Dudes back from the Dude Ranch

Happy Trails To You !

Well, we are back from the Pine Grove Dude Ranch and Resort in the catskills of NY. We had a really nice time. It's a dude ranch and family resort so there were lots of activities you could participate in or just do your own thing. They had a very nice pool with a cool corkscrew type slide for those daring enough to try it. And many planned activities during the day which they called "contests". All with prizes. Bocce, horse shoes, archery, bingo, basketball shooting from the foul line, bean bag toss (teams), ring toss (teams), shuffle board (teams) ping pong, miniature golf course, volley ball and bad mitten and paint ball course for those who wanted to do it (none in our group did), also a lake for fishing, paddle boats on the lake - which was more like a large pond, but nice area (although there was lots of algae on the pond).

There was horse back riding for beginners and intermediate and advanced. Dee and I did the beginner one day and then I did the intermediate the next. (Intermediate has a few "trotting sections where you bounce up and down. To get to the advanced you have to be able to go from trotting to cantering and do the canter while holding the reins only (no saddle horn holding).

Also there was entertainment and dancing every night - ballroom and line dances to live music. They had a magician and ventriliqist one night and a juggler another night (the guy juggled ping pong balls with his mouth (4 balls at a time. - amazing!) They had a line dance instructor "Goldie" on two days as an activity. She was a good instructor. I read the NYT each morning (something I don't do at home), all the food you could eat although it was served with waiters and waitresses - lots of choices from the menus each meal. Our cell phones were like in a dead zone - had to find just the right place for them to work - although I didn't need mine but once. We did some reading too - Dee finished the memoir book, "The Ice Castle" and started another novel.A mystery this time.

The people we were with were very nice and the escort on the bus was very friendly and got people interacting. Couples and lots of single people on the trip (older). A few single guys. 39 people on our bus. About 133 in the resort total guests. It was after the season ended Labor Day and the staff there was happy the families and kids were gone. They have a staff of 200 in busy season and about 80 when we were there.

Our room was okay - nothing special. Brand new bathroom and air conditioner. The beds were tired, but I didn't have trouble sleeping. Nor did Dee except one night.

We learned a couple of things about ourselves and the kind of people we like to be around, as well as those we avoid (very chatty people). Age wise, there were maybe 4-5 people there younger than us on our bus. Several our age, and the rest in their late 60s to eighties. All very active folks. Some very good dancers too. Fun to watch.

Would we do it again - yes. At that location? Maybe in a couple of years. We heard from the people on the trip about other places too. This was very down to earth, not uppity. I'll be posting a couple of pictures on the blog as time allows.

Happy Birthday Kerri (a couple of days late)

Kerri's birthday dessert with family...

Sunday we went to church. I shared in the leadership of worship with the pastor and I gave the children's talk. I used my Qchord and demonstrated some of it's many features. I had one of the children play it with me as we sang Jesus loves Me. Then we did it with a little rhythm accompaniment. It seemed to go well. I also did a couple of readings and helped serve the communion with Pastor Jim. It was nice to have Kerri and Patrick in town to share in the worship. (They drove back from Plum in the morning so they could make it to church in time.

We had a nice lunch at First Watch and then went back to the house where Pat and Kerri sacked out for the afternoon. Later, Dee and Kerri got to go to Walmart to explore the Labor Day Sales. After they came home we all went out to a birthday dinner at Atria's. That's where we went last year on this same weekend when Pat proposed to Kerri over the Labor Day holiday on Mt. Washington.

After we got home, we worked on the rope lighting for the deck and stairs down to the hot tub. Pat and I put in the hardware to hold the rope in place. It will be nice when it's done. We finished about halfway when it got too dark. We ended the evening watching Big Brother 10. They like it and explained to us how it works. It was interesting and funny to watch.

A "Facebook" day

Yesterday we took our dog to Misty Pines Dog Kennel where he'll stay for the next week and socialize with other dogs and have a good time, while we go off to the Pine Grove Dude Ranch. Then, we took Kerri and Patrick to the Freedom Square Dinner for a late breakfast together.

By the time we got back home it was time for Dee to get ready for her trip to Butler and the 42nd reunion of her High School Class. They called it their 60th celebration because everyone was turning 60 this year. (Creative idea) She said there were about 200 people there for the picnic. She had a good time talking with old friends, comparing notes, and having pictures taken of her. She noted that many of them looked "old and wrinkly" and that people asked her why she hadn't come to some of the other reunions.

While she was gone, I got to talk with my mother on the phone. She sounded very good and wished us well on our trip. I Patrick and I also watched some of the Pitt football game. They lost to Bowling Green. :(

Kerri also showed me how to register for Facebook, and she helped me get started accumulating "friends". It really is a fascinating social networking experience that is private and allows a person to connect with former classmates, or co-workers from years gone by. What you do is set up your profile and then invite people to be your "friends." If they accept then that allows you to communicate with them and also see who their "friends" are that you may have in common. For instance yesterday, I wrote to Marrissa in Boston and asked to be her friend, she wrote back and said yes. That allowed her to see that Kerri was one of my friends, and she sent an email to Kerri, congratulating her on her wedding and asked her to be her "friend." Kerri actually got the email on her blackberry phone within minutes of me asking Marrissa to be my Facebook friend. What's nice is there is an option where you can add photos, videos, notes to your profile, and Facebook will automatically let others know of your changes to your site and keep them informed about you (if you want them to know.)

I've often wondered what happened to some of my classmates from High School, College and Seminary and this tool will help me re-connect with some of them I'm sure.

Later in the day, Kerri and Pat went to see friends in Plum Boro and spent the night there. I stayed home, practiced my Qchord, surfed with Facebook, and relaxed on the quiet deck. (Everyone one went somewhere, even the dog.) When Dee returned, she had lots to share. We leave Early tomorrow for our trip. Yahoo!