A Glimpse of the Empty Nest - Part Two

The transition from parenting to becoming empty nesters can be a little daunting. We recently experienced a “trial run.” To read “A Glimpse of the Empty Nest - Part One,” click here. Today I am publishing “Part Two” …

Stopping overnight in Sheridan, WY. on our way home from Denver to Montana had been an excellent idea. After the outstanding meal we enjoyed at Frackelton’s, we still weren’t very hungry the next morning, but wanted some good coffee. We found a fun little coffee shop on Main Street and lingered there a while, deciding there was still no real reason to rush home.

Custer's Last Stand

It was a beautiful day for a drive. We’ve driven by the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument any number of times without stopping, but this time decided it was a good day for us to be tourists. 

A week ago I asked if anyone could identify the location of these photos.



If you guessed Little Bighorn Battlefield, or Custer's Last Stand, you were correct!

We spent nearly two hours exploring the monuments, the gravesite, and the museum. American history came to life, and my heart went out to all the soldiers and the Native Americans who fought that battle now known as “Custer’s Last Stand.”

It is hard for me to understand the arrogance which led up to this battle. What Crazy Horse had to say makes perfect sense to me.  How we treated the original inhabitants of this land does not.

Welcome Back

Driving back to the main road, we were reminded by a couple of horses that we were back in Montana. They meandered up the road ahead of us, and came up right alongside our car.

Madison Buffalo Jump

We continued on. The Madison Buffalo Jump State Park is only about an hour from where we live, and we have driven by it without stopping countless times. We took another short detour and a small hike, and we were there.

 It didn’t require a lot of imagination to picture a herd of buffalo tumbling off the steep cliff. 

This is a photograph of sign at the site with an artist's drawing of what a buffalo hunt at the jump must have been like.

A series of signs explains how the buffalo were lured to their death by the Native Americans, and butchered. It seems to me as though the men enjoyed the fun of the hunt, and the women did the bulk of the work! 

Instead of being tedious, our 800-mile drive back had felt like a mini-vacation. When we arrived home, it was only Friday night. We still had two more weekend days ahead of us to enjoy! 

Easter without Family

It was strange spending Easter without either of our kids, but we decided to make the best of it. Bringing our pets home from the kennel on Saturday made the house seem a little less empty, and we went for a fun hike with our dog on Sunday afternoon.

Friends of ours had also been driving to different places looking at colleges over Spring Break. When we found out they would just be getting home late Saturday, we invited them to have Easter dinner with us.

We ate well all weekend!

I am fortunate enough to have a husband who likes to cook. He prepared some really delicous steamed clams for our dinner Saturday night. 

We prepared Easter dinner together, serving both marinated chicken thighs and a boneless leg of lamb, which we butterflied and cooked on the gas grill. I did a lot of the prep work, but my husband tended the meat on the grill. Somehow, I think I got the best end of the deal, as it had begun snowing that afternoon, and was quite wintery out by dinner time! Brrr!

Life returned to normal on Monday. I was happy to see my son when I picked him up from the airport that afternoon. I miss my daughter, and I'm glad that it will be another year before he heads off to college! 

We will miss our kids, but I would give our trial run at being empty-nesters an A+.

Any comments on “How the West was Won?” What are your thoughts?

This post may be linked to one of the great link-up parties I follow and list on my blog. Check them out!

Note: In the spirit of full disclosure, this post is linked to a sponsored post that I wrote. All opinions expressed, however, are entirely my own.