MOUNTAIN MAN RENDEZVOUS

We saw that there was a mountain man rendezvous up in West Yellowstone, so we ran up there to see what it was like.

I felt like I was walking around the movie extras from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. They were shooting candy out of cannons even!

The men and women were clad in leather and furs and they were selling everything from skins to whistles and jewelry to jaw harps. There was music, ax throwing and food. Just our redneck kind of place to visit! Once Hyrum caught sight of the jaw harps (also known as Jew's harps), he knew he had to have one. It takes a lot of practice to learn how to play one correctly, but Hy picked it up quickly!



The kids' favorite part was collecting the candy that the cannon shot, even if it was a little black-powder-flavored.

 But then again, the ax throwing was pretty high on their list of favorites. Of course, Talea spent most of her time catching grasshoppers too.

 Hyatt was so good with the ax he actually got it to stick in the stump!

 Paisli, being too little to get in on most of the fun, stayed in her stroller to keep out of trouble with the vendors. Next year, Lilly.

What were the highlights for Hy and me? Hy got a jaw harp and a derby hat, like he's always wanted. I got a sun hat to prevent premature wrinkling while working in the yard, like I've always wanted.