June 15
th2019
The whole week the weather was pretty much perfect! Brief rain shower once with some thunder but other than that we’ve been looking at blue skies and fluffy white clouds with highs in the low 70s and lows in the low 50s, perfect.
This week’s guest brought us four people from England and two from Wales and let me tell you, some of the English rules on the pool table lead to chaos! It’s hilarious to pretend to argue about who’s rules are better between America and England - definitely fantastic to have them around the ranch. Liza was particularly happy that we keep almond milk on hand so she had that in her tea. In case you’re wondering we keep an assortment of teas - earl grey, English breakfast, peppermint, chai tea, turmeric with ginger… We do our best to keep y’all accommodated to so there’s more than just cowboy coffee up here and more than just whole milk or cream.
I think a highlight for everyone was having Stephanie here, this is her 3rdyear, and Stephanie has cerebral palsy, mild autism and epilepsy. There is something truly special about those of us who enjoy without reservation or fear of judgment. Getting to dance with her and watching her ride or go to pack camp with everyone is so much fun and she even roped the dummy while at pack camp which led to great whoops of joy! Rita and I got to sing together, she plays the guitar very well and I provided some back up vocals to the songs I knew, then Stephanie came and sat by me and she sang along with us - her favorite being Wagon Wheel. With the campfire and the stars above plus all the laughter and singing, it was special. I can’t make it to every pack camp but I’m glad I made this one.
Thursday night, our live music night, was so much fun this week with all the dancing. Emily teaches line dancing and sometimes we have friends of the May Family come up to join the festivities and they’re always ready to dance with guests and employees. If Marco comes up on your week here, then you know you’ve got someone with energy ready to dance and chat! Marco gave some pointers to our guest Sharon and it is something fun to either teach or watch someone learn to two step - a skill worth having at any age. Jane and Sharon were a delight and I can't wait to see them next time, thank you for the Welsh flag!I'll be sure to stop by should I cross the pond anytime soon.
We have crafts here on the ranch, leather-making being one of them. So when Scott made a leather bracelet with his wife led by Vic, he asked for a W and Vic handed it over without questions and he stamped it into place. Well, Pat, his wife, leans over to look at his handy work and says “BMW????” and Scott’s eyes got big and he slapped his hand to his forehead and said “I meant BMR!” oh goodness, I hope they keep that memory and bracelet forever cause that was pretty funny. He’s gonna make a new one that says BMR on it too hahah! Gosh we laughed this morning about that one.
We had two birthdays on the ranch this week with Nikole and Jess - Nikole’s birthday fell on pack camp so she got a brownie cake with melted marshmallows made in a Dutch oven by the fire. When I went to pick up the cast iron lid so David could put the marshmallows on top, it tipped and burned my right pointer finger pretty bad but I managed not to drop it onto the cake! It wasn’t until a few days later that I realized how bad the burn really was because I somehow tore it open while trying to staple the new Welsh flag to the saloon ceiling with Jane and Sharon! Then Sharon kindly helped me bandage it - Kyle can put up the flag later with Branden! RJ, Nikole's father, originally wasn't planning on joining us on this over nighter but decided to come last minute due to some swaying. Kindness is an understatement when you speak to some people and RJ is definitely that guy. Thank you for all the talks and we're all happy that you brought your daughter to spend her birthday week with us! Wednesday we had a super delicious (Thanks Bob-o and Jake!!!) semi sweet white cake with strawberries for Jess’s birthday. Spoiled. All of us! I'm not a sweets person and here I am eating cake three times this week, good lord.
We had our cocktail party at Nowell’s tonight and on the way up the road our whole van was wondering why Cyndi May was driving like a snail! Then we saw another BMR van facing us up the road and I thought it was strange but not much else… Then Sasquatch appeared and darted across the road and into the bushes and suddenly disappeared! Everyone was shouting and laughing and oh, it was perfect. Stephanie had a goal to see Big Foot and now she has! Later we realized it was Branden who dressed up for her and the reason he disappeared so quickly was because he tripped and tumbled down the hill a bit! The things we do. I think it put a third or fourth tear into Glenn’s (her fathers) eye. Seriously, we enjoy and love our guests here creating memories.
Right now as I look out either of my two large office windows, we have our horses grazing on the compound so to keep our grass and weeds short without adding “lawn mowing” to our Wranglers’ already comprehensive list! It’s peaceful to look out over the mountains and fun to look down and see the horses eating and nipping at each other. Don’t let the views, horses, saloon, dancing or singing fool you - it’s a lot of work for all of us to run this place but moments like these help us enjoy our time working here.
I’ve just checked everyone out after our good meal and am going to the saloon for a round of pool, and then we’ll say all our goodbyes in the morning. Tomorrow we’re welcoming in a larger group of people with 38; stay tuned until the next blog! And if you stay with us this year, you just might get mentioned.
Looking forward to meeting y’all!
Amber IZ