Bar L Ranch - paradise for kids

I must have been happy to see Betso when they came to pick me up at camp - check out those boots!

I drove through Guthrie Center as I traveled back from Cherokee yesterday. I'd gone there for a work trip. I took I-35 and drove on across Highway 20 on the way to the Cherokee Landfill to talk to the director and a couple other folks about my programs. The trip took longer than the meeting, which went well - they appreciated my visit. Ever the trailbreaker, I took a different route back - heading south on 59 and 71 then to 25. This route took me by a place I spent many a happy hour in my youth - Bar-L Ranch just south of Guthrie Center.

Bar-L Ranch was the summer camp of choice for many families from my hometown of Atlantic - some 45 miles from Guthrie Center. Bar-L was a horse ranch and you know how girls love horses. I was crazy about horses from an early age. Today the place looks rather shabby.

My sisters Susan and Cindy blazed the trail to Bar-L before me. I remember going along in the car to drop them off at camp before it was my turn to go. We'd watch them get assigned their horses and ride off into the sunset (or at least the show ring). It was so exciting - I couldn't wait for my turn! Dad took home movies of Cindy stepping into the saddle stirrup on one pony, stepping up with the wrong foot. You can see on the video that she realizes she's going to be pointing backwards. Funny! Ah, the stuff of America's Best Videos.

The year I turned 7, it was finally my turn! I got to go to camp with Cindy, who by then was a camp veteran at age 11, all-knowing of saddles and bits. Bar-L was run by the Luckinbill family - patriarch Harold, in my young viewpoint was a large man with a large voice. He terrified me! The girls bunkhouse was located above the mess area, with the bathroom below. We all stayed in bunk beds. It was all very big stuff for a youngster. I'd never been away from home for a week.

We arrived at camp on Sunday afternoon and were assigned our ponies as our parents looked on. I imagine my mother on that Sunday - giving me a hug and leaving me that Sunday - with tears in her eyes. No - not from sadness. She was likely giddy, thinking "a week with 2 less children!"

That first year I was the smallest kid and got one of the smallest ponies - a black one whose name escapes me now. When we did trail rides, my little black pony and I were at the end of the line. The camp counselors saddled them up the horses and ponies every morning while we dined on pancakes and sausage. Then we were supposed to help get the bit into our horse's mouth. Some of them were pretty good at gritting their teeth! and away we'd go.

I remember being intimidated by the shower room. There were big girls with boobs in there! So I can't imagine I took many showers that week - but hey we did go swimming a couple times, perhaps that helped me avoid stiff hair and smelly body. No - Bar-L didn't have a pool. We'd take the bus into town and swim at the Guthrie City Pool. After breakfast each day, we'd go for a trail ride, and if I was lucky we'd get to canter in a circle at the top of one hill. That was like getting to ride the roller coaster for me - such a thrill!

Afternoons at camp were spent doing crafts like plastic lanyard weaving, leather key rings and making clay ashtrays out of various materials. Early in the week we did a stint of square dancing - I still know a few beats, heel toe, heel toe, slide slide. I was too young to have sweaty palms about the whole deal. Plus there were few boys - so we all just danced together. I was so concerned about sitting by Cindy at mealtime that I budged in line I got a swat on the butt by Harold for my efforts. Can you imagine that happening at a camp today?

One night we got to ride our horses bareback! Wow, that was way different than riding with a western saddle. One must really squeeze with one's thighs to stay on a horse when there isn't a saddle to help!

A couple years when I was at Bar-L I got to go to "swing land". In my memory, this was one of the biggest thrills of my life, the night at the bag swing camp. That was an area outside Guthrie where seed corn bags stuffed with something were strung on long ropes from trees. There were cliff and ladder launch swings. Some seemed treacherous to get to - so to get up the courage to "do that swing" earned you some kudos. It was a blast to conquer those bags. Better than Disneyland any day!

At the end of the week, we Catholics were forced to get up, don doilies on our heads and go to church in town. How I longed to be a Protestant on that day. Character building I'm sure. Then our parents would come to get us after lunch. I attended Bar-L for 4 years. The last year I went with several Atlantic girls, including Sally, Barbie Gee and Barb Hutchinson. We had fun on a snipe hunt, ate Smores and carved our names into the sandy rock above the camp. I'm sad to see the place looking so bedraggled - especially the sagging barn.

My little piece of Americana. Carry on campers. One day, some twenty something years later, I got to take my darlin' girl Amy and niece Leslie to Bar L to spend a week. The circle of life!

My old Crestony Home

Any excuse for a party, and breakfast, and/or drinks! That's been the motto for my Creston homegirls these past few years. I've written about the group before - they are my homies, my gals - my clique.

I first learned that word - clique - in 6th grade (of course I thought it was "click") when Mrs. Nancy Pellett, the teacher used that word like it was a bad thing. And perhaps she was right in that case...we did have a large group of girls who had just learned how to be snotty. We could be bullies. Mrs. Pellett (related by marriage to the nice Pellett families - I think she and her husband (Gary?) eventually divorced) wasn't any help in dealing with us though.

There were two sections of sixth grade at our school - each with about 30 students. The other class had a teacher named Mrs. Harter. I perceived her as a crotchety old women, who used the word Shiste (not sure of the spelling) as an expletive. Doesn't that sound suspiciously like Shit!? She was no help with budding potential bullies in need of guidance. Of course bad then there were no counselors at Washington Elementary. We received little formal input on our behavior. We could have used some!

Wiki defines the word Clique as, "persons who interact with each other more regularly and intensely than others in the same setting". Even though I'm not it the same setting (Creston) anymore, I'm still in the group, thank goodness. Everyone needs a group.

Each year the homegirls have a holiday party - usually after the holidays so the pressure is off. Linda volunteered to host this year. McKims volunteered to host us overnight at their home. They even offered to have Odie, but I arranged for her to go to the Puppy Spa at Lila and Bill's - where she always went when we lived in town. I knew they'd be going through Odie withdrawals.

Prior to the trip, we bought supplies at the cult clubhouse - Costco. I was going to make a cheesecake, but then saw one there. And we bought brown water - Black Velvet and some Fess Parker chardonnay. After doing errands and a bit of cleaning Saturday a.m., we watched most of the ISU men's game before we hit the road. Odie was thrilled to go with us until she found out we were visiting Mendy at Creston Vet Clinic for a nail trim and another procedure involving her bottom. It's much cheaper to get that stuff done here than in the big city.

We found time to swing by our former house after that - we noticed they weed wacked Paul's native prairie area, but there were no trees missing. We'd heard tell that they had gotten a Christmas tree off of their own property.

Then we went to McKims. I thought it might seem awkward, but it didn't - since we've spent quite a bit of time there through the years. They're the kind of hosts that make one feel right at home. The Broncos/Ravens game was on. Jeff McFee arrived about 5:30, sans Bobbie who is in Idaho for work. Missing that girl!

We thought it was safe to leave for the party with the Broncos leading with a minute left. Wrong! By the time we got to Linda's, a couple minutes away, the game was in overtime and the Broncos went on to lose. A lot of Broncos fans in my family are not happy campers after that game! When we arrived at Linda's we got hugs from everyone - even the guys! I'm digging that part about being from another town now - I love hugs.

The guys retired downstairs to watch the Packers/San Francisco fame and we stayed upstairs to chat. And eat. I brought along my friend Jeremiah. Weed. Sweet tea vodka. There were 3 kinds of soup and I opted for Reuben - complete with sauerkraut. It was delish! Roll Call: Linda's BF (and my former hazardous materials tech) Mick Landers, Deb and Larry Peterson, Patti Kralik and Dean Leith, Susan and Brian Weinheimer, Nancy and Jim Anthony and the people who came with us. The missing: Bobbie, Pat and Steve Moeller and Lucy and Jim Hyde.
I did a lousy job taking photos this year...;>(

Patti, Deb, Nancy and Diana

Susan and Linda

I love these ladies. I don't have to pretend to be nice with them. I can just be my sarcastic self! They know my kids and I know theirs. We talked about Creston stuff - the basketball game and life in general. We used our collective memories to remember what people's names are that did that one thing that one time. We laughed at ourselves like only old friends can. It was relaxing and fun. I miss these guys!

So while the upstairs conversation went exceedingly well. The Packers game didn't - Paul and Larry are big fans. They weren't happy. Thank goodness for BV and Coke. When the game was over, we decided to head to The Lobby for karaoke and a bit of dancing.

Diana sings, while Don channels John Belushi

It was fun to go to a bar where we could see more people while we were in town. I saw Retta Baker as we walked in, and chatted with her for a while. The Baker kids went to school with Amy and Jud at St. Malachy. In the karaoke room my old pal Jeanne Piel and her hubby Sheriff Rick, and their son Chris with his partner Jason Hoke were hanging out. I haven't seen any of them in person for so darn long - hugs again! Barb and Joe Feld and family (they moved away some 10 years ago or so) were back in town celebrating Barb's 50th birthday. I also saw Brittany - the cute young Creston teacher we have run into at the bowl games the past 2 years.

Paul talked to a kid around Jud's age with an Atlantic connection - Lynn Kinen (Chuck and Collette's daughter) McCabe's son Bryant McCabe. We danced and Don and Diana sang. Don sang the Rodeo Song....a song that always reminds me of our years camping at Ridgeland, Wisconsin and floating the Apple River. I think it was after 1 a.m.  when we left The Lobby - Paul was lobbying us to stop at Sidetracked - the bar across the tracks, but smarter wives prevailed.

I must say we weren't moving real fast this a.m. when Diana served a great breakfast casserole complete with my fave tailgating food - sticky pecan rolls. We headed home around 11 a.m. Odie was happy to see us! We were sad to see Creston in our rear view mirror, but happy to be together when we walked into our WDM home. I don't miss packing on Sundays. Thanks girls (especially Linda for hosting) - let's get together again soon! Thanks McKims for the hospitality!

No Slow Ride

It was retro night in Creston when Foghat came to town. It was a fundraiser for McKinley Park - the beautiful city park perched across from our home. A few years ago park board people came up with the idea to host a big concert at the old band shell that's been somewhat refurbished. Funds go towards fixing up both the park and the lake - a great cause. Amazingly, they've been able to attract some pretty good but, yes, past their prime bands to our little burg.

Last year it was Marshall Tucker. We were in San Antonio with McFees and Higgins, but I heard they weren't all that great. This year? Foghat! Okay - there was only one original guy, the drummer. And when interviewed for the article in the paper he said something like "rock and roll is slang for copulate and nobody is unhappy when they're copulating" Um, Kyle (article writer), did you look up that word? I hope you don't get a bunch of nasty letters from old folks.

The event day didn't start out too promising, weather-wise with rain. But that put all the farmers in a good mood. That makes everyone else happy because they don't have to put up with mopey farmers asking my husband, "When are we going to get rain"? Like he's the dang rain god...We went to evening Mass and Bobbie and Jeff came over for a drink with munchies after. We could hear a warm up band playing as we sat at the kitchen table and chatted. Odie was nervous - the music sounded a bit like thunder!

We headed over about 7:30 p.m. Mayor Woods took our tickets - there were lots of volunteers helping. Sponsors had forked over $ to help pay for the band. Fareway and the Knotty Pine were cooking up sannies. There were a couple bevvie booths and for those with special wristbands, beer and hard lemonade was available. For $3! Take that DSM...it's not $6! And we didn't pay to park. I got a Summer Shandy tallboy and we made the rounds to decide where to park our chairs. We saw Deb, Baileys and Stormy's Mom. It's fun to chat with people you haven't seen for a while.

McKim's hometown buddies came to visit

McKims were parked at a sponsor table as Don had purchased 10 tickets, so we set up our chairs in front of that area. The band wasn't bad - played some Collective Soul and some other recognizable stuff. Foghat was due at 9 p.m. Deb's hubby Larry was heading back from DSM where he'd been for son Keith's bachelor party dinner. Jud was at the event along with many HS buddies. Larry didn't stay for the party bus part of the night. Jud did! Can't wait to hear about it - not too many details though...Keith and Jud have been friends since age 3.

Keith, Jud - First Communion - thus the ties

I wasn't expecting all that much from Foghat frankly. Despite the fact that there's only one original guy, the good news is that the band has filled in with a bunch of talented musicians. The bass player - excellent! Guitar player could rock. Vocalist could play guitar and sing. None of them were spring chickens either - probably in their 40s and up. A big bouncer stood guard on the stage, and a ring of volunteer stage guards helped keep the drunks off the platform.

We started out sitting in our chairs a decent distance away. A nice couple from Marshall town was near us - they said they'd come to celebrate their 29th Anniversary. He was a Lennox Heating/AC guy and his wife commutes to work in a downtown DSM bank. I told them it's our 30th this year, and Deb and Larry just passed theirs in May. We bumped knuckles! The guy said the secret is to keep having fun together - and doing stuff like this. I have to agree! They didn't know any of the Marshalltown people I know like Pam Blake and Casee Piel. He said if Casee is a cop he'd like to keep it that way...anyways...fun to talk to them. (On a funny note, my new friend said he'd found Southern Iowa to be..."different"). Ha! We like it that way.

view from afar

view up close

Jeff decided we'd better go down close to the stage to get the "whole experience". So we did. There were a lot of drunks down there, but it was a fun way to see it. I enjoyed watching the band members work their instruments. And during the instrumentals some of the dancing couples were working it too! We had to move for a fight at one point. A small shaven head guy in leathers and tats was drinking Mike's Hard Lemonade dancing by himself near us. I got a kick out of that...c'mon man. Harley guy can't choke down a Bud? A group of nerdy young guys took of their shirts and gyrated together - yep that's going to attract the chicks. Susan Dunphy came over and yelled, "I'm having a flashback!" Agreed!

rockers

crowd was crazy

There were a lot of people I didn't know. And many I did. More of my homegirls showed up - Pat and Susan. The band played songs I didn't know so well and then the faves - Fool For the City, I Just Want to Make Love to You, and lastly, Slow Ride. Flashback for sure. I love live music!  Fun night in Crestonia.

McKinley and the Magic Paintbrush

I walked around Creston's McKinley Lake and Park yesterday as I took the day off. I was recovering from our wonderful trip to Galena, Illinois with HS homies Paula and Chris along with Chris's hubbie Larry. When one is a commuter, it's brutal to get home on a Sunday and pack up once again to leave at the crack O'dawn the next day.

Monday a.m. I got to spend my morning with my good friend Chuck at S&K Cafe. And my homegirls Deb, Susan, Patti, Pat, Diana, Bobbie and Linda. They all brought me birthday cards - yes, it's my birth week! I got to kick it off in style. After breakfast I headed home to hang out and relax on my day off. Odie was overjoyed to see me. It doesn't take much to please that little wiener!

That afternoon, when the autumn sun was beaming down, I decided to take a walk around the lake by our house. I took the camera along to capture some of the sights of my neighborhood and hometown. Creston is at its finest this time of year! It's as if some higher power dabbed beautiful fall colors around town, making even the most mundane areas flashy and handsome.

She looks very pissed off about being in a bun

It was Halloween of course so I dragged out Odie's bun costume. She hates it, but I talked her into leaving it on long enough to get her photo taken. We only had a few trick or treaters. Mmmm more candy for us

Just like the book title

in my last blog  - life IS so good! At least last night it was, as a bunch of us celebrated at the marriage of our friend Susan to Brian Weinheim, a cute fella she has been engaged to for a year. One of the reasons this wedding was so very fun was that it wasn't just about the Yute (you had to see the movie My Cousin Vinnie to understand that that means youth) or young uns. It about Susan - and her homies - us!

The wedding was earlier in the afternoon, attended by family - including Susan's two beautiful daughters Lindsay and Lauren from her first marriage, whom I've known all their lives. Pat and Steve Moeller were bestest man and lady.

The wedding and reception were, appropriately, at Crestmoor Golf Club. Golf is how the two love birds met. Around 150 people attended the reception, but again - mostly family and close friends. Our group was made up of our workout group - I am a no longer a worker outer, but make the Monday a.m. breakfasts. I'm glad the girls include me in those every other week gatherings - they're often the highlight of my week! I don't have anything as warm and friendly as that in DSM that's for sure.

Susan looked gorgeous in her gown and Pat was fab too. Brian is a handsome guy and everyone looked joyful - as they should on such an occasion. And the gals were ready to rock. I was hesitant to rush through my first drink to eat, but smarter heads prevailed. I had a nice sannie with some beans and yummie cake (white). Then, back to my vodka tonic in preparation for our "Addicted to Love" routine. Must have lubrication.

I did get to loosen up with some all chick dances to none-other than "Love Shack" and I couldn't let Deb dance alone to the Johnny Cash number. So I was ready to go when called downstairs with my sunglasses and blowup guitar to prepare for our gig. I hope somebody got some good pics. Susan was having a good time! Then the DJ called for the Cir quettes (not sure of spelling) it's from circuit training.

The music started and I was in the back, rocking my red blowup guitar to beat the band. Literally! Good thing Pablo tied that fishing string (not wire) on it. The other gals had shown up early to circuit training to practice their moves and of course I was in DSM. So I just kept rocking that guitar as they went through the gyrations. It was a hoot - at least from the performers side. Watchers may have gotten a bit bored...but who cares!?! Girls just want to have fun!

Paul and I danced a bit, but mostly I girl danced - so glad we gals don't need guys to dance anymore. All too soon, it was 11:30 and I turned into a pumpkin again. But we took lots of photos. And Susan and Brian looked like they were having a great time! I'm so happy for them, and wish them many years of a wonderful marriage.

And I'm wondering when next we chicks can dance again?? Or maybe I can get married again...but with the same groom. That was some fun.

Fist bumps

I just had an epiphany! Fist bumps are much more sanitary than high fives or hand shakes. Another reason to do them. I vow to start doing more fist bumps - they're kinda like a little hug, with out the tenderness of course.

Hmm deep thoughts by LBG. (we'll see how this goes, I tried walking the dog without a kleenex in my pocket last night and my nose itched and dripped, so I wished I'd taken one along - I'm so damn sensible).

I worked at home today and it was good! First I got up and walked with Patti and Susan - a nice way to start the day. Then I showered and had my usual cereal breakfast while reading a hard copy of the DM Register. When I'm in the office I have to look at the Register online, which isn't nearly as satisfying. In fact it's much like eating 100 calorie packets of Lorna Doones vs. the real thing. After a while I want to say "ptooey on you fake snacks". And fake newspaper.

Anyways, I hopped on my laptop around 7:30 a.m. I must admit I keep the Today Show on while I work - hey it's no more distracting than listening to Hylton from contaminated sites talk about the rain suit he purchased, and how much he paid (yet again...). I perused my email - both work and home, as I still get many work-related emails on my lgold email.

I can read my work emails from my own laptop and access my saved email and contacts, which is convenient but can be confusing - especially when I email from my laptop to work and it comes back to me via my work email addie. I also worked on busy-work - those calculations I must do to determine how solid waste planning areas are doing on diverting waste from the landfills in the state.

After a nice lunch at the Elms with my favorite Pool Boy (Paul G. Goldsmith - Pablo), and Steve Crittenden, I stopped at the Creston Library and at HyVee. Then it was back to work, until John Cook arrived with my new washer and dryer. yay!

It started to rain around 2 and it's been coming steadily down since then. The neighbors are having a family gathering across the street - Odie has amused herself by barking at kids and dogs periodically. Knucklehead! I worked until just after 4 and am now watching Oprah. Much more relaxing than my days at the Wallace Bldg, but prolly not so productive.

I may just have to have a lemondrop or two tonight, once my friend Mary gets here. I can feel my endorphins getting ready to kick in! Hope you have a nice weekend too...

Inventation

Yep, I just made that word up. People today are forever combining a couple words to make a new word that usually works pretty well in certain situations.

I was thinking about this today after I learned a new word last night while out to eat with a cool group of women at a funky restaurant in Iowa City. I was in town visiting a friend who so kindly offered to let me stay with her on IRA meeting eve.

Translation: the Iowa Recycling Association board meeting was today in Cedar Rapids, so I used this occasion to visit my pal Susan whom I haven't seen for any quality time for quite a stretch. I met Susan some 11 years ago (we must have been just babies then) prior to my first IRA Fall Conference. We started chatting at a meeting (actually it was a waste sort workshop) and decided (since we're both very thrifty) to room together at the Conference - and we've been fast friends ever since.

Last night, Susan had made plans to go out to eat with some other area women who are "in the biz" - recycling education, or similar type fields. Intelligent women and fun to talk to. While we perused the menu, we talked about being vegetarian. A couple are, but they haven't totally cut meat out of their diets forever. Someone said this is called "Flexitarian". I like that word!

I don't like all made up words. For example "Synergy" is overused and sounds fake. Believing that two groups are going to have more energy because they are working together is most likely a pipe dream. (I don't have a clue where that saying came from...)

Today - for lunch after the IRA meeting, a caterer from Marengo, Iowa (a small town about a half hour away from IC) prepared a gourmet pasta bar right there in the City Carton (a recycling company) break room.

The chef/owner from Phat Daddies had a gas burner and a small saute pan which he primed with a little EVOO (if you watch Rachel Ray you know that's Extra Virgin Olive Oil). Each person selected their own ingredients for the meal. I picked: Penne pasta, scallops, shrimp, mushrooms, tomatoes and marinara sauce. He sauteed stuff and then mixed the sauce in and added fresh Parmesan. Bene!

The whole trip was pretty good - but I need to remember to take the GPS next time I venture to the East Side. I don't drive and find places very well.