Travels with The Rayman

Let the birthday party begin.

On Memorial Day, I was born.  Never had to go to school on my birthday which was fun and yet disappointing at the same time because no one had a party for me at school.  But that was then and this is now.  Memorial Day was actually on my birthday this year…just like the old days.  So what?  Not much.  It was a fun filled day like so many before it.  We played golf in gale force winds and moi got a birdie on the last hole.  Had a great dinner and got a bit high.  The cake was good but a bit dry because I think I overcooked it.  Baking in the altitude requires a bit of finesse which apparently I lack.  We ate it anyway.

Today we were to play golf with JoAnne again but the weather was really disagreeable and the game was called off.  So, what did we do instead?  We packed a picnic and headed to Sand Creek where the Ice’s have a cabin in Wyoming.  OMG.  What a fabulous place.  Chuck’s parents lived there.  The cabin is on a creek as the name implies and it is a beauty.  Treed, babbling stream with lots of trout, and stunning views from every window.  I did not take pictures because of a respect for privacy and now I am challenged to describe the scene to my readers.  The “cabin” has dual paned windows, a great roof, and looks like a house.  It has been in the family since forever.  The land was purchased for like $200 way back when.  The thing is, this property is located in a private reserve.  The land is owned by members.  You must be approved before you can consummate a deal.  If you sell  your house, it’s not a real estate transaction.  Only the house can sold, the land can’t.  There are very few of these type of arrangements in the country.  At any rate, their house is in the place and the Sand Creek meanders all around the area.  It is nirvana.

The refrigerator that held the can of worms.

One other piece of trivia.  Annenberg of newspaper fame built a house here.  He was a protoge of Wm. Randolph Hearst.  Owned newspapers in the East.  The house is now owned by the gov’t as the Mister got caught evading taxes and went to prison for a time.  Now it is a fish hatchery school, sort of.  Classes are held.  The building (home) is absolutely beautiful.  Okay, that was from memory.  Here is the real story.  Just clink the link.

http://wyoshpo.state.wy.us/NationalRegister/Site.aspx?ID=141

After lunch JoAnne and I sat in the living room sipping our CA wine and looking out the picture window at the creek.  The guys went on a tour of the house.  The next thing you know, Rayman bolts into the room and announces that Beau ate some rodent poison which he found under the bed.  Luckily, Rayman heard the crunch.  So, we all jumped in the car and headed back to Spearfish, SD.  It was about a 20 minute drive.  We called ahead and found a vet hospital that was open and staffed with a vet and told them we were on our way.  OMG.  That darn dog of ours.  He will eat anything.  And so we left him there for treatment.  However, the vet was at lunch so we killed some time by driving to the Spearfish Airfield which is named after Chuck’s grandfather to see if we could score a copy of the biography of his grandfather.  Great little airport.  Out of copies of the book.  They are on order as I understand it.  We then dropped off Rayman at the Dog House so he could go take care of Beau and JoAnne and Chuck and I returned to the cabin.

Inside the airport. Not your average place. The pics on the wall are of Chuck’s grandfather, Clyde Ice.

What a rack, as they say. Also at the airport.

Once at the cabin, JoAnne and I went fishing for trout right outside their house.  About 20 paces.  While fishing which I admittedly have not done since Patton was in the army, I managed to cast the worm that was impaled on the hook which was attached to the fishing line into a tree across the creek.  JoAnne and I tugged together on the line and it came whipping back across the creek and the hook lodged itself in my jacket.  And did I mention that worms in the can of worms that we bought in Beulah, Wy (just over the state line) were huge?  And we just tore them in half with our hands before braiding them onto the hook.  I got a nibble and lost a few worms as I flailed away casting and recasting the line and hook and worm.  Meanwhile, JoAnne caught two trout.  I was bummed.  I could see the trout.  They were even jumping.  But I think they sensed I was an inexperienced fisherwoman and just laughed at me as they ignored my big fat worms.  Those fish are smart.  Me, not so much.

But I digress.

Rayman picked up Beau with pills and instructions and a credit card receipt of $134.  JoAnne gave me her trout but not before she nonchalantly gutted said fish and threw the entrails over to the other side of the creek, declaring them critter food.  She is some dame, that’s all I can say.

It was past 5 p.m. and my derriere was cold from sitting on a small circle of cement (stepping stone size) amongst the weeds that line the creek.  I had tried crouching but my feet felt like they were falling asleep.  The wind was blowing a bit and the sky was not sunny all day.  Home, home, on the range.  So, we packed up and drove out of paradise back to Spearfish to find the Rayman at the Dog House with Beau and his medication (vitamin K).  We invited the Ice’s in for a glass of wine and Beau kept trying to hump things.  This is not his normal behavior.  The vitamin K must be an aphrodesiac (however it is spelled).  Who knew?  At least for dogs.

So that was our exciting day today.  We were to leave tomorrow but have decided to stay one more day just to be sure Beau is okay.  And then we will head out to parts unknown.  Or Sheridan, WY.  The taking in of the West will continue.