Beartooth and the Broadwater

 Good morning, Cooke City!

My cousin Emily did this batique (is that the right word?) artwork of the bear.  So cool!

My new group of teens.  I lost Victor, Ruby and Golda, but I was lucky enough to pick up Danny, Frank and Ari in their place!  This was our scenic drive up to the top of the Beartooth Pass.  Frank was the only one who spotted mountain goats, but that's ok.  They have mountain goats in the Alps, so the girls can see them when they get home.

Glacier

Ptolemy is scrambling up the mountain barefoot in the background.  His feet must be like leather after this summer!

The river that runs by the cabin has a wide, shallow part that they call the "Broadwater."  We canoed and swung into the ice-cold water from the rope swing.

My uncles are great men.

Frank was very nice to the kids.  What a great guy!  How did all of the DeBrys turn out so perfect?

The water instantly freezes every part of your skin.  It's actually exhilarating.

If a regular mosquito is a deer, Montana mosquitoes are moose.  They fly by with their impossibly long legs dangling below them, confident that they will get to you.  Uncle Paul says that they eat mosquito repellent for breakfast.  They are plentiful and ruthless, but they didn't get in the way of our fun!

I loved having everyone together at the table for meals.  Marla and I took turns fixing tons of fresh fruit along with nice, warm dishes.  When Rita arrived the last day of our stay, she brought fresh, young corn and buttered it all up for us.  Olympe wouldn't even try it, and it was so tender and delicious!  Corn on the cob is unheard of in her region.  

Mark and Marla, Paul and Rita and EVERYONE were so nice to the girls.  SO nice!

The joy in this kid!

Eliza is working in Cooke City this summer at the Beartooth Cafe.  The other teens loved having her at the cabin the last night.  I think they stayed up hours past midnight.

Frank was so good to Xanthe.  He took care of her and listened to her talk.  Sweet kids!

"No way am I eating that disgusting vegetable."

Paul telling scary (TRUE) stories about bears.

All of these shirts and jackets are for everyone's use.  What a great idea!  And you'll need one if you go outside, because the mosquitoes bite through regular shirts.  Lol

The drive home from the cabin started at 8:15 Thursday morning.  It was raining, so we only stopped once in Yellowstone, to see this guy.  A big elk!  We made it home in exactly 8 hours, which is not bad!  Thanks for a wonderful trip, Uncle Paul and Aunt Rita.  Everything was glorious.  We love you!