Weekend Fun

It's been a while since we've written about some of the fun things we've been doing on the weekends. I decided to post some of the great photos we've taken recently. Most of the photos on this post were taken at a place called Vedauwoo, which is a group of rock formations in the mountains about 15 miles east of Laramie. Vedauwoo is known for rock climbing, and we saw a show recently called "Vertical Dance at Vedauwoo," in which climbers performed dance moves while hanging from vertical cliffs. Here are some photos.




Melissa and I enjoyed Vedauwoo so much that we came back the following week to do some hiking. Here are some photos from our hike.










As you can see, the rock formations are surreal and fantastic. We enjoy them immensely!


The farmers market is a mainstay for our weekend fun. The above picture shows how the city of Laramie has blocked off a downtown street for the Friday-afternoon market. Our favorite things to buy at the market are peaches and corn on the cob!

We also made it to the Denver Temple recently on a sunny day! Melissa has some magical way of not squinting in a sunny picture. Amazing.

Cheney in Laramie

Photo from the Laramie Boomerang.

Yesterday Melissa and I witnessed a fascinating moment in the history of Laramie and the University of Wyoming. Dick and Lynne Cheney were on campus for the dedication of the Cheney Center for International Studies at the University of Wyoming. The Cheneys donated over $3 million to the University, so the University named the new center in their honor.


Both supporters and protesters attended the dedication ceremony. I'm afraid the photos I took aren't very good, and my camera batteries died after two photos. But we saw people holding signs that say things like "Dick Cheney is a war criminal." The ceremony featured several speakers, including Dick and Lynne Cheney, former senator Alan Simpson, and a UW student who had traveled to Liberia through a university program funded in part by the Cheneys' donation. For much of the time, the protesters booed loudly. I could hear them shout things like "you're a fascist!" and Melissa heard someone yell something about Nazis. The protesters were against the new International Center being named for the Cheneys because they fear that the Cheney name will reflect poorly on the University of Wyoming, in large part because of the questionable policies such as "enhanced interrogation techniques" that Mr. Cheney advocated as vice president.

The Cheneys' remarks were in no way political. Mr. and Mrs. Cheney stood at the podium side-by-side and took turns speaking. They mostly reminisced about their time at the University of Wyoming and their fondness for the state of Wyoming, and they discussed the importance of study abroad opportunities for students. As an observer, I was torn by my own disagreement with Mr. Cheney's politics and my support for study abroad programs. I believe that international travel is a vitally important part of a person's education, and as a resident of Wyoming, I appreciate Mr. and Mrs. Cheney's generous gift to the university. I couldn't help feeling that the boos, jeers, and taunts from the crowd yesterday were inappropriate for the occasion.

Happy Trails: Crappy chick lit

Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner

Maureen Corrigan, NPR's book critic, said the only lame thing about this book was the title. And on her recommendation, I read it. Now I want my 5 hours back, because this book was L-A-M-E. Very predictable, very sappy, very happy-ending-for-everybody. So why did I read through the end? I don't know. OCD, I guess.

It's about Addie, who used to be fat. She is thinner now, but still lonely and unhappy. (What? Being thin doesn't solve a person's problems? What a cruel, cruel world.) Then her ex-best friend, Valerie, shows up after committing a crime and they go on the lam together. Then Addie gets a boyfriend, Valerie realizes she never should have thrown Addie under the bus, and everybody lives happily ever after. (Sorry about spoilers -- but it will save you the trouble of reading to the end.)

Happy Trails: Another book review

I finished another book last night and have decided that I'll call this blog series "Happy Trails." (It goes with the adventure/Western theme of the blog and it references the happy little trips I take via literature.)

The Women by T.C. Boyle

I read this on the iPhone Kindle app and found that the reading experience was totally satisfying -- until I got to the end. I didn't even know I was approaching the end, because I wasn't turning pages in a traditional way. It was strange and anticlimactic to be unable to shut the two covers and be done. So, that's my review of the reading experience (my first e-book).

The book itself (i.e., the content) was really interesting. I read Loving Frank by Nancy Horan about a year ago and I liked The Women better. Both are about Frank Lloyd Wright and his disastrous love affair(s). The Women covers all four of the major loves of his life, while Loving Frank is just about Mamah Borthwick. The story is full of very flawed characters (especially Wright himself). Some bits are melodramatic, but it's all based in history. I really enjoy historical fiction, and this is a well-written and engaging novel.

