A family of tumbleweed crossed the highway in front of me this morning. It was very cute, five or six rolling messes and a small little branch trailing behind, rushing to catch up with its parents and older siblings. Such is life in Wyoming, unpredictable, surreal.

We are having unusually hot weather too. All the snow is melted and we can once again see our brown barren lawn. The kids have even got there bikes out to start riding again. (Its suppose to be -20 this time of year, but it is well above freezing)

Fortunately the mountains have snow and they glisten in the distance. Dangerous though, a couple were killed in an avalanche on the weekend. Nature is unforgiving here.

The warm weather and the layers of fat laid down by Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years have prompted me to join the gym this morning. Six months of sitting on my butt has widened sections of me I am not excited about. One can disguise these in the layers of Winter, but not near the pool. Not that I am going to a pool anytime soon, but I want the option!

My experiment with American sedentary lifestyle must stop.

Full Moon over the Mountains

Christmas & New Year

Am I a bad parent for being excited about my children going back to school?

I was pretty happy Tuesday morning, the fact I had stomach flu New Years day and hadn't eaten for 40 hours, made Monday seemed to go on forever!

It is strange not having a big school holiday this time of year, the kids got less than two weeks. But it is not weather to be outside running around the yard having a water fight. I missed our Christmas day swim in the ocean, we were a little more lethargic this year.

One great thing about a white Christmas though is "Skiing!" The boys really got into it and where up the mountain at every opportunity. In lieu of presents (which we cant take back with us anyway) we put our money and any family gifts into snow passes. Now they are hooked we either have a great incentive to get them to work or we will be extremely poor, - probably both.

With the easy access to the snow, I decided to take up boarding. With my last unsuccessful attempt still painfully fresh in my mind I tried the slopes once more. Miracle, I can board! - or at least fall with less pain.

If it wasn't for the cold, I think I would like Winter all year round.

Temperature

One of the things I have the most difficulty with here is temperature. Not just because Fahrenheit and Celsius are so different and the formula to convert so tricky. But because it doesn't mean the same even when you do convert. Freezing - 0 degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit) is just not the same when you factor in humidity. 0 degrees in Wellington is extremely cold, in Powell it is a pleasant day. It just doesn't translate very well.

Funnily enough humidity drops in the winter. As it gets colder the temperature drives the moisture out of the air and it falls as snow. The dryness makes breathing the outside air almost painful and it doesn't take must to incite a nose bleed. Many families heat a pot of water on the stove or use humidifiers just to add some comfort.

While most days this time of year don't go above freezing, the sun shines intensely in the sky. This give a strange illusion of warmth, and the brightness of the sun reflecting off the snow makes it seem like a summers day.

Water does interesting things at these temperatures. We have had overnight fog lately and it freezes on the trees, coating them in a beautiful white glass. When the sun breaks through in the mid morning the effect shatters and flakes of ice float through the air.

The wind also plays tricks. It blows the snow into mounds and waves. Transforming the landscape into unusual visual playgrounds. Frozen lakes become seas of Antarctic white where a colony of penguins would not be out of place.

For all its cold, it doesn't seem unmanageable. We use the garage as a buffer, loading and unloading, with relative comfort. The houses and stores are all heated, and the windows double glazed. Several places offer drive through including the banks. So with a warm coat, the moments between heat are quite bearable and sometimes even refreshing.

Yesterday was the shortest day of the year, (since America marks its seasons by the solstice), it is now official:  Welcome to winter!

Frozen Trees

Snow on Ice

Winter Waves

That's what she said

You'll have noticed that my posts have been few and far between.

I am afraid the culprit has been Netflix. I wrote before about how I was addicted. I just finished watching 7 seasons, 145 episodes, 50 hours of 'The Office'. It has taken me 2 months, and most of my spare time. I was a big fan of the UK version in New Zealand, but the US version I have liked even more. Plenty of cringe without as much crass.

It made me nostalgic for my office days at Phillips Fox. The pranks, the dress ups, the activities, and most importantly the unusual personalities. You cant help but recognise people you know in The Office characters, including yourself. I must admit there were a few episodes that I cringed knowing I had done a similar thing. Still, if you can learn to laugh at yourself you will have no end of fun. And that's what I love about The Office, self deprecating humour.

Anyway, I will try and get a few more blogs out before I get sucked into a new series.

