Jackson Hole Underground

(Updated 5/20 with slide show and note about Grizzly No. 399)

Photos © 2008 by Sue Cedarholm. Click to enlarge.

At last, Mother Nature flipped the switch, and Jackson Hole was thrown from winter into the glory of summer.

There was no better display of the exuberance this weekend than the foxes denning in the Karns Meadow along Flat Creek in downtown Jackson.

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Last week’s enactment by the Teton County commissioners of a moratorium on large developments effectively killed the proposal for Teton Meadows Ranch, which even the staunchest supporters admitted was less than ideal. So what’s the next step?

Come up with a better plan. Most disconcerting about the fight over Teton Meadows was the backlash against affordable housing in general. Now with the focus on drafting a new Comprehensive Plan for the town and county, the naysayers will be busy at the keyboard, trying to insert their language into the document.

For affordable housing advocates, it’s easy to be discouraged by the furor over Teton Meadows. But it’s more essential than ever to stay involved in the process. Tonight there’s a meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Jackson campus of the Teton Science Schools (on Highway 22) where consultants will present scenarios for future development.

Showing up to these meetings and making your presence felt sends a message that the new plan won’t be shaped by a few. The easiest way to give input is to visit the Web site JacksonTetonPlan.com, where all documents are posted and comments will be accepted throughout the summer.

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(Click to enlarge this largeness.)

It’s mid-May, and yet he’s peculiarly enthusiastic about skiing. At a time when most of us are looking ahead to boating and biking, he wouldn’t dream of stowing away the skis. In fact, he never stows away the skis.

He’s Ed Bushnell, journalist, videographer and adventurer turned law scholar. And he’s in Jackson this week to keep alive his streak of skiing every month of the year.

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An adult circus came to town Saturday, as the Yard Dogs Road Show mixed music and theater in a saucy revue at the Jackson Hole Playhouse.

Gypsy burlesque drew nearly a full house. All weekend, from the Whodunit? show at the Art Association to the Pangea video campfire at LMC gallery, found people thirsting for art in all its forms. Mountain dwellers are restless for spring, even if Mother Nature is not.

The Road Show’s vaudeville was perfectly tailored for the Playhouse, a fantastical theater straight out of the Old West. Here is a slide show from the performance.

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The 39th annual New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival closed Sunday with a homecoming, as the Neville Brothers, the city’s first family of funk, returned to perform together for the first time since Hurricane Katrina.

Sunday was also “family day,” as the preceding acts on the main stage were bands fronted by Carlos Santana and his son, Salvador, and Ivan Neville, son of the gospel brother Aaron Neville.

Jazz Fest is all about moments, and together these musicians produced an historic one, as the Neville Brothers were joined by the Wild Tchoupitoulas Mardi Gras Indians, younger generations of the family and a host of friends and former band members. One of those friends was Carlos Santana, who joined the brothers for “My Blood” and “Ain’t No Use.” Fiery licks erupted from his guitar as he moved like a cat on stage.

It was a joyous finish to a festival that left me, well, overjoyed. Here are a few of the other peak moments, in words and in photos, from the second weekend, as well as scenes from around the city. Click on any image to enlarge and begin the slide show, and navigate using the arrow keys. (All photos © Jim Stanford)

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