TravelingMel

May 18, 2008

My very good friend Heather came up from Jackson, WY on Saturday night for a visit and sleepover. She and a friend spent Friday and Saturday wolf (and grizzly) watching in the Park. (The Park, of course, refers to Yellowstone.)

This is to prove I have at least one other friend besides Anders, Henry, Rigby and Diesel. And myself, because they always say you have to be your own best friend.

Saturday night we grabbed a mutual friend, Seonaid, and headed down to Chico for soaking and dinner. Sho and Heather regaled each other with soap opera-like stories about a friend of theirs, while I sat--child-free--in the pool and gazed and the conifer-covered hill above the hot springs. The stories were pretty entertaining to listen to, too.

This morning, after breakfast, Heather and I took the dogs for a walk by the Yellowstone River. It is high and muddy. Diesel kept diving in after logs that he had no business chasing and Rigby ran along the bank except for a short dip to cool off.

Then we met up with Henry and Anders at Chadz for some tea and treats before walking back to the house. I gave Heather a little tour of the perennial gardens before she headed south.

Heather, Anders and I in front of the house.

Anders takes a sample of garden soil.

Anders analyzes his soil sample and finds it to be a bit clayey. He suggests adding compost.

Heather is a bit of a garden nerd, too, and actually is interested in the perennials I point out.

Anders considers what to do about this dandelion situation. Since they aren't in our yard we don't have to worry about it...until the wind blows all the seeds our way.

Warning: These next pictures are interesting to grandparents only. Maybe to an aunt or uncle as well...
I thought I'd give my loyal readers a pictorial account of Anders' bedtime routine.

Yes, our bathtub is mint green. Anders still loves to play in the water. I wince every time I look in the room.

He's a happy bath boy, but seriously, why would someone buy this? We need to replace the insert with tiles anyway (before the wall behind it totally molds away), so maybe we can switch this mint green horror with a new white tub. I wonder if a new tub will match with the fake black marble floor tiles...

After the bath Anders brushes his teeth. He is always excited to get a hold of the electric toothbrush.

He starts to lose enthusiasm when I take hold of the toothbrush.

He's about over it by the time I run the brush over each tooth once.

Next up is the moisturizing session. Montana is an arid place.

After he dons his pajamas, Anders picks up his books and toys so no one trips over them should he need assistance during the night.

Just before being laid gently in the crib and reminded to sleep until at least 7:30 am (which rarely happens), Anders drinks a cup of milk. (I try to darken the room as much as possible since it is just as light at 7:30pm as it is a 3:00pm, so the photo is pretty grainy.)