Ballet Under the Stars

One of the best things about Callie's pursuit of dancing is Ballet Under the Stars.  This summer marked her second year participating  in the event, which is held in Woodland Park over four nights in early August.  We had a great time last year and were really looking forward to it.  Callie was in the first act and was a Pixie Dust Fairy.

This is no small production.  This year the title of the show was Tinkerbell and the Pirates, and there were a whole lot of fairies dancing on stage throughout the night. The weather was perfect and there wasn't even a hint of rain. In fact, the only drama was the battle of tarp/blanket placement that occurred in the hours before every show.  Luckily, John was up to the challenge.

Callie was super excited because her group got to go on stage not once, but twice, during the performance.  In the second trip to the stage she and her fellow pixie dust fairies were captured, a moment we were able to capture ourselves in this photo.  As you can see here, the fairies are not just good dancers, but good actors as well.

Callie's biggest fan was her sister Reese.  She loved every performance and thought that Callie was great every night.  Reese was the first to clap after Callie's performance and especially loved watching the professional dancers with her sister after the Saturday night show.  We are hoping that Callie wants to do it again next year.

Summer Sass

This picture could be captioned, "John's Angels", or perhaps "John's Sassy Monkeys".  Either way, this is the house John's lives in and the picture truly  captures the personalities of his housemates. They are a powerful trio and do their best to combat the strength of Old Man Bowes.  Sometimes Callie lends her father some help in his grouchy ways, and then it is a true battle royale.

We have always said that we hope Reese uses her powers for good, and most of the time she does.  She has an infectious smile and a lovable personality that you get to see only when you get to know her.  She may seem shy at first, but once she is warmed up, look out.

And when Reese has friends over they can take advantage of all of the dance costumes we have hanging around from Callie's recitals.  In this case, Reese and her friend Mary had a wonderful time getting fancy and showing off their ballerina skills.  Mary, who has two brothers, was especially happy to have some quality girlie time.

This picture says a lot about friendship as well.  Maddie and Callie have known each other since they were three months old and went to the same daycare.  They ended up going to different elementary schools but stayed in touch over the last four years.  Unfortunately, Maddie moved to Louisville this past summer.  But she had a great going away party and the two got to have one last fling before she left Lexington.

And our final picture highlights where the girls get all their sass and spunk from.  Sarah was excited to hear that Fabio from the show Top Chef was a part of the launch of the new cafeteria in UK Healthcare, so she had to stop by and get a picture.  Her first attempt was a selfie that didn't quite capture the moment.  But then the chief administrative officer walked by and she insisted on taking the photo for Sarah.  Pretty good results.  Thanks, Ann!

Les Trois Tetons

You know you have done life pretty well when 1) You have been married for fifty years 2) Your children and their families are excited to spend a week as one big happy group at a house in southern Idaho and 3) Everyone knows that while it is great to see each other, no one is going to be cheerful if you put off getting dinner ready.  Everyone except Brendan and Chris got in on July 4 and we had enough time to go to the local grocery store and pull off our first of many meals together.  It was a great way to start our week together to celebrate the wedding anniversary of Sport and Nana Banana.

Because of a long travel day for most of the crew we were only able to convince Sport to join us on a trip into Driggs to see their fireworks display.  It was a pretty impressive show for a town with a population of only about 1,500 people.  We even managed to get a perfect parking spot that let us sit on the back of our pretty fancy rental SUV to watch the fireworks and then put us in position to beat the traffic afterwards.

Of course even a fancy rental car isn't perfect.  The day after we picked it up in Salt Lake City it showed that one tire had low pressure.  It didn't seem like a huge deal and didn't go flat when we drove to Park City so we even drove all the way from Salt Lake to Driggs on it.  The morning after we arrived we finally decided to put some air in it.  Thanks to the common sense of the good people at Kaufman's OK Tire we decided to have them check the tire to see why it had low air pressure.  Turns out there was a sizable screw lodged in it.  Twenty minutes and fourteen dollars later, we were on the road and no longer threatened by a flat tire.

For our first full day we made our way into Jackson Hole and met up with the entire crew.  The downtown square has the iconic arches o'antlers on each corner, so of course we snagged a few pictures.  Callie and Reese were excited to hang out with their cousin Zoey and they loved all the attention from their aunts.

Just south of downtown is the Snow King ski resort, and at the base of the mountain is a cool park that had a playground, climbing rocks, and horseshoes.  We took advantage of all of the above, while eating lunch and discussing our plans for the rest of the week.

Just like any group of 13 people, we all had different ideas about fun ways to spend our time in Jackson Hole.  The thrill-seeking contingent decided to head over to check out the Cowboy Coaster at the Snow King Resort.  First up were Brendan with Reese and Chris with Callie.  The ride looked like fun but we weren't sure how the girls would react.  We should not have been worried.

