Maintaining Old Friendships

July 3-5, 2010.

We traveled to Jackson, Wyoming to visit Dave and Nancy Wanner. Dave was a childhood friend of Dad's. Dave's dad leased the creek bottom land on the Indian Creek farm from Dad's mom for many years after his father passed away and Dad's mom and Dave's mom were good friends. Dave and Nancy pastured horses on the Indian Creek property for many years after that until just a couple years ago. Dave built the deck railing on our new home and more recently helped Dad add two coach batteries to our motor home. They have a home in Preston, Idaho but Dave is working part time in Jackson where they stay with their daughter, Lydia. Lydia is employed there full time in both the motel and newspaper businesses. On the way up we stopped to visit one of my childhood home sites in the small town of Irwin, just below the Palisades Dam. We lived there for a time while my Dad worked building the powerhouse below the dam. We also stopped just this side of Alpine, Wyoming for a visit with old neighbors with whom we have kept in touch from the Westcrest Trailer Court where we lived in Granger on the west side of the Salt Lake Valley in the early 70's. Dorothy and Keith Bowcut were wonderful neighbors. Dorothy served as a second Mom for me with our small family and Keith took us for an airplane ride where I got a bad case of motion sickness. Sadly, Keith has been experiencing kidney failure, is off dialysis and is not expected to live long. In spite of this he seemed quite cheerful and good natured although totally bedridden. We also stopped for a second visit on the return trip home on Monday. While in Jackson we walked around town, visited an amazing art gallery, visited nearby Teton Village where we saw antique cars for auction and rode the Bridger Gondola to over 9000 feet elevation to view the valley below, ate a delicious dinner we cooked in a park and watched the most amazing fireworks display we had ever seen being launched from two sites simultaneously (at the foot of and part way up Snow King Mountain which is right at the edge of town). On Monday morning we had a good breakfast at the Virginian Restaurant and took off for home. It was a great opportunity to become better acquainted with old friends and the beauty and variety of the Jackson area. We appreciate Lydia for putting us up for our stay.