20180627 – 4th July, Rodeo and Lots Of Fun

Sorry still too busy with this consultancy work to add rants, jokes and religious commentary. A shame really because I’ve got so many BREXIT and other rants building up they’re going to ebb over any moment into the mother of all rants.

Bob leads a leisure bike ride for me, Miners Hospital up to Snowpark then all downhill to the no name saloon for a relaxing beverage on their upstairs deck. Sadly I’m driving so it’s alcohol free for me.

Afternoon it’s gun club with Joe.

Lazy evening in catching up on the myriad of series on Netflix, HBONow and Amazon Prime. BBC hardly gets a look in these day.

As usual kayaking with PCMSC in the morning and then archery with the NAC in the afternoon.

Spaghetti dinner with Bob’s mother’s secret recipe. As always a great evening.

White water rafting with Hal. He’s a guide so we get a free trip. Great fun, only a class 2 so we don’t get too wet.

Then we see two empty stray canoes come floating past.

As usual Wendy’s at the Christian Centre in the afternoon while I catch up on some work.

Evenings a TGIF at an awesome house in pine brook, well at least when we could find it. Great food. Good evening.

Up at the crack of sparrows for a Swanner preserve nature walk. What a waste of time that was.

Catch up on some work in the afternoon while Wendy has the highlight of her week with the trip to the supermarket.

I’m having Mexican for tea so it’s off on my bike to Alberto’s for a Nacharito. Awesome, and so pleasant to be able to have a ride on my bike to get it. This place is magic.

Quiet evening finishing off a bottle of wine and season 5 of The Americans – worse and most boring season ever. Also manage a few High West whiskeys. Perfect end to another perfect day here in paradise.

Meet Bob and Marilyn at the old barn and we all toddle off on our bikes up to the Canyons for coffee. All the place needs is some tumble weed to finish off the image of a ghost town. 11:00 and everywhere’s closed – must be run by the French.

Wendy’s done a big roast so we’ve that much meat we invite B & M around for tea, wine, Pimms and whiskey.

It’s the sport club’s Independence Day celebration up at Bob and Jeri’s. Day starts off at 08:30 with the choice of hikes or bike rides. I opt for the easy hike while Wendy and Marilyn help out in the kitchen getting the food ready.

For lunch it’s a Jacobs join along with bangers and sauerkraut. A BYOB session. I’m quite restrained and just have a Hofbrau even though I’ve just expended enough calories for a bottle of red.

Great day.

It’s our one free weekday each week when Wendy and I get to do something of our choosing, although usually it’s me leading a leisure hike.

Today we set off to explore the Bear hike at deer valley. Satnav can’t find the address of the hike start. Not surprising as the road it’s on is now Deercrest – a secure gated community. We abandon that plan and try out the walk around Park Meadows – just 3 miles – going to be part of my next leisure bike ride.

Lazy afternoon.

Then we’re off for pizza at B&M’s – not a superstore – and we drop off my car at the canyons car park ready for the fireworks.

Catch the bus up to the canyons, pick up the chairs and off on the cabriolet up to the plaza. Find a good spot to watch the fireworks. Meanwhile we talk, listen to the live music / racket and answer a flood of questions from people on “…..is this the best spot to see the fireworks?”. Why they ask us god only knows, it must be that they think with age comes wisdom and we’ve age on our side a plenty.

My it get’s cold and the fireworks don’t start until 21:30. We decide the escape down the cabriolet and out the car park at the end of the fireworks is going to be nothing but a serpentine line, longer than the Amazon and a gridlocked car park. After a couple of minutes of fireworks we get the cabriolet down and watch the fireworks from it. Arrive at the car park just as the fireworks finish and then drive off no trouble. A well planned and executed excursion, just a pity we went up too soon and didn’t have our artic ski gear on.

Oh and by the way pretty good fireworks.

Catch the bus into town for the parade. Amazing how many people you can cram in a bus. Amazing how lazy people are. They could walk quicker. Sad how none of the youngsters or even adults have any manners or consideration these days. Not one of them offers their seat up to the elderly or even to ladies standing. Seeing a definite decline in standards and manners over here over the past 20+ years.

Parade’s a great small town parade. We drove up early to put our chairs out. By the time we got there – 08:30 – all the plum spots had gone and there wasn’t much left. B & M, Hal and Angela join us. Hal’s in his element, dancing in the street, and knows so many in the parade.

Then we stagger back in the sweltering heat, lugging our two chairs. Wendy gives up and waits for the bus, but the bus never comes so she has to walk after all.

Tea time and we have a Independence Day barbecue for our American friends. Help them celebrate their 1776 moment – happy traitors day to the ungrateful colonials. We’re celebrating and praying for our independence from the Evil Union. We live in hope.

Joe supervises the barbecue. Good job as I may not be able to turn water into wine, as some allegedly did, but I can turn meat into charcoal. Ruth brings some Jell-O shots – red, white and blue jelly made with vodka – as she wanted us Brits to experience yet another American tradition. What a great healthy way to get your daily alcohol intake.

Anyway barbecue was a success, no charcoal created; no meat mistreated; no fire alarm set off this time. Had a good time with a very interesting cross section of intelligent conversation.

Have a few whiskey night caps to finish off another awesome day.

Up at the crack of sparrows and off kayaking with PCMSC. Starts off flat as a mill pond and then the wind gets up, makes it so much more interesting.

Then drop Wendy off to have her wig trimmed and dyed.

Hal drops off his 2nd bike for me to borrow. He’s sick of seeing me on my Walmart special tank, weighs a ton. His is a aluminium frame Cannondale.

In the afternoon I have a bike ride up to the NAC and back, to do archery with them. These young adults really enjoy their archery and they’re vary good. Wow it’s hot, to hot to bike.

Quiet night in watching Goliath, getting a tad too gruesome and weird.

Morning I’m bowling again with the Newcomers club – the geriatrics gang. Then in the afternoon I go down to the gym to have a taste of Pickleball. It’s an amazing game. Just right for us geriatrics, not too much running and diving. A cross between tennis, badminton and table tennis. No wonder it’s one of the fastest growing sports. As most of the players are in my age group – geriatrics – no one takes it too seriously. Great fun, will have to try it more.

Wendy’s off to the CC for the afternoon.

Meanwhile I’m too dam busy with this consultancy work.

In the evening we’re off to the TGIF up at Bub’s house. Fantastic log cabin way up the mountain. This guy has a wolf as a pet and a husky cross. Both very friendly especially when they look at you longingly whilst eating in the hope of a tit bit.

Wendy and I try out the Bear hike for one of my leisure hikes. It’s quite a pleasant 3 mile loop around Snowtop. The FSGM only knows why I called it the Bear hike but that’s the name it will keep.
In the evening we’re off to the Oakley Rodeo with B&M. Awesome as always and great fireworks. I love the rodeo.

Nightmare driving back. Can these colonials not afford some street lighting.

We’re off to Wyoming Downs for a spot of horse racing with B&M. Marilyn’s got us a a table in the grandstand, great seat and waitress service for booze and food. Not a great fan of horse racing but we really enjoyed it. I manage to pick the winner in 4 out of 6 races and my lavish $24 produced a profit of $26 – wow what will I spend it on?

Can you believe it 350,000,000 people in the USA and we run into Jewlee, my dive buddy from a cruise, at the races. Small world.

Amazing all the races were only 300 yards long so a very fast sprint. Mind you in this heat – 30C + – who’d want to kill your nag with a 1 mile race.

Awesome being just over the border into Wyoming. Civilisation, no crazy liquor laws. Proper off licenses, even open on a Sunday. Even drink anytime without food.

It’s our long awaited hike to Stewart falls in Sundance and then a picnic, all with B&M.

Catch the lift up and then walk / scramble down to the falls. The paths rough and overgrown with some stretches that are unnerving to me. But we make it and I don’t even get my feet wet crossing the falls.

Lovely poor folks picnic sat in the shade by a babbling brook. Great day yet again.

Bob, who seems to be permanently hungry, comes out with his classic remark – “I smell food”.

Start the day with 0500 conference calls. It’s that 4 letter word again – work. Taking up a lot of time at the moment but I’m sort of enjoying it and hopefully after initial projects it will settle down to less involvement. Also won’t be as bad when we’re back home with nowt to do.

Then Wendy and I are off up to Silverlake. I’m leading the silver lake to payday mid mountain leisure hike – just 5 miles. My it’s hot but a lot of it’s in the shade. Really good turnout of 16. Good walk and then ahttp://blogs.4uand.me.uk/?p=8474&preview=true crap American pilsner at the corner cafe – better sticking to German or Czech pilsners.

Lazy afternoon and evening.