So, today on my second, lovely day off, I stayed in bed reading a book till noon. I’ll not delve into my spiritual experience on this particular blog, but if you are searching for…well, what we are all searching for, reading The Shack, certainly has given me an amazing comfort and sense of love. Then I had lunch and went on a lovely low-key walk with my Ipod that may have included some dancing in the woods.
I apologize that my blog updates are getting further apart, but on a good note, that means that I'm having fun here and actually have to break away from something in order to blog. Don't worry, though, the posts will keep coming.
Yes, I’m off to the pool again. Somebody’s got to make sure it’s still hot.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Hiking Hell
On my first day off, Monday, I went on the most miserable hike of my life. A long time ago in a land faraway, I used to go on strenuous hikes to impress myself and hopefully a few men. I had thought that since then I had made a very conscious decision to give up “show hiking” so that I might actually enjoy being in the woods on even paths that don’t go vertically upwards into the sky. Apparently, I was wrong. My co-worker Sylvia asked me if I wanted to go on a hike, to Goat Lake and I said yes, without asking enough questions. She forgot to mention that it would be more fun if I were in fact a goat.
So I went through the mosquito infested swamp to get to the creek crossing up to my thighs with water so cold that I almost passed out mid-stream. Then we went on the “uphill” section. I’ve seen hills, this was a vertical, sandy, rocky path that slipped to the edges. All this adventure lead to the bouldering (jumping from boulder to boulder, not climbing) part of the hike, which quite frankly wouldn’t have been so bad, if we hadn’t been through the rest. My old lady feet and self-esteem took a whupping. Finally, I sent Sylvia onto the lake (she took those nice lake pictures) while I laid down on a rock and slept. Then on the way back, a thunder and lightning storm struck with an accompanying downpour. By the time I got down the mountain, I couldn’t feel or bend my hands (which apparently are related to my old lady feet). Eight hours of my precious day off wasted “trudging” it out. Sure, it was beautiful at the top, but not worth it! And then when I told my co-workers about it, they said it sounded fun. These people are sick, they obviously need a movie theatre in closer proximity.
Personnel Update
Good News: We have found a new housekeeper. Katie, who has worked in Stanley on and off, so is almost a local. I’ve heard rumors that we have also found a new cook who is supposedly: male, 25 and from North Carolina! To be updated as I learn actual facts.
So what you may ask, happened to the other cook. Well, he took the housekeeper, Natalie, that had the drinking problem back to his family in Boise and left to join her. He says that he has a drinking problem too and needs to be back there to get help. Having heard him crash into a number of things during the night, I’m inclined to agree. Oh, and more background on the housekeeper, apparently she was not exactly separated from her husband, he threw her out because she was stealing to support her disease. Her sister also refused to take her back, because Natalie had pawned several of her items. I haven’t noticed any items of mine missing, but Erica had a bottle of wine that had the red foil recapped on the bottle now filled with water. There were also several bottles of the wedding wine that were missing when needed. So apparently this has been on ongoing problem for Natalie, hopefully this is rock bottom and there is only up to go onto, but if you hear of any Bonnie-and-Clyde-esque stories from Boise, we’ll know that Natalie and Darwin have had further adventures after the ranch.
The good news is that Pat, the Baker and Lee, the server will be moving into our house. Both play music with Issac in the evenings, which I think adds a very nice flavor to the house. And neither of them seem to run into walls when going to the bathroom.
So what you may ask, happened to the other cook. Well, he took the housekeeper, Natalie, that had the drinking problem back to his family in Boise and left to join her. He says that he has a drinking problem too and needs to be back there to get help. Having heard him crash into a number of things during the night, I’m inclined to agree. Oh, and more background on the housekeeper, apparently she was not exactly separated from her husband, he threw her out because she was stealing to support her disease. Her sister also refused to take her back, because Natalie had pawned several of her items. I haven’t noticed any items of mine missing, but Erica had a bottle of wine that had the red foil recapped on the bottle now filled with water. There were also several bottles of the wedding wine that were missing when needed. So apparently this has been on ongoing problem for Natalie, hopefully this is rock bottom and there is only up to go onto, but if you hear of any Bonnie-and-Clyde-esque stories from Boise, we’ll know that Natalie and Darwin have had further adventures after the ranch.
The good news is that Pat, the Baker and Lee, the server will be moving into our house. Both play music with Issac in the evenings, which I think adds a very nice flavor to the house. And neither of them seem to run into walls when going to the bathroom.
The Wedding
It has been a terribly busy week here at the ranch. Last week we had a reunion of five guys who went to Harvard business school together…and their wives and five gzillion children. Then this past weekend was the big wedding for the season. Thank goodness it is the only wedding for the season. It was absolutely gorgeous ceremony and reception, but behind the scenes it was frantic. The rehearsal dinner on Friday was a barbeque for around 100 people. The wedding was Saturday afternoon, outside with the mountains as the backdrop. The reception followed with an eight course service for 250 people. There were 5 different wines plus a port served with the courses. The dress was “mountain formal”. I still don’t know if that means you were supposed to wear a climbing belt and bow-tie combo, but everyone one there looked great. Lots of summer dresses with cowboy boots. The bride was beautiful- instead of a train she had roses on the back of her dress. The band was definitely my favorite part. I had a lot of fun getting to dress up in the one dress I brought with me, pouring wine and dancing while doing so. Although, I have to say, by the end of the evening I decided it was more fun to attend wedding parties than to work one.
Yes, I prepared the chalkboards in the pictures, no, I didn't do the drawings of flowers. That is Anne-Marie and I pouring wine.
As the wedding guests were leaving Sunday morning, one set of owners and their friends were pulling in for a week long stay. The owners are a brother and sister and their spouses. So this week the sister and her husband and their friends from San Francisco are here. It changes the schedule a bit to have the owners here, but don’t worry, they brought two nannies, an activities coordinator, a climbing guide and a hiking guide with them, so I shouldn’t have to pull out my tap dance routine to keep them entertained. They also come with a passel of children, which on a rainy day sound like at least two passels filling up the lodge lobby.
Yes, I prepared the chalkboards in the pictures, no, I didn't do the drawings of flowers. That is Anne-Marie and I pouring wine.
As the wedding guests were leaving Sunday morning, one set of owners and their friends were pulling in for a week long stay. The owners are a brother and sister and their spouses. So this week the sister and her husband and their friends from San Francisco are here. It changes the schedule a bit to have the owners here, but don’t worry, they brought two nannies, an activities coordinator, a climbing guide and a hiking guide with them, so I shouldn’t have to pull out my tap dance routine to keep them entertained. They also come with a passel of children, which on a rainy day sound like at least two passels filling up the lodge lobby.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)