Slide Lake Drive

Our original plan for yesterday was to take one of the many hikes that we have been lining up for the season. The plan changed when Josie woke up with a severe ache in her left knee which flares up occasionally. So, instead, we took a drive to one of the locations where we have visited previously but never took the complete drive. That is the Slide Lake area. We had no idea that we would be traveling through one of the prettiest areas in all of Wyoming.

We took lots of photos and it was really hard deciding which ones to publish here. Below is a representation of those photos.

Starting with some horseback riders that were crossing the road in front of us just before the Slide Lake area:

Then, there was the slide area which we had previously visited. Starting with the slide itself:

and the history of the event:

Following that stop, we drove through some of the most beautiful countryside we have seen in all of Wyoming. These shots give some examples of this fabulous area:

There were also wildflowers blooming everywhere:

and, finally, on the way home, Josie snapped this photo which should become a classic:

What a terrific way to spend our first day off on our three day weekend.

We will do the Parade this morning and have a party tonight for the Fourth of July celebration.

Happy 4th of July!

Kickoff of Weekend

The last day of the workweek always seems to go slower. Yesterday was no exception. We were surprised to see a couple bucks running through our parking lot as we arrived at work yesterday, and we caught this pair running along the sidewalk as we walked into work:

The day went well, and I also caught this shot near the end of the day of Josie and Vicki working in what we call the "pond room" where we store all of our surplus shirts and other clothing inventory. They were folding and sorting:

Our "Friday" eventually ended and we took this photo of the sun setting over the mountains as we wound down the day and prepared for bed:

Josie already did our laundry last night before going to bed. The forecast is for nice, summer weather over the next several days so we are ready for our fun weekend...

Ready for Some Fun

Today will be our final work day this week. We start at 7:45 AM and will be off, for threes days, beginning at 4:15 PM this afternoon. It will be a long day today and one where we will be watching the clock. We are excited to be off for three days and to have the Fourth of July sandwiched in the middle. We will plan for some fun activities to enjoy during the free time.

We expect to see some changes in our staff within the next couple weeks. The one girl that was hired several weeks ago is just not working out. We believe that our schedule will remain unchanged even with the departure of that employee as she has contributed very little to production. Our staff is very strong without her and should be fine for the rest of the season.

It appears that the weather, for the most part, will be terrific for the next several days and that is good news for the Fourth of July Parade on Tuesday, and our party scheduled for Tuesday night.

Stay tuned for some fun...

The Short Night

Last night was the tough one of our work week. We closed at the Visitor Center and got home after 7:30 PM. We open this morning at 7:45, so the night was very short. All we had time for was a snack and to watch one TV show before going to bed. That situation won't change with our new schedule as we still will have one night where have a close/open arrangement. I guess it isn't too bad if that is the only scheduling glitch.

The good news is that we have only today and tomorrow before getting our first three day weekend. The weather is on a track to improve tremendously. The clear, warm weather is on the way and will arrive in time for our Fourth of July celebration and our long weekend...

Ready for Holiday

We are almost to the Fourth of July weekend. This will be the first time in several years that we have had the day (4th of July) off and are able to go to the parade in town. It is also the first three day weekend of our new schedule of working four days a week. If the weather cooperates, it will be a great weekend.

Our other couple at work has, coincidently, requested a five day work week after having a schedule of working four, ten hour days. They have been hinting that the long days are a drain on them, so now they get our old schedule. Even though our income will take a hit by eliminating one work day per week, we feel it is time in our working life to begin easing off and enjoying the area more than we have.

With the parade on Tuesday and the party on Tuesday night, it promises to be a terrific Fourth celebration this year - and we are certainly ready...

New Schedule

It finally happened. The staffing at work has reached the level where our manager can finally place us on a four day work week schedule. Beginning next week, we will have Mon-Tue-Wed off each week until further notice. That gives us the flexibility to travel to places we have wanted to go within WY that we couldn't schedule previously because of the short weekends. The new schedule begins with the Fourth of July Holiday, so we will remain close to home for this next week. With three months remaining in our season, we will have plenty of time.

Speaking of staffing, the new girl - Karen - is going to be a perfect fit for our staff. We worked with her all day yesterday and she has picked up the procedures quickly. It is like she has been working there for months already. She is a young girl - college student - who is very bright and has a great work ethic.

We will close again tonight and tomorrow before having our two days of opening. Sure looking forward to the shorter schedule...

Insurance Issues

The afternoon appointment with the doctor to discuss my Lipoma was bittersweet. We made arrangements to have it removed this morning before going to work at 11 AM. That is, before we heard back from the insurance representative that the procedure would not be covered by my insurance. Oh, well, I guess we will wait until we return to AZ before having it done. We are "out of Network" here for the surgery, so it is not covered. It isn't so bothersome that I can't wait another 4 or 5 months to have the minor surgery performed.

Meanwhile, we are caught in another "soupy" weather pattern. It rained yesterday afternoon and is continuing to rain this morning. This shot was taken out our window yesterday afternoon:

Not very pretty.

Our new work week begins today and we are told that the new employee that started on Monday is working out beautifully - so far. We really hope she works out as we are anxious to get our 4 day work week implemented...