The Vacation, Part I

Yes, I started the new job this week, and yes, that's exciting. But, I'm very chronilogically oriented, so I can't talk about that until I talk about the trip to the ranch and the Black Hills last week. Which was absolutely wonderful, except for the 3 fires. More on that later.

Day 1: Saturday, June 27. Aaron got strep throat on Friday, so we decided that since he couldn't go to work on Saturday, he might as well be sick as a dog in the car on the way to South Dakota. So, I went up to Bozeman Saturday morning to help him load up the car and trailer. One thing led to another and boom...we're pulling out of Livingston (dinner at Mark's In & Out) at 6:30 pm. Yelp! We had an uneventful, yet time-bending, journey out to the ranch and didn't pull into the driveway at the house until 4:30am. That's late, Dave. Or early--whichever way you want to look at it. But boy were we tired puppies!

We slept for a few hours, although I kept waking up thinking someone was going to walk in the house and see Ruffers in there (he's contraband). I ended up getting up at around 11 or 12 and we got to work. We went to Union Center to get gas for the lawn mower. We tried to start the lawn mower (no dice...more on that later). We cleaned the battery cables on the old Dodge so that it would reliably start for the week. We vacuumed. We fixed the sink drain and got the water, freezer, stove, refridgerator, and water heater turned on. Then, we lounged. It was awesome sitting in a chair in the shade, patiently staring down the road for everyone to show up. So we stared. And stared. then we went for a drive in the old "watched pot never boils" trick. Didn't work. So we stared some more. Finally--down the hill comes Dad! Yay! Aaron jumped on his bike to race out and meet him while I ran up the hill by the garage to wave hello. It was great to see him! Shortly thereafter, Bonnie & Manda, Grandma & JoAnne showed up and it really got to be a family reunion.

Then, the unloading began. I cannot believe how much food went into that house. That's all I'm going to say about that.

That night, after sitting up talking and looking at stars (no mosquitoes!!!), I slept in my tent on the deck. It was lovely and quiet, and a good start to the family reunion.

Lessons learned:

• Do not transport blueberries, asparagas, or cherries in a cooler that will ride on a lightweight trailer for 500 miles.
• Do not underestimate Bonnie's love of butter.
• When someone says they'll be there by 2pm and their last name is or ever was Murphy, do not believe them.