MOCHA MORNINGS

James come to us from Minnesota and we will be his billet parents until March 2013! We are really excited for this experience and have had a very successful first week! He is a very respectful and helpful 18 year old who is the newest member of the Yellowstone Quake Hockey team here in Cody. We feel very blessed to be able to provide him a home to live in and to be his family while he is away from his. Can't wait to watch him play in his first Home game tonight for the Quakes! Go James #8!

Wanted to share a little clip I just uploaded to YouTube from our most recent trip to Yellowstone National Park when we got to visit Old Faithful and watch her erupt.  It was an amazing experience to see in person.  It's pretty amazing living on 50 miles from this place.  There is no reason for us to be bored on the weekends from now on! ...and every time I think of Old Faithful, my thoughts go back to that movie Dennis the Menace and the scene where he squirts Mr. Wilson's nasal spray out and as it is shooting straight up into the air he says, "Old Faithful!"  Funny how things like that from our childhood stick with us, huh? (old faithful scene starting at 6:28) Such a great movie!

When Yellowstone NP opened for the 2011 season there had not been a fatal Grizzly attack inside the park since 1986. So far in 2011, there have been two. This will be the first time in the park's history that there has been more than one fatal bear attack in the same year. The first victim was from California and was fatally mauled on July 6, 2011 while hiking with his wife. The second victim, a man from Michigan, was found on August 26, 2011 by two other bikers on a 21 mile trail. It has now been concluded that he was attacked by a grizzly sometime on the 24th or 25th. He was traveling alone, camping and hiking in an area of known grizzly activity and was NOT carrying bear spray! They don't know if the same bear is responsible for both attacks (the bear in the first attack was a mama beat with her cubs so no action was taken), but they are performing tests on fur samples taken from the scenes to determine if this was the same bear. My opinion, for what it's wort...

One of many unique rock formations seen on the way to Yellowstone National Park from Cody Wyoming. It stands almost 100 feet high.