Sunny Flagstaff!

The weekend went by pretty fast with the temps in the 50s, five days of it with more to come. Maybe the groundhog was wrong. I hope not, besides, it is only the middle of February, still a chance for storms and skiing.

My friend and coworker/ranger in the Tetons, Laine Thom, stopped by this weekend on his way from Tucson. For those of you who do not know, we have a wonderful "Indian Arts Museum" at Colter Bay in Grand Teton NP, and although we have an official curator, Laine is the unofficial one. He has worked there for 29 years. At any rate, he is contracted by the Park Service to keep track of items from the museum that are being stored and restored at facility in Tucson. He goes down from his winter home in Utah about twice a year to inspect and inventory museum pieces.

He is a good friend and funny as hell. We had a nice breakfast together on Saturday and he headed up to the Hopi Rez to acquire more items for his personal collection which probably rivals many museums. He is Northern Shoshone/Paiute and sometimes claims to be part Italian, Irish and Chinese (depending on who he is talking to). He said he might be through here again in March, but you can never tell where Laine will be. Those of us who have worked with him know that he can appear and disappear in an instant.

Sorry that I will not be working with him this coming season as I have during the past 9 years. I have been transferred to Jenny Lake Visitor Center. But, am hoping that my quarters will remain at Colter Bay where I can see my friends in my off-duty periods.

So much for news in my world. Have Happy Valentine's Day. Take care of your loved ones.