Holy  Cow,

We've already finished the first week of our summer. It will be week 7 before I know it! Things are going really well so far. We've got a wonderful crew, and some really outstanding people here this year. Of course, we all miss having Hud here every day. Wednesdays are not enough, especially since that's my day off and I really don't see him at all. Hmmm- I wonder if that was on purpose...

But, Alex and Paul have not missed a beat running the youth program, and both Hollie and Alice are really outstanding with the kids. They've both worked with children a lot, and it shows. This week started pretty quiet down in the YC building this morning, I imagine that will change as the week goes on and the kids all get to know each other better.

Chris, our new head wrangler, is doing well in the barn. A little nerves here and there, but he's relaxing into it. I think Heather is enjoying her last summer with much less weight on her shoulders. It's great to have the familiar faces of Talia, Lander, and Sarai back. Talia just graduated in astrophysics, and Lander just took his LSAT. They're all taking out great rides and visiting with the guests at dinnertime. The new wranglers are a lot of fun. Emily is excited to be trying out Chris' barrel racing horse, Brittany is getting lost on the back roads in her Jeep, having to back out of windy dirt roads for miles, and Karalyn will probably never try to drink out of a horse watering trough again!

Both Josh and Alison in the office are terrific. They are really competent and reliable, and also engaging. Naturally, Tricia and Heather are both still amazing and also very happy to have such great help.

The kitchen crew is mostly the same, with Steven, Shaun, Bryan, and Vera cooking things up. They are joined this year by Nancy, who is just delightful. This summer, we also brought in a friend of Alex, opera singing Harrison. He totally gets the guest thing, and is both hard working and gracious. The dining room looks great, thanks to Julia.

Our housekeeping is no less friendly or competent. Charlie, Dawn, and Darla all work really hard, yet never fail to say hello or stop to chat if they have time. The new international girls this year are Renae from Jamaica, who will not hesitate to take on any task, and yet is so gracious and poised. And, the ever giggling Aika and Dina from Kazakhstan both add laughter and work hard to keep everything clean as well as serve in the dining room.

The maintenance crew is all returning, with Jamie, Charlie, Joe, and Derek. They are all so very helpful, and jump right on fixing anything that is broken.

So, we are very fortunate! Everywhere I look I see faces of people I enjoy and respect. It also helps that this week includes some of my favorite guests, as well...