Open Eyes

Keep your eyes open....they are the windows to your world.

There are eyes everywhere....watching....
Creepy!!!!

My feet are planted firmly back in the ground....Already they are itching to pull out and be free, to walk, run, skip, and jump into another adventure.  I hate shoes and socks........The soul is restless..............and the feet are screaming.........did I mention I hate shoes?

Some people when they come home, peel off pieces of clothing that are uncomfortable to them.  Guys will kick off the shoes, throw the pants and shirt on a chair, grab a beer from a fridge, plop down in the easy chair in their underwear, with remote in hand, while switching channels to find the current sporting event on and taking a swig of beer. (This is as close to multi tasking they can get)!!!!!!   Woman, it's shoes off, comfy drawstring flannel jammies, an old shirt, cuddling on the couch with our favorite 4 legged animal(s) and/or a two legged handsome devil...........the commonality in this?  The shoes get kicked off..........

I had one last day to walk around in sandals outside.  Wander around the yard and see what I am going to miss until next spring and summer.  All the flowers have been pulled up.  The tomato plants are now mulched in with the leaves, but not before one final pick for fried green tomatoes.

There are grapes that hang on the vines that won't be picked in my neighbors yard.  They hang in sadness as he recently passed away, but the birds are taking advantage of their fermented sweetness.  They literally are drunk on it.  It's amazing how loud they can get.  Celebrating one last hurrah before the cold bears down on them, and the snow flies and it piles high.

Soon everything around will look gray, drab, and dead....this is the only time of the year I do not like.  You look outside, and it looks sad and lost.

The weather is turning rapidly.  The Indian Summer we have enjoyed will disappear soon.  There is a storm brewing and it's heading our way................

There was one last, lonely leaf on the lawn.  It seemed to be saying to me...............

IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO SHINE

Waving goodbye 

Happy Halloween.....be warm if it's cold, be cool if it's warm.  Be safe.  Have fun.............

I love ya'll, my social media friends.  You are the best bunch of people................

Sharing is caring.......if you read this, share it........not everyone can venture outside their cocoon.  This helps them see what else is out there.    

twitter @CotySimon
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Eyeing the Prize

Home is where the heart is.......most definitely.......I've spent a lot of time this year away from my home than I ever have.  I'm done now...it's time for me to put my roots back into the ground that I call home.

I spent several days around Yellowstone last week.....never made it inside the park, thanks to the shutdown, but I did have fun.  Came home for 24 hours.... long enough to empty my suitcase, do a load of laundry, and repack for one last, long weekend with the girls....and tell the hubby I'd see him on Sunday.  I'm married to a pretty cool guy who lets me spread my wings and fly............. 

Lava Hot Springs, Idaho is close and convenient for someone who wants to get away, soak in some marvelous hot pools, and take in Mother Natures glorious scenery. This was supposed to be my last "camping" trip with the girls, but two of the girls decided they wanted "luxury" over camping.  If you are looking for a comfortable place to lay your head, we didn't find it.  I think the motels in this tiny town must be in cahoots with the hot pools.  You sleep on their beds and wake up with the worst lower back ache from too soft mattresses.  This forces you to run, (hobble and hunched over actually), not walk, across the street, and ease your aching back into these therapeutic pools of bliss.......Best part, you have your choice of hot, hotter, and hotter-than-hell water...............Next time, I think they will opt for camping in a nice trailer, with comfortable beds!  The cool mountain air at night, soaking in the pools........awwwwwwwwwww, heaven, sheer heaven.............

It's a beautiful area and of course, the camera couldn't stay buried for long.  The fall colors are just about done, but are still very, very pretty.  

Dirt fields that once had hay, barley and potatoes planted in them are groomed and waiting for the winter snow....It's a vast land of colors and texture that you don't get with city life........and I think for some spunk and fun, the farmers see who can make the best crop circles, too........the rolling hills of green beg for you to stop, run up the hill, and roll down them...just like you did when you were a kid, laughing and giggling all the way down............

I'm sad my road trips have come to an end for the year......planning them for next year has already begun............

