Our First Outdoor Cookout

Every Tuesday for lunch, we will pack up our burgers, beans, salad and all other necessary equipment and head down to serve lunch down by the creek. We take one of the company trucks at around 10:30 in the morning, along with one of the dining crew and all our stuff and we drive the rough terrain down to the spot. What a gorgeous drive.

We fire up the barbeque; set up the food line and all the necessary stuff, we even start a campfire to boil up some cowboy coffee…ugh…really strong stuff!

My Famous Brownies - They are a big hit!

At around noon, the guests and wranglers show up from either the horse ride they were on or the few guests who did not go on the ride, they ride down in the vehicle made like a hayride, it‘s actually just a flatbed truck with seats. What a great time!

Lunch was served and off I went to take photos, we had a fabulous time, this is the best time we look forward to all week long, it’s a break in the routine of working in the kitchen day after day. There is another time when we set up for breakfast by the Teepee area, more about that later once we have done it.
We are having a great time and are learning so many great new things. What a big difference working on the ranch from working at campgrounds and cooking and baking instead of maintenance and office work. We are really finding new areas in our lives that we are learning more about daily, life always gives us what we need when we need it and growing from each one of those moments is outstanding for us.

Added more photos of the Ranch of today's adventure at our Picasa Web Albums…check them out!

Updating Our Current Adventure

This work has been challenging to say the least, baking at this altitude (8,000 ft) is hard enough to handle but adding to that is the age of some of the equipment we have to use is making it very difficult for things to turn out well. Mixers that do not have the speed left in them or ovens that are so unpredictable just makes it a bit more arduous. I have baked and cooked for many years, both professionally and personally. I have managed big and small restaurants and have worked in every position in these establishments for many years, so I am no stranger to the kitchen.



Life always gives you what you need, and we are taking each challenge as a stepping stone to learn more from every new situation. We were hoping to be able to be creative in our positions but that is not going to be the case, they have an exact way of doing things and we have learned that we can’t deviate from that plan, which is sad because there is so much that we can offer but are being stifled. In any case, we will adapt to doing things exactly as they want us to do since they are in charge, we only wish that they would all get on the same page. It makes it difficult to do what we are told, when what we are being told sometimes is two entirely different things, dependant on who is giving the instructions.



Last week, we baked cookies, lots and lots of cookies. They have a bottomless cookie jar for the guests, so baking them in advance and then freezing them so not to ever run out as they did last year is the goal. This week, we made sure there were almost 700 cookies in the freezer, now that is on top of all the other baking that is too be done. Cakes, pies, breads and so much more and all from scratch, we are definitely underpaid but as I said, we are meeting every challenge with an open heart and mind.



All of this baking and cooking has only been for the staff, the ranch will not even open until next week which will then add 20 or more guests for the first few weeks before having up to 60 guests on some of the weeks. Whew…tired just thinking about it, but as I said, we are meeting every challenge and as usual, learning from each and every one of them.



One way we ensure our steady focus is that we meditate regularly. Just the other day it was so magnificent to realize that our life is a meditation recording. When we got off of work, the weather was fabulous, it has been cold and snowy since we arrived, so we decided to sit out in our lounge chairs and enjoy the sunshine and 70 degree temperatures. As we both began to breathe in and breathe out the fresh air, we both went into a meditative state of consciousness. The sound of the birds singing, the wind howling around the mountains, the birds flapping their wings, the mules heehawing, the crickets chirping and the peaceful sounds of just being in nature were so inspiring. We have cd’s that we purchased with the same sounds that we listen to all the time during meditation, but it was so marvelous to be able to do it with nature instead. Life certainly has a way of keeping us centered, if and when we allow it to do.

Road Trip to Ignacio through Durango from Mancos

These photos do not begin to describe...

the beautiful...

magnificent...

and serene...


lifestyle we are blessed to be able to live.

For all the photos of our drive, go to our Picasa Photo Albums.

Colorado is such a beatiful state!

Our First Movie

We've had our video camera for quite awhile now but hardly use it due to the difficulty we have encountered when we attempted to upload the finished product. Apparently, it takes patience to upload a video, something that has never been one of my best attributes, but here it is.

Our first movie for publication is from our visit to Mancos State Park, located in Mancos, Colorado. The area is breathtaking, literally since it is 8,000' altitude, but also the scenery is fabulous.

Enjoy, we plan to share many more with you in the future.

Sky Ute Casino Resort

14324 Hwy 172 N.
Ignacio, CO 81137
970-563-7777

We paid $23.18 using our Good Sam discount; they also accepted AAA. We had an electric and water only site because we chose location instead and then used the dump station when leaving.

Other sites have sewer.

They offer no cable but included WiFi and full use of the pool, spa, exercise equipment, laundry facility and a few other freebies. The sites were on flat, concrete pads with picnic tables, barbeques, and an attached space for your tow vehicle.

The area was maintained nicely, the walk to the casino, restaurant, and pool area was just a few steps away.


We took advantage of the promotion by each of us signing up for a player’s card and we received $15 cash and $10 off our meals total.

The restaurant offered a free continental breakfast for staying in the RV Park. We had lunch at the buffet, not a wide variety of food, but what was there, was good. They offered a boneless chicken with a sauce that tasted as if it had barbeque, teriyaki and spicy sauce rolled into one, and it was scrumptious. The price was $10.95, $5.95 each with our discount, not sure if it would have been worth it if we did not have the discount due to the lack of choices.

The casino had a bigger table area then the slots area, might be a bit exaggeration but they were lacking in slot machines. The ceilings were high which helped with the smoking and with the entire environment, made it feel less congested. The machines played with us for awhile, not as long as we usually play and we never did get ahead. We will probably return during our stay in this area but nothing really stood out in this visit.

We have added an album at our Picasa Website from the Ranch. These are the photos we have taken so far, they will be updated as we take more and we will let you know when we add more.

It's Not Voodoo or Magic - It's Your Inner Spirit

When people begin speaking about your Inner Spirit, your Guides, your Connection, your Higher Good and on and on, many people begin to see it as some sort of cult, voodoo or magic, where your mind is brainwashed and you become a follower.

However, what I am speaking about is becoming a leader, a leader of your own life. The type of person who just knows that they are meant to do great things and all that you need to do is to just do them. Make the move daily to become more than you were the day before but at the same time knowing that you are marvelous just the way you are today.

Expand your comfort zone, actually take those dreams you have had since a young child and turn them into your reality. Stop putting them off until; you get a better job, a better car, more money, and all of the other excuses we use to wait for our dreams. Wait no longer and do it today.

Remember, when you were a young child, way before life began turning you sour against trying to go for it. Bring that child back and allow that child to tell you all about those dreams you left behind. Left behind because life and society convinced you that you could not do it. I am here to say, you can do them, all of them, even the ones that seem a bit strange, those are especially the most exciting ones.

As for how, it's really quite simple. Just do it! Stop complicating it all by thinking that you have to do it this way or that way or whatever, it's just not so. Believe that you have all the answers deep inside of you on how to make your dream come alive. Listen to yourself, reach out and do it. If it doesn't work, so what, get back up, listen to yourself again and try it again or try it another way but continue trying. Never, ever give up trying! Eventually, you will reach your goals and dreams and in the process you will most likely have made even higher goals and dreams to once again begin following.

Be sure to bask in the glory of accomplishing the first set of goals and dreams before venturing on to the next of them and have a great life.

Tequila’s Family Mexican Restaurant

Funny, how when the sun shines, we are always at our best. Even though we try to live everyday from a shiny place within ourselves, it ain’t always easy on a cloudy, dreary, rainy or snowy day. We are still learning.

Have you ever been so connected to life that it just feels right, knowing you are exactly where you are suppose to be? That is exactly where we are and continue to go every moment of this journey.

