Saturday, July 5, 2008

The REAL Fourth of July

Ranchada, our little family "resort" is where we chose to spend the Fourth of July this year. The Eris clan plus Jubee and I drove out yesterday to join Zeus and the boys who had gone out a day earlier. Mr. Eris and Eris hadn't been out since before Jr. was born and it was Little and Littlest Ms' first time. It was hot, windy and dusty. There is no running water other than the natural spring that flows into a pond, no electricity and no indoor plumbing to speak of. On the other hand, there are no televisions, telephones or neighbors. Cell phone service hasn't reached there, thank heavens. The birds are chirping, the squirrels are running around and you just might come home from a ten-mile trip to the nearest town to find cows grazing in your yard!
Daytime is usually spent exploring the area on ATVs. There are always treasures to be found. The kids love to ride and Little and Littlest were no exceptions. The dust flies everywhere and you learn to ignore the taste of it. If you are clean you are obviously not having any fun. Clothing is sometimes optional but sunscreen is required at all times.
The closest city larger than 80 residents is probably about 100 miles away (no kidding) so there are no city lights. This makes nighttime at the ranch a memorable experience for most visitors. A full moon will make the countryside almost as bright as daytime. When there is no moon the stars in the night sky are breathtaking.
To celebrate the Fourth of July we drove to the local town and joined in their festivities. The chicken dinner was delicious and the accompanying salads would make Sister Dottie proud! After dinner we watched some team roping events at the local arena and then went home for a few games played in the tent. Finally we all settled down for a good night of sleep. This morning we headed back to town where Little and Littlest Ms. participated in the Kid's parade. There were other activities held, including Stick-horse races, dances and old-fashioned patriotic programs. I'm thinking that this is the place I want to be every July Fourth!

To see the rest of the photos, including the required Tub Photos, head on over to
Numismatically Shooting. Don't miss the Only in Small-town Utah photo. Yes, it was for real!

$2.31

7 comments:

Muriel said...

What is with everyone's hair?? And by everyone I mean Mr. Eris.

The Numismatist said...

What you are looking at is two days of sweaty hair caked with two days of dust.

Oh wait, you were asking about Mr. Eris and not Mr. Eris, Jr? That question will have to be answered by Eris.

Muriel said...

Yes, Mr. Eris. I think Barney from How I Met Your Mother said it best: "That tip job makes you look like the one of Backstreet Boys, and not even the good Backstreet Boys... the older lame-dance-move comeback tour Backstreet Boys."

Eris said...

Ok, ok. I'll explain the hair on my blog.

Karen said...

It looks so fun out there! I'm glad you had a great 4th and a fun time with your family; that's what life is all about.

I had to laugh at your photo "Only in a Small Town" You're so right.

cuz2u said...

That looks like a great place to be. I'm sure it doesn't get much better than that.
Who had the flat tire???

The Numismatist said...

The flat was on our car. Bubba and Mr. Eris took care of it in no time at all. The little limp-a-long tire slowed us down to 50 mph for the next 3 1/2 hours, a dangerous speed to be going on I-15.