Okay guys...things got busy last week and I didn't even start uploading my pictures until today (Wednesday), which is the middle of week 4. O.e Sigh. But I'm doing it now, which should count for something, right? Here we go! Pictures to follow after the break!
The wranglers were doing their greeting thing, and Casey and Charissa were the last ones to come in.
I like zees peeksure. :D
I also like this one. The fireside fire doesn't always look this cool (I suspect it's because they basically drench a bunch of big logs with lighter fluid and add more when necessary. -.-), but for some reason last Sunday it did. Go figure.
Work crew and sunflare! From left to right we have Sean, Will, Jason, Alijah, and Cameron. (I guess Lij is a wrangler, but whatever.)
Apparently when I come early to fireside I get volunteered to sing. XD So I handed my camera off to Moriah and she got a picture unbeknownst to me.
Okay, so random occurrences time: over the past few weeks I've had a bunch of people (I mean a LOT) compliment me on my singing voice. And in one case my speaking voice was compared to Anne Hathaway, but I digress. XD It kinda...I don't know, weirds me out when people compliment an ability. I think it might be because I used to be kinda self-conscious about my voice...while learning to sing I wasn't exactly encouraged by the people around me, and while that's not really an excuse I used to wonder in the past if people were just humoring me or really meant it. There's been so many unrelated instances, though, where people have said the same thing that I guess I should assume that they mean it, but it still weirds me out a little. On the plus side, I've become a lot more confident singing since coming out here. XD
Monday morning jingling...I asked a couple of weeks ago where 'jingling' originated from, and Cody and Darron gave me two different stories (one was that in the old days cowboys used to tie a bell to the lead horse and follow the jingle when it was too dark to see, and the other was that cowboy spurs jingle while herding the horses up). I don't know which one to believe, but regardless, they still call it jingling.
Anyway! Yes, that is the horse's name. No idea why.
Angry Paprika pony!
Cody and Poncho...
Lij and Zip...
Moriah and Brownie.... XD The kids' club people do pony rides for the little kids on Brownie, so while they were walking past we jumped in for a couple of photo ops. Brownie was very patient and not nearly as evil as the KC people made him out to be.
Oh yes, a bear got into the grease bucket one night and spread greasy tracks all around the kitchen. He's been back a few more times, mostly to tackle the hummingbird feeders and frolic in the horse pasture (or behind staff housing--one of the guys got a picture of him around 15 feet from the back porch).
Mmm, grease. O.e
Lunch in the High Meadow on Monday was canceled due to inclement weather. I think it rained, thundered, snowed, and sleeted within a half-hour period. O.e Moriah and Jeaner and I were finished with housekeeping by lunchtime and drove our vehicle up just in case we had to take everything back. As soon as we pulled up, it started thundering and we had to load all the food up and take it back to the dining hall. XD Apparently the lightning in the Colorado mountains is one of the worst in the nation--they don't mess around when they say to stay inside while there's a storm.
I think this was the weird hail/sleet stuff. O.e It was painful, but fell apart upon hitting the ground.
It did clear up within an hour or so, though--enough for us to do the Olympics. I finally did get some pictures of Cameron being the torch-bearer (still wishing I'd gotten the ones of Lij, though--those would have been PRICELESS).
See? Nasty clouds. O.e
Darron and Remington, working on stopping--apparently Remington had been trying to bolt while jingling in the pasture, and nearly swiped Darron off with a tree or two. Some retraining was in order...
Claire! She had her birthday last week, so one of our very own kitchen girls made her miniature pecan pies. They were AMAZING.
Oh, new horses! This is the zebra dun, Chase (I think he needs a new name)...
...the Appy Rascal (definitely needs a new name)...
...and the black beast Carbo. (I guess he can keep his name.)
Kitchen ladies! From left to right we have Annie, Kas, and Jordyn. They're awesome.
THE PICKLE! So many people call it ugly, but I love the Pickle. It's like a mashup of a tour bus, 12-passenger van, and an RV (sans bed and bathroom).
Back to the barn--Luke was trying to heel-rope off of Newt, and Newt was doing fantastic. Luke...not so much. Casey was trying to teach him, and either Casey is a not-so-good teacher (Luke's accusation) or Luke just couldn't get it (Casey's excuse). Either way, towards the end Luke was getting slightly frustrated.
Speaking of Casey, there's the man himself roping away. He's actually really, really good. Comes from being a legit cowboy and all that. XD
More Luke and Newt!
Darron and Remington stood at the barn for several minutes, giving me ample time to take random artsy pictures of them. XD
I just love this horse and his build and markings...have I mentioned that before? Apparently he's an Appaloosa/Andalusian cross, brought about when his sire jumped the fence. Surprise baby! But he's so cool-looking.
