Last week, we were back in Yellowstone. Above are the meadows along Soda Butte Creek, with peaks of the Beartooth Range rising in the background.
Steve practiced his fishing skills again, mostly along the Lamar River.
Quite a few 14-18 inch cutthroat trout succumbed to the siren call of his homemade dry flies.
Since our last trip, he has been busily tying a supply of simply irresistible dry flies, the exact identity of which he is unwilling to reveal here. (Hint: not a hopper pattern. And absolutely no night crawlers. Also, he insists that I report that he did not stoop to nymphing.)
As usual, he released all trout to be caught another day. The cutthroat left a swirl of water and a trail of silt behind him as he scooted off, stage right.
Yellowstone fishing rules now require the release of all trout with any cutthroat markings.
Numerous pronghorn antelope graze in the Lamar Valley. (The buildings in the background are the old Buffalo Ranch, now called the Yellowstone Institute.)
These graceful creatures will take off running sometimes, apparently just for the fun of it. A couple of tourists, excited to share, told us these were elk. Sadly, we had to disillusion them. They seemed just as happy to have spotted a couple of pronghorns.
A group of common mergansers floated along the river.
Here's the osprey nest we saw last trip. The young osprey have fledged, but we saw a couple of them flying back to the nest, probably checking to see if mom and dad had brought any snacks home lately.
Along Slough Creek, we spotted this badger peeking out of his burrow.
Look at that bull bison shamelessly goosing a cow right in front of all the tourists. Why, some of them might have been impressionable children! How rude.
This calf decided it was lunch time. Neither he nor mom cared if they stopped traffic while he enjoyed a long drink.
After a rainstorm, this real rainbow dressed up the mountain in front of our house.
With 8 kids ranging in age from 1 to 12, choosing an acceptable hike was a challenge, especially with daytime highs in the valley at over 100.
The destination was Shadow Lake, where rock throwing and critter hunting were popular.
Baby Z had fun dipping her toes in the water. 
One evening, we all went to a local rodeo. 
Mostly, though, we just enjoyed each other's company. 
We fished, hiked, checked out dinosaur bones, and visited the zoo with cousins. The bird show at the zoo was impressive, with raptors swooping in right over our heads. Afterward, the cousins had their picture taken with a bald eagle. 
On the drive back from a fishing expedition, Daisy enjoyed bonding with her boy. 
A few weeks later, our son was back with his whole family. The cousins posed on a bridge. 
A hike in Albion Basin, near Alta Ski Resort, is a family favorite. 
The views and wildflowers are great. 
There are rocks to climb.
Some of the rocks have fossils. 
For an added treat, a little patch of snow remained for a short glissade. 
We also had a special addition in June. On a trip to visit the newest family member, we caught both our son and his daughter wearing Mona Lisa smiles.
