Home at last

I'm sorry for the abrupt stop to the updates. Somehow, somewhere I was overtaken by the mountain way of life. I turned into a backwoods mountain woman who knows nothing of blogging, cell phones or modern life in general. I became a naturalist, a mountain woman keeping house and cooking for her man when he returns from the woods after a hard days hunt. Carin' for my children and taking them on hikes to cool streams for relief on hot days and then showin' them how to put up food for the winter and then observing them become little mountain kids themselves -- gathering eggs and tending to the farm while the men were away.

The short version (non wordy - makes my editor happy).

We are home.

The big elk still roams the mountain.

Long version (wordy - makes me happy and gives me a sense of relief).

We had a great time, although my husband went into some post hunting anticlimactic withdrawal from which I think he recovered as soon as he set feet on his own property and slept in his own bed - away from the lure of the mountains and the beast that resides there.

The hunters were able to call in several elk throughout the week with his handy dandy elk call - better known as the Hoochie Mama (see earlier post Elk Hunting 101). The big bull decided there were hotter cows in the forest and gave up my man for them. If you can believe that - I found it incomprehensible. They saw four bear during the week - I am thankful the bear gave up my man for tastier fare.

We left the Western Slope Friday and went to Jason and Joanna's (Jason is Wayne's cousin). They live in Wetmore, Colorado in the backyard of San Isabel Mountains -- absolutely beautiful. It was so nice to visit with them. We had a great time as they took us to Bishop Castle, the surrounding mountains, a lake and hangin' out with them around their house. The "mile high pizza" Joanna fixed and the campfire dinner Jason served was true mountain hospitality. It is so nice to get to spend time with family we don't get to see often enough. Jason, Joanna, Jessie, Josh, and Juniper -- we'll miss you and your mountains.

So, we left our family Sunday morning and drove and drove and drove and listened to Bro. Stroup at Franklin Bible Methodist Church as we drove and drove and drove. We reached Columbia, Missouri around 11:30 and bedded down for the night in a comfy, clean room with hot, running water! Monday we drove and drove and drove and reached Horseshoe Bend Rd. @ 6:30 p.m. I love my house. I love my bed. I miss my mountains.

I get this feeling in the pit of my stomach as we head toward the Kansas line in eastern Colorado. It feels as if I might get sick. I crane my neck looking out the back window staring at the great mountains until they flatten into the horizon only to be sketches in my memory until next year when I eagerly await their reappearance in living color as we head back to my wild West.

(Camo-wearin', Hoochie Mama-laden, beast hunter at my side. Rocky Mountain Elk - WE'll BE BACK)