First Glimpses of theTetons

July 30. At the present moment I’m contentedly watching Chris, Randy and Melanie as they climb the Tetons in a ski lift.  My cowardly fear of heights relegates me to sitting on the ski lodge patio at the base of the mountain.   I can only imagine the beauty of the expansive views at the top of the mountain; I will content myself, with the photographs they bring back and vicariously enjoy the natural beauty that will envelop their souls.  Actually sitting here and seeing the ski lifts ascend, it all seems so simple.   I almost had the courage to cast off my cloak of fear and abandon myself to this wild pleasure.  Perhaps one day, it will happen.

In the afternoon, we stopped at the Driggs City Center to see the annual Driggs Digs Plein Air art exhibit.  (Driggs is the adjacent town to Victor where Randy and Chris live).   This weeklong event attracts artists from the region and beyond.  On our way to the ski lifts we stopped momentarily to view the scenery below and there we observed one of these artists from Victor, Colorado, painting the Tetons.

At the City Center exhibit there were several interpretations of the Tetons by different artists.

We arrived at the Isaacsons late yesterday afternoon after driving across Wyoming in periodic rain showers over miles of flatlands and then the rolling hills of the Tetons.   This terrain, empty of human existence, save for the occasional car or truck on the highway, holds the viewer in awe.  The flat dusty topography against the backdrop of the verdant hills and mountains is mesmerizing.  As the plains slowly gave way to rolling hills, we were enveloped on one side by tall trees that reminded us of the deep green foliage of Humboldt County redwoods and the other side reminiscent of the high desert.  Needless to say, this is astoundingly beautiful country.

Randy and Chris’ home sits at the slope of the Tetons.  This mountain hideaway is remarkably beautiful and deserves to be featured in Architectural Digest.  Planned by Randy and Jack Plennert, an architect and mutual friend from South Bend, the house has breathtaking views of Big Hole Mountain.  This morning I particularly enjoyed standing on the upper deck and looking down at the valley below bathed in a sunlight that in the distance cascaded over the variegated green hues of the mountain.   For an instant I believed I was in the Swiss Alps overlooking a little Swiss village.  The home’s exterior is framed by rock gardens of native plants and flowers, giving the effect of a living canvas of sustainability that accentuates the home’s natural beauty. The interior is exquisitely appointed in the craftsman style with a mix of antiques and modern pieces that complement each other.  The use of wood and stone throughout provide intimacy and warmth.   In the foyer and at the base of the stairwell, there is a bench of Indiana limestone with the IU pitchfork and the years of Randy’s teaching, 1975-2010, etched in the stone.  It was Jack who gathered these remnants from the refurbished Associates Building to honor Randy to whom a new building for the School of Education was promised in his early years of teaching.

This afternoon is quiet time.  Randy is outside tending to his flowerbed; Chris is preparing dinner; Melanie is checking e-mail; and I am writing this blog.  Tomorrow we will visit Yellowstone.  Melanie and I have never been there, so it will be a special treat.