SATURDAY 

While I was In the apple tree pool this morning Graham was hand-feeding one of the does apples; I got some great shots, which his mom appreciated.  Bernie showed up for the weekend (Tom finally 'made me' get rid of my old Bernie's Breakfast shirt; I held out for a while, but have to admit it had gotten "somewhat" threadbare...) and he may help OLT out with the pancake breakfast Sunday.  He's been doing some interesting travel the past several years.

On our way back for lunch Tom and I thought we'd swing by the Pavilion and see how the silent auction was going.  I'd already been outbid on an item, but 'the other Doug' was still the only one on Tom's arrowhead, although he'd doubled the minimum bid.  Later, I saw that Terry had bid on it - and also that "someone" (later found out it was Tom) had added two zeroes to Doug's bid.  Terry figured no one was going to top that bid, so she added $10 to the true bid just so folks might continue to bid.  All the money goes to the Orient Land Trust.

While at the pavilion Tom and I ran into a guitarist who turned out to be one of the founding members of the band (ATOMGA) that's playing tonight  - although he's no longer with the band.  We chatted for a few minutes, and I told Nick he sure looked familiar.  All of a sudden his eyes widened, and he said, "I know who you are! You have a daughter who plays the flute, and I taught her the pentatonic (?) scale."  I remember them playing at the picnic table outside Sunset House and (no doubt!) even have pictures in her album to prove it.

This afternoon I watched the pool raft contest, and they broke the old record by piling 19 people on.  Brought back some memories of the time (25? 30? years ago) when a bunch of us decided to see how many people we could pile on a raft.  I was one of the first ones on, and as more and more people piled on top of me I was completely trapped with my nose just barely above the water.  As I was thinking that if another person got on I was going under (and how ironic it would be to drown on a raft at the hot springs!) of course someone else did pile on. I started struggling, and (thankfully) someone noticed in time.

Tom made up up a fancy fruit salad for the pot luck, and Terry roasted a turkey.  There was lots of food - I really liked the couscous salad somebody made, and the decadent chocolate cake! - but it was a big crowd and I don't think there were too many leftovers.  I got to meet John and Jan, and their 11-week old puppy Maggie (golden retriever?)  We had been expecting them last night, to stay with Neil and Terry, but they got in too late and ended up bunking elsewhere.  Maggie liked my low-rider chair... the plate in my lap was almost <g> floor level.

Plenty of time for a soak before the band was scheduled to play, and it was joke time. I heard a couple of good ones I'm really going to try to remember!  When we were sufficiently waterlogged we headed back to the house, and not ten minutes later the skies opened up; obviously we'd timed it right.  Both of us were tired, and when Tom fell asleep on the couch I went upstairs to stretch out on the bed.  Bottom line - I never did make it up to see the band, although I could still hear it faintly.  

SUNDAY, August 10

Great breakfast up at the pavilion this morning: fruit, pancakes (regular and gluten-free) with all sorts of toppings, eggs, etc. I ate with Amelia (who wants to adopt me as her mother) and Graham (who wants to hear Sam McGee again.) Then a morning soak, where I had a nice conversation with a woman who fosters and adopts dogs.  On my way back down to the house I ran into Tom, who was just on his way up to breakfast.  

The skies are nice and blue, so it looks like another beautiful day in paradise!  I've been here almost two weeks, but have been very careful about the sun.  The only day I got much was at the music festival in Crestone, and have a peeling nose to show for it.