Pickleville Playhouse and Bear Lake

After our team camp, Colton & I packed our bags and headed to Bear Lake for a few days of fun. The Collins family was there with their new toy--the Prowler--when we got up there to meet John & Marti. Cody and Sheri came up with the kids and Michael brought his kids up too.

Monday morning Cody, CMac Jr., Colton, John, and I got in 9 on the Bear Lake golf course and then we packed up everyone and took to the beach. Everyone was pretty bombed after the fun in the sun, but when we got back to the cabin we discovered some baby ducks that had somehow got deserted by their mother in the window well. Animal Rights activist Colton McFarland quickly came to the rescue and the kids put them in a Barbie toting Rubbermaid bin until we could set them free in the canal. After that, we took an evening 4 wheeler ride over to Skeeter Flats in Laketown and got chased down in reverse by a retard driver in a flaming red Ford who almost ran us off the road when he was going forward too!

Tuesday we took a REALLY long ride on the 4 wheelers to Hardware Ranch and then to the Rafter S Ranch up Monte Cristo. It was a little over 70 miles round trip but was beautiful and worth it. We saw deer, a cow elk, and tons of hummingbirds at the ranch. We packed sandwiches and drinks and ate up at the old cabin. Jeannie had given us some fresh tomatoes that we doused in salt and pepper and they disappeared in a hurry too. Let me confess that I have a secret fantasy about living on a ranch...I would've loved to live up there when that operation was at its prime & I love hearing the stories and looking at the pictures from those days. We didn't get to spend as much time there as we would've like because we had to hurry home so that we could catch a quick shower and head to the Pickleville Playhouse for dinner and a show.

Now I was a little worried about what Colton would think about the whole Pickle experience. I've forced him to watch a few classic musicals like Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Oklahoma and he wasn't real enthused about either of them--although he can belt out a pretty terrific rendition of Bless Your Beautiful Hide! And it also was $30/person to go. But it was well worth it. The dutch oven dinner was great (and big) and the show was amazing. The villain and his female accomplice were AWESOME! The show was funny and the local actors/actresses are all so talented. Some lines worth repeating: "Not until pigs freeze over" and "Yo say!" After the show, I confessed to Colton that I wish I could do something like that. He laughed and said, "I hate to break it to you, but you could never do that." Ah, come on...just cuz I can't sing?

Wednesday afternoon, we hit the golf course again in what is undoubtedly the worst golfing outing of my short career. I've never been so ticked off in my entire life. It was horrible. Perhaps I was still too focused on the fact that I would never be able to be a star in a Pickleville Playhouse production...We decided to hit up the Bear Pizza for dinner and then we took a driving tour of the new cabins that are popping up all over the area. It sure makes me realize how much money other people have and how little I have. Yuck. But someday, right?

Thursday, we wasted half the day trying to decide if we wanted to go home or not. In the end, we ended up coming back to good old Ogden and Friday afternoon we hit up the lake with Jake, otherwise known as Mr. Moomba. You see, Coach Cookus bought a boat this summer and has been entertaining guests daily on his new toy. Once again, some people have money, some people do not. I'm glad I have friends that do so I can play with them!

We capped off the weekend by having a great dinner at the Cookus residence provided by Mom and Dad Cookus and then with the opening night of the Ogden Pioneer Days Rodeo.

I love rodeos, but I must say that this one was terrible. They rolled half of the contestants and after the 20 minutes it took the Ogio riders to set up their ramps, they announced that they, in fact, would NOT be performing so they spent another 20 hauling their crap out of the arena. The highlight of the evening was Cody Ohl--even though he broke the barrier and they had to add 5. Oh, and the Outlaw--if you want to consider that a highlight rather than a lowlight.

But all this summer fun will end soon, so I've gotta get it in while I still can!