Yuss, artsy...
Roommates! We have another girl named Claire who just arrived last Monday. She's pretty cool too. *makes mental note to get pictures*
The following is a time of frolicking...last week there was cottonwood and dandelion fluff floating around like crazy. It legitimately looked like snow. So Emily P and Amber decided to frolic in slow-motion through a field of dandelions...and it was freaking hysterical.
(This one is my favorite. :P)
Oh yes, these bugs. I have no idea what they are, but I hate them with a fiery burning passion because they like to make headshots and entangle themselves in one's hair and they're just really, really gross. O.e
Moar jingling!
One of my favorite shots of the day--this horse tried to make a break for it and ended up freaking out and doubling back. It was awesome.
Ahahahaha! So this is Hollof and Schmackem (from Eastern Europe, apparently)...they have a hootenanny act that is hysterical. I love it.
EB requested this picture so she could get it autographed and everything. XD
There they are in action! I'll have to get a video sometime.
This skit is called 'getting ready'. Basically, there's 3 girls behind them that are their arms and they have to do various things like eat, brush their teeth, apply makeup...I still haven't seen this one because I"m always backstage getting ready, but I can hear the roars of laughter and it looks hilarious.
Oh yes, the beach ball ballet. I crimped my hair by way of putting it in small braids overnight and brushing it out, so I didn't have to wear a wig again. My only issue with this skit is that I'm supposed to be serious, and once everyone starts laughing I just want to lose it. I can't make eye contact either--I'm always looking over Jordyn's shoulder and at the ceiling in an attempt to stay sober. It doesn't always work. XD
This is the hard move...but I think we've finally got it down!
Jake doing the toast song!
I got a video of Darron and Jason lip-syncing to Mule Train, but due to the lousy internet service I can't upload it. :/ May have to wait until I get home...if I can wait that long. O.e
Oh! Jeaner and Lij's family came to visit over the weekend--they were so fun. I wish they could have stayed...sigh. Jeaner is leaving this Saturday, and hopefully will be coming back in August. Maybe. Either way, it makes me sad. :/
No idea what was going on here, but it made for a good shot.
Darron, refusing to sit at the table with the rest of us. XD
I believe this is Emily P's hands french-braiding another girls' hair. I can't get over how nice her hands look--mine are always torn up around the nails and bleeding and ragged. XD
So story behind this shot: D was looking thoughtful, so I turned around surreptitiously (so I thought) and was going to snap a picture when he saw me and started laughing. -.- I told him it was a good shot, so he covered the smirk and let me get a picture. I still wish I had gotten the thoughtful one though.
Emily P and the girls!
I think this one is my favorite. ^-^
Oh! So Saturday a group of us went to hike Ouzel Falls, a 2.7-mile hike (one way) that was really gorgeous. I'm discovering how out of shape I am, though--about halfway through I was just keeping my head down and putting one foot in front of the other. The result was that on the way back, where everything was downhill, I kept passing areas that I had no recollection of seeing before. O.o
So much water...
Got Moriah to snap a pic of me next to the water. This was pretty early on in the hike, so I didn't have the vacant, exhausted look yet.
Housekeepers (and hikers) extraordinaire!
Ah yes, the falls themselves! They really were gorgeous. Totally worth the pain and lack of water--oh yes, forgot to add that I have no tennis shoes here so I hiked in cowboy boots and left my water in the car. XD The boots weren't much of a problem soreness or blister-wise--mostly it was the ankle-turning and tripping over tree roots that got me.
While I waited at the bottom of the falls, enjoying the sound and the cool spray, the rest all climbed up and wandered around. Katie and Andrew H both jumped in the water at the top--from what I understand it was freezing and refreshing at the same time. XD
A WILD AMBER APPEARS!!! She was trying to scare us, but the others watching for our reactions kinda tipped us off. XD
Lying in wait for her prey...
Roomies!
After hiking we went into town to eat, and saw a bunch of elk and bebe elklings. So. Cute. GAH.
I wasn't hungry, but it was good to sit down and take a load off, that's for sure. (Their fries were kinda lousy, to be honest. But from what I understand the burgers were good.)
The carriage guy! Reminded me of a guy I know back home who has a carriage business.
Estes Park at night...another group of us (me, Darron, Moriah, Jake, Jason, Campbell, Anna, Kay, and Nick G) all went to see Man of Steel after supper, and the night sky was pretty gorgeous coming out of the theater. Man of Steel was okay, by the by. I couldn't stop laughing at the cheesiness and some of the lines...I probably wouldn't see it again, to be honest, but I'm glad I went.
And that's all I got for you this week, folks...next post will star the new telephoto lens, crazy elk, and whatever else I can capture by the end of the week. Ees gonna be AWESOME.
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