mylifeinwyoming
Welcome to mylifeinwyoming. My name is Bud Patterson and that's my grandson Christopher. I'm the one on the bottom but one of these days our roles are going to be reversed.
I created this blog to celebrate living, working and, most importantly, playing in the nation's 44th state. Most of us who live in Wyoming have faced, probably more than once, the decision to leave Wyoming for better pay and job opportunity, enriched cultural diversity, dependable Internet and cell phone service, or a choice of shopping experiences that extends beyond the closest WalMart .
However, those of us choosing Wyoming as our home have opted for better hunting and fishing, easier access to mountains, forests and lakes, less traffic, fewer lines and in most cases a manageable cost of living. As for me, hanging my hat in Wyoming has permanently altered my lifestyle; my paycheck will never allow me to retire in the fashion to which I have never been accustomed, my experiences in cultural diversity usually only extends to the center field seats of one or two Rockies games each summer, but I still know how to survive a few days without access to Internet or cell service, and I do my Christmas shopping at Big R.
After 35 years of living in the Cowboy State I have come to appreciate the unique physical, cultural and social landscapes that are Wyoming. Through this blog I hope to share some of my thoughts and experiences about those landscapes, hopefully with humor and always with respect.
Wyoming also offers some of the most unique and genuine culinary experiences it has been my pleasure to scarf down. From chocolate chocolate cake at the Paint Rock Inn to buffalo meatloaf at the Mangy Moose, it is my mission to eat at every home-grown restaurant in Wyoming and share, in writing, the experience. I have several dozen under my expanding belt line, but with several hundred yet to go I'll probably have to switch to spanx and sweatpants before long. My wife gets this catatonic expression of horror whenever I belch and undo the top button to my pants after a particularly generous meal, especially while we are still in the restaurant. I have tried to explain to her that in many other countries it would be considered rude not to belch to express pleasure and gratitude after a meal. Though I have never personally visited such countries, and cannot, off the top of my head name one, she usually offers to buy me a one-way ticket to any that I choose so I can belch all I want and eat naked if I am so inclined. She has a great sense of humor.
'I wish there were more things to do in (insert name of any Wyoming city.)'
I cringe every time I hear those words. What is really meant is 'I wish there were a museum, concert, shopping mall, etc. closer than a hundred miles.' If it were closer than a hundred miles then it wouldn't be Wyoming, it would be Chicago, or New York or, heaven forbid, L.A. The problem is that people unfamiliar with the lay of the land here are looking in the wrong places for their cultural, social and recreational fixes; they tend to look through a narrow field of vision. But we don't try to copy 'how its done' in other places: some of our best concerts are in the local hoot 'n' holler by local bands, not in an auditorium with security and a light show, some of the best shopping found anywhere on the planet is at the farmer's market and some of the best recreational opportunities can be found for free at the end of your own two legs and the public land just outside of town. Along with eating my way across Wyoming it is also my desire to share with you many of the activities, events, opportunities and pursuits that I find myself involved in on a regular basis, either by choice or by accident.
So click your way through the blog and return often. If you enjoy it, great. If you don't, that's OK, too. Either way, leave a comment about what you read. My goal is for mylifeinwyoming.com is to capture and communicate the patina that living in Wyoming can truly create.
I created this blog to celebrate living, working and, most importantly, playing in the nation's 44th state. Most of us who live in Wyoming have faced, probably more than once, the decision to leave Wyoming for better pay and job opportunity, enriched cultural diversity, dependable Internet and cell phone service, or a choice of shopping experiences that extends beyond the closest WalMart .
However, those of us choosing Wyoming as our home have opted for better hunting and fishing, easier access to mountains, forests and lakes, less traffic, fewer lines and in most cases a manageable cost of living. As for me, hanging my hat in Wyoming has permanently altered my lifestyle; my paycheck will never allow me to retire in the fashion to which I have never been accustomed, my experiences in cultural diversity usually only extends to the center field seats of one or two Rockies games each summer, but I still know how to survive a few days without access to Internet or cell service, and I do my Christmas shopping at Big R.
After 35 years of living in the Cowboy State I have come to appreciate the unique physical, cultural and social landscapes that are Wyoming. Through this blog I hope to share some of my thoughts and experiences about those landscapes, hopefully with humor and always with respect.
Wyoming also offers some of the most unique and genuine culinary experiences it has been my pleasure to scarf down. From chocolate chocolate cake at the Paint Rock Inn to buffalo meatloaf at the Mangy Moose, it is my mission to eat at every home-grown restaurant in Wyoming and share, in writing, the experience. I have several dozen under my expanding belt line, but with several hundred yet to go I'll probably have to switch to spanx and sweatpants before long. My wife gets this catatonic expression of horror whenever I belch and undo the top button to my pants after a particularly generous meal, especially while we are still in the restaurant. I have tried to explain to her that in many other countries it would be considered rude not to belch to express pleasure and gratitude after a meal. Though I have never personally visited such countries, and cannot, off the top of my head name one, she usually offers to buy me a one-way ticket to any that I choose so I can belch all I want and eat naked if I am so inclined. She has a great sense of humor.
'I wish there were more things to do in (insert name of any Wyoming city.)'
I cringe every time I hear those words. What is really meant is 'I wish there were a museum, concert, shopping mall, etc. closer than a hundred miles.' If it were closer than a hundred miles then it wouldn't be Wyoming, it would be Chicago, or New York or, heaven forbid, L.A. The problem is that people unfamiliar with the lay of the land here are looking in the wrong places for their cultural, social and recreational fixes; they tend to look through a narrow field of vision. But we don't try to copy 'how its done' in other places: some of our best concerts are in the local hoot 'n' holler by local bands, not in an auditorium with security and a light show, some of the best shopping found anywhere on the planet is at the farmer's market and some of the best recreational opportunities can be found for free at the end of your own two legs and the public land just outside of town. Along with eating my way across Wyoming it is also my desire to share with you many of the activities, events, opportunities and pursuits that I find myself involved in on a regular basis, either by choice or by accident.
So click your way through the blog and return often. If you enjoy it, great. If you don't, that's OK, too. Either way, leave a comment about what you read. My goal is for mylifeinwyoming.com is to capture and communicate the patina that living in Wyoming can truly create.