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

A white Christmas is the epitome of what people think of when they imagine Christmas. Songs and holiday movies have cemented our expectations. For Powell, there has been snow over night! It is definitely going to be a White Christmas here.

I have had a white Christmas once before, New York 1995. Actually it was more of a ugly brown Christmas because although it had snowed before I got there, New York is such a metropolis that after a few days the smog turned it all brown.
This year we have already had snow and because it really hasn't got above freezing, most of it was still around - now with this dusting everything looks pristine again. With more forecast today it should be a quite a picture.

Christmas in the States is amazing, like everything else Americans go all out. I like all the Christmas music. Every time you turn on the radio there is a new rendition of an old classic, or a contemporary artist fleshing out a new carol. I have heard hundreds of new songs, and surprisingly not once 'Snoopys Christmas'! It is freezing, so caroling outside is a non event. I miss the mass singing of 'Carols by Candlelight' in Wellington, but the songs do make more sense. Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, jack frost nipping at your nose.

Christmas lights make more sense too. With darkness at 4.30, the evening it is a showcase of lights and wonder. I try to drive different roads each night so we can see a new street lit up. Some homes look like Santa landing strips.

We have a few lights up too, a pine in the front of our yard makes a perfect outside Christmas tree. In our limited time in the States we will never compete with our neighbours, but we can make a contribution.

Merry Christmas All.

Fog settles on the trees as ice.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is my most favourite of American traditions. Food, family, friends and fankfulness, what a great combination! Lyndi and I have celebrated it in style in Wellington, tables out on the deck, all our American and part American friends, my mother would come and a few extras picked up at the last moment. Lyndi would spend the day cooking the turkeys and people would bring their favourite sides. A feast of epic proportions was had.

This was my and the boys first Thanksgiving in the motherland. It started with a couple of days off school in anticipation. A promise of fine food and football. As it happened we had a lovely meal with Lyndi's parents and sister and a older couple (our neighbours which Lyndi has become quite fond of). It was nice, but very small in comparison to what we have been use to over the years. I think the boys missed the excitement and bustle of our Wellington thanksgiving.

One of the great things about thanksgiving is that it is the only one of America's celebrations that hasn't been hijacked by wanten commercialism. It is still mostly about family. Oh how naive I was... For weeks I had been hearing about black Friday and was so confused as I couldn't find a Friday that fell on a thirteenth. Thursday while watching TV at Lyndi's parents it hit me, it was referring to the Friday after thanksgiving when huge deals were being offered. Some of these sales were massive, starting at Midnight or 5am in the morning! With a few super deals to entice thousands through the door, the Christmas panic buying could begin.

So glad our capitalistic society did not disappoint!

Climbing Mountains

As Autumn wears on the mercury quickly falls. Sub zero temperatures greet us each day, hopefully peaking into the positives sometime during the afternoon. Fahrenheit starts to take on some appeal, 32 degrees sounds much better than Zero!

The bright colours of the leaves have given way to browns. Large deposits collect at tree trunks and swirl around the neighbourhood in the wind. Snow has fallen on the surrounding foothills and you can tell it is only a matter of days before it makes its way into town.

I had planned to hike the local natural icon Heart Mountain for my birthday, but I caught a nasty cold and then it snowed. Friday I decided to take a look and see how much snow was on the mountain and if it was still accessible. So I rocked up there in my jeans and track shoes and went for a little walk. The snow was heavy but walkable and so I kept on going and going and three and a half hours later, trekking through heavy snow, I ended up on the summit.

Its a beautiful view! You can see the Big Horn mountains in the distance and the badlands in the foreground. The Beartooth mountains on the other side and Cody township nestled in the valley. Powell township is isolated with a huge flat expanse all around it.

Getting down the mountain was much harder, should have brought a sled. My old knees playing up every step a little jarring. Towards the bottom I got disorientated (could of been lack of water or food which I failed to bring with me), I lost the path. I could see where I needed to get to, but not the way to get there. After awhile of retracing my steps I realised that I needed to take some action. The light was fading and I wasn't keen to be alone on the mountain in the dark. I knew I needed to make a decision.

So I left the track I was on and headed for my goal. The snow was heavier and the terrain unforgiving on my sore knees and hips. I realised 10 minutes into my diversion that I could get myself into some trouble. There were a few moments of concern, how close should I get to being desperate before I asked for help. I determined that I would for this time in my life seek assistance a little earlier. So I used the last remaining battery on my phone, and called a local who would know the terrain and find me if I didn't make it back to my car.

