My View from the other side of the hill . . .

"Big Foot" in Yellowstone

The Big Foot Clan is on the move again. There are six original members -Brent & Bonnie Tregaskis, and Chris & Erin Riddle from Big Bear, and Ben and I. This year we officially added a seventh member- Daniel Cook, Erin's brother, who hails from Texas. We came by the "Big Foot" moniker because on several previous trips we placed our "Big Feet" in places where they oughtn't to have been. We like to explore canyons, caves, cliffs, mountains, rivers, ruins and wildlife, not by car, but by foot, and we generally choose to backpack or car camp. We do, however, usually begin and end a trip with carpeting underfoot and feather pillows.

Our Clan adventures first began with a trip to  Moab, Utah and Canyon Lands in 1994 to explore  Anasazi ruins in the canyon.  At this point we hadn't "earned" the Big Foot name. However, in 1996 the "Tregaskis Party" launched an expedition to Canyon de Chelly, Betatakin and Keet Seel, again to explore the remnants of the Anasazi, and the name "Big Foot" clan began to take hold. We concluded this trip in Zion with the discovery of our clan "symbol" at the Zion National Park Gift Shop.

Did I mention that half of the clan loves to shop?  Oh, and we also have a fondness for eating well . . . in camp, on the trail, off the trail, on the road, in a boat on a float . . . you name it, we are always planning our next meal. 

In 1999, the Clan and the "Riddle Havasu Canyon Party" of 11 took on Havasu Canyon in Arizona -(expeditions are named after the person who uses his credit card to make arrangements)This particular trip included Chris & Erin, their boys, Bryce and Spencer, Mark Fulton and his daughter Kinsey, Erin's brother Dan, Brent, Bonnie, Ben and of course- me, the trip historian.  Incidentally, Supai Village, which is in Havasu Canyon, is the village that was recently evacuated due to a break in the Redland Dam. No injuries were reported however, a number of the campers in the Canyon where we had camped, we're stranded in trees and on ledges.

It was been nine long years since our last major expedition.  In that time, there have been 2 weddings, 4 grandchildren born, 2 boys graduated from high school and off to college, job changes, relocations, and  major health issues. Although we've traveled in smaller numbers on trips, to Zion and Hawaii and points beyond, we haven't been able to pull the entire Clan together (except for Big Bear parties of course), until this year.

Plans for this expedition began in December of 2007. Since I am the historian, I'll name this trip the "Big Foot Reunion".  It has been a long time so we made this a big one- in fact, this was a seven state road trip. We were in California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. We explored Bryce Canyon, Cedar Breaks, Brian Head Peak, the Salt Lake City airport, the Idaho Ranch House and surrounding land, Grand Targee, Driggs, Victor, Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Moose National Reserve and Jackson Hole Wyoming.  We were cold (a low of 27 degrees) and rarely hot, (except for me but that's another story) and slightly wet but never drenched. We saw vivid red canyons, the magnificent Tetons, waterfalls, lakes, rapids, mud pots galore, geysers everywhere, osprey, elk, deer, moose, bison and a long lost friend, Patti Johnson. Best of all . . . we played, laughed and explored together again.

My personal favorite spot was Driggs, Idaho. I'd move there in a minute except for the fact that I'd end up being a fugitive, because of course, I'd have to kidnap my grandchildren and take them with me. 

If you're so inclined, a photo album is attached. I promise, very few of the 400 photos we took are included. Anyway . . . so long Tetons. Until we meet again.  And we will!

 

Home away from Home and the 20 things we learned last week.

Noah, showing off our Home Away from Home.

August 17th, Grandpa Ben and I loaded the 4-runner with camping gear, fishing gear, art supplies, and two eager grandchildren and headed to Lake George in Mammoth Lakes. This is our third summer camping trip with Noah and Hannah and our second trip to Lake George. Our first trip in 2006, was to Malibu Beach RV park and we had a great time but we've found that camping in Mammoth includes quality time with Uncle Travis. Each year gets a little easier. Both Noah and Hannah are at the age now when they are a little more self sufficient and very entertaining. Learn what we learned, then check out the Camping in Mammoth Photo Album.

