Coming up to Yosemite to visit Richard for his 68th birthday has been wonderful so far. We got up to the ranch Saturday afternoon and almost instantly I felt myself relax. There was no one at the house when we got here so I found a comfortable reclining chair out on the deck and just melted into the hilltop breeze of fresh air, clear skies, long vistas, and slow forming clouds. I put my feet up, let my mind follow my breath and slowly absorbed the beautiful wilderness energy. Once everyone got back from four-wheeling we all made our greetings and kisses and settled around the outside coffee table to have a drink and laugh and share stories of the wilderness, horse purchasing and dog breeding, knee surgeries, old stories, and new crazy times. Some of us have known each other since the very early 90's and have some great bonds and stories about each other, PG and XXX.
Birthday dinner was a big todo as Richard's son is a great cook and they have a new Egg BBQ. There was cheese and wine and salmon and steak and asparagus and broccoli and of course a delicious birthday cake. The 14 of us sat down at the outside dining table a little while before the sun went down and as we were finishing dinner candles were lit and chairs were pushed back for comfort. Lips were loose and soon stories got sordid and everyone was trying to keep themselves in check and their words and topics appropriate for the 5 year old that was present.
Soon after dinner and dishes everyone dispersed to their chosen rooms and by 9pm the house was dark and quiet and everyone was asleep. Being the only single individual up here I was offered a couple different locations and places to sleep and settled on the couch in the living room with the recliner and fireplace. I instantly fell asleep and snoozed for a couple of hours and woke up to a house and night dark as pitch and managed to maneuver my way through the dark halls landmined with sleeping dogs. After a quick stop in the restroom and a couple more dogs snoozing on the floor I retrieved a glass of water and headed back to my room. Taking full advantage of the amenities offered me I made a nice sized fire in the hearth and settled into the recliner to dive back into the lively book my sweet pup recommended and gave to me. It's been nice to carry a book and read from paper instead of my Kindle. After a few good chapters of vivid life in Venice, Italy I stoked the fire and laid down to go back to the land of slumber and comfort.
The sweet life of ranch living is slightly sweeter when one is a guest of a well tended ranch.
Thank you Richard. Happy Birthday. I love you.
No comments:
Post a Comment