My lovely family is in town from Iowa. This puts a bit of a damper on my Octopus #5 progress, in case you were wondering. It has completely shut down, actually. So it is more likely #5 will appear after my return from Vancouver. Nearly everything is in, but these creative matters are not to be, and should not be, rushed.

Since I work overnights, I haven't slept but for a few hours in the past three days. I must host these kin. We've been skiing. My dad learned for the first time yesterday. Today we are going to Yellowstone National Park in hopes of seeing some buffalo and, my favorite Yellowstone animal, the mountain goat on an impossibly steep rock wall. We'll also see some waterfalls, and probably grab a steamy dip at Chico Hot Springs on the way back.

If you want to see some pictures, here you go: