2014 back to the "Beaten Path" in the Absaroka Wilderness, northeast of Yellowstone National Park, this time with a fishing rod in hand. I assisted taking a group of scouts last year there. This time it will be an adult-only fishing trip. If you have the skills to backpack, this is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Can't hike? Take the car can ride from Red Lodge, Montana to Cooke City, Montana, a breath taking trip up over 10,000 feet. Best time is mid July to mid august. Dine in Red Lodge, really nice town! Be sure you have good brakes, some parts of drive not for the faint-hearted. Be sure to stop at the Top-of-the-World store along the way. If you hike it, start on Cooke City side at about 7500 feet, up over top at about 9900 feet, then down to 6000 feet at East Rosebud, about 26 miles. 2 really long days for super athletes or minimalist light weight hikers or a nice 3 to 4 day trip for the average Joe. Abundant water and nice lakes to camp by such as Russell Lake, Ouzel Lake, Twin Outlets Lake, and Rainbow Lake. Huge waterfalls thundering through many sections of the trail on the north end. 200 folks in the area on an average summer day, spread out over miles of wilderness but lots of side lakes/trails if you want to explore without others nearby. Camping at trail heads is $20 a car per night, parking free at trail heads, and camping is free in the wilderness. Some special camping rules apply, mainly distance from water sources, but very manageable. Check it out on Google Earth, East Rosebud going south-southwest toward Wyoming. Steve

As the years have gone by, I've become solidly in camp Abraham Darby. First of all, Abe reblooms for me. As time has gone on, Evelyn has stopped reblooming for me. In contrast, Abe's reblooming has gotten better. Then, as Brandon says, Abe's color is richer. This is not necessarily a better thing, but I like it better than Evelyn's hues in my garden. I've seen Evelyn in other gardens which have colors that I like more. It's true that Abe has big thorns, but they aren't particularly numerous, and they are actually attractive (to me) on the new growth when the sun shines through them. I like the bush form of Abe better than Evelyn. It's more sturdy, whereas Evelyn is more wispy. Both Evelyn and Abe have beautiful fragrances, although they are different. Neither has much fragrance on hot days especially in the afternoon. I call it a draw in that department. Abe responds quite well to water and fertilizer, by growing and blooming. Evelyn does not. Abe has bigger flowers for me. Evelyn has more of a romantic look to her flowers. Abe's flowers are more formal. So a draw in that department. Abe still catches my eye and makes me catch my breath. So it's Abe for me. But I still want both. Because I keep thinking that maybe I can figure out how to get Evelyn to perform better for me. I still consider Evelyn to be the quintessential English rose. I've posted these pictures before:

Thanks for all the responses! I've on my computer ... no photos of the first blossoms. But I think Nil13 is correct ... that maybe those earlier flowers were just undeveloped. They were small and brownish/cream with no other color to them, and very insignificant looking, so I never thought to photograph them. We keep the plant inside year-round. Maybe if we put it on the deck so that it could get more light, it would have more flowers as ewwmayo suggested? Here along the river, we get very hot summers and lots of moisture coming off the water in the mornings. I'm not sure if that morning moisture would be good for Little Warty or not. Crenda, your Little Warty has flower bells that seem closer together along the stem than mine, but you did say that yours are outside all of the time. That constant sunlight probably causes lots of flower production. Molie

This sucks!!! The closest repair people Kohler could give me are about an hour and a half away. Haven't called yet but I doubt they will travel that far. If not it will mean starting completely over with the guest bath. Its a narrow room. The toilet and vanity will need to come out to get a new tub in. The walls will need re-tiling ...new walls. the existing tile is no longer available. Tub had a 1 year warranty. The back wall near drain in my closet was opened up to hand apply mortar but the crack is up just a tic higher. What kind of tub can't even take moderate use with regular sized people? I'm sick about this. Company coming soon and they can't use the bath/shower. Plumbe$$$, new walls $$$ tile$$$ and tub$$$