Posts Tagged ‘mom’

I’m still recovering from my mom’s visit the weekend before last.

There’s a lot to see in this huge state and a couple hours in the car can take you somewhere completely different from where you were. Mom was here 4.5 days and we put 750+ miles on my car: Casper -> Guernsey -> Cheyenne -> Fort Collins -> Cheyenne -> Casper -> Buffalo -> Sheridan -> Casper.

In front of the Indian Village, with our new hats. [Cheyenne Frontier Days]

I drove down to Guernsey for an assignment on Friday and Mom met me there. We drove to Cheyenne to walk around Frontier Days. KISS played that night and the people watching was excellent. On the way out, we bought cowgirl hats and rodeo tickets. We then drove to Fort Collins because we didn’t think we’d find a hotel room in Cheyenne (and because I needed a shopping/Whole Foods fix).

We watched Frontier Days’ opening rodeo — Mom’s first. She enjoyed it except for steer roping, where the cowboy ropes the steer by the horns and yanks it to the ground. I could explain events to her because of all my rodeo experience.

We spent Saturday night in Casper and left Sunday morning for mountains. The Big Horn Mountains are a small spur off the Rocky Mountain chain and begin about two hours north of Casper. I drove so Mom could stare at mountains because that’s what she does when she’s behind the wheel too.

Big Horn National Forest

We hiked about 2.5 miles in the Big Horn National Forest just south of Cloud Peak. We stayed the night in Buffalo at The Occidental Hotel, built in 1880. The hotel doubles as a museum. Famous people such as Teddy Roosevelt and Buffalo Bill stayed there. We stayed in the Madam’s Suite in the back on the first floor, former home of the bordello’s madam and the cheap whores. She would have been on the second floor but weighed too much to walk up and down stairs.

Occidental Hotel lobby

We saw a movie and stopped at the renowned Century Club saloon. We only had one drink and went to bed early. Mom brought a cold/sinus infection with her and I was starting to feel a head cold coming on.

The plan was to wake up early and drive back to Casper. I woke up at 8:30 still not feeling 100%. After coffee and animal crackers from the hotel pantry, we headed further north for breakfast in Sheridan.

It was hot, like 92 degrees hot, so we went home and lounged in my cool basement apartment. And then she left.

Mom was my eighth visitor to Casper in less than one year. Eight! I thought moving to Wyoming would mean no one would ever visit but so far, more people have visited me here than any other place I’ve lived. Well, except that one time all my friends drove to New Orleans for Mardi Gras.

Happy Mother’s Day!

me and Mom, Oct. 25, 2008. I hope I look this good in 20-some years.

I wish I were able to spend today with this lady.

late-night, post-wedding Waffle House, May 3, 2008

We weren’t always friends, but we are now. She used to be “The Apple Pie Mom” who brought extra blankets to cold softball games. She was at nearly every one, even when I didn’t want her to be. Didn’t realize it then, but I was damn lucky to have a terrific cheerleader behind the dugout, in the audience and next to me during my many, many extracurriculuar projects.

Then I moved to New York. Maybe it was the distance or that I was now “older,” but we started to get along. Calls were frequent. She became my personal adviser on anything, especially creative projects such as party decorations and Halloween costumes. Her creativity never runs dry, even after a week of teaching preschool, planning lessons for the college class she teaches and living.

Her energy, kindness and patience amazes and inspires me to be a better person every day. Thanks, Mom, for everything. I’m so thankful to have you, even if it’s over the phone.