Say Goodbye and Say Hello!

     Our Family Weeks have sadly come to an end, but what a great week we had to close it out! One for the books, that’s for sure! And we had such a large group of kids, we even pulled Miss Tammy out from her “kid wrangling” to do some old fashioned Kid Wrangling—which she was thrilled to come do again for a week!

      Now, you didn’t hear it from me, but there might have even been a special appearance in the Kid Program by one of our much loved bosses as well. Can’t say for sure….but IF it really happened, that person’s name might rhyme with “ferry” (ok, that doesn’t narrow it down….hmmmm…) …and be of the feminine persuasion, but I’m not sayin’ for sure! Let’s be honest—part of the magic of each week are the memorable stories you have to tell and we can’t tell all our stories out of class—you gotta come make your own! (But I will tease you a bit more by saying that more than one staff member may have crossed the river on foot that week—see what you’re missing??)

So NOW we say goodbye to our kids weeks! But we will try not to be sad as we bid farewell to this--

And this…

 

And even the ranch dogs will miss the extra lovin’!

Sadly, there won’t be any of this…

…..well maybe some of this still though…..they say this is for Gymkhana, but we think that’s just an excuse to finally wear what they want to wear…..

Express yourself!

Then Friday night our wonderful guests shared with us their favorite things—it was an emotional evening for both staff, kids and their parents. Very touching as everyone relayed the parts that meant the most to them from a week they’d never forget. And then they even treated US with some staff show entertainment! And we were thoroughly entertained let me tell ya! Thanks guys!! Sooo funny!

Well, MOST of us were entertained anyways…..you know they are having fun when their faces are dirty and they can’t stay up past 8pm!

   

THANK YOU to all of our wonderful kids and their families our closing family week! You guys were a memorable bunch and we love ya! We’ll see ya next year!

       But even though we had to say goodbye to our sand-dune-sliding, candy-store-riding, gold-panning, tye-dye-wearing, pizza-on-the-porch-eating, baby-shark-singing, hay-wagon-dancing, water-fightin’, ice-cream-eating kids weeks…..

….that meant we got to say HELLO to some others— our Adults-only Weeks! The last month of the season, when the kids have gone back to school, the ranch opens to a more “mature”  crowd. Wait—what did I just say?? Ok, maybe mature  was the completely wrong terminology…..

…but certainly entertaining! (To say the least!)

I believe this one will have “to be continued”….

more on the way….

The End of the Line…uhhh, I mean.…Year Staff Party!

         Our staff is pretty stellar. We have to brag a little. So what better way to show them how much we appreciate them, than to throw them off the side of a mountain? Right? In our defense-- they asked for it………

I don’t know why they look so scared. They know we needed them for work in the morning…..

So we harnessed them up,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And enrolled them in flight school!

Then once we confirmed no one weighed more than a school bus (that’s the maximum weight the cable can hold), we let ‘em rip!

I mean zip!!

 

As you can see they are hardly even enjoying it….so we had to throw in an amazing sunset in to keep them happy. Do you know in one of John Denver’s song where he sings “I’ve seen it rainin’ fire in the sky” ? Well, we can’t say for sure, but we’re convinced this is what he was referring to. When the sun sets behind a storm, the rain comes down in sheets of vibrant orange. These pictures don’t even do it justice. It’s breathtaking.

        After the zip lining, Jerry and Cheri had everyone over. This time of year, a handful of our staff have to head back to school while the majority stay until the end, so we try to have one last group outing all together. We want to say how much we love all of them and appreciate their hard work and dedication to making the Bar Lazy J a cut above the rest. We couldn’t be who we are without them! So thank you to our 2012 staff!

 

Your hard work shows!

(And we mean that!)

A Smile At Every Turn

LOOK at how big these kittens have gotten! They were finally old enough to be added to the Kid’s Program and the past few weeks they’ve been getting lots and lots of lovin’. Much to their delight! (The kids and the kittens.)

Photo caption contest-- have to wonder what he’s thinking right here. Probably something like, “ I just woke up. Tell me this picture isn’t going on the blog.”

        We were fortunate to have a special family come and celebrate a big anniversary with us!  Jack and Peggy came with their loved ones in honor of 50 years of marriage, so we wanted to add our own gift of congratulations. Thursday night after dinner, we had a surprise for them!

 

       One of our staff makes special occasion cakes on the side, so we commissioned her for a cake that would highlight their Irish roots at the same time.

“50 Years isn’t just the Luck of the Irish”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

        The happy couple was touched to tears. Thank you Jack and Peggy for spending your big day with us! We were thrilled to be a part of it in some small way! Congratulations!

        The thing that never ceases to amaze us is how quickly friends are made and how long they are kept here at the ranch. Year after year, we watch friendships form and strengthen from their common ground of their love of this place. It must be part of that ranch magic…

So, how about another ‘How To’ lesson from your Bar Lazy J staff?! This week’s segment? Well, let’s just call it…..

“A Different Kind of Wrangling”.

Step 1. Find your pile and line up your pitchfork. Angle is everything. Don’t overlook this tiny detail.

Step 2. Using a scooping motion, swiftly shove the pitchfork underneath the pile. Remember to have confidence in your scoop.  A half-hearted effort will leave you scattering the pile and will double your clean-up time. It’s all about form!

Step 3. Once the pitchfork is full, lift. You will likely spend one full minute trying to add small pieces and manage to drop half your load in the process. This is totally normal and it is appropriate to grumble under your breath.

Step 4. Find a place to toss it where it will not be seen, attract flies, or smell. Preferably the back of someone’s pick-up that will be leaving shortly.

**BONUS MOVE**: If you are having difficulty mastering these skills (we’re not laughing at you), the “Side-Foot Sweep” can be used to minimize pile scattering. However, we warn you that if not executed correctly and precisely, it can lead to unfortunate green stains on your socks. We highly recommend boots for this technique (or black socks). Bar Lazy J and it’s affiliates are not responsible for any ruined shoes, clothing, or reputations.

   Thank you Kari for your wonderful demonstration and cheery attitude! A smile is always the best part of our staff’s attire! (And a good sense of humor absolutely mandatory!)

We have begun incorporating the zip line into our weekly program and the guests are LOVING it—we knew they would! Wednesday and Saturday afternoons, groups of up to 10 at a time can sign up to take the plunge! It’s been quite a hit!

 

 

Horse tip for the week: Do not wash your horses and then leave them in the hot sun to dry. They shrink. However, they do eat less and with hay prices like they are…… “Welcome the the Bar Lazy J! Where your troubles are small and so are the horses!” I like it. Now if we can just figure out how to cross the river…..horse floaties? Might have to look into this one….

Jerry and Cheri have more than most people could hope for—a home in the gorgeous Rocky Mountains and friends who come see them yearly—not to mention everyone’s DREAM JOB.  So what do you get for the two people who have everything? Why, horse accessories of course! Thank you Rin for the fun personalized “Jerry’s” and “Cheri’s” hats! Now we won’t get them confused anymore! Whew!  ;)

        We were also pleasantly surprised by this beautiful piece of art in the mail this year. One of the members of our dear guest family actually made this himself in honor of our 100th year! What a treat! And it looks absolutely stunning in the sunny window of our dining room in the lodge. Thank you Marshall Gerry and Kalamity K! We are fortunate to have such wonderful friends! You all spoil us.

So thank you from all of us here at the Bar lazy J!