Just a few of the things we learned on this trip:

1. Hannah is a first rate, 6 year old, backseat driver. "Slow down Grandpa, I think you might be going to fast.",  "Grandpa, you'd better stop for gas.",  "Grandpa, roll up your window please.", "Grandpa do you think you should turn here?", "Grandpa do you know where you're going?"
2. Like father like son. And neither, necessarily, like Grandpa or Uncle. After reaching our first destination at Mono Lake, Noah asked sarcastically "are we walking 100 miles to see a rock?". After taking a shorter path back to the car and finding really spectacular Tufa just 100 YARDS from the car, the answer would be, "yes".  This one was uncle Travis's adventure so we'll blame him.
3. Hannah is not intrigued nor interested in millions of bugs, salt water, sea gulls, beach sand, cat tails or miniature tufas. She demanded to be taken home. Now. I told her "Thompson women were tough" and we we're going to reach our destination. We did, whimpering all the way, but then she simply couldn't walk another step. I suggested, if she caught up with Uncle Travis, he might be willing to carry her. Her aching feet sprinted a good 75 yards to her Uncle, who of course, carried her. For awhile anyway. Go figure. 
4. The Mobil Mart makes a really great pitcher of Mango Margaritas. They are particularly great after a hike to see miniature tufas with disgruntled children.
5. Boys of all ages underestimate the intellect of 6 year old girls. Playing Apples to Apples Jr., Hannah and I drew a green card with the word "beautiful" (or something like that). Grandpa, Uncle Travis and Noah played their red cards, not a one of which correlated to the word "beautiful". Hannah responded loudly and with dramatic flair, "WHAT, are you kidding me?"
6. Tooth Fairies in Mammoth pay big. Noah lost a tooth. Tooth Fairy paid in the dark. No light. No checks and balances. $15. That's one Fairy that has some accounting to do.
7. Even 6 year old girls can have hot flashes. Maybe. Sunday night Hannah slept through the night. Monday night she whimpered all night long. We weren't sure if she was dreaming and crying or awake and whining. Her eyes were closed and when asked what was wrong she would say "I don't know". She kept throwing off her sleeping bag. It was really cold so I kept covering her up and she'd throw it off again. Finally I pulled her on to our air matress and with just a bit more whimpering she finally slept.  Hot flashes or skillful manipulation?
8. The best cure for a cranky little girl is another cranky little girl. After Hannah's bad sleep night she was a bit sullen. She refused to oblige anyone with conversation or a smile, try though we did. Next campsite down was another little girl in meltdown. We got the two of them together to color and draw and the mood in the camp ground shifted magically.
9. Hannah may have a future in Healthcare, most likely as a supervisor. She demanded often, that everyone, especially her brother, clean their hands with the Healthy Hand Cleaner and she faithfully reminded us to "drink lots of water because we're in the mountains".
10. Noah loves to be with his Uncle Travis. (Like we didn't already know that.) Even when Uncle Travis is being "mean" to him Noah loves it. Grandpa dutifully reminded them that "the harder you play the more likely it is someone will get hurt." SO?
11. Travis loves to play with his niece and nephew. Enough said.
12. Fathers sometimes pass the burden of teaching precarious skills to others. Miles gave Noah a small pocket knife. Okay fine, not much danger there. Miles also sent a larger and sharper knife along in the tackle box. Really sharp. Heidi gave us specific instructions to bring back Noah with both of his thumbs. Travis took on the challenge and taught Noah to open and close the knife safely and how to whittle without drawing blood.  Noah came back with both thumbs and a really sharp stick.
13. Bodie's a handful. Bodie didn't go with us, but, at Uncle Travis's house we we're watching the Animal Planet show where the British dog trainer, in the black leather getup, comes in to help people who have unmanageable dogs. Hannah quipped- "It's a good thing she doesn't know about Bodie or my family would be on that show."
14. Hannah has the cure for what ails you. Grandpa got an "ice cream headache" drinking a peach margarita at Gomez's. She explained that he needed to push on his front tooth with his finger and count to ten. It worked. Who knew?
15. When your done your done. Hannah fell asleep at Gomez's and didn't wake up until late the next morning (in the tent, not at Gomez's) She asked for a "high five" since she didn't wake up at all in the night crying. I asked her what made the difference- she said "when I talked to Dad on the phone he told me to knock it off."
16. Tough love works. Wednesday, our last day, was the best. It was warm and not windy. We decided to go for a hike to lakes, Barrett and TJ. Hannah confiscated one of my trekking poles and off we went. The first two hundred yards were reminiscent of the Mono Lake hike. "Grandma you have to wait this is too hard." She and I were already way behind the others and we had a steep stretch ahead of us. Noah was leading the pack with Grandpa and Travis in close pursuit. Hannah and I seemed destined for another "whineific" long haul. I tried my mantra once again, "We're Thompson women and we're tough--now go catch Uncle Travis." She did and never whined a second more, even though the hike was steep, and not the easiest hike for a 6 year old. When we we're almost back at camp she proclaimed this was "the best hike ever" and she would call herself "MRS. Thompson Tough Pants" (Except later she wanted to drop the "pants" part and change MRS to Miss) I guess not backing down at Mono Lake had it's payoff.
17. The best tent is a messy tent. And an air mattress is the perfect trampoline. I'm not sure yet, but I believe we may need to buy air mattress number 3. That's one air mattress per trip. Hmmm.
18. Packing up is not as much fun as packing. Especially if you're 8 and 6.
19. Grandma earned a nickname. Grandma Crabby Pants. It fits.
20. According to Hannah, home is always "Home Sweet Home".

June 30th Thompson Adventure

I know, it's August and I'm just now following up on our trip to Baboon Lake and Mt. Thompson. In a nutshell, it was memorable for the "off trail" trekking and the mosquitoes. The latter did us in and we bailed before climbing Mt. Thompson. Upon our return we were able to take a good look at where we'd been without swatting incessantly at the swarms of mosquitoes. Odd that the bugs don't really show in the photos.

Looks like spectacular scenery. We'll go back sometime when it isn't mosquito season.

Another Adventure

We're off to the Sierras for another adventure. Ben's going to climb MT. Thompson. I am not. We are going in at Lake Sabrina and then making a base camp Monday night through Wednesday night at Baboon Lake. We'll be doing just a little "off trail" trekking and hopefully not encountering too much snow. Sounds enticing huh. Stay tuned for the adventure journal.

A Starry Night

Every year, my grandson Noah and I attend the Mother/Son Dinner Dance at Canyon Crest Country Club. This year was extra special. Believe it or not, I think Noah looks forward to going to the dance with Grandma- even though Grandma can't quite do the "dancing" like she used to. He makes up for my lack of mobility with his "hip hopping and break dancing" and he's especially gifted at performing the "sprinkler" move. You'll have to ask his father about the origin of that one. Sliding on his knees on the dance floor is another specialty. Who knew dress pants could hold up to the task? He threatened to fall asleep on the way home but I warned him, "Grandma doesn't usually carry her dates inside."

A Full Plate

My daughter-in-law Heidi, www.heidit76.typepad.com, recently listed a post titled "My Plate". I loved the analogy she created and the comments she received. Here's my problem. I don't try to keep my food separated on my plate. I don't intentionally mix food together either, but I'm okay with the touching. I mean how else can you enjoy a potluck? (Click on the plate for a better look)

I have the same philosophy in the rest of my life- why not have something of everything- which is why, my plate is always full, and you're just looking at the top layer. Underneath is golf, sorority, work, a new business venture, more work and thoughts of how to organize my office so that my brain can whirl without causing trouble. My "noggin" is swirling, twirling and sometimes a bit foggy. I rarely finish one thing before starting on the next and I have book marks in about 5 books right now. Hence the lack of recent posts. I simply don't know where to start, or for that matter, when I left off.

The lovely lady on my plate, the one wearing the white hat, is my mother-in-law, Velma. Velma stayed with Ben and I for 9 weeks while we attempted to solve medical issues, memory issues and moral issues. The moral issue being-though she insists "she's fine and doesn't need our care and does not have a memory problem", do we let her go home to fend for herself? After much thought and consultation, everyone, including her primary physician, agreed we should let her go home-under a few conditions. She has caregivers that visit her in the morning and the evening to make sure she takes her medicines. I've taken over the task of the medications, filling the weekly pill dispenser and basically making sure she's staying on track with multiple visits during the week. She went home May 4th and as of today, with only a few medication hiccups, she's doing okay. She loves her little place and her "freedom" and believe me, nobody wants to take that from her- on the other hand we all know this is short term.  Take heed! - Growing old ain't for sissies.

Fresh & Easy

I'm home from my first shopping trip to Fresh & Easy. I love it! http://www.freshandeasy.com/ Check it out. The prices are amazing.

View from the top

Finally, after a few weeks of "fog" lingering over the Thompson household, we made it to the top, if only for a few days. The top of the mountain offers an unbelievable view, not to mention a clearer perspective.

Ben's mom, Velma, has been with us now since March 5th. She was in the hospital for 7 days with pneumonia and was released to us rather than her home, partially due to the fact that she has a difficult time with her memory, not Alzheimer's but mild to moderate dementia consistent with aging. She forgets to take her medicine which a huge part of why she ended up in the hospital. Currently she spends the week days with us and the weekends with Ben's sister Lori and her family. We're all pulling diligently on the same end of the rope trying to set things in motion so she can go back to her apartment. This topic of dementia and aging deserves it's own post and as soon as I can remember what I want to say I'll get back to you.

BSP "Fresh Beginnings & Sweet Endings"

In a previous post I mentioned my new chapter of Beta Sigma Phi (BSP), Laureate Alpha Epsilon (LAE) Aren't we cute? Permit me to give you a little "sorority" history.

