Photos Up and Down Pine Street

Gina's House from the Front

Episcopal Church

Halliburton Hilton - Oil Field Workers Stay Here

One of the New Banks

Marilyn Street - I hear it is named after the same
Marilyn who received my painting yesterday.

A Really Really Old Building
(Betty spotted the guy walking with bare legs - well its spring!)
Usually looking this direction you can see the mountains sticking up
with Mt. Bonneville dead ahead.


Pine Creek From the Bridge
It Runs Through the Middle of Town

The New School Bus Barn

The Lodge at Pinedale and Sinclair Station

The movie theater is down the street to the right.

Two Rivers Fly Fishing Emporium

The Wrangler Cafe - Also Old

Duck "Crick "- Near Gina's

Deer Near the Post Office

New BLM Offices

Baymont Motel

Where Gina's Photos are Hung

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Miscellaneous Photos of Pinedale - It's snowing, if you can click the photo bigger you will see the flakes. It's been warm and there's been a lot of thawing lately, so puddles and bare pavement. Only a couple of weeks ago there were huge piles of snow pushed into the middle of the street. These images kind of remind me of Northern Exposure or Talkeetna. These are all from the middle of town to the western edge. Some other time I'll take photos on the east end of the street.

Saturday March 1 2008

TWO SURPRISE DAY

Yesterday morning I went into town about 9:30 to go to the Cowbelles luncheon and the Cattleman's Banquet. Charm and Jim, and Gina and Bob invited me to go along with them, and I was the guest of Charm and Jim. Thank you again, dear friends. I have always wanted to go all these years and never have, so when they invited me I said "YES!'' It was a wonderful enjoyable day.

Marilyn was chosen Cattlewoman of the Year at the Cowbelles luncheon. She was surprised. She and Doc are our neighbors, by the way. The Cowbelles always give the Cattlewoman of the Year a piece of artwork, and this year they asked me if I would provide the artwork. I was very pleased to be asked and especially since it was for Marilyn. Congratulations to Marilyn. This was the first surprise and I didn't want to give it away.

This is a photo of the painting. The title is Sorting Cattle and its a 12 x 18 Oil. This was taken from reference photos looking northwest from our yard as the neighbors worked their cattle.

This is the Cowbelles Brand Quilt. My friend Deanne, who you've heard me mention, designs a new quilt every year and it is raffled off at the Cattleman's Annual Banquet. Deanne is a quilt artist. There is a group that helps her quilt. There are over 150 local brands appliqued ? onto the quilt.

Above is a closeup for some of the detail.

So started off the day early, took in the recycling in first thing, then went over to Melita's for a while. She had left a tray at our house that she brought some of her beautiful rolls on to the group of artist friends that came over about three months ago. I had saved some paper doilies for her that I never use, and she uses them all the time, so took those too. She was in the midst of baking hundreds of rolls for the luncheon and banquet, and I watched her pop them in and out of the oven and slide them onto cooling racks. Melita is a bread artist. She showed me her big new computer, and a beautiful large black thin screen monitor. Also they are finishing up a new big swan decoy. Hank carves them and Melita paints them. This one she had brush strokes looking like the feathers, pretty neat.

Then to Rendezvous Pointe where the luncheon was to be held. The Cowbelles were in their meeting. Two of the ladies came out to choose the painting they liked from five I brought. The luncheon was the best ever beef and noodles, with an airy cream pie with strawberries for dessert. The crust was just amazing.

Afterwards headed over to Gina's house and then we went out for a while to try some photography mostly on Pine Street. I'll put them into a photo essay or stick one or two into the blog every so often. It had started to snow so we didn't have the best light, but they give a feeling of Pinedale in winter. We went into the Baymont Motel where a lot of Gina's photos, both contemporary and historical were displayed up and down the halls. We walked through and she told me what they all were. That was very interesting because the old ones were of her parents , family and grandparents ranching in the olden days.

