Bottle Openers and 4-H, Wednesday, 7/30/14 and Thursday, 7/31/14

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

It was another nice day.  Chuck worked at the River of Gold with Joni and they were instructed to clean out the storage room where the large rat resides.  Apparently, the maintenance man did not want anything to hinder his rat hunt, so everything was removed from the room.  Joni saw the rat as they were working, and she agreed with Chuck’s proclamation that the rat was as big as a cat. 

Cindy worked at the Nevada City museum.  We sell old fashioned soda selections in bottles at all our venues including sasparilla, root beer, huckleberry soda, cream soda, etc.  Sometimes people can twist off the caps, but we have a bottle opener by each register in case they have issues with the caps.  A boy about twelve years old was having trouble and asked for assistance in removing a bottle cap.  Cindy was busy with another customer, so she handed him the bottle opener and she was then shocked when she saw him out of the corner of her eye studying the opener and trying every way but the right way to open his bottle.  Upon asking him, he affirmed that he had never seen a bottle opener and had no idea how to use it so Cindy gave him a lesson.   About two hours later a young brother and sister came in to purchase sodas and they also could not open their bottles.  Cindy gave the boy the bottle opener and asked him if he had ever seen one and if he knew how to use it.  Of course, by that time she got the answer she was expecting and wasn’t surprised when he didn’t have a clue.  She told him that she would give him a lesson but that she was going to take a picture of each of them opening their bottle. The boy opened his without too much trouble, and his sister studied him intently.  When it was her turn she had a bit more trouble and actually spilt quite a bit all over the counter and the floor.  She was embarrassed and apologized, but Cindy told her that it was just a little mess and she had done a great job opening her bottle.   Seemingly, the bottle opener is going the way of the butter churn and will soon be an exhibit at the museum.   

We got home at 6:30 p.m. and visited with the inn mates.  A group of archaeologists will be staying in Virginia City next week and will need to use the facilities in the rehearsal hall.  Therefore, the inn mates were asked to remove all their food from the refrigerator, and now the refrigerator in the Bonanza Inn is stacked so that no one can tell what is in it.   We managed to dig out the ingredients for a salad and a sandwich and we all ate around the small table in our kitchen while we bemoaned the coming week without the luxury of the internet and extra kitchen space. 

Thursday, July 31, 2014

 About one hundred and fifty 4-H leaders and teens from all over the country have descended upon Virginia City for the 4-H Western Heritage Project.  Youth in the project wear period clothing, shoot old west firearms, and become more familiar with the lifestyles of those who settled the west.  There will be workshops held for the youth at Nevada City and other locations throughout Virginia City.  Some of the topics covered will be leather work, wheelwrights, frontier fashion, maintaining old west guns, wagon teams, soap making, hardtack for hard times, Dutch oven cookery, and much more.   The event will conclude on Saturday with a national 4-H Western Heritage shooting championship, and that evening they will all attend the lantern tour at Nevada City.  Wow!  We salute the 4-H program and their leaders who had the vision to plan such an interesting event for their members. 

 

We worked together today at the River of Gold.  The weather was not too hot and we were not overwhelmed with tourists, so we had a pretty nice day.  Connor had the day off today, and as we were leaving for work we saw him sunning himself on top of his vehicle.  He must have sunned himself a bit much as he was looking rather red and feeling the effects when we got home at 6:30 p.m. 

As we mentioned yesterday, we took all our food out of the refrigerator in the rehearsal hall, so we will be cooking and eating together in cramped quarters for the next week and a half.  Today we made crock pot chili which we served the inn mates for supper.  When we arrived at work this morning, we were instructed not to enter the rehearsal hall until Sunday afternoon as the 4-H people would be using the building this weekend.  The building is empty this evening, but we have congregated in lawn chairs on the front porch of the rehearsal hall so we can use the internet.  While we were sitting on the porch, the 4-H group went by on a ghost tour.  We were totally incredulous when the tour leader opened the door of the Bonanza Inn (our home) and let the group all take turns looking inside.  Chuck could have ignored that, but when a half dozen people started leaning against his new truck he went over and asked them to get off. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monday, 7/28/14 and Tuesday, 7/29/14

Monday, July 28, 2014

It was pleasant weather today.  Chuck worked at the River of Gold, and Cindy worked at Nevada City.  Our Florida guests were on their own today and first thing this morning they went to the museum that houses the hundred and something year old birthday cake that was donated by their family members from Pony.  They then showed up to pan for gold and garnets, and Chuck provided panning instructions and helped them out for about an hour.  

