New York Doll

I am still in awe of this wonderful documentary. I had a friend recommend it, and I was "okay" with seeing it, but had no idea of what I was about to see.

The story involves the 70's punk rock/alternative rock band, "The New York Dolls". It focuses on the life of Arthur "Killer" Kane and his conversion to the LDS Church. It was an amazing story. Arthur's life was told in a simple, yet profound way and with compassion and love. The film showed both sides of the fence. It showed Arthur's "former" life, when he was involved with the NY Dolls, and captured his life in his later years, when he converted to Mormonism and eventually worked at the LDS History Center in Los Angeles, California.

Ultimately, after over 30 years, the NY Dolls were reunited for a concert in London. The struggles and insecurities that Arthur went through were portrayed. The concert was a rousing success and it showed the reunited band at its finest.

Arthur returns to his "calling" in Los Angeles. It has a bittersweet ending, which is etched in my heart. His LDS colleagues, as well as band members and others in the music industry, were all a part of what made Arthur. It is a poignant, wonderful documentary and I highly recommend it.

Yellowstone

Our family of four motored to Yellowstone National Park on July 20th, 2006. The first night, we stayed at the Old Faithful Inn. It is a gorgeous old structure next to the geyser. I was a bit leary about the summer tourist season, but it was not a problem. There were plenty of people, but this oldest of all the national parks is well-prepared for tourists.

Our son and daughter seemed to enjoy themselves. On our way to Yellowstone, we stopped at Jackson Lake Lodge and looked out the huge windows which are on the west side of the lodge, all which provide breathtaking views of the gorgeous Grand Tetons. We then stopped at Grant Village and enjoyed lunch, before continuing on our way to Old Faithful. Along the way, we pulled off the road (along with everyone else) to look at three elk grazing in a nearby meadow.

The geyer itself goes off about every 90 minutes, give or take about 10 minutes. I have been there a few times in my life, yet it is still something to see. Jesse and I enjoyed walking around the designated trails near the geyser and reading about all of these geological wonders. We enjoyed dinner that evening at the Old Faithful Inn Dining Room, a little pricey, but good.

We sat up on the second balcony of the huge open-air lodge and played rummy. It was fun to just relax with the kids. Most impressive about the trip, we all seemed to get along and enjoy each other's company.

The next day, we took the loop through Yellowstone Park and visited the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and other stops along the way. The biggest thrill of the day was the hundreds and hundreds of buffalo that were along the road, literally some in the road and blocking traffic. Needless to say, a photographers playground. On a few occasions, we could have reached out and touched them, they were so close to the car. As we left Yellowstone Park at the south entrance and entered back into Grand Teton Park, we also saw two moose off in the distance. Again, plenty of people pulled to the side of the road with cameras.

We stayed the night in Jackson Hole. Got a room at the Anvil Motel, which turned out to be a very nice and convenient place to stay. We walked to the town square, and along the way our son insisted that we visit "Ripley's, Believe it or Not Museum". It was fun to visit and there were a lot of interesting and odd items to see.

After the visit to the museum, we had dinner reservations at 8 p.m. for the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar Steakhouse. This turned out to be one of the best meals I have ever had, and the family all loved their food. We will definitely return there, although it is pricey.

All-in-all, our trip to Yellowstone and Jackson was wonderful, and I'm anxious to return.