Wilderness Disco Party!
Aug. 27th, 2013 01:07 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bloodyrosemccoySo a couple weeks ago, my family and I went to Grand Teton National Park. And, this being Modern Times, we all brought cameras. So now, you lucky dogs you, you get to see my vacation slides!
Coming at you, Jackson--and I am all ready for Nature Science. In the back pocket of that vest (damn I love that vest*) are about eight more little pamphlets on identifying plants, animals, rocks, etc..
That hat, by the way, is one I bought earlier this summer. It came with a veritable NOVEL of helpful instructions and other ephemera. Thing deserves its own entry, frankly.
Hey, who's that down in my pocket? Is that Mini Addy? Do you suppose she had adventures of her own in the Tetons? FORESHADOWING!)
Wilderness disco party! WOO!
Too bad my brother lost that one arm. His left arm was his favorite!
(Okay, he just didn't put it through his sleeve--because his hand was wrapped in an elaborate network of bandages and splints. Crushed a knuckle during tae kwon do. My sister and I were merciless while watching him try to do things with one uncrunched, undominant hand. Poor Dude.)
My sister helps Dad demonstrate that the Vest Of Ten Thousand Pockets is not an isolated phenomenon. Where did you think I got the idea?
I managed to get nothing but unflattering photos of Mom. My aunt and uncle are paranoid about The Internet, so I didn't put up any of them.
I could stare at places like this forever.
Jenny Lake and Teewinot (the mountain). It was ominously cloudy there for a lot of the time.
The bad news is that the water level of the other lake, Jackson Lake, was really low. The reason was kind of fascinatingly weird: 100 or so years ago, the state of Idaho funded a dam to raise the water level of the lake. They kept the rights, though--so that Idaho winds up owning the top 39 feet of the lakewater. This year due to their drought, they exercised those rights--leaving the national park, well, high and dry, and losing millions because nobody's boating on the lake.
I guess the good news is that Idaho doesn't own thebottom 39 feet. That would just be silly.
It wasn't always cloudy, though!
Not pictured: roughly 7,000 other tourists standing next to me holding up smartassphones and iPads and actual cameras. It made me think: I like taking pictures, but I also don't want to get so stuck on recording my experience that I forget to actually have one. So I took a lot of pictures, but I also spent a lot of time with my camera securely pocketed.
We got treated to dinner in the Mural Room one night, where we pored over the World's Most Pretentious Menu! For example, here are the salads. (The breakfasts also included eggless quinoa omelets and several conscientiously gluten-free meals.) While I know a few folks who would actually benefit from some gluten-free items, I suspect they were not the reason for the menu's sudden interest in all things unglutenized. I'll bet you a nickel that distinction goes to the Loud And Perpetually Dissatisfied Gluten-Free Paleo Vegans.
Turns out I preferred the far less expensive and tastier food on the other side of the kitchen that was served in the Pioneer Room.
My sister shared my feelings about the Pioneer Room--especially its huckleberry milkshakes.
Hey, MSTies! Look what I saw in the gift shop! I think This Is Where The Fish Lives.
I also got a few nice things while there. Such as …
Replacement mug!
Last time I was there I found one of these, with a nice pattern of pine trees on it. I enjoyed it for two years and then managed to destroy it using a combination of klutziness, gravity, and a hard linoleum floor. So this time I was on a Quest: to replace that darn mug. Quest Achieved, y'all!
And this time, by god, I have a name! The artists are Mike and Pam Mcnerney, in case you were wanting some nice big mugs of your own. The site there has plenty of other cool artists, too.
Then there's this … uh … this … this thing.
Clearly, it is an art. Just as clearly, it is not functional like the mug. But while it's just meant for looking at, god damn is it good at its job. Remember those weird liquid hourglasses you or your friend had back in the 90s? This is what those things want to be when they grow up. It's a bunch of differently-weighted sands in a Super Secret Solution. The frame is mounted on swivels, so that you can flip it over and watch the sand, glitter, liquid, and air bubbles shift places.
It is MESMERIZING.
I felt a little stupid at first buying a hypnotizing useless Thing, but damn it's already paid for itself in time I've spent just staring at it. Much better to stare at than blank walls or screensavers when trying to put together story ideas.
Their website is here. And the artist is based in Park City, Utah, a short drive from where I am, in case I ever decide I really need a blue one.
The much-touted Vest Of Ten Thousand Pockets, in all its glory!
Seriously, you guys, I am never using handbags again.
While my family was having adventures, Mini Addy had a few of her own. I'll put those together in the next few days!
*Dad was not sure about it because of the size issue: I was getting it from the men's section, which did not take into account some aspects of my topography. It's tough to find a women's vest with even five thousand pockets, though. For all that, I am really pleased with how it fits!
Coming at you, Jackson--and I am all ready for Nature Science. In the back pocket of that vest (damn I love that vest*) are about eight more little pamphlets on identifying plants, animals, rocks, etc..
That hat, by the way, is one I bought earlier this summer. It came with a veritable NOVEL of helpful instructions and other ephemera. Thing deserves its own entry, frankly.
Hey, who's that down in my pocket? Is that Mini Addy? Do you suppose she had adventures of her own in the Tetons? FORESHADOWING!)
Wilderness disco party! WOO!
Too bad my brother lost that one arm. His left arm was his favorite!
(Okay, he just didn't put it through his sleeve--because his hand was wrapped in an elaborate network of bandages and splints. Crushed a knuckle during tae kwon do. My sister and I were merciless while watching him try to do things with one uncrunched, undominant hand. Poor Dude.)
