I remember when I was very young, no older than third or fourth grade. My family took a trip to Yellowstone. We always followed the same route, leaving Malad in the morning and driving to Lava Hot Springs. After going for a swim and spending time there in one of the small hotels, we left the next day for the park. During one of those trips, we stopped at a souvenir shop, and I spotted this porcelain buffalo head on a small frame. I kept it for years. Before buying it, the man said that the chances were that the animal would never survive another decade. I'm glad he was wrong.
Who was to think that those beautiful animals would dominate the park like they do now. And on our way home from Minnesota, we saw one in Mammoth Hot Springs. It shocked me to see tourists within six or seven feet of this young bull, small enough to still have a few years before becoming a dominant male, yet large enough to seriously hurt some of the people who took pictures.
I thought about that silly trinket I bought all those years ago, and I realized that this picture was so much better in so many different ways. My only regret is that we didn't take a movie clip of it on our digital camera.
2 comments:
You mention Malad, is that where you grew up? I had an athletic director/inlaws family friend from Malad. His name was Roland Bott. Ring any bells? How did the checkup go?
I grew up in Malad--where I went to school--and Snowville--where we lived on our large ranch during the summers, so I was a "carrot snapper and a spud too.
I think I remember teaching Roland Bott in English or German or both, but I remember his sister Tonya the best. Roland was a fun kid, but he was a bit shy, which ironically was how I was in high school too.
His sister, however, was more like I remember you. She always wore this fun smile on her face, 25% mean and 75% hilariously funny.
The appointment went fantastic. We have been celebrating here. We returned from Minnesota a few weeks ago, but we brought two of our grandchildren with us. The third one lives here in Idaho Falls, and it has been fun, except today with one with the flu.
We hope to travel to Virginia by car in August some time to visit my son and his wife. My wife and I and grandson also hope to take a short three or four-day trip to see the trees of Northern California. But it will depend on how my daughter in Minnesota feels on Saturday.
She and her husband arrived a few days ago. They leave to return with their kids to Minnesota this weekend, unless I can talk them into letting them stay a bit longer. I don't think that will happen, but my daughter has been very sick. She is expecting our fourth grandchild, and she gets very sick.
We have been worried about her. While we were in Minnesota, she had to go in to get fluids via an IV.
It's nice to worry about someone else and their health for a change.
It's great hearing from you. I wish I could talk you into facebook, just long enough to get access to the exchange site. I found Kami Jeppesen a week ago, so I am still looking for old students I took on the exchanges.
I keep hoping people will add pictures of their own, but that has not happened a great deal at this point. Most people have either lost their pictures, or they have no idea where they are.
I hope you're having a great summer--Herr Ward.
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