Wyoming Breezes

bronze bust of Abraham Lincoln sculpted by Robert I. Russin I-80 Sherman Summit east of Laramie, WY The bronze bust of Lincoln is 12 feet tall and weighs 4,500 pounds. It originally stood at the highest point on the original Lincoln Highway (America's first transcontinental highway) but was eventually moved to Sherman Summit, the highest point on Interstate 80.  Lincoln bust atop a 30 foot granite pedestal Lincoln Highway markers on display at  Sherman Summit on Interstate 80 east of Laramie, WY

stonework chimney circa mid-1880s September 2021 Last weekend, my nephew took us on a tour of the ranch.  The first stop was at a newly finished irrigation diversion, and across the reservoir was a small rock building built as a kitchen to feed the Chinese workers (over 1,000) who dug the Blue Grass irrigation tunnel (flume) through solid rock  in 1883. The flume is still used today and is over 2,380 feet long.  The little building above was built from the rubble removed from the tunnel shaft. Other buildings were built along the small railroad line used to haul the rubble.  water entering the rock tunnel the small rock cottage can be seen on the left - just the roof and chimney are visible September 2021 irrigation water leaving the tunnel and heading down stream Because this water is for irrigation only, the water is turned off in the Fall and on in the Spring. Dwight told us when the tunnel is opened in the Spring, it takes over twelve hours for the water to appea...

tap shoes - circa 1974 September 2021 Sometimes it's difficult to let go of the past. For me, it was a pair of scuffed tap shoes.  When I was teaching in Wheatland in the 1970s, I enrolled in a beginning tap class for fun. The class had about ten students - all adults. None of us had ever tapped, and we had a great time learning the various steps. It was difficult to find a place to hold the class because the custodians were not too keen on having their waxed floors scratched by tap shoes. We never performed for an audience, but each week we danced during the hour long class.  I never mastered the art of tap, but I now appreciate those who have. I still remember a few of the steps, but I'm not as light on my feet as I once was, and my knees would not be happy with me if I even tried to tap.  Recently I went through my closet to clear out items simply taking up space, and I unearthed the bag containing the scuffed, patent leather tap shoes from my "youth." It was time ...

stained glass window in  Saint Matthew's Cathedral  Laramie, WY close up of the words on the window This stained glass window is in Saint Matthew's Cathedral in Laramie, WY to honor Father Luke Yokota, a Japanese Episcopal priest who was incarcerated at Heart Mountain during World War II and then stayed on to continue to serve in the Wyoming diocese on the Wind River Indian Reservation.  His story can be read here .  An earlier post written about the Heart Mountain camp in northwestern Wyoming can be found here . 

Wyoming COVID vaccination rates (click image to enlarge) I was disappointed, but not surprised, when I saw this graphic two weeks ago. The areas on the map are the individual counties in Wyoming. I live in Albany County. Wyoming residents were upset last year when Governor Gordon issued a mask mandate and restricted gathering sizes. Wyoming residents pride themselves in being independent, and the mandates and restrictions created feelings that the government was infringing on personal freedoms.  I don't see the statistics changing much even though it's possible to easily be vaccinated without an appointment.  What are vaccination rates like in your community/state?

. . . you remember desk phones and curly cords.  

I remember "helping" my Mom hang clothes to dry: I handed her the clothes pins. I'm sure she could have done the work in half the time. In the winter, her hands would turn red from the wet clothes and the cold weather. Jeans, on the clothesline, would freeze in the winter and could stand on their own when brought into the house to thaw. I miss having a clothesline and the smell of sun-dried sheets. 