My sister helps Dad demonstrate that the Vest Of Ten Thousand Pockets is not an isolated phenomenon. Where did you think I got the idea?
I managed to get nothing but unflattering photos of Mom. My aunt and uncle are paranoid about The Internet, so I didn't put up any of them.
I could stare at places like this forever.
Jenny Lake and Teewinot (the mountain). It was ominously cloudy there for a lot of the time.
The bad news is that the water level of the other lake, Jackson Lake, was really low. The reason was kind of fascinatingly weird: 100 or so years ago, the state of Idaho funded a dam to raise the water level of the lake. They kept the rights, though--so that Idaho winds up owning the top 39 feet of the lakewater. This year due to their drought, they exercised those rights--leaving the national park, well, high and dry, and losing millions because nobody's boating on the lake.
I guess the good news is that Idaho doesn't own thebottom 39 feet. That would just be silly.
It wasn't always cloudy, though!
Not pictured: roughly 7,000 other tourists standing next to me holding up smartassphones and iPads and actual cameras. It made me think: I like taking pictures, but I also don't want to get so stuck on recording my experience that I forget to actually have one. So I took a lot of pictures, but I also spent a lot of time with my camera securely pocketed.
We got treated to dinner in the Mural Room one night, where we pored over the World's Most Pretentious Menu! For example, here are the salads. (The breakfasts also included eggless quinoa omelets and several conscientiously gluten-free meals.) While I know a few folks who would actually benefit from some gluten-free items, I suspect they were not the reason for the menu's sudden interest in all things unglutenized. I'll bet you a nickel that distinction goes to the Loud And Perpetually Dissatisfied Gluten-Free Paleo Vegans.
Turns out I preferred the far less expensive and tastier food on the other side of the kitchen that was served in the Pioneer Room.
My sister shared my feelings about the Pioneer Room--especially its huckleberry milkshakes.
Hey, MSTies! Look what I saw in the gift shop! I think This Is Where The Fish Lives.
I also got a few nice things while there. Such as …
Replacement mug!
Last time I was there I found one of these, with a nice pattern of pine trees on it. I enjoyed it for two years and then managed to destroy it using a combination of klutziness, gravity, and a hard linoleum floor. So this time I was on a Quest: to replace that darn mug. Quest Achieved, y'all!
And this time, by god, I have a name! The artists are Mike and Pam Mcnerney, in case you were wanting some nice big mugs of your own. The site there has plenty of other cool artists, too.
Then there's this … uh … this … this thing.
Clearly, it is an art. Just as clearly, it is not functional like the mug. But while it's just meant for looking at, god damn is it good at its job. Remember those weird liquid hourglasses you or your friend had back in the 90s? This is what those things want to be when they grow up. It's a bunch of differently-weighted sands in a Super Secret Solution. The frame is mounted on swivels, so that you can flip it over and watch the sand, glitter, liquid, and air bubbles shift places.
It is MESMERIZING.
I felt a little stupid at first buying a hypnotizing useless Thing, but damn it's already paid for itself in time I've spent just staring at it. Much better to stare at than blank walls or screensavers when trying to put together story ideas.
Their website is here. And the artist is based in Park City, Utah, a short drive from where I am, in case I ever decide I really need a blue one.
The much-touted Vest Of Ten Thousand Pockets, in all its glory!
Seriously, you guys, I am never using handbags again.
While my family was having adventures, Mini Addy had a few of her own. I'll put those together in the next few days!
*Dad was not sure about it because of the size issue: I was getting it from the men's section, which did not take into account some aspects of my topography. It's tough to find a women's vest with even five thousand pockets, though. For all that, I am really pleased with how it fits!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2013-08-27 11:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-08-27 12:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-08-27 01:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-08-27 02:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-08-28 12:04 am (UTC)I have seen those awesome sandscape things before! They really are mesmerizing. I may have to get me one of those, even though I don't really have anywhere to put it.
no subject
Date: 2013-08-28 01:00 am (UTC)And the thing is mesmerizing even just in the photos. I'd probably get lost for hours staring at it in person.
no subject
Date: 2013-08-28 01:34 am (UTC)I see what you meant in that comment about your sister being very expressive, too :D
I think those Exotic Sands things have been sold at the Pacific Science Center gift shop, at least at times. Or maybe somewhere in the Pike Place Market. Some of the pictures on the website and the general concept look really familiar.
no subject
Date: 2013-08-28 06:30 am (UTC)The huckleberry milkshake sounds awesome though.
The local pub/theater once had a mint & avocado milkshake special once. Yes, you read that right. Unfortunately, by the time I was drunk enough that it sounded like a good idea (or at least worth trying), they were all out. They actually sold out of it.
no subject
Date: 2013-08-28 03:10 pm (UTC)I love the vest, too! :)
no subject
Date: 2013-08-28 03:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-08-28 03:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-08-28 03:13 pm (UTC)(I would also love to see Glacier. Next time I go somewhere ...)
The correct place to put it is right in front of you at all times!
no subject
Date: 2013-08-28 03:15 pm (UTC)I do get lost. I'm like, "I should do something. Just one more flip ..."
no subject
Date: 2013-08-28 03:19 pm (UTC)She makes GREAT faces. You ought to see us have conversations.
no subject
Date: 2013-08-28 03:22 pm (UTC)I ... suppose I might try a milkshake like that? Maybe? Of course, avocado makes my eustachian tubes itch fiercely, so maybe not, but I would be curious ...
no subject
Date: 2013-08-28 05:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-08-29 04:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-08-29 04:35 am (UTC)(Wasn't trying to shoot you down, I'm saying.)
no subject
Date: 2013-08-30 04:28 am (UTC)