Hard at work!

Monday morning, the crew met for 8AM breakfast (more on the wonderful meals later), orientation, new hire paperwork, then training and work. Guests start arriving on June 12th and there's a lot to do in the interim. I work with 3 other girls on my team, one of whom is my boss and absolutely great. She's been a seasonal employee here for 10 years and does all sorts of interesting things in the winter "off season." She's traveled the world as much as I have, including trips to Turkey and India.

There are 14 guest cabins, and at the end of last season, everything was totally dismantled, covered, cleaned, and winterized. Water and power were turned off, fireplaces and wood stoves cleaned, windows covered, antifreeze poured into the drains, and mouse traps placed as needed. All curtains, rugs, bedding etc was sent out to be cleaned. Wyoming can be brutal in the winter.

Below is a cabin that's partially put back together. Plastic has been removed from lamp shades and the freshly cleaned cushions etc. Carpet cleaners come on Thursday, so we're somewhat limited as to what we can do in the interim.

Our first two days have been devoted to "oiling the logs."  Just like polishing furniture. log cabin logs must be cleaned and oiled regularly to keep them from cracking etc. It's actually pretty interesting. It has taken us about a day and a half to wipe them all down with care. The ranch owners have invested so much time, effort and money in making this place special. They use only real Pendleton blankets and most of the art work on the walls in original, all with a western flair. Lamp shades, wrought iron door hooks, wind chimes, curtains, prints and wall rugs... everything fits with the theme, and furniture is constantly updated and moved to make everything just perfect for guests. I really love being a part of this and learning what it takes to make a guest ranch tick.

Above, wood cleaner, Murphy oil soap and orange oil added to hot water make the log cleaning cocktail ;) So many things to do these next few weeks from filling and hanging hummingbird feeders and hanging baskets to placing art work and furniture and new bedding, hanging curtains, learning how to build a fire in the main lodge fireplace and more. We've been introduced to "Jackson", the commercial dishwasher in the kitchen, and "Miele", the commercial iron/press ($2,000). The big appliances are affectionately referred to by their brand names. Never a dull moment... it's all about the guests once they start arriving. Some have been coming for 20 years or more and now bring their grandchildren.

Walking between cabins, the scenery is gorgeous. It was in the thirties last night and sunny and cool this morning. It warmed up a bit during the day (55) and became rainy, then sunny again at a moments notice. It helps to dress in layers and stop for hot tea breaks. The kitchen always has fresh homemade cookies out for the crew, and soon...guests. It looks like we won't have warm weather (70s) until a week from tomorrow. Oh well.

We finished oiling the logs earlier than planned and started cleaning cabin windows, inside and out, and hanging curtains and art work. The wranglers are busy shoeing and breaking in the horses and clearing trails. The maintenance crew is busy checking electrical outlets, plumbing, water heaters, smoke detectors, fence and porch rails and addressing an ever growing punch list of things to do, fix or build.

The kitchen staff is trying out new recipes, keeping us all fed and happy. The crew here is young and pretty amazing. Yesterday after a sumptuous dinner, I lay down on my cozy little quilted bed in my warm cabin with my cat and fell asleep in my clothes... until morning. I completely missed a bonfire and crew croquet match outside my cabin. Nothing like rising and turning in with the sun. The days are really long here too with sunrise about 5:50 AM and sunset at 8:50 PM already! I LOVE it ;)