By the time we were ready to go, the wind had come up strong, and although the temperature wasn't frigid, it was chilly. It blew all night and half of Sunday. The banquet started about 5:30 and there were lots of the ranching community, neighbors and other folks we all knew. People were dressed all styles from their cowboy or cowgirl outfits or beautiful beaded or woven dressy coture with their fancy jewelery. Many I seldom see, so it was fun to just say hi and visit. Dinner was the best prime rib I've ever eaten in my life, with all the trimmings and also perhaps the best brownie for dessert as well. They had a good cowboy poet for entertainment, who was also quite a comedian. I got the biggest kick out of Jim who really enjoyed the poet. There were several presentations, as there were at the Cowbelles, such as lifetimes members, and very interesting to me were a lot of the family ranches who had been in existance for 100 years or more were honored by WY State Historic Preservation Office, WY Dept. of Agriculture, WY Stock Growers Assn., WY Wool Growers Assn, and WY Rural Electric Assn. They are called Centennial Farms and Ranches. http://www.wyoshpo.org/ Jim Magagna and Milward Simpson made the presentations - plaques and certificates and large metal signs to post at their ranch. Jim is a "neighbor" south of us and I got to know him pretty well while we were in the mountains for all those years. He ran sheep there, and you might remember it was his place where Judi and I went and recorded the graffiti on the walls of his sheep shearing shed a few years ago.

The second big surprise of the evening was that Bob was nominated and received the Friend of Agriculture Award. The rest of us at the table knew about it, but Bob didn't. He was surprised. (I think) it's the biggest honor that they present He received a large framed and matted photo of Horse Creek that was taken from her airplane by Rita, and corsages for he and Gina with a big bouquet of flowers. (I was supposed to take a few pictures, and spaced that out. But if you go to Gina's blog she might put a couple of them on hers.

The evening ended with the Sundowners coutnr y western band playing and lots of people dancing. Cowboys love to dance and their are really good too.

Gina had invited me to spend the night so I did. It was nice not to have to drive home so late. Don't even know what time we left the party and soon went to bed with a cup of hot tea and the electric blanket turned on getting all warm and cozy. Read and dozed and rested and listened to the wind blow - wondering whether the road was getting drifted in.

Friday February 29 2008

Winter Scene

HAPPY LEAP YEAR DAY.

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Another rather boring day. Seems like not much to write about. Beverly called and that was nice to get to talk to her for a while. She says it's about 76 degrees in Vegas and I hear the trees are budding. The fields in back of Betty's in Mesquite are turning green. So maybe that will influence us to stay a little warmer..... just so the roads will be good for traveling. Gina called too, and invited me to ride along with her to Vegas when she goes down for family time in a week or so. But I think I better stick to my chemo treatment schedule and wait until there is a break from that. Later Nancy, my artist friend in Nebraska called and we visited for a while. So it was a good day for phone calls.

Today I finished a painting I've had started for a while and am happy with it. I'll get it photographed to show you soon. Got the frame fitted to it. Sure hope I keep at finishing up the things I have started now. For several days now I've been looking for the reference photos for all the pieces I have half done, and couldn't find them. FINALLY this afternoon found them stuck in a briefcase and tucked in between a couple of painting boxes. When I went to the Tuesday art group they weren't where I thought they were, so couldn't work on those pieces.

Made a crock pot of cabbage rolls for dinner. And there's enough leftover so Joe would have something to heat up for his dinner tomorrow. I'm going to town and will stay overnight coming home Sunday, but it's partly a surprise so I'll write about it in a couple of days, and miss blogging tomorrow. Hope the weather will cooperate, as it looks like a chance of snow and wind anyway.

Thursday February 28 2008

Mt. Airy

The hill in the background is where the tower sits for our through-the-air telephone, and where the repairmen go to work on it when our phone goes out - as well as our equipment in the shop. It is on the western edge of Pinedale and about 45 miles from the house to the tower approximately. If you click on the photo you can see the towers. I think the other towers are for TV and KPIN radio station, perhaps cell phones. Thought you might be interested to see how far away our phone signal comes from. Took this at Gina's house.

Not much news. We both had a relaxing day. It was sunny and warm again, maybe up to about 34 in the shade and no wind. The snow depth is going down, and there is more bare ground showing, not a lot, but its happening. The dogs want to be out most of the day now, and stay out longer at night too. They are enjoying the milder weather. When they are in, they are staying right beside me and especially Raven wants attention.

Joe's hearing aides are working good. He keeps asking me "what's that noise" when appliances are running or something.

Last night I had that pain in my neck and shoulder from the chemo again. Had not had it for some time. So I'm still suspecting that the dose may have been changed. I'm glad to feel it because apparently means the Gemcitabine is working on killing the cancer cells.

