Super Bowl Sunday!

Okay it is Super Bowl Sunday and as I sit here anticipating the "big game," I find that I am a bit melancholy. Yes, this was always the day of the big "par-tay" at the Nelsons. The one where all I did was (semi) clean the house and everyone else brought the greatest food in the world - ah sheer pleasure, eating and drinking and gambling a bit too with family & friends. Today is the first day that I have had time to be truly sad about being alone out here in Jackson Hole, it just doesn't feel right. I must say that I am still secretly holding out hope that some of you may arrive on our doorstep this afternoon (you don't even have to be bearing food, although I would love some of Dave's famous wings, some of Lia's marinated cheese, a whole lot of Lisa's Reuben dip, Lori/Jim's chicken speidini or Oreo truffles, my Mom's cheese petit fors, Paula's chicken wing dip, Rae's pizza dip with breadsticks, Sherri's Mexican corn, Lisa's taco things, Micki's yummy soup, Anne's Mexican corn salsa stuff that I love to eat and hate to make since it smells terrible when you boil the vinegar,  Kandi's delicious chili, Mari's Italian sandwiches, Shelli's orzo with marinated veggies, and the list goes on and on). Now I am really hungry and even more depressed. I also worry as to what the Cousin family will do for cash this week since they won't be winning the Squares Betting Jackpot like they did every year (even when they weren't at the party - go figure)! Well, I guess that this is the year to start new traditions. Hope that all of you will be celebrating somewhere this afternoon and think of us as you watch the big game. We have been invited to some friends house for a party in the neighborhood - they just moved here from Leawood, KS last year - so that is as close as it is going to get for us to being back in the OP for Super Bowl! GO PACKERS!!!!!

Barry is out skiing today and I am home recuperating from my 7-hour skate skiing clinic that I participated in yesterday. Skate skiing – a cross between ice skating and skiing – works more muscles, including the heart, than nearly any other sport. It is a calorie-burner par excellence! Note to file - if you have never skate skied before, start out with a one or two hour lesson. I am wiped out today, but I must say that I loved learning to skate ski. It was a Women's Clinic and was taught by the fabulous staff of the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort Nordic Center. It was non-stop from the time we got there - instruction, video analysis (so sorry that I don't have the ability to have a link to that footage - ha), and then more skiing - hills and everything! I hope to continue to hone my new skate skiing skills - it is a really fun sport and a fantastic cardio workout - replaces running in the winter months. I must admit, Happy Hour never tasted so good as it did yesterday!

I also wanted to update you on a few of the activities that I had blogged about previously.
IPSSSDR Dog Race
The Dog Sled race ended yesterday. Blayne Streeper from Fort Nelson, British Columbia, won the 2011 International Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race (IPSSDR) with an overall time of 19:38:27.  Streeper also won the IPSSSDR in 2004 and 2010.

We attended the Opening ceremonies last weekend and it was amazing! I wouldn't plan a vacation around it, but if you are planning to be out here to visit next winter - it is a really fun event. They set up a 2-mile course through town and you literally lined up along the course and watched the dog sleds whiz by - there were thousands of people and lots of little ones watching all of the action.

 

"If you ain't the lead dog, the scenery never changes. Mush on!"

.

WINTER QUICK DRAW

This was one of those jaw-dropping events - and also an event that made me realize that artists have a true gift (and I am NOT an artist)! The Museum of Wildlife Art was packed with onlookers and 22 artists with a blank canvas. At the stroke of 6:00 their brushes started painting. There were some artists who had paintings that I thought were ready for framing in 20 minutes and then there were others who at 6:40 did not look like they would complete their painting! It was amazing to walk around and watch the artists work and then return 10 minutes later and see how far they had progressed on their painting. It was one of the coolest art events that I have ever been to - I can't wait till next year! Here are some pictures of the artists at work:



Kay Hard at work!



Cowboy artists!



This artist went from blank canvas to this in 12 minutes - amazing!

Another fast painter - this was taken at 28 minutes!

Kay's finished painting - she paints Sumi-e, the ancient art of Asian brush painting

One of our favorites of the night & the highest bid at the auction (unfortunately not our bid)

That's the update from the wild west! Party on tonight at your Super Bowl Parties and have a wonderful week. Looks like most of you are going to be out of the wicked winter weather of the past week. We are looking forward to a forecast of much needed snow over the next few days - a foot predicted for tonight! Funny thing is that this is expected/normal/wanted, and will not make any national news or have local news headlines and regular programming break-ins of "Stormcast 2011!" Bring it on!

Jackson Hole (Wyoming) Interesting Fact:

Wyoming's massive energy operations pay hefty sums to the state, generating enough money so that the general public doesn't have to pay state taxes, whereas people around the country pay an average of 6.5%. There is a plethora of natural resources in Wyoming, including coal. Coal accounts for 50% of the electric power used in the US, and Wyoming's coal accounts for 20% of that power! Coal is the main export of Wyoming. So, another perk to living in JH: no state income tax!