Departure from Yellowstone After the Last "Kid" Left

Hello, Everyone! It has been ten days since I left the Park. Having landed at Mark and Cat's on the edge of Spokane, WA, I slept for a couple days, picked apples, put plastic on windows in preparation for winter (thanks Bonnie and Kelly for leaving the little hairdrier behind!), walked miles through gentle, rolling countryside AND, Heather, I caught up on ALL my bookkeeping left unattended over the last five months!

One of the biggest adjustments in leaving the Park, is getting over the shock of how fast the internet is "out here in the world"! After nearly 5 months of having to wait several minutes if it happened at all, just to send an email I am stunned! Technologically speaking Fishing Bridge General Store (and being in the Park in general) is like being in an exquisitely beautiful 3rd world country (Which I might add has its major plusses). For a few days since I left, I watched uTube videos to get up to speed on what is "happening in the world"! Kind of Fun. One I particularly liked is:

http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=PScUdYTO0UM

And now I am finally ready and able to "get creative"!
It was truly strange being at Fishing Bridge as other people began to leave--every week in September a few more of the students headed home. It was sad and getting sadder by the week. My life has been immeasureably blessed by everyone of you whom I have had the delightful pleasure of working and playing with these last many months. Many times throughout my stay at FB, I would keep going by saying "I will leave once the last 'Kid' leaves". It was a very powerful and intensive experience living and working in that little world that was life at FB. I will need many more months to integrate it all!

Young People who were with me at Fishing Bridge: There are not words to express how much love I felt from and for you all. So, please enjoy the photos below (finally) and if you have ABBA's "Take a Chance on Me", please play it while watching. That song and each of you are indelibly imprinted in my heart. There's also a shot of my son, Jeremy and his girlfriend, Heather, (with Purple Rhino, of course!) because they were my eyes, ears and mail managers in "the outside world" while I was in the Park. And, though you didn't meet them, they played a big role in my being able to stay in the Park for as long as I did. Thank you, "guys"! Much love and Many Blessings, Emily

PS-- Here is something I wrote in early September and was unable to post at the time. Enjoy!

Baby Bison and the Present Moment
9/12/08

This morning someone’s alarm went off at 5:30 a.m. even though we have moved to “short hours” and do not need to be up until at least an hour later. Generally, due to the paper-thin walls, I use earplugs. Given that much of the staff has left, I chose last night to sleep without them. Big Mistake! Except that as with most mistakes, a lot can be gleaned from the experience. So at 5:45 a.m. unable to get back to sleep, I was up, dressed and heading out to catch the rising of the sun in a world, at 8000 feet, already preparing for deep winter.

It was 27 degrees, frost on everything and mists clinging to the river and low lying areas. I drove to Mary Bay on impulse, watched the blues and pinks of dawn on the water of Great Yellowstone Lake and, again on impulse, headed back toward FB to catch the sun coaxing life awake once more along the riverbanks.

Just passed Indian Pond near Storm Point, a small herd of bison stood on the edge of the road. Their backs were covered with frost, these 3-4 adult females, a couple yearlings, an enormous bull AND a mother with a newborn calf clinging to her side!

It is Autumn here and this hours old baby looked so fragile against the backdrop of rapidly approaching winter, an infant bison, born late in the season, facing a very rough winter, delicate in every respect, except for it’s dogged instinct to stay close to it’s mom.

The mother came toward my car, the little one right next to her, the bull, from the sideline, extending it’s neck and mouth to snort a warning in my direction (something they do intensively during this autumn mating season). I watched, awed, knowing that if I had been another 5 minutes in getting there they would have been gone, vanished into the lodgepole pines where they wander unseen.

Relatively new to the world of digital photography (which I love by the way!) many times I am so engrossed in what is before me that that there is a delay in being "camara ready"! (I am getting better, though not yet fully comfortable with having this techno "third eye" accompanying me in my wanderings).

I HURRIEDLY aimed the camara as TWO other cars came up behind me (WHERE DID THEY COME FROM AT THIS EARLY HOUR!?!!), got a shot of my side mirror, took another and got the pair as they walked off the road, frost and all on the mom's back.

Driving away, I gave a prayer for the little one, that it would be strong and healthy throughout the long winter with those minus sixty degree days. I was struck that the Gift of the morning, was NOT whether I got photos of the misty/sunny river, my "project" du jour, that sometimes, heading out intending to do one thing, the Universe says, "Oh, I'd like you to catch a glimpse of this over here!" And, when I listen, Voila!!!

It's being with what is and in this case, it was being with a baby bison so close, if I had been foolish enough to ignore the big guy, I could have reached out and touched baby soft fur.

PS A couple days later, out at Mary Bay, a large gathering of bison enjoyed the grasses, the sun and the warmth of the thermal activity there. AND, in amongst them was ONE little orange calf, two days older, surer and growing fast, jumping about full of life and delight in the beauty of the day. Aho!
Emily A. Easton (c)2008