Fires

We have been out west a bunch over the past years and have encountered a few fires, either close-by or at a distance.

This year has been very dry in the West and we are currently sandwiched between a fire to the south of Jackson and one to the NE. The one south has closed rt 191 the only north-south road into Jackson from the south.The NE fire is threatening to close another road!

We got close enough to see lots of fire service people doing their job, while helicopters worked overhead. The smoke is constantly wafting around dependent on the wind direction. At times we can see the boom form the backyard.

yup a big fire

Possibly dangerous

It's big

helicopters dropping water

From the road

From GTNP

Home Again?

Well, here we are in Jackson WY and the Grand Teton National Park ...... again!  It certainly is beginning to feel like home. Our first trip here was in 1976 and we have visited/stayed often in the meantime. This might be our 5th or 6th summer in the last 7 or 8.

Signposts

One unique characteristic of this area is the distinctive signposts. They offer assistance to finding a certain store, restaurant, point of interest, etc. Most look to be a collection of pointers individually designed by the owner.

Signs

I like seeing odd signs along the way. Like this.

Is this called a counter-thought?

Cape Porpoise buildings

"The Cape" is full of new and old buildings and houses. In some places along the water they are tearing down cottages and building much nicer "cottages' in their place. But, the area still maintains much of the style that keeps this area "real Maine"

My woodie or is it woody

Okay, this is about my 1935 Ford Station Wagon  - a woodie.  Anyone thinking otherwise has to get you mind out of the gutter.

Well, some of you know, while others don't. I got this car in 1967, when I was 17. I worked on it then, hoping to have it ready for K&A's wedding. Well the car didn't happen then, but we are still here 44 years later. I held onto the car for many years and in 2002 started the real restoration, completing it in 2004.

I drove it a lot, won a lot of prizes, and had a ton of fun playing with my woodie. Alicia even made me a special t-shirt to wear to car shows: "Chicks Dig My Woodie"

When we sold the Belmont place, it went into storage, and we took off for all kinds of places out West.  It has sat in place for 4-5 years.

This year is different. We remained in Maine a lot longer ...sooo. My woodie has been resurrected.

But having sat for so long, I had to spend a bunch of time getting it cleaned up and running. The damn ethanol fuel is a real PITA!. Well, it is on the road and bringing smiles to people here in Cape Porpoise.

The Wayfarer

The Wayfarer is a local restaurant that we can easily walk to from the house. We didn't have high expectations but were quite surprised at the variety and quality of the food. It was not "just" a local cheap tourist dive.

I like the building so I waited until there were no cars in front and tried to coax the dog to sit on the front stairs.

I used some filtering to tone down the colors and get some sort of washed out look.