Fortunately a few minutes later I found the path and everything was ok. On my return Lyndi was pretty worried, friends told her about the bears, wolves and mountain lions that frequent the area and as it got late she couldn't get me on the phone. She was even less impressed when she found that I had not called her with my last phone call. Whoops!

Climbing mountains can be dangerous, especially if you are a bit impulsive like me, the weather can change without warning, fatigue can skew your perception - you have to be prepared. But it is life affirming. Mountains get you a little closer to heaven, and give you a different perspective. The effort to get there rewarded with a view to inspire. I think we all need to conquer, its part of the reason for living. Hopefully we wont die in the process!

Halloween

Americans know how to turn everything into a celebration. Halloween is no exception. I love dress up and so it would seem does most of North America. People really go all out it is a lot of fun.

My boys especially like the variety and volume of all the sweets. Some of them ventured out for hours scouring the town for the best treasure, coming back home pillowcases filled with their abundant loot. It would be fair to say Halloween combined my boys two greatest desires Free & Candy. They were in heaven, literally on a sugar high.

I brought my Arab headset with me from NZ. (A souvenir from Dubai). I thought it might be fun to dress up as an Arab for Halloween. One because the costume is so great, two because I get to grow a beard and look really authentic, but also I wanted to see others reactions about it. In jest I knew that I would be linked to terrorism, it is Halloween after all and the lean is toward the untoward. But it also gave me an opportunity to discredit some of the negative stereotypes that exist here (and around the world) to Arabs, the Middle East and Muslims in general. It prompted several great discussions.

I find Racism and prejudice in general are really strange things. We like to believe that in our enlightened, intellectual, informed world we are above such thinking. But without warning we find ourselves embroiled in it all over the place. It begins with an us and them mentality, maybe a fun rivalry and then extends to bigger and more complicated things. It could be based on where you grew up, or where you went to school, a sports team, a political party or ethos, a religious difference, or national identity. It could be a class distinction or a occupational choice, a consensus of what is right or acceptable and what we think is wrong. It could be the colour of your skin, the accent of your words, the language you speak, the clothes you wear, your gender, your age, your hair colour, your family background, your relationship status, your sexual preference. Its endless.

We make jokes about such differences, we tease each other, we separate ourselves, we give labels, we call names, we fight, we even go to war.

Everyone has been a victim of some form of prejudice, and everyone has been the perpetrator. Likewise we have all been advantaged by our difference, given special treatment, applauded beyond our real ability. So it is a strange leveling field we all play on.

I wonder how best to make a difference in this area. I realise I must start with myself. I have been guilty of such terrible prejudice for which I am so embarrassed, and I continually find myself caught in bad thinking.

One example that I am willing to share: A few years ago Lyndi and I went to Samoa, it was a wonderful experience, what great people. I had expected it to be good, we have many Samoan friends and I grew up in several of their fantastic homes. But I wasn't prepared for the great cultural and religious heritage that was there. I cried when I thought of all the families from the Islands I knew who had left that strength to come to New Zealand, worked extremely hard often in menial jobs, to offer their children and family back home other opportunities. How I was blind to their great sacrifice, dedication and love, and under appreciated them as a result.

Travel has helped me to be more open to other people, but it has not eliminated my poor judgements yet. I hope I can offer others a different perspective that will help, and be appreciative of them in the process. I know there is so much more to understand than I can possibly get on my own.

Maybe events like Halloween allow us all a glimpse into another life. To dress up and pretend to be something different - remove some of our stereotypes. Or maybe we just reinforce them!

Metrics

Thomas Jefferson was one of the first Statesmen to propose metrics for a common system of distances, weights and temperature. He spear headed a campaign in 1790 with the French, and ironically he was probably responsible for France adopting the the system in 1799. Since then almost everywhere else in the world has adopted this system (NZ in 1967) and somehow America missed out.

This causes some really peculiar situations. Everything has a kind of duality here. While on the surface metrics is not practised it confronts you in really interesting ways. Its almost as if a conversion has happened but no one wants to admit it.

For instance: When you get your takeaways you are given the option of a 2 liter bottle of soda to accompany your meal. Not 2 quarts or half a gallon but 2 Liters. In fact all soda bottles are made in liters and the imperial measurement given in brackets.

