Saddle Up Your Horses

In spite of my misgivings about going for a second year at the dude ranch... the lack of electric power in our cabin last year, the keeping up with two small kids on a very physically active vacation, and Hurricane Dolly... we had a great time.

The night before departure Hurricane Dolly was bearing down on South Texas. We were not scheduled to get a direct hit, but did have some pretty loud thunderstorms from about 3 am till morning. The girl came to our bed and slept with Eddie, while I went alone to her bed. I would not call that night sleeping; it was more like dozing between thunderclaps.

We arrived at the ranch around 3pm, and the first thing Todd did was flip on the porch light on his side of the duplex. "The power works!" he said. Inside our cabin it was true. I could have the luxury of being able to see inside, plug in the movie player, AND my beloved hair dryer. I was instantly at ease.

The first ride was scheduled at 4 pm. The boy made it clear that he had zero interest in riding horses or even taking lessons to get more comfortable with it. I did not care at the point. It was too hot for me to want to ride either, so the boy and I headed for the pool. Later all of our families had a delicious dinner together and relaxed on our front porch.

The weather Thursday morning was just as I had feared it would be. Hurricane Dolly was sending Gulf moisture up to our area. It was a steady rain all day, and actually pretty chilly too. None of us had expected to be cold in July in the Texas Hill country, so nobody had brought a long-sleeved shirt or jacket. We headed to town with Bryan and Kari in search of warmer clothes. The only clothing available in Bandera seems to be from the western wear store or Dollar General. We did some shopping and then it was back to the ranch for a 2:30 game of bingo inside the main lodge. We enjoyed some coffee and there was hot chocolate for the kids. Our family did not win anything but it was fun anyway. The boys also got to play in the rain in their bathing suits and a few mud puddles too. Nobody got too bored, but we were glad to see the sun shining on Friday morning.

The girl and I took our first ride together. There were all new cowboys guiding us this year. They seemed a little less friendly than last year's guys. The one in charge, "Brian" reminded me a little of the "Cowboy Curly" character in the City Slickers movie as he took a drag from his cigarette and squinted at us. Buddy was our horse, and he was kind of a slowpoke. After the ride we had lunch and spent lots of time in the pool. I put lifejackets on both of my kids so I did not have to be right next to them at all times, and actually relaxed by the pool some.

I don't remember which night this was, but Bryan and I got busted trying to steal.... SALT from the main lodge. He'd made some salsa (awesome!) but felt it needed salt. It was after the 10 pm lodge closing time, but we decided to try anyway. We opened the door to complete darkness. "Don't let that cowbell thing ring," he whispered. Just then a female voice came out of a corner. It was Melissa, one of the people who gives riding lessons. "Can I help you?" We both jumped, and he rapidly explained that we needed some salt. She helped us out. I hope she didn't think we were up to something worse!

Saturday came, and everyone stayed pretty busy trying to pack in as much as possible that last day. The girl and I took a walk by the pond with the family's three yellow labs.

We did the usual horse rides, and several members of the group also did an evening fast ride. Some of the guys and boys went fossil hunting and had some luck. We also made sure to take full advantage of the great food at this place. What were we having for the next meal was a frequent topic of conversation.

Saturday evening the ladies and I dressed in our identical Dixie Dude Ranch t-shirts and had pics taken together. The fastest way to make a somber cowboy smile is to ask him to pose for a photo with a bunch of attractive women! He'd been out working all day, and kindly warned us about the b.o. I took no chances and did not breathe at all.

Dinner that night was barbecue brisket, sausage, potato salad, beans, and deviled eggs, served under the lattice-covered patio. After dinner we hopped on a trailer for a hayride. The dogs went too.

After the hayride we had a campfire and marshmallow roast. Some of the kids played with light sticks, and some went swimming. We all stayed up way too late talking, looking at the stars, and wishing we didn't have to go home the next day.

Packed and Ready to Go

The suitcases are packed, the car is filled up with a Medium-grade splurge, and the dog is tucked away at his favorite kennel. In nine short hours we will depart for the 2nd annual Dude Ranch Adventure. Hopefully Hurricane Dolly won't send any of her excess Gulf moisture up to drench Bandera.

Shaking out the Cobwebs

I am kind of sleepy and have a little bit of stomach trouble this morning, because I lived it up last night. I went to Cafe Annice with a group of ladies and had TWO mixed drinks, a full meal, and dessert. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Eddie has been working on our vacant rent house that the tenant left in a mess. We have a long way to go on that, but it has to be ready by the end of August for the next person. I am so incredibly done with being a landlord. Two people in a row have destroyed the place, and I am tired of emptying out our savings account every two years to fix it.

The boy did art class last week and enjoyed it. His teacher told me he has great potential. This week he is at Camp Hope and Maddie is in her first year of vacation bible school at the church where she goes to preschool.

Eddie works nights this weekend, so it will be a long one for me. Trying to keep them from bickering and waking him up sucks. I also have no money for entertaining them, due to the previously mentioned extravagant dinner and wrecked rent house.

Next Wednesday we leave for our second annual Dude Ranch adventure. I was feeling pretty ambivalent about it last week. The kids have fun, but it is pretty tiring for me because they are so active and we're trying to keep up with them. But I am mellowing out about it, and am looking forward to four days where I do not have to cook. This morning the girl and I are headed to Walmart to stock up on drinks and snacks.