Introducing a new series

Mike had an idea for our blog that we're going to try out. Those of you who know us well know that we are HUGE fans and supporters of NPR (National Public Radio). On NPR they occasionally run a series of related stories (like Climate Connections or Planet Money) that focus on one particular issue. Mike's idea is that we can run our own occasional series on our blog, on topics that we care about.

Soooo, my series will consist of very brief reviews of books that I read. I'm a big reader -- you can see my list of everything I've read since July 2007. I need a good name for this series, so if you have suggestions please comment. I consider it an extension of my professional work as a librarian to offer reader's advisory in this forum. ;) The first review follows.

You or Someone Like You by Chandler Burr.

The protagonist of this novel, Anne Rosenbaum, accidentally becomes the leader of a prestigious and exclusive book club in Los Angeles for people "in the industry" (she ends up with multiple book groups: one for producers, one for writers, one for directors, etc.). I thought the book would be fluffy fun: literary snark featuring Hollywood stars. I was surprised when the book took a more serious turn, but enjoyed it all the more for that unexpected element. Recommended for anyone who will simultaneously enjoy hundreds of literary references and discussions (this is about a very serious book group, after all), allusions to famous Hollywood folks, and also some tender family and identity issues (including religious and sexual identity).

Hiking in the Snowies

Once Melissa and I returned from the Family Reunion Tour, we thought one of the best ways start feeling at home in Laramie area would be to do some hiking. After all, we love hiking, and Laramie is a very outdoorsy kind of place. We decided to hike a trail in the Snowy Range, which is about 40 miles west of Laramie. The Snowy Range is part of the Medicine Bow National Forest, and Medicine Bow Peak is the highest mountain in the Snowies. The trail we hiked, the Tipple Trail, passed through some beautiful landscape and had excellent views of Medicine Bow. Here's what we saw.

An old miner's cabin.

A trail marker.

This is an old broken-down mine with a vertical shaft.

I have to say that the photos don't really do justice to our experience. The elevation of the trail we hiked was about 10,000 feet. The trailhead is located at an overlook with Medicine Bow Peak directly above and vast stretches of the Snowy Range below the trail. To stand at that elevation with a chilly wind whipping at us, we felt exposed but also inspired. Most of the trail we hiked was under the cover of trees, so we were sheltered from the wind.

This is a photo from one of the overlooks.

As we drove down from the mountain after our hike we saw this huge moose just off the road. Amazing.

Family Reunion Tour '09

Just after we moved all of our stuff to Wyoming and got (mostly) unpacked, we jumped in the car for another road trip! This time, we went to Utah and Idaho for three, yes THREE, family reunions. The first was in St. George with the Broughs.

Here we with Mom and Grandma and Grandpa at Tuacahn to see the musical Annie. (McKenzie is peeking at the camera.)

Part 2 of the Brough Reunion was to hike a section of the Narrows in Zion's Canyon. Here we are starting the hike.

I was particularly excited to hang out with my brother Bob. We hadn't seen each other since May 2007!

This was the high adventure part of the hike. Grandma wasn't afraid to get her feet wet!

Emily and McKenzie are loving it.

After spending a couple of days with Broughs in Southern Utah, we headed up to Central Utah, to Nine Mile Canyon for the Terry Family Reunion. For some reason, Melissa and I didn't take any pictures there, but Bob and Emily certainly did. You can see photos on their blog by clicking here.

After the Terry Reunion, Melissa and I parted ways with my parents and Bobily to go visit her family in Preston, Idaho.

Here we are on the farm with Rob and Sarah. Rob's taking us on a tour to show us some of the farm animals.

The "Pig Penthouse"

On a walk with horses and goats.

Here's Justin teaching me how to run a tractor.

While we were in Cache Valley we attended the Hansen Family Reunion, which was really fun. We got to visit with a lot of Melissa's relatives. We also went camping with several members of the Hansen clan, and we went to That Famous Preston Night Rodeo.

Melissa's cousins Matt, Phoebe, and Chloe show off their fancy belts before the rodeo parade.

Melissa and I show off our Wyoming Cowboy pride before the parade.

We had a great time with all of our family members who we got to see during the Reunion Tour '09. Thanks to everyone for making it so memorable and fun!