My dear friend Liz recently moved to Wyoming.Sit back and enjoy her adventure of living in the Wild West. Be sure and check out her beautiful pictures too!
Liz also has a blog, http://sixshootinmama.blogspot.com/
Love of the Old West. His dream? My dream?
Living in the west has been a dream of Techno-genius most of his life. The mountains seemed to call his name. When we married, I didn’t share that vision. That dream.
We vacationed in Wyoming regularly and I tolerated, I mean enjoyed it. I did see the beauty in the mountains. The draw of the clean, crisp skies. The vastness of the views. But…. it seemed so empty. Nothing to do. No shopping – to speak of. Few eateries. Not many museums and play areas for the kids. I didn’t ‘get it’.
Until…. the summer of 2012.
We had taken a big Southwest family vacation. This trip culminated in a two week stay in Wyoming at my in-laws “mountain home”. Techno-genius worked from his sister’s house for a week while the kids and I ‘hung out’ in the mountains. Basically just doing life.
During this time, God grabbed hold of my heart. I saw the mountain views in a new light. The simplicity of the area was suddenly appealing. The friendliness of the people, refreshing.
Suddenly, I got it. The love of the Old West. It had made it’s way into my heart.
After some conversation; some planning; approval to live in Dad’s house; Techno-genius’ company agreeing to let him work remotely; we were moving from the suburbs in Ohio to the mountains of Wyoming.
Our little town – population of 270 – is much like taking a step back in time. We have a Mercantile store; a saloon; The Old Corral Hotel and Restaurant; even our post office looks like something out of an old western movie.
It’s not uncommon to look out our back window and see a small herd of deer knocking on our neighbor’s door, asking to be fed. Yep, seems it’s common practice in our ‘subdivision’ to feed the deer in the winter. An amazing sight. I swear they hear the sliding doors move and they come hurdling across the fields to the house bringing forth the food.
Antelope bounding through the neighborhood is another typical wildlife view we enjoy. Occasionally we are even privileged to catch a glimpse of several jackrabbits hopping around the yard. Or foxes padding down the road. The neighbor’s horses frolicking in their acreage is a loved sight of all the kids. Giggles generally ensue as the large creatures roll around, legs flailing in the air, back and forth, till they finally spring back to their feet.
The currently snow covered mountains greet us every morning as we watch the sun rise over their peaks. Then again each evening they bid us good night as the sun sets on the opposing side of the vast open sky.
Prairies and ranches filled with livestock – horses and cattle, an occasional alpaca, maybe even some sheep – line the dirt roads that encapsulate the main means of travel here.
Winds in Wyoming can be amazing. This winter it was quite the feat to tackle snow drifts in our driveway caused by the high winds. Such drifts are typical in the winter months all over the mountains.
The beauty and simplicity here are unparalleled.
God worked in my heart and helped me realize “my husband’s dreams should also be MY dreams.” Now, they are; living and loving together in the mountains of the ‘old west’.
A view walking into her subdivision
A mountain view in the neighborhood
The heart of our little town, “main street” if you will. If we had a Main Street. This is where all the businesses are located along with some housing.
Just one of the businesses in our town- most look similarly. Like you walked into a re-enactment park.
The deer knocking on our neighbors door
The Williams Family