With temperature. Everyone speaks in Fahrenheit, but whenever you pass a electronic bank sign telling you the time it usually also gives you the temperature in Celsius. Every car with a temperature gauge lets you convert to Celsius, and for that matter Kilometers are shown right along side the miles as you check your speed.

Food packaging always quotes the grams along side the ounces, the liters along side the quarts, and even the m2 along side the square feet. Of course somethings are not converted. All the road signs are only in miles and bigger weights are always in pounds. But it is like they meant to change over or want to change and yet they cant.

I was really concerned about the boys and their ability to deal with imperial measurements, how would it affect their schoolwork, and their ability to interact with their peers in some subjects. I needn't have worried. Most of the maths and science are already in metric, the system so much easier and all the formulas are metric that, kids here have to learn them as part of the course.

To be fair America was a world leader in decimal currency, having used cents from the outset for their money. Maybe this is why the US dollar has been the currency of choice for trade for so long. It is so surprising then that they weren't early adopters of the metric system as a whole.

Will the US ever be metric? I am not sure. Certainly not in my time here. For now I will rely on the handy conversion app on my phone to translate for me and try not to look too dumb when confronted with a measurement which makes no sense whatsoever.

Patriotic Pilgrimage

One of America's greatest successes is its devotion from its citizens. American people are extremely diverse, and very polarised in their thinking. Intense arguments about religion and politics are common and dominate both the dinner table and the nightly news. Because of this most people are fiercely patriotic, and defend 'their' version of what it is to be American, vigorously. Devotion is encouraged, celebrated and even required.

US flags dominate everywhere. On buildings, down main streets, in offices and on peoples properties. They are both a form of decoration and a statement of intent. Each classroom is adorned with a flag, and the kids pledge allegiance, hand over heart each morning as they start school. Most sporting events start with the national anthem - again pledging hand over heart. These symbols of devotion coupled with daily and weekly rituals cement a strong collective identity.

From its declaration of independence roots and its inspired constitution. America has a idolised history of good triumphing over evil. The original 13 colonies first shaking off its British oppressors and then going on to victories over France, Spain and Native peoples in a significant claim over the New World. It makes an inspiring story and an important common thread that most wish to participate in.

Woven into this story are locations all over the States that celebrate America, Parks, Forests, Monuments, and also Dams. These government administered areas provide important internal tourism and champion the national cause and collective psyche. Scores of visitor center movies spout the same rhetoric, a national treasure preserved and protected - you should be proud of your country.

Some of these places have a sacred status, and pilgrimages are made each summer by millions of Americans as they share in the story. This past weekend I visited such a place, Mount Rushmore, touted as the 'shrine of democracy'.

Mt Rushmore is spectacular. A monument fit for an empire. The granite carved heads of four great American presidents rise from the rugged Black Hills of South Dakota. Their faces stand majestically poised, seeing out into a world they have personally altered. Sculpted by working class hands, a triumph over extreme weather, towering mountains and the harsh economic conditions of the Great Depression.

Here you participate in a fundamental American ideal. An America full of honest, decent God fearing men and women who do all that their country requires of them. It is an ethos that citizens cling on to, a past desperately needed right now. President hopefuls appeal to this longing, promising a revolution and return to government underpinned by good honest values, no more hijacked by corporate greed and corruption.

As you leave the boardwalk sufficiently inspired, hopeful that America can be great again. You can visit the gift store and buy a tee-shirt or a plastic Mt Rushmore replica. Those three comforting words imprinted on each item ........ God Bless America, Made in China.

Harvest

The green fields surrounding Powell are fast turning brown. As each crop is harvested the remains quickly turn yellow and then the paddock is ceremoniously ploughed. Trucks buzz in and out of town laden with produce. Mini mountains of sugar beets rise above the flat expanse.

It has been a bounty for us, fresh zucchini, cucumber, tomatoes, onions, peppers, raspberry's, and apples. I have made some pretty tasty salsas. Add that to our raw milk and free range eggs, we feel we are (somewhat) living off the land.

As the fields change so do the trees, turning yellow then orange and red. The fall colours are breathtaking especially in the mountains where the alpine meadows undergo the most dramatic transformation. The first snows have fallen there and as the sun sets the white glistens in the distance.

