Seymours Go West, Part Two: Yellowstone

Yellowstone was much more varied in landscape than the Grand Tetons - and more challenging to capture in photos, too. So much of what we saw is hopefully etched in our memories, because I don’t have decent photos of everything! For example, the Old Faithful Inn where we spent our first night inside the park. After exploring some of the *many* thermal features, we made our way to the most famous of them all, Old Faithful. We checked in to the hotel, and managed to snag seats on the terrific upper-level deck overlooking the geyser, just 20 minutes before it went off. We saw it go off again later that evening, and then again the next morning, where I grabbed the above photo. 

When I say there are a lot of thermal features in Yellowstone, that is a bit of an understatement. Some of them were eerily beautiful, such as the prismatic pool above. Many others were referred to as “gunk holes” by Laura. Most all of them smelled pretty bad. Oddly enough, bison really seemed to flock to these areas, which baffled us given the many other, much more scenic options.

Chief among the scenery was Artist’s Point, in the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. Just wow! A stunning waterfall surrounded by majestic canyon walls on either side - we could have gazed at this all day (too bad “Beed’s bored”). Well worth the steep hike!

From here we headed into the Lamar Valley, hoping to see wildlife. We were rewarded with sightings of elk crossing a distant river, and hundreds of bison!

These rapids were a nice respite from the heat, and obviously lovely!



Despite fellow travelers assuring us that the water was frigid, these three weren’t going to be satisfied until they swam in Yellowstone Lake. They frankly made it farther than I guessed they would! 

As we drove back to the (spartan - no TVs or Wi-Fi, only so-so food) hotel that second night, we saw a bear! (No photos.) We also saw the same elk we saw at the start of our day. This guy really liked this same location! The kids and I got up extra early the next morning to try to add to our wildlife viewing tally, but didn’t see much else. Watching the sun rise as we drove was worth the wake-up, however!

Seymours Go West, Part One: Jackson, WY

The larger the occasion (and quantity of photos), the longer I procrastinate on posting about it. An adventure this big calls for multiple posts, for sure! So we begin with our first leg, Jackson, WY (by way of Salt Lake City).

After making the lovely but lengthy drive from SLC to Jackson, we very much enjoyed a relaxing evening at our rental townhouse with a picnic and stunning views. We were looking at the next day’s adventures: hiking in Grand Teton National Park.

I knew we would be doing some hiking, but in retrospect I don’t think even Tim - who painstakingly planned our entire trip - realized quite how much walking we’d do. We started off with a bang, taking the ferry across Jenny Lake to explore Hidden Falls, Inspiration Point and the Cathedral Group. Absolutely breathtaking, all of it!

Hidden Falls



Inspiration Point

Cathedral Group

All told, we hiked at least 10 miles - more for Tim, Danny and Clare who hikes around the lake rather than taking the return ferry as Laura and I (wisely) did! As a result, we very much enjoyed a nice dinner at a local Jackson restaurant that night.

The next day we divided and conquered: I went rafting with the big kids, while Tim and Laura went exploring Grand Teton Village’s gondola. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed their outings - and kudos to first-time rafters Clare and Danny for their excellent front row paddling (coached by our awesome guide, Athena). Laura and Tim even saw a baby moose!

After a leisurely afternoon back at the townhouse, we headed into town for souvenir shopping and another good dinner.

The next day we headed to Yellowstone, but Clare persuaded us to do one more hike through the Tetons en route. We chose the reasonably short trail around Taggart Lake, and it did not disappoint!

Next up: Yellowstone!

Tooth Fairy Chronicles Continued

True to form, Laura wrote another illustrated note to the Tooth Fairy upon losing a tooth! We love this series!

Fourth of July, 2021

Overall, it was a relatively low-key holiday weekend. But we did manage to get out of the house, which is more than we can say about last year!

Saturday, Tim persuaded us to drive to Athens to visit UGA, since after living in Atlanta for 16 years, none of us had ever been. Especially given that many of Clare’s friends are headed there this fall, it was fun to get a visual of the campus. We probably were not the most reverent of visitors…but we enjoyed ourselves!

Sunday, the 4th, we had a very relaxing day and then headed to 6pm mass before trying a new tapas restaurant for dinner (primarily because our usual spot was booked). We had a great dinner, and then headed home for traditional sparklers and dessert: Clare’s Firecracker Cake!

Laura has always loved this holiday, and donned her most festive attire. She also grabbed her sparklers with total ease, which was a vast improvement over the major tentativeness of last year!

A lot to celebrate, as usual!

Danny and The Boys Go To Soccer Camp

Many months ago, Luke S.’s mom floated the idea of a sleep away soccer camp at Furman University to the squad of seven Marist soccer boys. At the time, it was unclear if Covid restrictions would allow the camp to take place. We all agreed it sounded like fun, and tentatively signed up. Sometime around spring break we received word that the camp was ON, and the rest is history.

Because these guys are all tight, and also because boys seem to be easier in this regard, we each listed all seven on the requested roommates slot, and left it to the camp to figure it out. They did so admirably, placing them in rooms all next to/across from each other. Additionally, they were all on the same team!

We didn’t hear a whole lot from Danny while he was gone (in his defense, it was just Saturday night through Wednesday morning). But he did send this picture with Clint Dempsey, who I later learned is one of the best U.S. men’s players ever!

They were up early, played a LOT of soccer - which included Danny’s selection in the All Star game and a game-saving slide tackle to boot - and made fun memories in the dorm, too. When he kept talking about “family movie night,” which equated to 15 of them huddled around Ryan’s phone watching “Cars 2,” I knew for certain he had found a good group of kids. Danny Boy + The Boys continues to be a winning combination.

Summer Swim Team 2021

The “lasts” for Clare continued with her final season - as a swimmer - with the Byrnwyck Blue Dolphins. I persuaded Laura to swim again, too - a decision made much easier once Meghan was also on board. It ended up being what I would consider our best season yet!

This year, the more traditional evening meets returned, but with the bonus that they were virtual, meaning the opposing team swam at their own pool. This made for less crowded pool decks and much earlier end times! Glorious!

I love that summer swim gives Laura the chance to connect with other kids from the neighborhood, including Taylor from the house behind ours. Laura also really improved as a swimmer, becoming a valuable member of the A relay team, and developing an excellent backstroke. She loved collecting blue ribbons!

But no one loves it more than Coach Clare! She would often comment to me how much she loves summer swim team. And several parents would comment to me what a terrific coach she is, and how much their kids love her. (The smiles at this post-swim meet trip to Los Bravos say it all!)

We’re so grateful that our neighborhood has offered this experience. It’s a pretty perfect summer gig!

One More Official Celebration of Clare

Since the governor was nice enough to invite Clare to a reception for all of the state’s valedictorians, we decided to satisfy our curiosity and accept. We had NO idea what to expect, but made a plan to get brunch afterwards so it was bound to be a success!

The biggest draw was the photo op with Governor and Mrs. Kemp. After that, we primarily waited for the rest of the crowd to do the same, and then listened to some remarks. The event concluded with a group photo, where Clare’s decision to not interact with her fellow honorees was reinforced after overhearing two of them compare GPAs. Good grief.

It was a fun, if slightly odd, morning, especially since we did finish with a delicious brunch. I was more than happy to take the opportunity to celebrate her once again!