2014 Xmas Letter for
Ronnie and Mernie
So we have been in Smith
Valley, Wellington Nevada
for a year now! Andrea Lewis and Gerri Brown now have On A String Ranch in Laramie and, true to Murphy
’s Law, everything broke when we left. They are very capable people and we are
confident they will work things out. I have heard the place is still going
strong and is still ‘The Best Little Horse House in the West'.
We are really enjoying it here and have made super new
friends although we miss and think often of all those we left in Laramie. We plan to
visit….in the Summer!
We started 2014 with the bare minimum of home comforts,
washing dishes in a tub and cooking on a camp stove. We have now completed the
guest house with its big beautiful deck over looking the valley, the dome’s
bedroom and ensuite, hallway, studio and kitchen. We have a washer and dryer
and have got the wood heater going. The horses have shelters and a big water
trough. We have four now as we sold Flambeau to our friend Jim who lives not
too far away and boy has he got it good!
I attempted a garden
this year and the rabbits and squirrels thought it was a marvelous idea! I did
manage to fence out the deer that wander through and loiter here daily. It is peaceful here.
We have been graced with the presence of many visitors of
international character this year. Cousin Coral came from Australia in May. She is the
genealogist of the family. Hand it to Coral to find several relatives living
out here in the high desert of ‘Vada. So now I have Netti, Mike, Tanner, Michaela,
and Jacob (who are something like 3rd Cousins twice removed) living
just down the road! The good news is, they are super nice people so …thanks
Cousin Coral!
Then came the Germans! The peace took a vacation and fun and
laughter took its place. My friend Eleanora, her husband Guido and their five
children: Katie, Lisa, Noah, Lois and Emma travelled around the West for about
6 weeks in a big bus. We are so glad they dropped by to our little dome home in
the middle of nowhere.And of course, there was our Chinese friend Weiwen from Nebraska who came to
visit the Germans and also came here for Thanks Giving. We had a really nice
Thanks Giving.
Next my Sister Julie and her hubby Steve arrived and spent a
fabulous two weeks with us. No time to breathe between the coffee, wine and
chin waggin’! We did spend lots of peaceful moments out of the partially
finished deck.
In 2013 I met Robert Weldin at I Know You Rider Endurance
Ride. He and his beautiful wife Sharron live in Pilot Hill, CA
near the Tevis Trail. He convinced me I should train with them and do the Tevis.
His help was really appreciated and I’m pleased to say Kipling rocked. We
started at 5.15 am on July 9th and completed the famous Tevis Cup on
July 10, 2014 at 4.08 am the next morning. Mernie and my new friend and neighbor
Tracey- Jean Wolfe crewed brilliantly with some help from Mernie’s son Corky
and a lovely lady called Heather. Chris, Kip’s former owner came all the way
from Laramie to
be there at the finish line with Kip’s favorite treat, black Aussie licorice.
That really made this special event extra, extra special! Robert and our
Israeli friends also completed with happy and healthy horses.
Our last and cherished visitor this year was Amnon a young man from Israel.
We met him through Robert and the Israeli Tevis group. We decided we should
take Amnon home with us for a while. Amnon helped Mernie finish the deck and
many other projects, exercised and cared for our horses, prepared delicious Mediterranean
food, and even taught us a few Hebrew words. He was a pleasure to have around
and really kept us on task!
It was a good year. We both have our health and our horses
and along with our wonderful friends and family. What more could anyone want?
Next year I plan to focus on Abstract art, pick up the
guitar and the doo again and enjoy life with Mernie in the high desert of Nevada.
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