The Harvest of 2011

Golden leaves, cooler temperatures, and SNOW last week!  We lost quite a few branches off of the trees on the center lawn.  The weight of the wet snow and green leaves (they hadn’t started to turn yet) were too much for the older elm tree branches.

We harvested our barley and flax-seed crops a few weeks ago.  The weather was beautiful!

 

Now travel back a few years to 1922.

This is a picture of Great Aunt Margaret to the forefront, with my grandfather and grandmother, D.K. and Eva.

 

The golden wheat of 1922.

 

And another picture of working in the fields.

 

What a legacy of labor.  A few pictures have survived.  A few moments are frozen in time. Women posing in the fields. My grandfather standing tall and proud in that field of wheat up to his chest.  He is wearing a suit and proud of his crop.    The other pictures are of horses and men, guiding and pulling machines to gather the crops.  What hard work.  I remember the stories of how much food had to be ready to feed the men working the harvests.  Loaves of bread, biscuits, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, pies and cookies.  Work for the farm women in the kitchen was no easier.

I keep this legacy alive in my heart and have created a flower garden I have named “The Heritage Garden”.  It showcases the few remaining pieces of wagons and wheels we brought from the fields in 2008.  It becomes more beautiful every passing year.

 

The flowers are about finished blooming now though the black-eyed susans are beautiful and bright.  The days are shorter and traffic lighter.  A few workers on local projects and spud harvest crews are staying with us.  We have our rooms cozy and warm for everyone traveling our way this October!  Travel Safely!

We Remember

A quiet, relective Sunday in Ashton at The Rankin.  Our flag at half-mast to remember and honor those who were killed by the violence of the 9/11/01 attacks.  The war on terror continues.  Our son has completed 2 tours to Iraq.  We are proud he is serving his country.  He was a junior in high school when the attack occured.  That moment defined his future.

A memoir my family members published is titled “We Remember”  The stories are those of homesteading, the depression, WWI and WWII.  Cousins Beth and Lois each owned a single dress.  They planned dates carefully so as to have a different dress available for a date.  And woe to the person who spilled anything on the garment!  Cousin Winn flew over what remained of Hiroshima shortly after the atomic bomb was dropped.  He was overwhelmed with the destruction and evil that thing had unleashed.  His life would never be the same.

I worked steadily all afternoon in my pansy garden bed.  It is a small area around an old cottonwood stump, shady and protected.  A huge bumble bee was suddenly crawling on the stump in front of me.  As it flew off, I saw a bird taking a bath in the water fountain 4 feet away from me.  The bird splashed furiously and sent beads of water into the air and sunshine.

I worked several more hours into the afternoon and another bee!  Could it be the same one?  I had my camera this time.  He circled in the air several times again before leaving.  The beauty of everything surrounding me was overwhelming.  He had come back to make sure I was appreciating it all.

We welcomed guests later in the evening.  Travelers from Germany were eager to see Yellowstone and wanted to know all of the good places to see.  They especially appreciated the mileage / estimated travel time map we had.  It’s an easy guide to help you navigate the park.  Of course if you come across a buffalo standing in the road, you aren’t going anywhere!  And we always point out the Mesa Falls scenic drive- Robert shows them the road on the map to take, and I show them the picture of the falls we keep on the end table.   All of our other reservations made it safely.

 

We dedicate this post to our dog Rocky.  We remember.

Marathon Daze

The Mesa Falls Marathon has been run and our guests all finished in good shape!   The beautiful scenery of the trails impressed the newbies and many said they would be back to stay with us next year!  Late check-outs were very much appreciated as our sweaty runners finished the race with the temps in the mid 80s.  That is pretty hot given a very bright sun, few clouds and an altitude of about a mile before you head up the hill!

Labor Day weekend, the last big holiday of the season was so busy!  Mornings now have a cool edge to them.  The hot days of August are gone and autumn is here.  The lawns and flower beds survived the heat thanks to Robert’s diligent irrigation efforts.  The perennial gardens are now showing off the black-eyed susans,

cone flowers,

with a few last Shasta daisies.

Harvesting is gearing up as well.  The back fields of grain are golden and the apple tree branches hang low with fruit.  We’ve picked the last batch of raspberries from Uncle Dave’s patch.  Monday evening, a road-tired family stopped to stay with us.  The kids, a young lady of about 11 and her young 3-year-old brother were anxious to run around a bit before bedtime and were having fun on the lawns.  As I worked in my pansy flower bed, she noticed how many apples were on the tree and offered to help pick them.  Not being one to turn down help, I grabbed the buckets and we managed to gather about 2 buckets full before it was time for her to go to bed.  We selected the best ones for her family and said goodnight.  I peeled about half of the rest of the apples that evening and filled the house with the wonderful smell of cooked apples and cinnamon.

Besides a hot cup of coffee, there is nothing like homemade applesauce for breakfast on a cool September morning.  Our ancient cottonwood trees are beginning to shed a few leaves.  Our guests this time of year enjoy a quieter season in Yellowstone.  No summer crowds and hot weather.  The beauty of fall colors surrounds us.  Travel safely!  We’ll see you soon!

Perennial Summer

We’ve had beautiful August weather to share with our guests this year.  The days are hot (into the high 80s) but evenings cool down delightfully so you can enjoy your favorite fleece jacket!