Once the foursome came down we got the details from them, including that the driver of each cart had full control of the speed.  Sarah and John were going to go down individually, but Chris thought it was so much fun that he insisted the girls go down again. John was paired up with Reese and found out on the ride just how much Reese likes to go fast.  Although John was proud of himself for not constantly using the brake, Reese was never fully satisfied, and continued to shout "Faster!!!" the whole way down the hill.

Here is the first of many shots taken of the honorary guests.  Although normally a huge pile of antlers is not exactly their cup of tea, they spent most of the week with smiles on their faces, enjoying the beautiful scenery and the simple fact that they were getting to spend time with their family.

That night we ate dinner at The Lift restaurant.  They tried to put us at two different tables but didn't realize who they were dealing with.  We had a great meal, tried some local beers, and enjoyed each other's company.  These days it is not often that we are all together when it is not a holiday.  So it was nice to spend time without the pressure of all the things that holiday travel and planning involves.

And really, how can you not have fun when you are hanging out with these cool dudes.  The guys in the shades, by the way, came in a day late because they were both fencing at a national tournament. In other words, they are not just cool because they look good in shades.

We knew that in the time we had we couldn't do everything, but there were certainly some places we wanted to make sure we visited.  So on Wednesday, while the rest of the crew toured some great waterfalls in Idaho, the four of us headed to Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park.  We took a boat across the lake to meet up with a ranger led hike to Inspiration Point.

So on the difficulty scale, the hike was not all that tough.  We like to think it is because of our experience in Yosemite last year and our various trips to Kentucky's Natural Bridge State Park.  With that said, the views were gorgeous, and we were definitely inspired when we got to the top.

And here we have just one of many incredible views of the Grand Tetons, this time from the shores of Jackson Lake.  This national park doesn't get the press that others do, but the views are absolutely gorgeous.  We are also happy to admit that this was our view for lunch that day.  Something that we took away from last year's national park visit, there is no reason to have lunch at a picnic table when a little hike can get you to views like this.

We made our way to Coulter Bay Lodge where we watched a brief video about the history of the park.  We also had the good fortune to be there when they had an artist in residence who worked with the girls to make beaded necklaces.  He was very sweet with the girls and they loved the end product.

Our last stop before we headed back to Driggs was the iconic Mormon Row area right outside of Grand Teton National Park.  It took us a few attempts to get a good photo, but our patience was rewarded.  Also, you only see the two of us because our children  had had enough of beautiful scenery by this point and decided to stay in the car.

This is a picture illustrating "how the sausage gets made".  If you have ever been to any event with Sarah you might have noticed her passion for taking pictures of everything, including key landmarks or unique features to help capture the memories both for this blog and our family photo books.  But sometimes it involves running across a state highway to take a picture of a road sign.  John felt the need to document the behind the scenes moment in this particular instance.

On the Thursday of our trip we drove about two and a half hours in three cars to Yellowstone.  The drive was made memorable for us when 30 minutes in Reese threw up her breakfast all over herself.  The cars following us wondered why Sarah was holding a pair of shorts out the window for much of the rest of the journey.  The good news is that Reese rallied very well and was picture perfect when we sighted a herd of buffalo right after we entered the park.

We managed to get some great photos of the crew as we took in the incredible views.  There were buffalo and elk just hanging out in the valley meadow and it certainly started this portion of the trip off on the right foot.  After these photos we jumped in our cars and let Brian lead the way to the next sight seeing opportunity.  Yellowstone is just so big and we only had one day.  Brian's prior experience in the park made a huge difference to ensure we got the must-sees in.

Although Yellowstone has amazing natural beauty, some of those natural features are also incredibly unique and strange.  Our next stop took in one of those very features at the Fountain Paint Pots.  We stopped at several geyser and hot spring features, and there were a couple that the girls quickly described as "stinky".  The walkways throughout this section made it easy to get around, though, which was good for all ages.

The Grand Prismatic Spring was up next, and it was undoubtedly one of our favorites.  The colors were absolutely breathtaking.  What you don't see in these pictures, though, is just how crowded it was.  You had to be very careful as you walked so that you didn't push anyone off the walkway and so that you didn't fall off either.  In the midst of the craziness, though, we managed to take some great family photos.

And here are the five grandkids at Grand Prismatic.  It was fun to watch all of them interact with each other.  Although we were all in different cars, as soon as we got out the girls would run to find their cousins so they could check out the next big thing together.  And Brendan and Michael continue to be fantastic older cousins.  They handle their giggly, girlie cousins quite well.

We also managed to plan ahead and had yet another lunch without a picnic table.  This was more of a roadside pitstop, but it still kept the streak alive.  We had plenty of food to eat and got away from the crowds for a little bit.

If there is one thing you should do when you are wearing a knee brace for a possible meniscus tear, it is balance on your one good leg with your oldest granddaughter.  That, my friends, is love.  Or insanity.  In any case, Callie loved playing around with Sport on this day and every day of the trip.

Old Faithful Geyser was a must see attraction for several reasons.  One, the girls and us had watched the live feed of the geyser eruption in preparation for the trip and couldn't wait to see it in person.  Two, Nana Banana informed us that her parents had not only gone to Yellowstone on their honeymoon, but has vivid memories of a picture of them in front of the geyser from that trip.  Three, it is just really cool to see and certainly a natural phenomenon.

You try and temper your expectations heading into days like this, but we knew that we really, really, really wanted to see a buffalo up close.  Not, that buffalo calf looks cold let's put it in the car close, but a, wow, what an amazing creature right outside our window close.  We got that and more.  This is one of our favorite pictures, though.  What you can't see are all of the cars lined up around this intersection with people leaning out windows and sunroofs (that would be Sarah) capturing the moment.

The last big stop of the day was at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, where we managed to get a great family picture at yet another gorgeous vista.  Yellowstone definitely deserves far more than a single day, but we maximized the time we had and John promised Sarah that we would go back again.

Although we spent a lot of time checking out the natural beauty of the West, we also had fun fooling around back at the rental house. The girls loved that there was a mini-pool, a.k.a., hot tub, at the house.  And even the big kids got to enjoy it.

The day after Yellowstone we were back at it, hiking to Taggart Lake in Grand Teton.  The views were impressive, and John could not resist having a "the hills are alive with the sound of music" moment.  The hike was a good stretch your leg kind of exercise, but not all that challenging.  And at this point it seemed like we were spoiled because everywhere you looked was another beautiful sight.

For trips involving multiple generations, the key is finding activities that engage all interest levels and abilities.  The scenic float trip down the Snake River we did on Friday night hit the mark on all the counts.  The girls were excited, the weather was perfect, and the scenery was amazing.  We had high hopes that the evening float trip would lead to more wild animal sightings, and while we did see several bald eagles, a racoon, and a number of beavers, we did not see a moose.  Bummer.

Every turn in the river brought us another cool view of the Grand Tetons, and the photo opportunities were countless.  The trip lasted almost three hours and included a riverside dinner at the beginning. It was a great trip from start to finish and we are happy to report that the life jackets we were required to wear never had to get wet.

The very next morning Sarah and John hit another river, this time the Teton River in southern Idaho.  It was just the two of us and our guide, Dubs, and we were ready to learn all about fly fishing.  Dubs was fantastic, and even jumped in the water to play the role of the fish so that we would know the sensation when we got a bite on our line.

Needless to say there was a learning curve.  Well before either of us hooked a fish we managed to hook ourselves.  And at least once, Sarah got a special treat when John hooked her in the midsection.  The removal of that hook even drew blood.  Dubs tried to assure us that this was all normal, but we imagine that he was hoping for a big tip after dealing with us for five hours.

But you know what, the fish became secondary because we saw a moose!  We were just sitting there practicing our casting when John looked behind us on the river and saw a moose step out of the rushes on the bank and into the river.  It was incredible!  Then Dubs did his best to row us upstream to get a better view while the moose did his best to keep us at a safe distance.  The whole experience was awesome.

All in all, we did actually catch some fish.  We are pleased to say that this was not the biggest one.  Sarah caught a Brookie and one other, and John caught this small rainbow and then a cutthroat.  The bottom line is that we fished for about five hours non-stop and had an absolute blast.  It was a perfect Saturday in southern Idaho and we would do it again in an instant.

Sarah felt strongly that we shouldn't go out West without experiencing at least one rodeo.  So Saturday night we hit the Jackson Hole Rodeo to take in some local culture.  Those who had cowboy hats broke them out and the rest of us did our best to blend in.

It is not surprising that the events the Bowes family enjoyed the most were the barrel run and the dance contest.  We were all impressed by the horsemanship and horsewomanship on display, and a little taken aback by the four-year-olds riding the mini-bulls.  But we can all say that we have been to a rodeo.

On our last day together we headed back to Jackson Hole for one last shopping excursion and to give a kiss to the friends we made during our time there.  For the record, the sign on this moose says don't touch and Chris followed those instructions.  This picture perfectly illustrates why Sarah and Chris get along so well.

Every now and then we have a picture that has to be included because it just has to.  At the beginning of the trip Nana Banana bought herself a pink cowboy hat and sported it at all the appropriate activities.  She never knew she was going to have to arm wrestle her grandson for the privilege of wearing it.  And what teenage boy wears it better when drinking right from the milk jug?  This could potentially be a got milk ad.

After seven days together, countless hours in the car, and even more incredible views, the trip was a huge success.  We are so happy that we found a way to celebrate the love that Nana Banana and Sport have shared with each other and the rest of us for the past fifty years and more.