Peoples houses change too. The once lush grass is starting to die, returning the lawn to its mountain desert reality. Bright orange pumpkins are starting to adorn doorsteps and dark decorations fill windows and door fronts. All eagerly anticipating Halloween.

Autumn is a celebration of the plenty. I will do my bit - carve a pumpkin, build a scarecrow and scare my boys a little. A long American tradition.

Home sweet home

One of the big extremes in America are the houses. I have been in Mansions that are so big that you could yell in one end and not be heard in the other, and trailer homes where a couple of steps will put you in another room. I love being in people’s homes it gives me a feel for what is important to them and a real sense of their character. I am constantly amazed at how different and how creative space can be used. Whether it is mounted kills and animal pelts or nicknack's and artwork. You realize pretty quickly that regardless of the size, shape and location people are generally trying to do the same thing - raise their families and live with as much comfort as possible.

Of course your home can become a trap too. We have family and friends who built big new homes when the economy was good and now are trapped with a mortgage more than the house is worth. They cant sell, work multiple jobs and generally feel on the edge. Some have walked away, handed the keys to the bank, and reinvented themselves elsewhere.

Ironically some other friends have prospered exceedingly during the same period. One of my friends is building a cabin in the mountains. I went with him to help for a morning. The canyon was beautiful with the fall colours yellows, oranges and reds, against the ever greens. The contracting crew were hard at work, their beat box loudly pumping the sounds of……. ‘Taylor Swift’????!!!!  My friend has 5 daughters so he is well acquainted with Taylor and if I am to be honest I have most of her albums, but this did take me by surprise. I  guess he is fortunate that even his second home was been made with a lot of love!

Autumn in the Mountains

My Sporting Boys

My big boys have been particularly aggrieved that we took them away from New Zealand when 'the biggest sporting event of their lives' was on. So consequently we found a website that streams the games live and my oldest has been waking up all hours of the night to watch various games.

Last weekend we travelled to Jackson Hole Wyoming through Yellowstone park (4.5 hours) for a soccer tournament for our smaller boys. It was the night of the big grudge match - All Blacks vs France. Despite the fact that I did not get up in the middle of the night to watch the same game 4 years ago, I found myself at 2am, laptop on knee hooked into the motel wifi, battling for a share of the screen, while trying to keep it quiet enough for those in our room not fulfilling their patriotic duty. Fortunately we won, and 4 years of rugby guilt was relieved.

I remember the first Rugby World Cup 24 years ago, I was fourteen and in fourth form at Wellington High. It was not much of an event then, our class was given free tickets to the pool match between Ireland & Wales at athletic park. It was an uneventful game and we left at half time, I watched the last 5 minutes at home on TV. Wales won 13 - 6.

Rugby has changed a lot since then. Professional players with large pay packets, massive endorsements, and national hero status. Pay per view matches, high priced tickets and huge international opportunities. Sport moved from just the National pride to a whole industry all of its own, with New Zealand a premium exporter. While being good at sport was always a fast track to popularity, it has now become the means to some pretty lucrative careers. I think some of my boys are counting on that!

No soccer scholarships this particular weekend though, as their wasn't much success on the field for our boys: but fun was had by all.

Jackson Hole the Queenstown of Wyoming with its tourist shops, ski fields and breathtaking scenery.

The Grand Teton mountain range next to Jackson Lake

Home home on the range....

I almost hit two deer tonight.

We were driving back from Lyndi's Parents along the country road at dusk. A doe and fawn darted onto the road. I hit the brakes, the car came to a sudden stop as did the doe, but her fawn passed inches in front of the bonnet. Whoa that was close...... if the doe hadn't stopped..... if the car hadn't slowed in time.... if we had been a second faster....... it could have all been different.

On the way out of Yellowstone last night we got a stark lesson on the possibilities. A car front crushed, two bewildered people staring at the carnage and a massive bison glassy eyed, slowly dying on the side of the road.

Road kill in Wyoming can be fatal to all concerned. The animals are big and fast, a decent match even for the largest American cars. Dawn and Dusk the most dangerous. Its harder to see them and paradoxically they are the most active.

The wildlife in Wyoming is abundant and big game is ever present, we see antelope and deer all the time. If you climb into the mountains and especially Yellowstone there are elk, moose, coyote, wolves, buffalo and of course bears! Occasionally you see them down low as they move to other feeding grounds.

