Hair Outfitter and Spa
Keri gives a relaxing therapeutic massage to one of Sublette Counties favorite Cowgirls.
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Mountain Man Christmas
Parade of Lights, Courthouse Tree Lighting, Shop and Stroll and Holiday Open House
by Terry Allen
December 11, 2016
They say this is the season to make your list and check it twice, so I kept notes on all the retailers in town who offered adult beverages and hearty snacks.
But, the first stop was the Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center. It was so packed you had to use your elbows to gain any ground toward the bar. But since everyone was doing it, nobody seemed to mind if you accidentally sloshed a little beverage on yourself or your neighbor. Down at around ankle and foot level, man’s best four-legged friends and a few tots in the non-speaking age group were busily vacuuming up cheese chunks, salami slices, rice wrapped in grape leaves and chocolate chips that had rolled off of cookies.
A couple of young men were manning the bar. One guy was pouring wine from the Jackson Hole Winery and the other one was setting up shots of vodka made over in Driggs, Idaho. He was running about 8 different flavors, so just to be polite, I tried them all. Prrreetty good!
About the time I’d spilled everything I was balancing on my camera, I overheard Larry Zuckerman, otherwise known as Santa at the library, say it was about time for Joel to light the tree. Joel Bousman has lit the tree every year since he became a county commissioner and he figured this year made it ten. Anyway, he flipped the ceremonial switch and the lights danced skyward. It seemed like the lights were a bit dimmer than last year. My camera thought so too.
I walked by Jackson Hole Land Trust’s Green River office and noticed Laura Hattan of the Great Outdoors Shop had dressed Bianca in snow sport attire and she was standing in the big window. Bianca is a 6 foot Mannequin that I had bought from Ida Johnston a couple years ago. Ida is a photographer and she practiced portraits on her. I liked the idea and made her an offer she couldn’t refuse…about $80 as I recall. I went by their house to pick her up and her husband and deputy sheriff Wes loaded her into the bed of my pick up. We looked at her bare legs hanging out over the tailgate for a minute and finally Wes said, "I’ll call dispatch so you don’t get pulled over going across town." So, that’s how I ended up loaning Bianca to Mindi and Laura. Thought you’d like to know.
I stopped by Boondocks and someone bought me a beer. As I was sipping it, I noticed John Deardorf holding a new baby. I asked if it was a grandchild and he said it wasn’t, it belonged to some young woman across the crowd. He said she’d just plopped it into his arms and gone to get some ice cream. I think that’s what he said. Remember, I had about 8 shots, 2 wines and now a beer in me.
Suddenly I remembered Mike Kaul had invited me up to his place at Two Rivers so I stepped off in that direction. I’ll pause for a moment and mention something I didn’t know about until I became a photographer and reporter of sorts. Folks think you pretty much know everything that is going on in town. In the beginning, I guess I did pay a bit more attention, but it became too much pretty quick. Anyway, as I made my way up the frozen sidewalk, I was asked repeatedly why the big island of snow right down the middle of the street wasn’t removed. I didn’t know why and for once I didn’t make up an answer, mostly because I heard siren’s up the street which signaled the start of the parade.
It seemed to be a pretty relaxed parade, hearkening back to the days before the latest gas boom. It was a tailgate event. Chairs in the back of pickups and BBQ’s throwing off smoke, strollers and papoose families facing toward the parade. Somebody was riding a motorcycle and doing donuts in the snow in between the floats. Kids were riding with their cop and fireman Dads in the various official vehicles. Candy was being thrown every which way.
I’ll just let the pictures tell the rest of the story. You might notice a few photos that seem a bit out of place. That’s because I have a new co-sponsor for this story…Margie Nystrom at Hair Outfitter and Spa. In case you don’t know, she has a very nice place down past the forest service. You can get a massage, chiropractic, your nails done and your hair done in every which way, too. Margie also sells gift certificates for all their services in case you want to give a special gift to friends and family. A few of her sauna-loving friends eagerly agreed to have their pictures taken to help illustrate what Hair Outfitter has to offer. My favorite things were a tossup between the chocolates on the counter and the amazing green jungle…or in other words, the solarium.
A big thanks also goes to Dawn and Pinedale Online for just letting me write the stories and take the pictures of our extraordinary life here in Pinedale.
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