories of the Circle K Extension club . Today, I'm sharing a more recent photo (probably from the early 1970s) of a Christmas dinner the group held at a local restaurant. These couples were neighbors and friends for many years. Oscar and Naomi Lund owned the grocery store in Kinnear for many years. At the rear of the store was the local post office, and Oscar was the postmaster. Naomi worked at the store and also gave piano lessons. Oscar was quite a jokester and had a booming laugh. Nils and Karen Gabrielsen lived down the hill from my Mom and also had a dairy farm. Nils parents Gabe and Mary lived there before Nils and Karen took over the farm. Both Gabe and Mary were deaf, but Mary and my Mom visited often by "finger writing" on ...

vintage quilt Winter Quilt Show Riverton, WY February 2016 The Winter Quilt Show had several vintage quilts on display, and it was the signatures on the blocks of this particular quilt that captured my attention. The quilt, owned by Jacque Harris, was given to her grandmother when she and her husband moved from Missouri to Pavillion. WY. The friendship/signature quilt clearly captured the cultural tradition of the time, as nearly every signature block did not identify the woman who signed it, but the identity of her spouse. I remember my mom and neighbor ladies were identified by their husbands' names as if they did not have an individual identity. My mother signed legal documents and checks with "Mrs." plus my father's name many years after my dad died. It was simply the way it was in those days. Fast forward into the late 1960s when I, too, made a signature quilt . I asked women to sign their names on the quilt blocks, which I later embroidered. O...

WRHS Faculty 1981 Front row: Ethel R., Sue O., Bev S., Margaret S ., Chuck G ., Bill H ., Sharon N.. Second Row: Alice N., Allen H., Jim N., Nancy J. Back row: Nancy S ., LeRoy S ., Jim N., Bert O., Kris N ., Louise O. After I returned from teaching in Japan, my next job was teaching Language Arts (English) and Journalism at Wind River High School. Even though I saw a LOT of principals come and go during that time period, the staff members were fairly consistent. In my opinion, it was the longevity and dedication of the staff that kept the school from imploding from the revolving door on the principal's office. For a period of time, we had a new principal every year or every other year and a somewhat militant school board as well. It was the staff that provided the stability the students needed during those years. This group of educators and support staff always put the students first, and I was proud to work with every one of them. Over the years, one by one, we retire...

(click to enlarge) Freshman Initiation Dress Requirements Pavillion High School Pavillion, WY Fall 1965 Freshman Initiation was a common activity in the 1960s, and in the Fall of 1965, I was a lowly freshman. The senior class was composed of nearly all boys (if I remember, there was one or two girls in the class). (click to enlarge) Initiations were usually held in the Fall during Homecoming Week, so I don't know why the informational sheet had a December date on it. As shown above, I crossed out the December date and wrote in October 25. Here's the crazy speech we had to memorize and recite whenever we encountered a senior:     Almight and glorious seniors of ’66 we the lowest scum that have ever walked the face of the earth fall prostrate at they feet and beg for they gracious, glorified, and wise indulgence.     We comprehend that we, who are so wanton, grotesque, insulate, and lugubrious in our unscrupulous and invalid acts, are unwarrantable of th...

Rich's irrigation boots and shovel approx. 1982 Usually the shovel was kept in the pickup or on the four-wheeler, so I'm guessing Rich was planning to check the cuts and the progress of the water near the house. My nephew's boots and gloves are by the milk can. Some years, three or four pair of boots were on the step, depending on who spent the summer at grandma's house. Mom grumbled when Rich wore his irrigation boots in the house because they usually had mud on them, but more often than not his socks were wet, too. I can almost hear Rich say, "Well, I'd better go out and 'stir the water'.'" A previous post about Rich and irrigating can be seen here .