At about 12:15 p.m. our guests made their way to the Nevada City museum to finish looking at some of the buildings they did not see when they were there on Saturday.  Cindy took her lunch break and opened up one of the buildings that is not open to the general public.  They were able to see lots of shoes that were over one hundred years old which had previously been in their relatives store in Pony before being donated to Nevada City.  They were amazed by the quantity and excellent condition of the shoes.  She also took them to look in the back of the barber shop so they could see the bathing room.  In the 1860’s you could take a bath during the week for 25 cents, but on the weekend it would cost you 75 cents.   (Soap and a towel were included in the price.)

The guests spent the rest of their day in Virginia City and did a little souvenir shopping.  They also went into yet another museum to see an organ and a dress which had been donated by their relatives.   

We got off work at 6:30 p.m. and headed to the bed and breakfast.  Our guests wanted to take us out to eat on their last night here.  As there are not too many local restaurants, we headed back to Ennis and ate pizza yet again.  That was fine with us as that is one of our favorite foods. 

Upon our return to Virginia City we sat on the back porch with them and watched the sun set over the mountains.  They are going to Helena tomorrow to take the trolley tour and see the Capitol building before heading back to Bozeman for their flight home early Wednesday morning.   They all had a great time, but not a one of them could tell us what their favorite thing was about the trip.  They loved everything they saw and said they will be sure to tell their friends and neighbors to come to Virginia City on their next vacation. 

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

It was nice weather again today.  Chuck drove the train and Cindy worked at the Virginia City depot so she saw him every hour.  Business was brisk today, but we are running short one train car because it jumped the track yesterday and the wheels were damaged beyond repair. 

The train stops running at about 5:30 p.m., so after Chuck got off work he met Cindy at the depot and helped her lock up buildings.  We got home at 6:30 p.m. and Chuck started a load of laundry after supper.  The inn mates got home about 7:30 p.m., and we visited with them for a little while before calling it a night. 

 

 

 

Florida Visitors, Friday, 7/25/14 through Sunday, 7/27/14

Friday, July 25, 2014

 We were off work again today, but we got up at 5:30 a.m. to start preparing for the visit of Cindy’s mother and five of her friends from Florida.  We cooked, cleaned and did laundry until 2:00 p.m.  Daniel’s parents took their leave today, but we had some of the food already cooked, so we shared lunch with them, Daniel, and Elise before they left. 

 At about 3:00 p.m. Chuck looked out towards the train station and saw that the train had derailed, and there was a backhoe there to assist in lifting the engine back on the tracks.  We took a walk down the street to check out the goings on.  It seems that the rails have started spreading in one small spot, but that was the one spot where the train stopped today so the conductor could flip the switch.  As long as the train doesn’t stop in that same location again this weekend, it should run fine and someone will move the tracks back into proper alignment on Monday.   Libby, the conductor today, went back to the depot and asked the 3:00 passengers to make their way down the track so they could commence with their train ride. 

Duel and his family arrived this evening about 6:30 p.m., and we played a game with them and Elise while we were waiting on everyone else to arrive.  The Florida entourage finally arrived at 7:17 p.m.  (They went to Yellowstone National Park this morning, but had to contend with a flat tire so they were running a bit late.)  For dinner, we served pork roast and beef roast, potato casserole, baked beans, broccoli salad, and garlic bread.  Daniel’s parents had gifted us with three different kinds of Kansas City barbeque sauce so we served that with the meat.  Duel’s 24^th birthday is next Tuesday, so we told him this was his birthday party.  We got him a red velvet birthday cake and we all sang Happy Birthday.