Did some housework and laundry and had a short nap this afternoon, also read for a while. The book is "Pushing My Shadow" by Betty Trout, a diary of a young woman who hitchiked and biked around Europe at beginning of WWII, staying in hostels and sleeping in barns. Betty Trout later was a teacher at Gina's one room log cabin school in the '40's. I took a short walk with the dogs down the road and was able to walk on dirt for about 3/4 of the way I suppose. Made hot potato salad for Joe for dinner, its one of his favorites.

Debbie called so got to talk to her for a while.

My email hasn't been working so well again lately. But after fooling with it for a while I was finally able to download the last few pictures I'd taken into the PC. That hasn't been working for a while and not sure it will next time either.

Wednesday February 27 2008

Irish Creek, Winter Silence

14x17 watercolor/pastel

by Lynn Thomas

Joe went to town this morning to get his hearing aides, so we're sure hoping that they will help him hear. He said I didn't need to go with him, and I guess if we have questions later we can call the audiologist.

Gina called and we visited for a while. She said Dell had been standing in front of my chair to get her massage, and the cat was asking where I was this morning. I'm kind of resting up today after so much activity. Getting the laundry caught up, and need to get suitcase unpacked etc. A nap sounds good too.

It's another really lovely sunny morning, and the dogs have found some bare grass to lay on instead of the snow. The piles of snow are settling down a lot and some dirt showing through on the plowed road. In the afternoon it clouded up.

Later..... Joe's back and we are celebrating. In a normal voice I asked him if they work and he said yes. No repeating 3 or 5 times. ..... The hearing aides work!!!!!!!!! He has the TV down so low I can hardly hear it. Yippeeeee!!!!!!!!! He said they echo in his head a little but she told him he will get used to it.

My violet suffered while I was gone, so trimmed it up and fed and watered it. It perked right up again.

Awwww........... I just went to check Gina's blog and you have to go there and see it. How Cute!

Tuesday February 26 2008

Winter Moon

Woke up to a glorious sunny blue sky day. It got up to about freezing. It looks good on the weather report for the next week anyway, maybe something coming in on Saturday, but again it might not amount to much. Packed up my stuff and loaded it in the car. It was time to go home, and hope the weather and wind stays nice for a while.

Can't say how much I appreciate Gina and Bob taking me into their home for so long. I had the greatest time, and this week was so good for me, as you can probably tell by the blogging.

Gina and I got ready and went down to the pool to swim again about 9 a.m. this morning, but can you believe this..... they had it closed to repair tile that had fallen off the leisure pool. The pool has been open about 3 weeks! So I called Kay to see if they were having the Tuesday painting group, and yes, they were having it at Lois' so went on over there to do artwork for a while and worked on the team and wagon pastel. Sure enjoyed seeing the gals again. We went to lunch at the Rendezvous Pointe, and have to say this is one time I was disappointed in the meal (hot dogs and sauerkraut with macarroni salad). Well, there was one other time when I bragged on it and took my company there and it was awful, right Judy?

We talked about the concern of the weather or wind before or the day of my chemo appointment - if I'd get there or have to reschedule or cancel, and I asked for help from everyone. It's always been a worry. Maybe if a storm is predicted and its a convenient time for one or the other I could come into Pinedale the day before and stay overnight and then go on to Jackson in the morning. A shorter trip, and don't care if the weather is bad after the appointment. March is often a nasty windy month and by April it should be much improved.

After painting went to the store and brought us home a t-bone that was on sale and popped a couple of baked potatoes in the oven while I put the groceries away. Joe insisted on putting the car in the garage, even though I suggested we park it in the yard so it doesn't end up on the wrong side of Big Kahuna.

The dogs and I were so glad to see each other again. Joe said they had been looking for me ever since Gina and I came out the other day.

For the day after the chemo treatment I felt pretty good all day and feel fine tonight. I had that bit of nausea and usual headache last night and did take pain pills. I'm wondering if they up'ed the strength of the chemo cocktail after the doctor evaluated things again and will ask next time. Now need to wind down and relax for getting to sleep. So better go for now. That's about all that happened today anyway.

Oh, Sandra called and we visited for a while. She said a United Airlines plane slid off the runway yesterday when it landed in Jackson and crashed and an engine caught on fire. The people had to come down the slides to get out, and probably most didn't get their luggage until today. You seldom ever hear of plane crashes in Wyoming.

