A two week blog! I’m sorry if you were looking for the one last week, it fell to the way side as I prepare to head home earlier than expected this season as my mother isn’t well and I’m gonna go take care of her down south for a while!
That being said lets get at it!
This week was great! And the week before was hilarious and fun to spend with the guests. The Braccille family came with 17 people! And they said when they left that this was the best week they’ve had as a group this large in years! Donna was my favorite for sure as we both enjoyed talking about the theatre and making jokes with each other. She frequently said she was the older crazy lady, but in my opinion she was just full of life and ready to talk to anyone about anything! Her group had a big long table in our dining room and that table was always up for a good time. Charli was a cool kid to talk to too and everyone danced on Thursday night! It was so much fun.
Nowell had an old friend stay with us that week as a guest and Karen was so kind and a calming presence to be around, it was great to sit and chat with her over wine.
Last week was a clash of calming personalities just here to relax and ride and wild personalities ready to hit the trails and dance floor! Both are enjoyed and accepted her as we’re all different and that’s what makes meeting people great. You never know who will click and who will dance.
This week we had the Viloria’s for the second time this summer! Ben’s grandson Taj is a surfer and apparently a pretty good one, always touring around the US for tournaments (is that what surfing events are called?). Anyway, he came twice this summer with just his grandpa earlier in the season and this time with his uncle, cousin and grandpa. They’re super cool and always up for a good time! Jason had been here last summer, as was Ben, and so it was great to share stories, inside jokes, and brush up on dance moves. Taj learned the pretzel and totally killed it on both Thursday and Saturday. Having never danced before this summer, he really picked it up quickly.
Alexandra this week won our “Little Miss Sunshine” award and she deserved it. At 12 years old, she’s an old kind soul and we definitely enjoyed having her around. It was her grandma’s birthday, Cathy, and those two got me to sing on Thursday night cause who can say no to a birthday and a kid with big brown eyes! I sang Old Paint by Linda Ronstadt, an oldie but goodie if you haven’t heard it. Tim and Shell came over, and even though I missed Pack Camp, I hear he’s the funniest guy around the ranch. A park ranger and a good dry wit makes for a good conversation for sure. His wife Shell was sweet and quiet, backing up Tim to make the punch lines hit even harder.
At dinner ride this past week all the wranglers jumped into Jake’s Lake with all their clothes on to cool off on the hot day! It was amazing. The photos that the guests took were hilarious and it makes me love our hard working team even more. Seeing their goofy smiles and enjoying drying off in the sun on the dock, it creates some nice moments where you take a deep breath and just enjoy that we’re all alive and in this together.
Our baby goats are getting huge! You can still pick them up, barely if your big enough, and they still love hugs and scratches, so those of you heading out this way to help us end the season don’t worry! They’re just as lovable as the day we got them.
I’m sure you’ve all read about the wild fires in our area, but they’ve only put a bit of smoke in the sky for us and a fire ban for us as well. We’re monitoring it and although it is sad to see anywhere in the state burning, we feel lucky that it’s far enough away from us that we’re safe and able to continue working and having fun out here.
My last day is next Monday, the 24th. I leave with only three weeks left in the season but zero regrets on how it went. All the friends I’ve made and all the stories I’m lucky to tell, plus writing these is a huge bonus in my opinion.
Christian and I picked up our brand new puppy named Moose yesterday and he’ll be flying away with me come next week. It's been wild around here with all the horses, dogs, people and goats. The guests have been loving all the activity going on.
This week we’re slimming down to 17 guests before we head into adults only to finish out the year. Some returners, some newbies, and a Veteran family, it’ll be a good last week for me! As usual, I’m looking forward to meeting everyone and to dancing and bar tending on Thursday night.
Thank you to all those who read this! I got one more in my before I hit the trail home…
Until then, stay safe and be kind.
Amber IZ