As soon as the meal was over, Cindy went with the entourage to get them settled in their bed and breakfast accommodations.  Chuck and the inn mates cleaned up the supper mess and did the dishes.  Cindy walked three blocks home and then we retired for the evening. 

Saturday, July 26, 2014

We went down the street to the bed and breakfast at 9:00 a.m. this morning to meet our guests.  It was beautiful weather, and we sat on the back porch for a little while and looked out at the mountains.  At 10:00 a.m. we reported to the Virginia City depot and took a round trip train ride to Nevada City and back.  We then walked half of the boardwalk in Virginia City and showed off some of the open buildings which are filled with antiques.   

At 12:15 p.m. we all went back to the rehearsal hall and ate a bite of lunch.  After lunch we went to Nevada City and toured a few buildings there and watched the 2:30 historical interpretation of a double hanging.   Inn mate Daniel has now branched out from being shot and was killed by hanging for the first time today. 

Next we all piled in the Florida contingent’s rented Suburban for a field trip to the community of Pony which is about a one hour drive from Virginia City.   Some of the visitors were related to a lady who lived in Pony in the early 1900’s and her home is still in the family.  No one lives in the house, but our visitors had obtained a key so we all went in and took a tour.  It was a fabulous old home, but the interior needed a lot of work.  The best part about it was all the original furnishings that were still there and in really good shape.  There were wonderful china pieces, a huge piano, beautiful wood bedroom sets, and a huge collection of old books including Ben Hur and Pecos Bill. 

On the way home from Pony we stopped and ate supper at our favorite pizza restaurant in Ennis.  We arrived back at the bed and breakfast about 8:45 p.m. and sat on the back porch again.  At 9:15 p.m. we headed out to Nevada City so we could go on the lantern tour, and poor Daniel got hung again tonight.  Our visitors packed in a lot of fun in one day, and they were all past ready for bed when they got home at 11:00 p.m.

 

Sunday, July 27, 2014

 It was a cool morning, and we walked to the bed and breakfast about 8:45 a.m. and shared breakfast with the Florida folks.  At 10:00 a.m. we all loaded up in the rented Suburban and Chuck drove us northwest over the mountains to Butte.  We had been there a couple of weeks ago, but we thought our guests would enjoy seeing that area. 

 Duel had told us earlier about a restaurant called Pork Chop John’s whose specialty is porkie sandwiches.  A porkie is a boneless pork chop pounded thin and then breaded, fried and served on a bun.  Since our tour didn’t start until 1:00 p.m. we went ahead and stopped here so we could soak up some local culture by eating a porkie.  It was pretty good but nothing to write home about.  (However, we seem to be writing home about it anyway.)

At 1:00 p.m. we began our trolley tour, but we had a different driver this time and got a different perspective on the area.  We stopped at the copper mine and bought some copper bracelets from the gift shop.  After the tour, Chuck drove us up to the mile high mine which overlooks the city of Butte and we were provided with a great view.  We then stopped at the Finlen Hotel in uptown Butte and went in to see the lobby area.  The hotel was built in 1923 and was designed after the famous Hotel Astor in New York City.   The lobby was beautiful and was appropriately decorated with copper light fixtures, bannisters, and fluted columns.  Some famous people who stayed at the Finlen were Charles Lindberg, Mrs. Herbert Hoover, Harry Truman, then Senator John F. Kennedy, and then Vice-President Richard Nixon. 

 

We stopped at Wal-Mart on the way home to buy some more water and sodas as this is a thirsty bunch we are hosting.  We arrived home about 5:45 p.m. and warmed up leftovers for supper in the rehearsal hall.   The inn mates joined us after they got off work and we managed to polish off most of the food.  Our visitors went back to their bed and breakfast to sit on the porch and rest while we cleaned up the dishes and visited with the inn mates.

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday, 7/23/14 and Thursday, 7/24/14

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

It was a warm day, and Chuck worked at the River of Gold by himself.  He stayed busy, but the most excitement he had was spotting a rat the size of a cat in the office closet. 