This is a repost from 2014. Spring always brings back memories of the geese Mom raised on the farm.  Nesting Goose approx. 1977 My mother loved her geese, and the numbers grew steadily every year. It was common to see the flock (gaggle) parade around the yard and even across the County road to swim in the irrigation ditch. One year the ditch rider complained about the geese in the ditch, but his complaints fell on deaf ears because the geese kept the algae in the ditch under control. Mom's flock of geese grew to nearly 50 in 1977 Mom's geese got a bit territorial in the spring, and it was wise to give them a wide berth, especially near their nests. The goose and gander took turns sitting on the large eggs, and they both would extend their necks and hiss if someone got too close to the nest. It was common to see the ganders chase the dogs across the yard if they got too close to the flock or to the goslings. I've also seen the geese as well as the ganders chase people who go...

cutting alfalfa with a sickle bar mower early 1960s Before my brother purchased a windrow (aka a swather), he and my Dad cut hay with a sickle bar mower behind the John Deere B. The mower cut the alfalfa about four inches from the ground and it fell flat. Before the hay could be baled, it had to be raked. I don't have a photo of a rake, but it is pulled behind the tractor and off to the side over the cut alfalfa. It has long, thin teeth that fluff the cut alfalfa into windrows In the mid 1960s my brother bought a windrower (a piece machine that is a mower and a rake in one). You can see the difference in the appearance of the cut alfalfa from a windrower in this 2013 post .  The sickle bar mower was not put into permanent retirement as it was often used to cut weeds along the ditches in the fields.  No matter if it's cut with an old fashioned sickle bar mower or a fancy windrower, the alfalfa smells wonderful right after it is cut. It's even better smelling that freshly plo...

close up of an abandoned threshing machine This old threshing machine was located on my brother's farm. I can't remember if it was there when he bought the farm or was moved there afterwards. It sat on a windswept hill surrounded by other abandoned farm machinery abandoned threshing machine Many of you may not know the purpose of this large machine, but it was the predecessor of the modern combine. The crew who worked with the thresher was large, and it was a dusty/dirty physical job.  Mom told me that Dad travelled for a couple of years with a threshing crew before they were married.  an old family photo of a thresher at work. separating the grain from the straw

Libraries have changed drastically in a few decades:         •  card catalogs have disappeared         •  digital self-check out         •  digital library cards Can you think of any other changes?  Personally, I miss using the old card catalog. I enjoyed flipping through the cards. When I was in high school, I helped the librarian type cards for new books or books that had been donated.  The old checkout cards were fun. I'd often pull them out and see the names of those who had previously read the book(s). Now, I suppose it would be considered an invasion of personal privacy. 

close-up of a vintage phone The Virginian Hotel Medicine Bow, WY My maternal grandfather had a hand crank wall phone similar to the one in these photos, but the first phone I remember in the farm house was a black, desk model, rotary dial phone.  .  What do you remember about the telephones in your lifetime?

Steamboat and rider made from old license plates Albany County Office Building Laramie, WY May 2019 The bucking horse (Steamboat) and rider have been on the Wyoming license plate since 1936. Information and history of the design can be found on the Wyoming Secretary of State website . Information about the rider and the horse can be found here . The Wyoming license plate is one of the most collectible plates because of the iconic image of Steamboat and his rider.

Dinosaur mural Laramie, WY August 2019 From Wikipedia : The fossil record of the US state of Wyoming spans from the Precambrian to recent deposits. There are a large number of different fossil sites spread throughout the state.  Wyoming is such a spectacular source of fossils that author Marian Murray noted in 1974 that "[e]ven today, it is the expected thing that any great museum will send its representatives to Wyoming as often as possible." Murray has also written that nearly every major vertebrate paleontologist in United States history has collected fossils in Wyoming.  Wyoming is a major source of dinosaur fossils. Wyoming's dinosaur fossils are curated by museums located all over the planet.

Chief Standing Bear by Benjamin Victor Eagle Bronze Foundry Lander, WY May 2019 It was a treat to see the Chief Standing Bear statue at the Eagle Bronze Foundry before it was transported to Washington D.C. and revealed in the National Statuary Hall in September. I didn't know the impact that this man had on the civil rights of all Native Americans until I returned home and did some research. Some information about Chief Standing Bear can be found here and  here

fourteen seniors enjoy dinner at the Virginian Medicine Bow, Wyoming August 2019 August 30, 2019, fourteen seniors from Laramie traveled to Medicine Bow, WY to enjoy dinner in the historic Virginian hotel. We had a wonderful time. The Owen Wister dining room was decorated much like it would have been in 1911 - heavy velvet drapes, silver flatware, large sideboard buffet, and other period furniture.  Isn't this large mirror beautiful! The hotel still welcomes guests, and how I would love to explore the rooms.