Smaller animals are also present, squirrels, chipmunks, raccoon, skunk, rabbits and a multitude of birds most of which I cant tell you what they are. And we cant forget about the snakes..... fortunately we haven't come across many of them.

Half an hour northeast is the Pryor Mountain Wild Mustang Reserve which is home to a large herds of Spanish horses. Beautiful to behold.

Being a farming community there are also all the farm animals, chickens, cows, sheep, pigs, horses, and a surprising number of Lamas, who despite the 30+ heat never get shorn.

It is a pleasant regular treat to see such creatures. They are a good reminder that we don't own this place - but we can live side by side, sometimes work together and even appreciate each other..... at least until hunting season.

Elk grazing at dusk.

Reminders of Home

It is amazing the things you cling to when you are away from home.

Someone you meet who has travelled to New Zealand instantly becomes a friend. The words All Blacks, Maori, Rugby suddenly raise your heartbeat. You start begging kiwi expats in neighbouring states to come visit you. Local newspaper articles no matter how obscure, become treasures when mentioning the motherland. You talk to a person who once knew someone who was related to someone else who had a conection to 'down under' and they have your undivided attention. Even finding Australian Bundaberg Ginger Beer in the local supermarket sends you into a buying frenzy.

Then there are the rituals. I still check my 'Stuff' app on my phone several times a day. I tell myself it is the best, most balanced news site. Whenever I see a clock, I instinctively translate the time. Then I anxiously count the days till the change for daylight savings, when the time difference will lessen. (Its this coming weekend in NZ, November in the US). I know it's crazy but I just cant help myself.
Last week I followed a motorcycle gang sporting Australian and US flags to a nearby town, hoping that they would pull over so I could talk to them. I couldn't believe my luck when one of them went through a speed trap got pulled over and they all had to stop. Sure enough there were kiwis among them, even a couple that had lived in Karori. It made me so happy.

I don't feel homesick, but I still cling. 

Maybe I am worried that I could lose myself in this vast expanse?

Found this at one of the locals homes when visiting on the weekend. Made me laugh.

Football

Number 2 boy played his first game of American Football Saturday. 3 weeks of 3 hour practises and finally he gets to play!

The beauty of this game is how 8 minute quarters translate into a 2 hour game! I understand now why everyone else brings cushioned seats to sit on the bleachers. Wont be making that mistake again.

I understand the basic rules. Get the ball down the field 10 yards in four plays to progress, and run it over the end zone to score. But there are a myriad of technical fouls which as yet go right over my head and keep the game progressing in 5 second intervals. I am told that mistakes are common in the first game and that the flow of the game will get faster. Since the season is only 6 weeks, I am hoping it wont be too long before they get it.

With pads and helmets it was like sending them out to battle. Its a good thing they have big numbers on their shirts or there would have been no way of telling which one was my boy. With the helmet on he probably didn't hear me cheering for him anyway. The boy got plenty of game time though, since his team was getting a whooping and he was on defence, he was on the field a lot. But like most of the boys on the field he never once touched the ball.

Such is football.

9 11

It was the tenth anniversary on Sunday of September 11th. Amazing how fast time can pass. I still remember the day as if it was last week, we knew the world would be changed forever.

America has been changed the most. The American psyche is different and remains so. There have been many questions asked and much still remains unanswered. Like many harrowing events it has undermined the nations confidence.

For some it has created and strengthen predjudcies. 'The rest of the world is different from us, we cant trust them.' - 'there are people out there who want to destroy us' - 'attack, is the best form of defense'

For others it has been confusing. 'Why do some nations not like us? Isn't America the boy scouts of the civilized world? Haven't we tried to help all these people? This is what we get in return?'

For some it has been reflective. 'Maybe we brought this on ourselves, our government hasn't been without blame, we have done some terrible things in the world, it was only a matter of time before some of that would come back to haunt us.'

For others its cynical 'This has event has been allowed to happen, to instill fear, cut freedoms, advance a military agenda and justify yet another plunder of someone elses resources'

And for some it is has been part of the ongoing orchestrated plan, - the public deceived, America another step closer to tyranny while being mascaraded as the poster child for democracy. A sign of the last days.

I have meet people in Powell from all along this spectrum. I guess they reflect a nation still deeply disturbed by this event.

