Daryl in field

Three trips to Jackson hole in nine months was enough to convince me that Orange County, California, and a successful real estate career, was not the place for me. The lure of the Tetons, Yellowstone, Elk, Deer, Buffalo, Antelope, Bighorn Sheep, Moose, and Eagles, white-water rafting, kayaking and fishing the Snake River, skiing, hunting, camping and horseback riding the wilderness areas, and the western way of life made me do it. I packed up the wife, the dog, the cat, and everything we owned and headed for Wyoming so I could become a "bartender assistant"!- and aspiring freelance photographer.

You can call it Murphy's Law, or Catch 22, or just bad planning, but a photographer can't afford film on a bartender assistant wages. Jackson Hole - tourist Mecca and sportsman's paradise - talented people from far and wide come to live in this valley to enjoy the natural wonders and activities bestowed on this area, and to compete for jobs in the service industry, the only game in town. Students in summer, skiers in winter, are willing to work for paltry wages for one and one-half years until the need for financial success overcomes the desire of fun-hog indulgence. When my one and one-half years was up, I too left; I just couldn't stay gone. So here I sit at my typewriter, gazing at the tetons, waiting for something intelligent to happen while I aspire to pay the rent.