Cindy worked at the Nevada City museum and it was rather slow.  She did get to meet a family from Switzerland.  The oldest daughter is 16 and has spent the last eleven months as an exchange student in Portland, Oregon.  She just recently finished her high school freshman year and her parents and younger sister flew over here to join her for a three week vacation before they all head back home.  The oldest girl spoke fluent English and the rest of the family spoke just a few words, but they said she was teaching them English.  So far they have been to Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Rainer, Glacier National Park, and they are on their way to Yellowstone National Park before driving back to the Oregon Coast.   

Cindy got off at 6:30 p.m. and walked to the River of Gold where Chuck was still babysitting three people who were panning for gold.  He was finally able to close out his till and get off work at 7:00 p.m.  We went home and had to cook our own supper tonight because Daniel and his parents went to tour Butte and Helena today.  The rest of the inn mates were nowhere to be seen, so Chuck went to watch a Netflix move at the rehearsal hall and Cindy piddled around in the air conditioned room.  

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Today was our day off and we set off for Bozeman at 10:30 a.m. to shop for groceries.  We saw a couple of deer along the roadside on the way, and then we saw a family of ducks in the mall parking lot.   We stopped and ate Mexican food for lunch and then headed to Costco and Wal-Mart where we bought enough food for a small army. 

We got home at 6:15 p.m., and after unloading groceries we went to the rehearsal hall where the inn mates were in art mode.  Some inn mates are more talented than others. 

 

Cold in Summer, Monday, 7/21/14 and Tuesday, 7/22/14

Monday, July 21, 2014

 The weather was beautiful today—overcast and in the low seventies with a nice breeze.  Cindy worked at Nevada City, and Chuck worked at the gold panning operation with Duel.  They did the weekly cleaning of the panning troughs, and both of them pulled some muscles.  Cindy was supposed to work there today, but Chuck kindly switched with her so she didn’t have to do the lifting.  What a gentleman! 

Daniel went with his parents to Yellowstone National Park today, and it was Connor’s day off so he went to Helena to see his parents.  The only inn mate around this evening was Elise, so we shared a light supper with her and then we all went next door to the rehearsal hall and sat around like nerds working on our computers. 

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

The day started off hot.  Chuck played train engineer, and Cindy worked at the Virginia City depot and greeted him every hour when the train arrived.  By early afternoon it started raining and then turned cold.  It’s hard to believe, but it was so cold that we broke out blankets for the train passengers to huddle under.  Chuck did not have a jacket, and he came in the depot to try to warm up for a while.   By the time we got off work, it was nice shirt sleeve weather again.  It was very bizarre, but the locals claim it was a normal Montana day. 

Daniel had to work today because a preschool group came for a special tour and Daniel was their tour guide.   Daniel took them around Nevada City and then he took them to pan for gold.  One little boy clung to Daniel’s hand for most of the day.  Meanwhile, Dan and Kerri (Daniel’s parents) hung around town and got to see Daniel in action.  They also did some gold and garnet panning today. 

When we got home around 6:30 p.m. Dan and Kerri had supper prepared for all the inn mates again.  Tonight we had tacos with all the fixings—even homemade pico de gallo.  After supper we sat on the porch and enjoyed the evening. 

Inn mate Libby leads ghost tours about two evenings a week, and tonight was one of those nights.  The first stop on the ghost tour is the Bonanza Inn where she tells several ghost stories about our home.  She doesn’t like us to sit outside when she takes a group by, so she texted Daniel and asked that we all go inside.  We went inside the kitchen and sat in the dark while her group was outside.  Chuck and Daniel got the idea that they were going to set off their car alarms to scare the tourists, so we all hovered around the window trying to see their reactions to the alarms when they sounded.  Unfortunately, we were disappointed because the lights of the vehicles went on first and not a soul seemed to be bothered by the loud noise.  However, we are pretty sure that Libby was not too happy about the interruption and we will probably all hear about it tomorrow. 

 

 

Another Hanging, Saturday, 7/19/14 and Sunday, 7/20/14

Saturday, July 19, 2014

It was another hot day and Chuck worked at the gold panning operation with Duel.  One of the train cars jumped the tracks this morning near the gold panning river, so Chuck and Duel went to offer their assistance.  They were able to help Brian (the driver) and Connor (the conductor) lift the train car back onto the tracks.  Fortunately, this was an early train and there were no passengers on it at that time. 

