Germany Bound

Okay it's time to leave for Germany! We created a blog for our European adventures. The new blog is called http://livingindeutschlandgermany.blogspot.com/ We hope you visit it!

Beth and Scott's Wedding

Beth and bridesmaids waiting.

University of New Mexico Chapel, Albuquerque

Nancy and Ben. Ben was the Ring Bearer. He told everyone that he was the Ring Barrier.

Sarah and Nancy

Sam on the dance floor.

Jack taking a break.

Father and Daughter dance.

Megan and David.

Brent, Nancy, Jim, and Sarah.

The Bride, Groom and Ring Bearer.

Beth and Ben dancing

David and Beth doing the Chicken Dance.

It was a beautiful wedding and festive reception. Sorry about the small photos. I will try to fix the problem.

Condominium For Sale (Black/Mississippi River views)

We are accepting new jobs in Germany (near Kaisersautern) so we have decided to put the Wisconsin Condo up for sale. This photo is from last winter, it is the river view from the dining room window. Below is a link to condo photos posted by our real estate agent. Let us know if you know of anyone that might be interested.

http://360buyers.com/homestheater/gh/1028489/_flashvr/main_1028489.html

The Wickens are in the Park

Brent and Sarah brought the grandkids to visit. They were good sports and stayed in our one bedroom apartment. There were lots of animal sightings, a few hikes, geyser gazing, museum visits, and family meals. I know Brent and Sarah were exhausted but many good memories will remain.

Rustic Waterfall

Rustic Waterfall is the closest waterfall to Mammoth Hot Springs. It is easily visible from the main road. Lots of water is flowing due to recent rainfall and snow melt. There are over three hundred waterfalls in Yellowstone National Park.

Pull my finger

We do not have television, but we do have a home theater system. During bad weather we can catch up on an episode of a favorite mini-series or watch a movie. Thanks NetFlix!

Jim watching a movie projected on the living room wall.

Aeromedical Evacuation

The helicopter is taking a patient to Idaho Falls, Idaho from Lake Clinic. This photo is taken while Nancy is standing in the ambulance bay of the clinic. Nancy's studio apartment is in the brown building with the white windows and doors.

Where is Summer?

This photo was taken Friday, JUNE 07, 2008 in front of Lake Clinic. It is beautiful but everyone is ready for some sunshine. (left to right: Nancy, Karen, Melanie, and Debbie)

Cody, Wyoming

We made a 2 day trip to Cody, Wyoming. The Buffalo Bill Historical Center was very impressive. We liked it so much that we exchanged our two day pass for an annual pass. The Center was four museums: The Buffalo Bill Museum; The Plains Indians Museum; Western Art Museum; and Natural History Museum.

Mammoth Clinic

The white building with bear statue is the Mammoth Hot Springs Post Office, the building to the left is the clinic where Jim works.

Lions, Tigers, and Bears! Oh My!

Sunday afternoon Nancy returned to the apartment to discover that a very large black bear was in the backyard tree. Several Park Rangers were tracking the bear. They waited until the bear climbed down the tree and then with horns, shots fired in the air, and loud shouts they tried to scare the bear out of the human inhabited neighborhood (our back yard).


The bear paced back and forth on the ridge behind our apartment (above). Ranger Travis (below) followed (at a safe distance) until he coaxed the bear back over the ridge.

Mammoth Hot Springs

We hiked Mammoth Hot Srings on a beautiful day. Above are the travertine terraces. Below is Liberty Cap; it is a dormant hot springs. These "wonders of nature" are one mile from where we live.

Sometimes the wind blows the sulphur vapors into our apartment. The first time this happened Nancy blamed Jim. However, since it has happened a few times during Jim's absence, he has been exonerated from the false accusation.

Mammoth Hot Springs Apartment

This is the photo of the living room when we first arrived. The plastic bag has a comforter and pillows that were provided by Medcor. Last week we went to Bozeman, MT (90 minutes away) and shopped the yard sales for a desk, curtains, and bookcase. The next photo is after we re-arranged and set-up the desk. By the way, the love seat is a single size hide-a-bed. Plus we have a queen and two twin Aero Beds that can be set up in the living room (as needed).

This is the other end of the living room looking into the bathroom and kitchen. The dining table is on the right. This photo shows how it looked on our arrival and the next photo shows the room with our "stuff".

There is a little bit of our bicycles showing in the "after" photo.

The before and after photos of the kitchen.

Our bedroom has two beds at the moment (a full and a twin). We are waiting on a queen bed.

Yellowstone Lake

Yellowstone Lake was still frozen when we arrived. Lake Clinic looks out over the lake. The days are finally warming up and the snow and ice is melting. Yeah--Spring is coming to Yellowstone!

Nancy's First Yellowstone Bear

Nancy saw her first Yellowstone bear on her way to work this morning. Jim thinks it is a Black Bear.

Medcor's Team Yellowstone

A group photo of all the clinic staff that have been in orientation this week. Our fellow providers and nurses hail from all over the US map: Maryland, New York, Texas, Oregon, Colorado, Montana, Georgia, Wisconsin, Wyoming (to name a few states). A fun and knowledgable group. We are looking forward to working alongside these folks. Did you notice the three feet of snow? This photo was taken in front of the Lake Clinic (where Nancy will work).

Bison at the back door

"Buff" likes to eat and rest outside our back door. He seems content and laid back but we aren't getting near him. If he wants to lounge in the back yard--fine--he can have it all to himself!

The Grounds Keeper

This is B-52, our gardener. Not only does he keep the grass short he fertilizes on a regular basis.

First Morning

We woke up to snow. We have first day of orientation at Lake Clinic. However, the snow was heavier in the park interior so orientation has delayed until the road to the clinic was cleared.

Welcoming Committee

Debbie is showing us our apartment. A herd of Elk welcomed us to the neighborhood.

We arrived! We entered through the North Entrance near Gardiner, Montana.

Roosevelt Arch

The Roosevelt Arch was designed by the same architect that designed the gorgeous Old Faithful Inn. The Arch is the North entrance. There will be long lines of vehicles most of the time. Fortunately there is an employee entrance. The gates to the park are open 24 hours.

On The Road Again

Nancy took this photo through the windshield (somewhere on Interstate 90). We drove two vehicles. Jim drove the gas hog SUV (18 mpg) and I drove the economical compact sedan (35 mpg). We found gasoline prices ranging from $3.45 (Montana) to $3.89 (South Dakota).

We drove the distance between La Crosse, WI to Yellowstone in two uneventful days.

We will be working at different clinic locations on the same days of the week. Our home base will be in Mammoth Hot Springs, WY. Jim will work at the Mammoth Clinic. Nancy will work at the Lake Clinic. The Lake Clinic is 52 miles from Mammoth Springs.

Getting Ready

During our last few days in Wisconsin we are finishing several projects. We painted and re-organized most of the condo. We're tired but it will be great to return to our clean and organized home when we finish our seasonal jobs in Yellowstone. There have been medical and dental appointments (just for routine visits and tune-ups). Both vehicles are being tuned, tires rotated, and thoroughly cleaned before the May 08 departure. The bicycles have been tuned-up. We're almost ready!