Hello Spring... Finally!

Written By Shell.

So I’ve returned to the Hole with a new title- ‘non- resident alien’! It’s so great to be back and I’ve got lots to tell you already.

I’ve been at work almost a month now at Floral Art, working with the incredibly talented owner Ian Whipple. Every day I’m amazed by his skill and vision to create different floral designs, and every day I feel like I’m learning so much from him.  I’ve already been involved in some epic projects including some beautiful weddings and a Native Indian themed funeral (photos coming soon!).

 This last weekend was Mothers Day here in the US and we were SO busy. It was a delight to be able to work with such a large selection of flowers again and it was a chance for me to really get creative. We had a great variety of vase arrangements going out the door but I’m pleased to say that the ‘European’ inspired wrapped bouquets were also a hit!

To finally welcome Spring in Jackson we had a massive delivery of outdoor plants arrive at the shop this week as well. These plants sit outside the front of the shop throughout the day and night to entice customers with no threat of theft- only in Jackson! I’m so tempted by the beautiful peony plants and bright calla lily plants and it’s great that he stocks such a large selection of plants as well as cut flowers. Check out the Floral Art website to see what other designs we make: http://thefloralartist.com/

One of many Mothers Day arrangement.

A basket full of hydrangeas for a studio opening in town. 

In between work I’ve been busy setting other things up. I had a road trip to Idaho Falls with my lovely friend Joanna to pay a visit to the Social Security office, luckily there was lots of time for shopping afterwards- mainstream clothes shops are a bit of a novelty to us as there’s none in Jackson. I’ve also passed my Wyoming driving licence (mainly so I don’t have to pay tourist admission at the Cowboy Bar!). My driving test involved driving down a straight road for 6 miles and then tackling 2 junctions- no manoeuvres required thank goodness.

Out serarching for Griz

I was fortunate enough to spend one of my days off with the Brainfarm team out in Teton Park searching for the grizzly bears that are just coming out of hibernation with their cubs. Unfortunately we weren’t lucky on that day but it was great to get out in the park and have a drive with the beautiful Tetons as your backdrop. It was also great fun getting to know the many bear watchers that hang around the park at this time of year searching for bears to film, photograph or just to spot. It’s the best time as there’s hardly any tourists around but the bears are very active. There’s some great characters around (people, not bears) and we had a great evening watching the sun set, waiting for Griz to appear and chatting about close animal encounters with the other watchers and photographers. You call this work? Shhh don’t tell Tom!  

Sunday Stroll

So Tom and myself are keen to embrace the active Jackson lifestyle. We’ve recently bought tennis rackets, sleeping bags and a tent and we can’t wait to go camping for the first time here. We’re even considering buying bikes to enjoy the many bike paths in the area- if anybody knows me well you’ll know that cycling was never something that I enjoyed as a child and this may be interesting! I’ll let you know how that goes in my next post… hopefully not accompanied with a photo of a grazed knee!

Heli's, Hawaii & Happy Days!

Written by Tom

We're back!!

It's been a while but for the past few months we've been finalising our work visas and felt it best to keep a low profile before our embassy appointments back in the UK. The good news is we've now both been granted work visas and Michelle has started in a new Jackson Florist, Floral Art (http://thefloralartist.com).

Day trip into Yellowstone

I've had a crazy couple of months with shoots in Hawaii for our surf film, Yellowstone for my own show and a trip to Las Vegas just last week for a technology trade fair. We've had Shell's folks pay us a visit for her birthday which provided the perfect excuse to visit all of Jackson's attractions (without me!) and spend some quality time with her folks. It was lovely having them to stay and hopefully they'll be back to see the Tetons in the autumn.

Turtles chilling on the North Shore

 I was about to fly back to Jackson from the UK when I received a call from my boss that I was needed in Hawaii to shoot aerials and assist with our aerial camera system. My first thought was that i didn't even have shorts in Jackson (not much requirement in negative 30) but then how can you say no!? Before I knew it I was driving through Oahu on my way to beach house on the North Shore to film one of the world's best surfers.

Waiting for takeoff in Honolulu airport

It was an AWESOME trip filming in some stunning locations and getting a taste for aerial filming with an incredible team. The landscape of Hawaii is amazing and hopefully we'll be filming there again in the future...

Grand Prismatic Spring - My favourite part of Yellowstone

Little did I know that i'd soon be flying again around Yellowstone. We flew all day for our winter scenics and (hopefully) captured some stunning images of the park. It's amazing how small it feels when you can reach almost anywhere in 15 minutes but i'd actually like to fly it again and look out the window rather than having my face burried in a monitor the whole time. It's very strange filming natural history sometimes, you've visited amazing places or seen rare animal behaviour but your own experience of it is the same as a tv viewer simply watching it on a monitor unfold in front of you. The only difference is a deafening helicopter and mechanic cracking dirty jokes rather than an M83 soundtrack!

 I thought I'd end with an photo from our buddy Ryan Sheets. He's starting work for us in May and has been an incredible photographer on many of our shoots already. If you'd like any shots of Yellowstone or its wildlife then check out his website http://sheetsstudios.com/blog/

Ryan making it look easy!

One to Remember!

Written by Shell

Christmas has come and gone in a bit of a flash for us. We’ve both been working hard during the festive period, Tom’s been preparing for a shoot into Yellowstone, and I was busy at the shop with Christmas orders and arrangements going out all over town! I’m getting used to driving the big florist van and it’s a great way to get to know the area, however you can’t really get lost here because it’s such a small town and it’s designed on a grid system. I’ve already got plenty of stories to tell about the people and the houses that I’ve delivered to, but I’ll save those delights for another time!

Entertaining at our condo-
 the mulled wine is on the hob!

Although we’ve been working we’ve still found time to celebrate. We had a great night out with the Brainfarm gang earlier in December where Curt, the CEO, gave an epic speech about the company and personally thanked everyone in the team for their work and commitment. We’ve also enjoyed introducing our new friends here to Christmas goodies like mulled wine and mince pies, seriously American’s don’t know what they’re missing out on when it comes to Christmas food!

Christmas Day was definitely one to remember for us. We got up early,  resisted the temptation of presents and heading straight out to the ski resort. It was a gorgeously sunny day, the snow was fab and the morning

Christmas Day skiing- perfection!

was blissfully quiet on the slopes- it was my perfect ski conditions and we had a great time! Then it was home for a quick change, a skype with the familia and then back up to the Four Seasons where we treated ourselves to a 4 course Christmas dinner. We had a lovely cosy table by the fire and the food was excellent.  I only remembered afterwards that Sandra Bullock was staying at the hotel over Christmas and was probably in the dining room with us somewhere!!

We celebrated New Year’s Eve in style in Jackson Hole. We watched the torch lit procession and fireworks with the beautiful backdrop of Snowking, our local ski run and then, with some friends, headed to a ‘Private’ party at a bar in town. There was free champagne, 80’s music, great dancing, Pinky G’s pizza… enough said!

So now it’s the New Year! Although we still have a few hurdles to overcome we’re loving our time here. Amongst other things, we’re both looking forward to being more active in the New Year and getting out and about more in this gorgeous part of the USA which, for now, we’re lucky enough to call our home!