They Were Buggin’ Me!

Let’s talk a bit about mosquitoes. I think they are vile little critters, the vampires of the insect world. And not only do they steal blood willy nilly, they leave a variety of viral calling cards. Yuck. For most people, their bites are itchy and uncomfortable, but after a few days, the itching passes, the scabs drop off, and all is well. However, most people don’t get a dozen or so bites liberally scattered over both legs that each end up being the diameter of a softball. Most people also don’t walk into the instacare and have even the doctor say, “Whoa!” Most people don’t get a prescription steroid cream to treat said bites when the doc discovers that you are already doing everything else he was going to suggest. Most people don’t end up with later sets of bites in a perfect circle around each ankle where the nasty biters evaded the insect repellent and slipped right under the edge of their socks. Most people don’t stay awake for three or four days because their bites have developed blisters and are so itchy they can’t sleep. Most people don’t end up taking the new set of bites and the steroid cream back to the instacare and have a different doc say, “That isn’t working? That’s a really strong steroid cream.” Most people don’t get an even stronger steroid cream in order to finally find a little relief. And most people don’t have lovely scar “anklets” for two to three years after the actual blisters heal. So yeah. I think I’m justified in hating mosquitoes.

With that loathing in mind, let just say that today was cold and drizzly. The mosquitoes were out in force. The clouds of biters were so thick I was concerned that I would swallow some if I opened my mouth. I acquired a nice selection of bites earlier this week (through my socks and pants!) and although they were definitely itchy, I learned long past that applying the uber steroid cream as soon as possible after getting bitten helps keep the symptoms fairly normal. Nevertheless, I was determined to keep further bites to a minimum. None of us were bothered by the weather. In fact, I was glad it was cold because I zipped my coat all the way up to my chin and shoved my hands in my pockets to provide the mosquitoes with as little biting real estate as possible. When they decided to start biting my face though, I was done, and we ate our picnic lunch in the car. The unjustness of the whole thing is the fact that Nathan and I were the only ones who got bitten. Everyone else just wandered through the miasma of flying vermin with no ill effects. What’s up with that?!

In spite of the mosquitoes, we did have a good day. We decided to spend our last day in the park visiting Yellowstone Lake. The drive was lovely. We crossed the continental divide in two different places and hopped out of the car to take a picture. We saw some cool hot springs and learned a lot about the role of fire in Yellowstone. We saw a herd of bison, complete with numerous baby bison. When Malia spotted the first baby, she reacted like a normal seven-year-old girl and cooed, “It’s so adorable!”

Our last stop on our last day in the park was at Fountain Paint Pot. It was my absolute favorite geothermal element. I don’t normally just stand around and watch mud, but I made an exception today. There is just something so satisfying about watching the mud bubble and splat. The day was calm enough and the crowds were small enough due to the weather that we could hear them gurgling and splashing. It was great!

As we drove out of the park, we tallied the stamps in our National Park Passports and discovered that we had five out of the nine available in Yellowstone. For one vacation, I feel like that was not too shabby! And it means we can come back on another trip to get the other four. 😊

After we made our way back to the cabin, my folks gathered all of us together for a family photo. I’m so grateful that I enjoy spending time with my family and that, for the most part, we get along well and like each other. I know many people who don’t like their siblings much and only see them on major holidays and out of a sense of obligation. My older brother, Jon, was the only one of my siblings who was unable to spend at least a few days with us so it was nice to have nearly everyone around.

Our last evening in Island Park was spent at a family friendly dinner theater that specializes in snarky, parody shows that are meant to inspire great gales of laughter in the audience. The dinner was really good. The prime rib was tender, flavorful, and plentiful. Seriously, I had half a cow on my plate. And while it was tasty, I couldn’t get through it all. Of course, I did leave room for a jumbo-sized cinnamon roll. Splurge meals are a must on vacation, right? The show was funny. Not the most amusing one we’ve seen, but it did make us laugh. I enjoyed the whole event.

Now for the quote of the day. Daniel was cutting a big ole ice cream sandwich in half so that he and Nathan could share it. He was using the steak knife that he had used to carve his prime rib. Unfortunately, Nathan was in the line of fire and ended up slightly on the sharp end of the knife (no blood was drawn, though) at which point he exclaimed, “Owww!! You stabbed we with a knife, you butt!!”

I don’t know why I think that was so funny. But I do. I laughed really hard. Probably due to a weeklong lack of sleep. I love that I can laugh with my family!