Stooling stool

I'll take a quick break from reporting on my vacation to complete a little side project.

My disabled son continues to learn the finer points of using the bathroom, but he is such a little guy that his feet don't touch the ground. Our other stools are too big for this purpose, so I fashioned him a little stool from some left over cherry plywood and stock.

It is held together with pocket screws and glue.

Jackson, Wyoming

Beer at the summit of Rendezvous Mountain

We spent the first full day of our trip in the Jackson area. Once I finished my beer on the summit of Rendezvous, it was back down the mountain for us (and a scenic trip on a ski lift). Finished with Teton Village, we went grocery shopping in Jackson (better prices at Smith's on the south edge of town than at Albertson's). Having simple picnic breakfasts and lunches worked well for us on this trip.

Famous antler arch

Cheese crackers, potato chips, soda, peaches, cherries, granola bars, radishes, water, cookies - of such things were made breakfast and lunch. Dinners we ate out. At this, I must mention Calico. Situated between Jackson and Teton Village (a short drive from either) was this wonderful little restaurant. Perfect for families. It had a nice lawn on which children and adults played. The wrap around deck accommodated our party nicely, with views of the mountain sunset. The food was good and a good value. Three different locals recommended this restaurant to us, each saying it was their favorite.



We spent the rest of our first day just exploring Jackson. There was the shoot out street play, various art and souvenir shops, and restaurants in town. I liked the pine sidewalks and kitschy Old West atmosphere. What a fun introduction to the area.

Old West Shootout

Teton Village

It is a long way to the top

Skipping our travel day to Jackson, Wyoming. All we did on that day was get our rental car (a Kia Sorento) and make our way to the Elk Country Inn. The SUV was serviceable and the Inn room was great (three queen beds, one on a loft with a balcony) with two exceptions - there was no elevator to take us to the second floor (our luggage was heavy) and our balcony, all balconies in fact, looked over the dumpster of Bubba's.

Teton Village is a short drive from Jackson. There, we took a tram to the top of Rendezvous Mountain. I had thought that I built enough of a tan doing yard work in Ohio, but in the half hour we spent at the summit my arms got burned to a crisp. Although there was snow at this level, the air temperature was 63 degrees.

It was nice to enjoy a beer among the peaks of the Tetons. From our vantage point, we could look into Jackson Hole (a hole being a high mountain valley) and into Idaho. I wasn't the only one to make a mistake. My wife ignored her anemia and the altitude and decided to clamor around the mountain top with our daughter. She ended up not feeling so good after doing that.

View from Rendezvous Mountain

Still, she loves mountains, so there wasn't a better way to start our vacation than this.

Pack pack pack!

My summer trip is a week away. Here is our itinerary.

• Fly to Jackson, WY
• Go to top of Rendezvous Mountain, shopping in Jackson
• Drive to Yellowstone Lake (explore West Thumb geyser basin)
• Scenic boat tour, drive upper loop (explore Mammoth hot springs)
• Drive to Canyon, hike, horseback riding out of Roosevelt
• Drive lower loop to Old Faithful (explore Norris geyser basin)
• Explore upper, middle, and lower geyser basins near Old Faithful
• Drive to Signal Mountain in Grand Teton
• Explore Grand Teton National Park
• Fly home

So many things to do, and even at nine days I feel that we will only scratch the surface. Maybe we will leave something to discover should we go that way again.

As it is, I'm anxious to prepare. I have my clothes laid out and have run out of things to pack. Pack, pack pack! Were I able, I'd have everything packed in bags on the living room floor. I would spend the week sitting my those bags. Waiting.

This week is my week to drive my wife crazy.

New Floor for Steve

My son is multiply handicapped. He's not toilet trained and is prone to accidents. I have become quite adept at scrubbing carpets and deodorizing a room. But we have had enough. This weekend, we replaced the carpet in his room with vinyl plank flooring with the hopes that it will be easier to clean.

We still want to replace the flooring throughout out house with hardwood, but wood really wouldn't be the best choice for my son's room. I could have tiled it, but that flooring would be too hard and he would have to find new digs for a couple days. So vinyl it is!

We selected a floating Allure plank floor. It was tough wrestling those planks into place (rarely do they actually "click" together) and cutting the stuff wasn't particularly easy - especially notches, rips, and angle cuts. But it's done. Hopefully, this will work better for him and for us.