In no time the snow will fall.  Halloween is fast approaching, Thanksgiving is coming up, and then.......Christmas.........I can't wait to see what kind of mischief the ornament fairy and the Christmas elf get into this year.  Still can't find my sock the elf hid, and the ornament fairy took her sweet time putting ornaments on the tree.  She had way too much fun hanging out with the elf, and sharing a rather large martini..............

Twitter @CotySimon

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Eyes on the road

It's time for a road trip - enjoy the ride

We're not lost, we're locationally challenged

Take the backwoods instead of the highways

Road Trips are not measured by mile markers, 

but by moments

A good traveler has no fixed plans 

AND

is not intent on arriving

When you come to a fork in a road

TAKE IT!

The scenic route

Joy Ride

These are all sayings from a sticker page.  A sticker page you use for scrap booking, placing on picture frames to document your picture, your travels,  or whatever your heart desires to use them for.   Thanks to a wonderful twitter friend, she turned me on to these wonderful little ditties.........

I love to travel...I love road trips....I love to head off and venture into the unknown.  Seek out places I have never been to.......I love road trips. 

*************************

It's Sunday, October 13....time for my road trip to begin.  What was supposed to be a fun, family filled mini vacay, is now just me, myself, and I and my humans middle son.  The husband cannot make it, oldest boy is sick, and youngest is in Arizona still.  Too bad, it's their loss.....not letting the stay at home family nor the government shut down ruin this trip........

When driving down a road, rounding a bend, and you come across a stunning rainbow right there in front of you, you just know that it's a good sign, a good omen that the trip is all going to be worth it, regardless.  

The rainbow had every color so vividly represented it was jaw dropping.  It stretched from one side of the road to the other.  All that was missing was the pot of gold. 

The rain changed to snow the closer we got to West Yellowstone.   Snowflakes the size of cotton balls fell from the sky as we pulled into town.  The town appeared deserted.  No one was around.  No cars, no people, just neon signs from businesses still open.  Normally, it would be bumper to bumper with cars, motorhomes, trucks, trailers, and people. 

Not now....You can walk down the middle of the road free as a bird with no threat of being hit by any vehicle in site.  It's sad to not see the roads filled with vehicles, and the sidewalks brimming with tourists.  Government shut down is turning into a melt down for a lot of people...........makes me sad.........

Monday October 14...

Brrrrrr........it's cold outside and the parks are still shut down.  Oh, well.  Browsed the shops of those that are still open.  Chatted with one store owner who was hungry for conversation.  I guess we were the only customers he's had for days now.  Nice guy.  Picked his brain on what we could do since the park is closed.  Told us about a few places heading north outside the town towards Bozeman, Montana where the moose are thick and the big horn sheep are in abundance.  Tomorrow we will do that. I have yet to see a big horn sheep.  Would be nice to cross that animal off my bucket list..........

Found a huge, old water tank.  I never new I could take pictures so fast.  My hands had frozen digits on them when I got through.  Of course, the gloves I brought were back at our hideaway. So far, this vacay has been fun, cold, and snowy.  It was another good day............

Tuesday, October 15....

We decided last night to head out at first light so we could see the moose, elk, and big horn sheep.  Our intentions  were good!!!  Didn't happen at first light.  We did go north though. The pine trees are thick, snow covering the branches, and the sky a beautiful blue that peeks through when the high puffy clouds part.  Funny thing is, it's 20 miles of Yellowstone park that the government cannot shut down.  Oh, darn.  No geysers, blow holes, mud pots, or hot pools were around though.  Just pine trees. lots and lots of pine trees.    



Big Sky is so majestic I couldn't get enough of it.  It reminds me of Park City, Utah, before it became a destination spot and filled to the brim with multi million dollar plus homes and too many people.   It was quiet up there.  It won't be that way once ski season starts.  I'm glad that I got to taste the serenity, the peacefulness it offers.  For right now, snow is not a dirty, four letter word for me.  (it will be soon enough!)

Once out of the mountain passes, it opens up to land that you can see forever.  Bozeman, Montana is a town all by itself.  As soon as we could, we got off the path most traveled and we headed for the dirt roads that would take us to nowhere, USA.  The fall colors were just about done, but that didn't matter.  