At 2:30 p.m., Chuck took his lunch break and went to Nevada City to see the hanging of historic wagon train robber, Steve Marshland.  Steve was shot while trying to rob the wagon train of $50,000 worth of gold.  He also lost his horse during the holdup, but he got away and walked miles through the snow back to his home.  He got frostbite on his feet along the way and was in bad shape when the vigilantes tracked him down.  He was barefooted when he was caught, and he was taken out and hanged without his boots.  Some say that this was a mercy killing as he was already near to dead when he was found.

Cindy worked at the Virginia City depot with Joni, and we stayed consistently busy throughout the day but there was no excitement to report. 

Daniel’s parents arrived this afternoon from DeSoto, Kansas for a one week visit.  They have been reading the blog all summer, so they pretty much already knew everyone and we received big hugs when we met them.  Their names are Dan and Kerri Hoschouer, and we went out to eat with them in Ennis tonight along with inn mates Daniel and Jaimi.  They are a fun couple, and we could see where Daniel gets his personality.  Daddy Dan has worked 31 years for McCray Lumber and Millwork in Kansas City, and Kerri is a home health care worker.   

Dan and Kerri are staying at a hotel in Ennis, so Daniel and Jaimi rode with us and we arrived back home at 9:30 p.m. 

Daniel

Hoschouer Family

 

 

Sunday, July 20, 2014

It was another hot day.  Chuck worked at the Virginia City depot with Joni, and Cindy worked at Nevada City with Duel.  There was a family reunion group with the last name of Korn scheduled today to take a train ride.  They had made reservations for 22 people, but when they showed up there were 28 of them.  The train was overbooked, so Joni went outside to try and rearrange all the passengers to accommodate the Korns.  When she went back inside the depot, Chuck asked her if she was able to get all the kernals on the train and they both had a good laugh.   

Cindy and Duel stayed pretty busy, but it really gets crazy just before hanging time.  After we got the rush processed, Cindy took her lunch break and was just in time to see the Steve Marshland hanging.  Poor Steve was hanged twice this weekend, but he gets better at it every time.  Inn mate Daniel participated in the hanging by pulling the stool out from under Steve.  Daniel’s parents were on the front row, and he made them proud. 

Cindy noticed that Duel had a new haircut, and when she commented on it Duel told her that he had cut it himself and saved $20.  Cindy was amazed that he was able to cut his own hair, and she told him if his career as a lawyer doesn’t work out he can always resort to being a barber. 

We got off work at 6:30 p.m., and when we got home Daniel’s parents were cooking supper for everyone.  Daniel’s mom also washed the dishes that the inn mates had left in the sink for about a week.   Dan and Kerry fit in nicely with the Bonanza Inn family, and we all shared much laughter while reviewing some of the highlights of our summer thus far. 

 

 

 

 

 

The Usual, Wednesday, 7/16/14 thru Friday, 7/18/14

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

The weather was nice today.  Chuck drove Cindy to work at Nevada City, and then he went home to accomplish a few things as this was his day off.  Daniel and Jaimi were off work today, so they asked Chuck to drive them to Ennis in the new ride.  (Daniel wanted to go to a sporting goods store there as he is in the market for a gun.) 

At 6:00 p.m. Chuck showed up at Nevada City and helped Cindy lock up the buildings.  We got home about 6:30 and cooked a quick supper.  Sorry to bore you with this report, but there was not much happening today.  

 

 

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Chuck drove the train today, and Cindy worked at the Nevada City museum.  We were really busy today for a Thursday, and the train sold out three times. 