Monday February 25 2008

Ready for Anything

Chickadees

Cat and Kizzy

Kizzy and Cat

Today we got ready and drove on up to Jackson for my doctor appointment in the chemo department. Gina saw a cow and calf moose just down the road, and then we saw Jerry's buffalo and counted them as wildlife. Most of the road was clear and wet, then snow packed just through Bondurant and the canyon. We had good driving. It was snowing lightly through the Hoback and in Jackson. Someone told us they had 8" night before last and 3" more yesterday. Up there it got to 38 degrees! So anything on the road was melting off.

Although a beautiful drive, I didn't take any pictures today, it was so much like the other days that we've gone. The snow was yet deeper, the fences more covered, and the berms along the road were higher than last week.

Gina took her recycled glass up to their recycling center - Pinedale doesn't take glass - so that was our first stop. We left in time to walk through a couple of the nice art galleries (Trailside and Legacy).When we got to Trailside, I called Virginia and invited her to come to the Bunnery and have lunch with us, and she met us there about 11:45. Trailside is moving to a new building a couple of blocks away and they were bustling around in there. As usual I had a few favorite paintings and sculptures, and it's always great to get inspired being around such good art.

We went on over to the Bunnery. Its a bakery that has at least breakfast and lunch, good sandwiches and soup. I ordered the chicken quesadilla, and although dessert always looks so good, didn't have it this time. I always love to see Virginia and get to catch up with her news and how they are doing. Calvin is doing about the same, she says, and her sister had some back surgery a couple of weeks ago. She would like to go down to Mesquite or somewhere to get out of the winter weather for a while.

Over to the hospital and got there just a little early. There were more Pinedale people there again this time and we visited with them while we waited. Had an especially nice talk with Jerry whose wife was there to see the doctor too. It was his buffalo we saw, and he is also an artist.

The appointment with Dr. Ward, the Huntsman doctor, was at 1 p.m. Last week's scans either don't show OR the radiologist didn't mention the pancreatic tumor. I asked twice if it hand changed and he said twice "They don't mention it", so I left it at that assuming they couldn't see it, not to be confused with it's not there, or never looked for it. Maybe just shrunk. But the spots on the liver are larger this time than last - that was in SLC. However..... Dr. Ward seemed very influenced in his opinion by the fact that the C-19-whatever tumor markers were below normal and was basing his recommendations on that. He also gave, what seemed was the conservative time of a year to live. That's quite a bit better than the 6 weeks they gave in Salt Lake. And who knows, we could keep that up for a while. Like I say, he seemed optimistic. He said I should have two more months of chemo, so am not done for now, and then have the scans again with another doctor appointment and see what things look like at that time. So I the first treatment of month 4 was today, two more and then will have the next week off and then another month of chemo. i.e. there are 5 more chemo treatments, then the scans. He said the pain I've had across the top of my abdomen since the surgery is pleurisy, which I thought was in your lungs. But he said all your organs have a lining and that lining can become inflamed. That does feel like it could be right in this case. It has very gradually gotten better anyway, sometimes flaring up more again. Dr. Ward said they don't like to do anything about this as long as the person can stand the pain. Not sure what the cure would be in that case.

The schedule for chemo treatments will be:

Today Feb. 25

Tuesday March 4

Tuesday (probably) March 11

Off March 18

Tuesday March 25

Tuesday April 1

Tuesday April 8

Scans, maybe the 8th? And another doctor appointment to evaluate.

Perhaps Between March 12 and March 24 or so I can go down to Vegas to see the family and friends. That sounds like a possible plan. And maybe sister Gloria and I can get together there, if she can get away then, or me fly to her house at Tucson. This is tentative, but a good thing to think about.

Soon the chemo drip finished and we were out of there! I had driven up to Jackson and Gina drove back. The nurses always say that someone else should drive home. I do get more or less a little out of it afterwards - that improves each time.

Back in Pinedale we went to the store for a few things and stopped by the post office. We had smorgasbord (leftovers) for dinner and I made a really easy blackberry pie with prepared pie crusts. It was another good day.

Called Joe a little while ago and told him what the doctor had said. And that I would come home tomorrow. I know I'm going to be apprehensive about getting to each treatment appointment from there again. March is often nasty, especially the wind. But have been here at Gina and Bob's for over a week, and the weather has been good enough that I sure could have been at home just fine so far - even though to look at the weather reports it doesn't always sound that good. Gina has offered for me to come and stay overnight the day before my appointments if it looked like the weather might be bad, so that is an option. Also Kay has said to come to her house too.

We may go swimming again in the morning, and to the store before going home. It may be the day after tomorrow before I get back to the blog again.