In my 20's, sometime in 1977, (no specifics here, just imagine I was once in my 20's) I joined a Ritual of Jewels chapter, Gamma Mu, in Newton, Kansas. We were a young and active chapter. Some of us had small children, some were not yet parents, and others had no intention of ever becoming parents. We were a diverse group of women, teachers, newspaper editors, waitresses, housewives (we were not yet called domestic engineers) and business owners. We held two meetings a month, raised money for charity, and held monthly socials. We were active and had all the energy required to have careers, raise families and still find time for ourselves. Newton was small then Gamma Mu, to my knowledge, was the only chapter in town.

In 1979 I moved to California and was surprised by the formidable presence of BSP. California had BSP City Councils that met once a month (City councils are composed of all the chapters in a city or area, and at the time, Riverside had more than 20 chapters), Area Councils of California, that met every other month at Breakfast meetings (Area councils are all Chapters in a given region), and once a year... State Conventions (all California Chapters). Breakfast meetings were an exciting addition to my sorority life. These meetings were generally hosted by City Councils and many were held in the San Deigo area. I've attended many breakfasts over the years, and have been minimally involved in planning and  hostessing Riverside events, but never have I belonged to a chapter who hosted a breakfast, all by themselves. Meet Laureate Alpha Epsilon.

My former chapter, Preceptor Delta Epsilon, no longer had enough members to keep things going. After several years of struggling to help keep my chapter alive, I really wasn't sure if I had the energy to continue with sorority. Nevertheless I accepted an invitation to visit LAE, along with three other members of Preceptor Delta Epsilon. I was both overwhelmed and encouraged by LAE's level of planned activities, projects and member involvement. They asked the four of us to join them, and with only one exception we did. We went from "simmer" to "sizzle" in one months time. No time to acclimate. We had many, many things to do. Did I mention? All of the children are grown, most of us have grandchildren, our oldest member is 78 and our youngest member is 48. Many members still work full time, some are retired, and at least half have been in sorority for 25 plus years.Everybody has been there and done that and still they keep going! It's amazing what seventeen women, all pulling on the same end of the rope, can accomplish.

Under the capable guidance and experienced hand of co-chairs, Carol Krieger and Caryn Daniels we hosted 239 Beta Sigma Phi's, January 27th, at the Mission Inn. Thanks to LAE I'm excited about Beta Sigma Phi again. Cheers to all! For more info about BSP check out: http://www.betasigmaphi.org/history.shtm

"Grandma Tales"

Noah, my grandson is 7 (soon to be 8) and Hannah just turned 6. I pick them up from school each day, Hannah at 12:40 and Noah at 2:05, (except on Tuesdays which is a minimum day) and I've yet to come up with a tried and true method to keep them from sparring constantly all the way home from school. They are fine with each other on the walk to the car, but once they are buckled in and I start the engine . . . it begins. She wants the windows down, he wants the windows up. She wants to sing. He doesn't like her singing. She hums instead and that just infuriates him. Sometimes it is just a "look". "Grandma, she's looking at me funny make her stop" says Noah. "I'm just smiling at him grandma" she replies, and off they go. Lately I've been bringing snacks and juice boxes and that seems to keep them occupied for most of the ride. At least until one of them starts to slurp.

Once we're home I usually let them watch Nickelodeon for awhile before starting homework. When it's homework time I perform the "Happy Homework" song and dance as I turn off the TV. The tune is the familiar "It's Howdy Doody time, It's Howdy Doody time" (okay- maybe it's only familiar if you're over fifty) and it's intent is to make the segue to homework fun or least less problematic. Hannah loves the "song and dance" and joins me in the rendition. Noah holds his ears and rolls his eyes. Last week on Friday, he informed me he would be doing his homework as soon as we got home so I wouldn't have to bother singing the "Happy Homework" song. Okay. That trick seems to have worked in reverse.

I like to encourage competition and achievement. Don't you? Noah gets to play PlayStation games at my house after his homework is done. He loves to play Major League Baseball. He jumps and screams and loudly announces his accomplishments in the game. One day last week he hit a ball over the big "Green Monster". He's screaming "I did it! I did it! I hit it over the big Green Monster". So I join in- "Yea! Hip Hip Hooray! Woo Hoo! You hit it over the big Green Monster". He casts me a pitying sideways glance and says quite sarcastically, "Grandma, do you even know what the big "Green Monster" is? Humbled I replied, "it's some kind a a wall isn't it?" Hope I was right, I do have a reputation to maintain.

Get use to "Grandma Tales". The material provided by my grandchildren is just too priceless not to share, though I expect after reading some of my "Grandma tales", the parental units may attempt to sneak a "granny cam" into my car or house, just to assure themselves that I'm not certifiable.

It's likely I am. One morning last week I turned on the TV in the family room and mechanically flipped the channel to my favorite news station (KTLA) then proceeded to the kitchen to make coffee and toast. A good five minutes later Ben taps me on the shoulder and says quietly, "They're not here now, you don't have to watch Nickelodeon".