Rich & Pepper approx. 1982 Pepper was born about a mile from where he ultimately grew up - the offspring of my cousin Bob's dog. Pepper was the only long-haired pup in the litter. While we had several dogs on the farm over the years (Rover, Ring, Muffin, Cocoa, Penny, Red), Pepper's personality made him unique and very special; he was friendly and not the least bit aggressive although he would playfully nibble at clothing when he wanted attention. He rode in the cab of the tractor with my brother (photo above), on the seat in the truck and pickup and car, on the four-wheeler. Pepper would even attempt to talk if prompted. He had a lot of personality. One hot summer, my mother had Pepper groomed, and he looked handsome and completely different. A photo can be seen on this previous post .

Bruce M. approx. 1982 The summer I returned from Japan and accepted a position to teach English and sponsor the school's yearbook, I took a photography class at the local community college. That summer, nearly everyone on the farm became a "model" for the various photography assignments. My nephew travelled from North Dakota to work on Grandma Rosie's dairy farm for a few summers. In addition to milking cows, Bruce fed calves and the cows, irrigated, and worked in the fields. The calves in the pen behind Bruce are just a few of those who were bucket fed twice a day. The heifers were raised for the dairy herd, and the bull calves were castrated when they were branded. Those steers were then fattened to take to the sale barn in Riverton. Each year, one steer was taken to Farmer's Packing in Kinnear to be butchered. Nothing tastes better than beef from your own herd.

Jerry S. approximately 1941 or 1942 near Pavillion, WY Jerry looks proud of that little red wagon. I wonder how many miles he pulled it while playing on the farm.

John S., Nils G., Jerry S., Rich S. and Nancy S. date unknown This is the only photo that I can find of me and my three brothers.  John, the oldest, was 20 years my senior, followed by Rich, and then Jerry. I do not have any memories of Jerry since he died when I was four years old. I vaguely remember when someone came to the house after the accident to inform my parents. In October 1955, Jerry went to an FFA meeting or judging competition in Lander, and for some reason the group was transported in private vehicles rather than a school bus. On the way home, the car that Jerry was riding in missed a curve on the Ethete Road, and he was ejected. Nils (standing by the heater) lived on a neighboring farm and visited frequently.

Looking South toward the Wind River Range Autumn 1966 When my parents bought the farm in the early 1940s it was a barren landscape, but they built a modest house (photo in this earlier post) , planted trees, and put down roots. The farm was sold after my brother died in 1996. The tree in the photo was one of many cottonless cottonwoods planted around the farm house. Part of windbreak to the west of the house can be seen on the far right in the photo. That windbreak row plus another windbreak row to the north and an orchard protected the area around the house. It was sometimes eerie how calm it was around the house when the wind was howling from the west. An aerial photo from the 1950s of the trees surrounding the house can be seen here . One afternoon in the 1980s, my mother was in the house when she heard an explosion. She thought that the propane tank by this tree had exploded, but the tree had taken a direct lighting hit. Note the propane tank directly behind my mother...

Pvt. John Stearns near Pavillion, WY 1954 With my parents' blessing, my oldest brother John enlisted in the Army before he graduated from high school. In the Army, John learned how to weld, and next to mechanics, welding was his passion and his vocation. An earlier post about John's welding can be seen here  and here . John was stationed in Japan during the Korea War . John's military stint ended early when our brother Jerry was killed in a car accident October 1955. I was told that my parents requested a hardship discharge for John, which is probably true since he returned home early in 1956.

Securing the gate Bruce M., Grandma Rosie, Dwight M. date unknown I wrote briefly about the Holstein bull(s) that were kept in the corral with the dairy herd in  this post . Everyone who worked around the cows in the corral had a healthy respect for the bull and kept a wary eye out for him. My mother sometimes carried a stick with her when she gathered the cows into the holding pen. The photo above was taken from the loft of the barn and shows the cows in the east corral, eating hay or silage after the morning milking. My nephews and mother are securing the gate of the holding pen because on that day, the bull and several young bulls were being shipped to the sale barn. Note the twisted metal panel/gate in this photo. One guess who did that damage. The loading chute was on the north side of the barn, and here my nephew Dwight is hazing the cattle into the lane that leads to the chute where a truck was waiting as my brother Rich is preparing to close the gate to t...