The Occidental Hotel in Buffalo WY

I am sitting amidst the greatest blessing tonight- I am in an honest
to goodness small town America watching a bluegrass gathering
strumming out songs with members varried- a gal with slow food
stickers on her guitar case, an old man on the fiddle, a teenage boy
on a guitar, ranchers and wilderness advocates. There is a darling old
couple dancing- he is bent from age but they shuffle in rhytm near the
pool table.

Hey forget just watching- I danced with the gentleman. Note he must be
80 or 90 but I do remember my 2 step decently. While I am writing to
observe life I also take a moment or 25 to simply revel in
experiencing this wonderous experience surrounded by such vibrant life
(and animal heads mounted on the wall). From the tentative seeming
first time singer to the people who seem to melt into the surroundings
with ease. It's like watching a river flow down through the rocks-
moving, alive, and seeming a million parts while all one organic
being.

So later I will update you on the crazy happenings of the last couple
of nights including snow, a shotgun, a truck, snow, and an attempt to
see a petrified tree... but tonight started with watching a film
festival with some of the field office folks for a local wilderness
society... Big powder telemarking and environmental messages...

Damn I needed this night and the fire queen was right- this town
delivers and is very worth truly experiencing...