For my part 9 11 has made me very wary of war. Gone are the fantasies of my youth, going to battle is no act of heroism. Governments go to war for economic advantage, not moralistic high ground. War is the hostile corporate takeover that nations engage in and like all new acquisitions it comes complete with a strategy, marketing campaign, share buy up & shareholder sell out. It also comes with financial backers, and large loans. There is a risk that if the spoils of war are not enough to cover the debt that even a country that wins could still be bankrupted.

America is a big corporation, its acquisitions have been significant. So also is its loans.

Powell Fire Station

Netflix

The one thing I still can't get my head around as a parent is how on weekdays I have to shake my children out of bed, but on Saturday the one day we can sleep in - they wake at the crack of dawn.

The only consolation on this particular Saturday morning is that I had to get up at 5.30am to wake up number 2 boy who has a  football game and had to be at school at 6am! His game is a couple of hours away so I will be staying in Powell with the 3 youngest while he rides the school bus. Lyndi went last night with the big boy, 4 hours drive to a neighbouring town. (only in Wyoming is multiple hours still considered local). He is playing soccer.

Since I couldn't get back to sleep I endulged my latest (and I might add greatest) addiction. Netflix. I cant begin to tell you how wonderful on demand internet TV is. No ads, shared over multiple screens, saves my place, costs $7.99 a month. I am in heaven! I am currently almost 3 seasons through '30 Rock', Tina Fey is awesome! I had sworn off mainstream television, but without advertising and fear based news flashes, my faith in American entertainment has once more been restored! Sure it is still grossly unrealistic, ostentatious and often inappropriate but it grips me as much as the TV addiction of my youth. America invented small screen escapism, and it is still the panacea of the masses it once was.

What makes this all possible is internet access with no data caps.  The information super highway goes right past our door and everyone has their our own personal off ramp - you can download to your hearts content. No more yelling at the kids for a triple digit internet bill, $14.99 secures our peace. Funnily enough for our first couple weeks here we used the open wifi network of one our neighbours, I am not sure why everyone doesn't just do that.

But it is not all roses, for some reason the cellphone connections and plans are not so wonderful. Overpriced, inconvenient and confusing. How I long for the days of my 2degrees connection.

I guess you cant have it all - even in America.

What's up dad!

Now that the boys are older, parental affection is scarce. So Fathers Day offers a rare opportunity for some good old fashion hugs and words of appreciation from my boys.

So it was with anticipation that I woke early on Sunday morning and got out and about with the little boys!

No big fanfare - so I waited patiently for the older boys to rouse and remind the little ones. But by lunchtime with no hint that anything special was going to happen, it was looking increasingly likely no one remembered it was Fathers Day! I started dropping hints, big hints and then even bigger ones, no one even battered an eyelid.

One of the things you are not quite prepared for when moving countries is that traditions are suddenly turned on their head. Sure I knew that fathers day was celebrated on a different day in the States; Lyndi's dad was the recipient of a belated Fathers Day every year because of that fact. But I wasn't prepared that my own family would need the mass media to remind them!

I guess Lyndi felt bad - the next day she bought me flowers, cadbury chocolate and a fancy little cake.

Fortunately for me Mothers Day is the same in both countries.

Why The Face

This morning while dropping the big boy off to seminary, I remarked that one of the high school girls was wearing high heels. He replied 'Of course dad, all the girls dress up when they have volleyball!'

There is a lot I still don't understand about school here, but my children have embraced it and seem to be thriving. Went to the elementary school open house last night. Very nice. All their teachers seem to be smitten by them. For the older boys it is the girls. They have had 'notes' from young women professing their adoration. We have had to have a stern talk, about the 'rules'.

I don't even have to eject them out of bed in the morning. Since they found out they can have free breakfast at school (along with lunch), they roll out of bed into their clothes and out the door all by 7.30. Sports after school and then homework with the neighbourhood kids, i might not even talk to them today. Fortunately there is a high school football tonight, we'll meet up for hot dogs.

Grandma Jenny had a dream about one of the boys being bullied and wanted me to follow up. I asked middle boy and he said 'Oh no dad, we're popular!' This is the same child who has joined band and is now learning the saxophone.

What with the school system, transporting, feeding, socializing, educating, musicing and sporting my children, they might as well be at boarding school and coming home on the weekends. Who knew we would come to America to live in the nanny state.

I think I need to get in on the action. Time to become a substitute teacher!

Cool Dad

The Powell Panthers win their first game of the season.