Numerous tour groups, fishermen and families have stayed with us the last few weeks.  Many have reserved blocks of time for their rooms while others enjoyed their accomdations so much they extended their stays.  Yellowstone Park, Bear World, Harriman Park, Mesa Falls, Cave Falls, Warm River and Fall River are such fun day-trips.  You can look forward to a relaxing evening when you return to The Rankin!  We’ll have the grills fired up and the fire pit ready to roast a marshmellow!

Now we take this opportunity to showcase some of the beauty our property has to offer!

Enjoy your morning coffee sitting in the early light of the day!

Relax as the evening pours the cooler colors of the day over the lawns.

Enjoy the shy pansy garden as it nestles in the shadows of the rugged cottonwood trees my grandfather planted so many years ago.

And wander to The Heritage Bed where flowers grow in and around the sleeping farm equipment that once farmed the Rankin homestead.  This is the first flower bed we put together the summer of 2008.  It has become more beautiful every passing year.

The Mesa Falls Marathon IS COMING!  Saturday August 27th! Stay tuned!  Travel Safely!

Welcome THINGS!

The 2011 VW Thing Rallye rolled into The Rankin on Saturday afternoon, July 17.  What a rainbow of colors as the fun cars pulled into our driveway!  It took a few minutes to get everyone checked-in and settled into their rooms and cabins, but then the fun began!  The grills were ready, picnic tables in place, and the the volleyball net set up.  The fire pit had coals just ready for toasting marshmallows and making s’mores.  We enjoyed visiting with everyone and making sure they had a relaxing evening after their long day of driving.  When I asked if I could take a few pictures of the cars in front of the rooms and cabins, they were so gracious and offered to line them up anywhere I wanted them for a morning photo shoot before they left in the morning!

So, EARLY Sunday morning everyone was up and ready to start their trek to Yellowstone.  Robert and I were up and ready to get a few pictures of the group as they lined up for take off.  The slide show gives you an idea of the excitement, the noise and controlled chaos.  I’ve never seen a more organized group of travelers who enjoyed each other’s company more.  We wished them well and watched them head north to Yellowstone country in the cool morning air.

The rest of the day was very quiet and I contemplated the gifts of friendship we are so fortunate to nurture with our business.  We hope to see you soon!  Travel Safely!

Happy 4th of July 2011 !

Happy 4th to everyone!  We’ve welcomed so many guests the last month!  People are enjoying their Yellowstone and Teton adventures and return to relax with us on our shady lawns.  The fire pit is a favorite gathering spot in the evenings.  And this evening the fire works are beautiful and full of the spirit we as Americans cherish.

My flower gardens are in the poppy season, and the other perennials are ready to burst open.  The pansies are seeking shade as the summer heat is finally here while the petunias are loving the sun.  The tulip season lasted almost through the end of June this year.  I don’t remember them ever being so beautiful!

And of course the farm fields to the back of us are alive with this year’s crops.

Our recent entertainment has been a pair of crows trying to push their young one out of the nest.  The fledgling is reluctant to fend for himself and boy is he ugly! He is scrawny necked with few feathers and awkward with his flying attempts.

Continue to travel safely everyone!  We’ll see you soon!

Apologies to my blog fans. So much happening and keeping up with flower gardens, the business book-work and redecorating rooms and cabins keeps me from my writing.  Family from Texas were here visiting too.  What fun we  had decorating for the 4th together!  Love you guys!

Daffodils and Tulips

The day after we opened Thursday, April 28, we woke up to snow!  But we bundled up, cleaned the rooms, turned on the heat and welcomed our first guests of the 2011 season Friday evening.  2 weeks later, daffodils and tulips surround Welcome Bear Fred, and the grounds are green with the grace of spring!

Robert has mowed most of the lawns (in between the rain storms) and I’ve planted a few more flowers in the planters.  Pansies are a gutsy little flower to brave our eastern Idaho springs.  They are always blooming in the snows of spring.  I repaired our flag as the wind storms had ripped the bottom stripe and the edges.  Robert replaced the solar lights on the pole and it is flying high again!

The 90-year-old cottonwood trees stand at attention.  The homestead farm fields (in the background) are plowed for planting.  Welcome spring! The Rankin is open!  We’re looking forward to seeing you soon!

The Season Begins!

Robert journeyed north last Thursday, April 21 for the monthly Ashton Chamber of Commerce meeting.  And since most of the snowbanks are gone, RANKIN2 (Robert’s Ford Explorer) hauled  a new picnic table set, new solar lights, an antique mailbox, along with new bedspreads up!

Dan and his crew (of Dan’s Plumbing & Heating) will meet us early on Thursday April 28th and get the water and electricity turned on for our 2011 season!   Our first guests of the season are arriving the next day and there is so much to get done!  The buildings have wintered fine, but there are water heaters to check, the heating systems to get turned on and the grounds to start cleaning up.  And I’ve had lots of time this winter to think about re-decorating the rooms and cabins with a few new antiques and pictures.  But that will come after the important things are functioning.  (Robert won’t let me have a hammer or paintbrush until the basics are up and running)

This is a tulip from last spring that always blooms in front of the house in the back.  Mom and I spent several falls planting red tulips there and under her snowball bush. They are still coming up.  Last fall after we had closed The Rankin  I went up several more weekends to plant a few more bulbs-  just me, a thermos of coffee and a few snowflakes to keep me company.  I hope the green shoots are at least pushing up through the ground when we go up this week.  It will be another 2-3 weeks before they will bloom.

Robert and I are looking forward to welcoming guests from Europe this summer as well as old friends who consider us their home-away-from-home.  Celebrate Spring and Travel Safely !