Driggs!!

Spring Break!

CD was so ready to take a major break from teaching and spring break finally came. He planned out this trip because I have been living out of a suitcase non-stop for the last 3 months (at least that's how I feel) and can't seem to get my home rhythm just yet. I've even considered renaming this blog to "My life out of a suitcase".

One of the things CD misses most since we've moved here (2+ years ago) has been the proximity of the ski resorts that we had in Seattle. The nearest snowboarding area for him would be Mount Shasta which means that you have to drive over the mountains just to get there (~4hrs), which incidentally are usually closed if the snow is good. Sort of a catch-22. In short, he's missed the slopes and we've felt the isolation of the redwood curtain.

Lucky for us, our friends Erica and Jay just completed building a new home in Driggs, Idaho.

The closest airport for Eastern Idaho is actually Jackson, Wyoming. Upon arriving, we headed to the National Elk Refuge to observe the wildlife. It was sunny and not too cold; and the blue skies against the contrasting snow on the ground was beautiful.

Elk grazing with the Tetons in the background (from the Eastern side):

That first evening, we helped them celebrate getting their certificate of occupancy before their friends Jen and Randy. Here are E and CD enjoying themselves at War Birds:

I said that they just finished building a home, but not everything is quite done. We were glad to lend a hand in staining and hanging dry wall. For home improvement action, check out E's blog pictures.

Rewarded for our hard work and glad to meet their friends, we headed to the Wolf.

Where is Rusty? here are CD, Anna, Jay and Erica:

CD enjoyed a few days of snowboarding and even though I only got out one day to do some snowshoeing, which was more of a snow-walk, I enjoyed myselft thoroughly.

Here are the snowbunnies:

The tetons viewed from the Idaho (western) side:

One of the funnest things to do while there was playing with Lefty, their cat. He loves to chase things and we even watched him kill his first mouse! It was Wild Kingdom in the backyard!

Of course all the kitty love has led us to consider getting our own pet... did someone say commitment? With our busy schedules, we've shied away from keeping an animal that we haven't the time for, but we're open to the possibility...

CD with Lefty on his lap: