The Ranch...

Before Claude and I were married I heard a lot about the 'Ranch'. My curiosity was piqued about this piece of ground that meant so much to man I loved and with whom I wanted to spend eternity. It was one of the first places he showed me when we went to Utah to be married. I knew immediately why there was this big tug and pull in his heart when he spoke of the 'Ranch'.
Saturday, May 28th, we were going to go to the Ranch and help Cordell with the work he is doing on the springs and water flow. We were going to cook out burgers and hot dogs. We  would have a bonfire and roasted marshmallows and made S'mores. There would be riding of motorcycles, 4-wheelers, the infamous Razor and hiking the hill to slide in the gravel pit. It promised to be a great day.

Cordell and Claude road over earlier than the rest to assess the work to be done and get started. We followed later and brought the food for the cook-out. We enjoyed a little music time before our car headed to the ranch.

Julie was already at the ranch when we arrived and she and I took a hike around the old granary. So many of the buildings that were there when Claude and were first married are gone. The home they lived in was not there when we were married. The shed area was falling down and we would take some of the wood home to Denver in our truck after each visit. We used it to panel the basement of our little home in Denver. The granary has managed to stand through all these years. There was a huge nest in the very top and Julie figured it belonged to an owl.

The place where the house would have stood is where everyone parks their campers around and the fire ring is in the middle. The old garage is still there.

Across from the granary is a newer shed for the animals that are sometimes there. Inside it was another enormous nest. I'm sure it must have been a pterodactyl nest!!!

Eventually Claude and Cordell returned in Cordell's new Razor. Actually, the line is that he gave it to Julie for Mother's Day and so it is her Razor.

Claude tried to set me up on Wednesday evening after I returned from visiting Junie. He began by asking me, "How much do you love me?" That is never a good thing to start with. You know immediately there is a shoe going to drop after that kind of question.

Claude was quite smitten with Julie and Cordell's Razor. It is the same size as a 4-wheeler but you sit two people side-by-side in it instead of a driver with someone precariously perched on the back. Claude wanted to purchase a Razor to drive back and forth to City Hall.

Hmmm...My answer...If you are sure you can afford one, purchase yourself a Razor. However, it should not be parked on my patio or in my parking spot inside the garage. That really put a damper on Claude's longings for this Razor. I sincerely don't mind him having one but I really have only had those two strong, very strong, opinions in all the things he has discussed since our move to Kentucky. I have stated the same thing for the golf cart he wanted and for the bike he pondered about for a bit. This is the first garage we have had in our 41 years of marriage. I love not having to scrape the snow off my car in the winter and being able to click a button on a remote and the garage door open for my car to enter in the rain. Then being able to get out of my car and not get wet running to my home in the rain.

So, at the ranch, I was to take my ride in Cordell and Julie's Razor so that I would see the need to have one and place it on my patio. I have to say, I totally enjoyed the ride. When it was all said and done, I told Claude, "It really is like taking the top off the Jeep we already own and riding around." 

I took these pictures of the ranch while we were on our Razor ride.

After the ride, Cordell loaded the Razor on a trailer...wait...you also need a trailer for a Razor...this would require another conversation!!!

Rick fired up his grill and dinner was on before you knew it. The S'mores were enjoyed.

I went for a little walk after dinner down toward Uncle Wally's old home place. These pictures are a result of that walk.

One of the things I really enjoyed was the new crop of teenagers we now have in the family. They are an interesting lot, teenagers. They move in a pod formation. They love trying fun things and just are great to be around.

We all headed back to Bonnie's after the clean-up. Groceries were put in the fridge, her water was set to sprinkle the lawn when needed by Rick, and flowers were loaded in the car for our round of 'decorating'.

Rick took Brian back to Huntsville. Lynette took their other car so Thomas could practice his driving skills. Claude, Bonnie and I rode in Bonnie's car with the flowers. The 'teens' loaded in Daniel's car. We were off to decorate. This is a Memorial Day tradition of going to the graves of family members and placing flowers at their headstones. It is also a time to take cleaner and be sure those markers are in good order. I would also use this opportunity to be sure I had pictures of these markers with their dates and names for genealogy purposes.

Our first stop was the Bothwell Cemetery. This is where Evan, Claude's father, and Krys, our nephew, and Payden, our other nephew are buried. It is also the place of burial plots for Claude and me. Bonnie pointed out our spots and we tried them on for size.

The second stop was the Tremonton Cemetery. This is where Claude's Gramma Chris is buried.

The third stop was the Bear River Cemetery.

The final stop was the Wellsville Cemetery.

Job completed, our family parted ways and headed to their own homes.