We went from snow to nothing but gorgeous fall colors.  Taking the left turn off the main road and we found ourselves in a different world.  I'm glad we did.  I would have missed this beautiful site.  Found solace in a cemetary.  Creepy as that may sound, it's peaceful there.  You can look at peoples lives carved on a headstone.  Some who lived and died over 150 years ago.  

Wednesday, October 16...

It's time to go home.  It wasn't a total bust with the government shut down.  You make do with what you have and what I had before me was a land full of mystery just waiting to be explored.  You can take pictures anywhere.  I saw people and places I wouldn't have seen if my direct route had not been taken away from me.  Sometimes the road  you see ahead, isn't the one you need to take.  I took a left turn and found life still exists, it still moves on...

ROAD TRIPS ARE NOT MEASURED 

BY MILE MARKERS

BUT

BY MEMORIES

I'm still upset with our government taking valuable land, shutting it down, and making lives hell for people who rely on the tourists to drop a dime in their stores.  I could only do so much.  I'll be back to this place and maybe by then, I can join forces with all the other tourists and see Yellowstone in it's glory.  I love Yellowstone.............. 

Twitter @CotySimon

Instagram.com - Howunique310

Helping Eyes......

Thanks to the government melting down and closing every beautiful federal funded park in the country, I am pretty upset, and ashamed, too, because I helped vote these morons in to their appropriate seats and parties........We live in a great country, but at times,  it feels like it's run by card playing men who get up in the morning and say, "well, boys, what's your game today?   Seven card stud,  5 card draw, Ace's high poker?  Or....should we play a round of Go-Fish?  Or, maybe 52 card pickup"?  Our government needs a good spanking, stoning, and some tar and feathers......

I'm having a meltdown, too......in 6 days time, I am leaving for beautiful Yellowstone. I was hoping to see Yogi and Boo Boo, but it doesn't look as if I will get that chance to venture inside the park and see the magnificent scenery this park has.  I've been to Yellowstone before, so I know what's there, what to see and what to do.  I've had this trip planned now for about 4 months.  I'm not going to let our government make me cancel this trip.  I won't be able to see the park, but there is plenty of other splendid scenery to take pictures of up there.  I will be disappointed in not being able to see the park, but maybe if I hold my breath for longer than 30 seconds, wish upon a star, cross my heart and my fingers, maybe the government will stop scratching their asses and picking their noses and come to some kind of agreement before this whole wonderful country we live in cracks under pressure.  I'm not a happy person right now.  Makes me angry and sad all at once.  I shouldn't be having these emotions.  I should be excited and happy to be able to take my oldest boy up there who has never been to Yellowstone, and see this magnificent area.  Show him the geysers that shoot high in the sky.  Show him the mud pots that bubble up from the ground.  Show him the hot pots that stink to high heavens of sulphur, but are so gorgeous with all the colors of the rainbow......Nope, thanks to this government of ours, he just might miss it.  There is always a chance it could change and if it does, I will be happy........

I have a huge favor to ask of everyone and anyone who reads this blog.......If you've been to West Yellowstone, Montana, what....besides Yellowstone, would you recommend people to see?   The boys and my human host are doing some research, too, on the local attractions, but who better can tell us what to do, where to go, than people who have been there, done that.........I'm reaching out to you all to help us out.............give me some ideas...send me suggestions either via twitter @CotySimon or via email at CSimon485@gmail.com......please no spam, no uglies.....be nice......

I have people all over this world who read my blog and love to see what the Americas has to offer.  I've found out that there are many places in our world that people don't have 4 seasons like I do.  I have spring, summer, fall, and winter.  We are in the midst of fall right now and the colors we experience, a lot of people don't.  They see the same trees, or bushes, the same colors all year round.  Not a bad view mind you, but there is something to be said about enjoying 4 seasons........This is why I am asking you all to lend me your eyes and show me through them what you've seen and what we need to see in West Yellowstone.  We will be in west Montana, close to Bozeman, so if there is something special we need to see, please share with me.

 I did make to the the foothills today.  I like that I don't have to go too far to see natures colorful beauty.

Next week will be an adventure.  An adventure of what I can see with my eyes to share with yours.


twitter @CotySimon
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