Ethan and Ehlana:
Our ranch adventures wrapped up today with a fair bit of work and fun as we started out the day by breaking down our campsite; cleaned out the stables and got them ready for the next group of riders; and rode back to the ranch – arriving there by late-morning. We then needed to deal with the gear and horses; followed that up with a final, celebration meal; and wrapped up our fun with some play time around the barns and vet clinic that included watching Christie work with one of her special horses and some play time with a few of the animals that Dr. Colt is taking care of or boarding. Mom came to pick us up at two o’clock; we took care of the round of goodbyes with our fellow campers and counselors; and then we were happy to hit the road for home.
Mom did stops at Naomi’s and Aiden’s homes for their gear so we didn’t need to carry the bags from our house; and then she brought us home and put us to work. We took care of our own gear; got loads of laundry started; and hit the showers because we were advised that we really needed to do that! Yes, showers were available at the campground and we used them, but we also cleaned out stables, rode horses, and played with animals; so we’re not surprised that the request-demand was issued. Mom hosted the family-and-friends’ barbeque dinner and play night too; so that was another reason for getting clean.
After five days away and in tents each night, we’ll hope that our cousins aren’t too-disappointed that we didn’t want to camp tonight, but we were ready for at least one night of comfort; and our best friends needed to spend time with their own families and weren’t available anyway. We did get to have more play time with Naomi and Aiden – and their families, but before they came over to our house; we helped Mom with getting tables and chairs set up and the pre-dinner prep work. That also gave us time to trade stories about our riding and camping and her trip to the city from Tuesday morning to lunchtime on Thursday. Brianna and Faith took care of Silkie for us while Mom was away – plus bonus nights on Monday and Thursday; so Mom also had gifts for them to go along with our thanks and a bit of spending money. Mom’s travel stories were lacking in certain details, but she managed to have fun anyway; and the kid-free time has definitely been good for her. She loved our stories; and one thing that she made a point of discussing with us was the fact that we spent the week with a group of ‘normal’ teens and tweens; couldn’t use our Magi talents at all; and managed to survive, thrive, and make a few friends along the way. We don’t actually think that we now have any new friends that we’ll keep close contact with into the future, but we know what she was getting at; and has a point that we have learned more than we have even been thinking about so far.
Our aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends began to arrive by four-thirty; and then the fun level kicked up again – along with getting very busy. Along with the work, we played with our cousins and friends; went for a swim; and eventually enjoyed the dinner that was a blast of fun as we were involved in a rotating round of chats with both the kids and adults around us. We were put to work again for the clean-up while parents and grandparents took care of the kids; and we enjoyed all of that too because we got to have some bonus chat time with some of our favorite teens and adults.
Dad got home early – comparatively; so we moved on from the dinner clean-up to helping him with unloading his truck and putting his bags and cases away – along with a few boxes of supplies that Mom had picked up and left in the truck. Our evening since then included a visit to the park; some back yard social time; and an early end to our fun with our guests – mostly because Dad was ready to crash and nap by nine o’clock or so. We had another round of cleaning to deal with as everyone headed for their own homes; we followed that up with a bedtime chat with Dad; and then we came up to our rooms with Silkie while Mom took Dad to bed for the rest of the night.
No added details for them are wanted or required! ;^)
We’ve been enjoying simply being home again since coming up stairs. A music practice reminded us how much we missed some of our ‘toys’ while camping; we’ve worked together on an extended round of computer checks that included getting updated on work at the lab and archives; and we caught up on the latest from Hathorne Industries. Now we’re caught up and ready for a good night of sleep in our own beds. There really isn’t anything else for us to write about tonight that is more-important than that down time; so that’s all we have for this report. We have a lot of baseball and chores on the schedule for tomorrow; so that’s another reason for us to call it a night and get some sleep – so we will!
Until next time, this little blast from your near or distant past is written for you with love from Ethan and Ehlana Proctor – twin junior Magi Masters of the Light!
