Whata' Week!

Walk into the office; Cara smiles and says "Hi! We weren't expecting you until tomorrow. But that's OK; give us 30 mins and Misty Moon will be ready." 

I'm looking at Philip, askance, and he mumbles "this time I KNOW, I'm RIGHT!" Margi meets us and explains to one and all that she's used to the French's arrival dates as they once arrived a week early. (Not only did we arrive a week early; the ranch did such a good job of covering; it took us almost an hour to figure out why our friends seemed so surprised to see us.)

I'm still giving PB the Askance Look.

Edgar and Tina are next to us in Rodeo. We meet and greet and make plans.

Heading to the dining porch; meet the Guastella/Chandor crew back from the Buffalo booze run. PB immediately goes into the Office Mixup saga. By now I'm on the Oh Whatever Eye Rolling stage.

Lovely, warm afternoon settling in. I hear the sounds of.the creek and the view of the Big Horns and I know peace.

It seems so very odd not to have Steb, aka Butch, with us. A few weeks ago Steb decided the trip was too much for him; too confusing. Steb2 also isn't here as he went to Santa Barbara to stay with his Dad. Somehow it feels like the gang is falling apart. I keep telling myself our job is done. The range is Federale Free. MC is lonely and a little teary in Brookside. Pauline and her beau, Trevor, will stay with her.

Dan and Leslie (George's daughter; MC's niece) Rodgers are at our table with their 4 - Nelson/Princeton, Henry/Rensselaer Polytech, George/Sr and Mia/soph. Fantastic, fun family. 

Mary arrived for the start of several bittersweet moments as we pause to remember John Sutherland. Some of his ashes will be buried between Bad Manners and Bandit. His daughters and family are coming from New Hampshire and Hawaii.

Mary, being Mary, breathes new life into a group of us waiting to exhale. Come on everybody; I'm buying the DuckFarts. Turned out the  bartender has no idea how to make a DuckFart so Margi and Mary helped out. Somehow, we ended up drinking Kahlua and coffee. I never followed the dots on that one and I was one of the dots. Mary, Margi, Roselle and I sat around for several hours laughing and talking.

I meet the most unusual people. Roselle is 70ish; raised by a Choctaw father and colonial mother. Last year had a DNA test - not a drop of Choctaw or any other Native. Whoaaa! Her 2 sisters and brother are Native but knew she wasn't. I'm sitting there with my mouth open.

Bronco and Botsy arrive from NYC tomorrow via private plane. Even our hardcore's are muttering private plane? 

That's was the 1st 10 hrs. Oh ... did I mention my broken left wrist?