This adventure began a few months ago when we began the interview process for this job, we were not actively looking, nor were we in any hurry to find something, so we allowed life to take it’s course and it did quite nicely. The further into this we go, the more comfortable we feel that this experience was meant for us, it feels right from every element of our beings.

We arrived earlier than the others and even though it has been a slow week, with plenty of cold weather and not much to do around here, we know that is all about to change as we go forward.

We drove into Cortez, Colorado with Larry to meet up with Ernie and Carolyn Noia, the owners of the ranch to have dinner.

Tequila’s Family Mexican Restaurant

Not really sure if this website is associated with this particular location, since it is not listed under the locations, but the atmosphere and menu are quite similar.

1740 E Main Street

Cortez, Colorado

(970) 565-6868

The conversations were so exhilarating, we forgot all about taking photos.

As recommended by Ernie, we had the “Fajitas For Two”, shrimp and chicken was our choice, the portions were huge, the spice blends were fabulous and all the ingredients were done to perfection. The Mexican aroma filtered through and many of the workers spoke the language, which enhanced the authenticity of this place. Dinner prices were reasonable, just as long as you didn’t add margaritas to your bill, they were quite pricey, it has been a long time since we’ve had a margarita so the prices may be reasonable after all. If you are ever in the area and want a good meal at a good price, then we highly recommend this place.

Blue Skies & Deer

The cold, snowy weather is finally over. This morning the skies are blue, still on the cold side but higher temperatures are forecasted.

After posting our photos the past few days, we have received comments about the beauty of our backyard, these photos posted today will surely bring on many more comments about our wonderful backyard.

What a life…

But somebody has to live it…

We are so grateful that we chose to be one of the lucky ones.

Then they were gone!

Have you ever been someplace that was just too quiet? We think we found that place.

We arrived last week and were the first ones here besides the caretaker, Larry, who lives here year round. There are some homes in the area, it’s not like it’s hours away from civilization as many other places we have been were. Maybe it’s because nobody is on the ranch and once personnel begins to arrive this week, things will change. But, for now when we turn off the lights at night and go to sleep, we hear nothing. Not a car, not an animal, not a voice, nothing, just total silence. Then at the same time, it is so quiet, we hear every little noise that the RV makes during the night…funny how a little settling noise can be so loud in the middle of the night when there is no other noise to muffle it.

And, dark, so dark on a moonless and starless night that seeing a few steps in front of ourselves is almost impossible. There are no street lights and in the distance we can see lights of the homes in the area but there are only a few and far between.

For now we will enjoy the peacefulness and look forward to meeting all the workers and guests in the upcoming months. Being on a horse ranch instead of a campground will be different, and we look forward to exploring all the new and exciting adventures that will open up for us. Stay tuned for all the stories we will share and as usual, please continue to leave comments, suggestions and questions, we really do love hearing from you all.

Will It Ever Warm Up?

Woke up this morning to more of this white stuff.

The high today is only suppose to be 41, with the low of 29 tonight with more rain/snow coming. The good news is that beginning tomorrow and for the 10 day forecast, it’s going to be sunny with highs in the 60 to 70 range and lows in the upper 30’s to 40’s.

The many of you who know us, know that we do not like cold weather and really dislike snow. For the first few days, we attempted to make the most of it, but now 5 days into it, we are really edgy. We had been watching the weather up here closely before our arrival but this has been unexpected and definitely unwanted by us. But as usual, we will suck it up and make the most of it…after all if the weather channel is correct, the great weather is on it’s way.

Now that my ranting is over with, let me say. Thank you God! Looking at the weather across the country, we are a few of the lucky ones. We are not dealing with mounds of snow, severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, or torrential rains that are causing major flooding. For all you that are right in the middle of that, our prayers are with you.

Thank you…we do not have to go anywhere today…thank you…we can hold up in our warm rig all day…thank you…for our rig…thank you…for allowing us to grow and become more aware of all the really great things we do have and not always dwell on the bad stuff…thank you…the list goes on and on.