Monday, August 29, 2011

A Photo Journey -- Part One

The empty house ... it was our home for seven wonderful years. But it's time to move on ... Someone else will make this their home and we wish them all the blessings that we've had and more.

The Toyota gets picked up, since we'll all be in the minivan.


My husband, who did the bulk of the driving. Bless his soul.


The kids -- full of excitement and adventure.









This next picture is actually in Yellowstone of the Tower ... that's where we went after the stinky mudpots and geysers ...




On the way to Yellowstone, there was a spectacular thunderstorm.


Finally, we got to Yellowstone. What a gorgeous place, yet it makes me think I'm getting a taste (or stench) of hell. Some of the most fascinating bacteria are found in here -- the Archae. I wrote about these critters in Odyssey and the whole time I was researching them, I wished I were back in the lab, figuring out how their cell membranes withstand such heat, what kinds of pumps they have to live in such inhospitable conditions. Both my son and I felt just a little bit sick after breathing all the sulfurous gases emanating from the earth.






Old Faithful ...





Just one of the many serene valleys in Yellowstone.


After Yellowstone, we crossed two mountain passes. Beautiful and desolate.

We even saw real cowboys in this high desert country in Wyoming.



We saw many bikers on the road ...



Sturgis anyone?
*

10 comments:

Bish Denham said...

Oh Vijaya, thanks for the tour! I love the pic of the dog, cat, and kids zeed out. It's nice that they are old enough that they'll remember the journey. So glad you arrived safely and are settling in.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful photos, all of them! We currently live just over an hour outside of Yellowstone, on the Idaho side, and I agree on how strange, beautiful, and stinky it is! Glad you got to SC safely and had a lovely trip along the way. What is the Gerard Manly Hopkins line? "The world is charged with the grandeur of God"?

Also--the kids in uniforms made me smile. I know they are going to a private school--but in Charleston, most public schools require uniforms, too. Very Charleston! Hope they have a great year. :)

Vijaya said...

Bish -- I wish the kids had conked out more often in the car because on the days when we put in the long hours, eventually some level of boredom would set in and all that they had to do was to pinch or poke the other to set them off.

This is definitely a trip to remember.

Rose, I love Idaho ... you are in such a beautiful place and to be able to go hiking for just a few hours on the weekend must be wonderful. I loved my time living in Eastern Wa. for that reason.

I didn't realize the kids going to public school had to wear uniforms. I've seen them at the bus-stop but they are wearing shorts and t-shirts (some pretty skimpy).

Thanks for the good wishes -- Christ our King-Stella Maris is a wonderful parish school.

Marcia said...

Love these photos! Thanks for sharing. Vijaya, you'll be hearing from me soon. Got home to find I cannot turn computer on. Last straw for that puppy.

Faith E. Hough said...

Beautiful pictures! I've been without internet until yesterday because of Irene, so it's neat scrolling down and seeing all your trip at once! I hope your new home is a very happy one!
I really look forward to visiting Yellowstone someday...it seems amazing--one of those places where you feel you're worshiping God just by opening your eyes.

Vijaya said...

Marcia, I'll look forward to hearing from you when you get a new computer. I'm glad you were able to see these pictures before they got too old.

Faith, the Rockies and Tetons really do make you feel the grandeur of God (as Olmue mentions above). That's one thing I must say we all were impressed with on this trip -- God's extravagance in all His creation.

Suma Subramaniam said...

Vijaya...will miss you terribly in Seattle. Where have you moved? Beautiful pictures, thanks for sharing them.

Molly/Cece said...

Oh, Vijaya, love the pics. Thanks for sharing. I had an epic drive across country too. I love Yellowstone. I remember my deal wasn't the living things but the geology. It's a volcano and it made me nervous because the caldera is so massive. I like calderas to be totally dead. I liked the trees and seeing so many wild animals roaming around. Yes, Yellowstone is good. I like the Smokies the best though.

Missing you some. Jack is on the football team this year. I do live in Texas. We have wildfires all around us. Makes me nervous. One of my favorite state parks burned to the ground today. I went there on my honeymoon. Messed up. Pray we get some rain. Hugs. M.

A.L. Sonnichsen said...

Oh, Vijaya, how strange to see your house empty (since I've actually been there and can picture it!). But what a wonderful trip to Yellowstone. My husband and I dream of going there someday with the kids. It looks amazing.

Thanks for your kind congratulations on my blog. I'm a little in over my head at the moment, but I am so glad you are safe and sound and settling into your new home.

Amy

Vijaya said...

Suma, we moved to Charleston, SC. I surely will miss the WWA SCBWI community, though.

Molly, I will pray for rain. I know what it's like to live in drought conditions. No fun. I was thinking of you driving down to Texas, too, when we made our trip. You know, for me the geology and ecology are inseparable in Yellowstone. We don't ordinarily get a peek into the depths of the earth, and here we do.

Jack's playing football? That's great. Even though I don't care for the sport, I find that the training is excellent. My kiddo was the most fit when he was playing football.

Amy, our house was cleanest before we moved in and when we left. Hahaha! I am always thankful that we had a chance to meet. You are so amazing with all you do and I can't wait to read your book.