by Natalie Ogbourne | Aug 25, 2017 | Yellowstone Stories
Steamy air radiated from the asphalt as we crossed the road in front of the diner. Dad and I had traveled to Yellowstone for a nature writing seminar and a quick stop at Mammoth Hot Springs for an ice cream cone marked the transition from our leisurely tour of...
by Natalie Ogbourne | Aug 16, 2017 | Yellowstone Stories
Seasons–the days, the weeks, and even the months they are made of–are easy things for me to give away. I saw this tendency when my son and daughters were small and I referred to them as the age they would be on their next birthday rather than the...
by Natalie Ogbourne | Jul 1, 2017 | Yellowstone Stories
When I slipped off the wide gravel road and into the woods, I knew it was a risk. The worn, earthen trail between the trees was wore a dark, saturated look, as if just a few drops of rain would transform it into shoe-sucking mud. At first it was solid and often...
by Natalie Ogbourne | Jun 19, 2017 | Yellowstone Stories
Elyse was four when she first showed us how brave she was—and what mattered enough to bring that bravery out. We’d moved, pulling into the driveway at a new house after dark on a Sunday night and popping out for a pre-school visit at nine the very next morning....
by Natalie Ogbourne | May 31, 2017 | Yellowstone Stories
While the rest of the world waited for February 2 and Punxsutawney Phil to declare just how many more weeks winter would hold on, I looked to February 1. That was the date I allowed myself to count the days until my kids would be done with school and...
by Natalie Ogbourne | May 7, 2017 | Yellowstone Stories
There you are, on the couch with your kids, in the stands at the game, at the coffee shop with a friend. You’re sitting. You’re supporting. You’re socializing. But you haven’t stopped. You’ve pushed pause. Your body is still, at least enough to watch and cheer and...