Duel and his parents used to live in West Yellowstone before moving to Virginia City, so they still have friends there.  One of their friends is the owner of the Playmill Theatre and last night all the inn mates were invited to go with them to see Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.   Jaimi, Elise, and Chuck got off work earlier than the others, so Chuck helped Cindy and Connor close up their operations while Jaimi and Elise went ahead to Ennis to order pizza as we were on a tight schedule.  We met the girls at the pizza place and ate a quick bite before loading up in the truck and heading south to West Yellowstone.  Daniel and Duel both had the day off, so they spent the entire day there and were waiting for us when we arrived at about 8:30 p.m.  Duel’s parents and their friend from South Carolina were also there, and once we were seated we were treated to a really good performance.  The costumes were great, and there was lots of singing and dancing to the tunes from the Disney movie namesake.   

It was after 11:00 p.m. when the show let out, and we did not get home until about 12:45 a.m. which made for a short night.

Friday, July 18, 2014

It was hot today.  Cindy worked at the gold panning operation, and Chuck worked at Nevada City.  There was not much excitement at work, but Chuck did meet nine students and their professor from Montana State University in Bozeman.  They are architecture students and came to make drawings/paintings of some of the old buildings.  We sell children’s whistles which are shaped like a train and are filled with bubbles.  We make a lot of money on these because children grab them up and blow them before anyone knows what they are doing.  There is a sign posted which states if you blow it, you buy it, so when one of the college students blew a whistle Chuck made him cough up some money.  When the student protested, Chuck asked him if they didn’t teach him to read at his university.   

We didn’t get off work until 7:00 p.m., and we went home and rested as the inn mates all went to the fair in Bozeman tonight. 

 

 

 

 

Big Souvenir, Monday, 7/14/14 and Tuesday, 7/15/14

Monday, July 14, 2014

We woke up this morning to cold rain and it stayed overcast most of the day.  Chuck worked at the Nevada City museum and Cindy had the day off so she changed the sheets and did lots of laundry and house cleaning.   She rode the noon train to Nevada City and took Chuck a sandwich for lunch. 

Connor and Daniel were both off work today, and they were very bored.  They showed up at Nevada City while Chuck was eating lunch, and then Daniel rode the 1:30 p.m. train back home with Cindy.  They also drove around town for a while trying to spot elk that Jaimi said she saw from the train.  Daniel later said they were imaginary elk.

Chuck didn’t have too many tourists today and nothing interesting to report.  Cindy went to pick him up from work and helped him out by locking up all the buildings at Nevada City.  When we got home, we were invited to a hamburger cookout at the rehearsal hall.  The big boss wore an apron and manned the grill.  The meal was a going away thank you for the AmeriCorps volunteer group.  They painted our Bonanza Inn while they were here and it looks much better. 

 

 

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

We woke up to cold rain again today.  We both had the day off and just goofed around until 11:00 a.m., and then we headed north to Helena.   Chuck has been shopping for a truck for the last three years, and he found one he liked at Helena via the internet so we took a road trip.  

After eating lunch we made it to the Ford dealership at 2:00 p.m.  The salesman was expecting us and had the truck sitting out front waiting for us.  They evidently needed to sell a truck today because we got a really good discount off the published price.  We also got more than we were expecting for the Mustang which we traded in as a down payment.  Most people on vacation take home a refrigerator magnet as a souvenir, but Chuck had to take home a four wheel drive truck.  Now we will be able to go down all the dirt roads around here which lead to really cool places if Cindy can convince Chuck to get it dirty. 

We returned home at 8:15 p.m. and were met by the inn mates who were very excited for us about our new purchase.  Duel was here and we all went to the rehearsal hall to play a new game that he bought for a dollar at the local secondhand store.  A good time was had by all and we told him we approved of his bargain purchase. 

 

 

 

 

Lantern Tour, Saturday, 7/12/14 and Sunday, 7/13/14

Saturday, July 12, 2014

There was a huge thunderstorm last night, so when morning came there were mud washes all in the downtown area.  Chuck got a call from the boss at 9:00 a.m. telling him to get to work ASAP as the train tracks were buried under mud in some of the road crossings.  He shoveled mud and also found a tree down on the tracks which he had to cut up with a chainsaw before the train could pass.  Fortunately, he is very efficient and the train was able to make the first run of the day with no problem. 

Chuck’s next job was to drive Andrew around to pick up garbage, and then he spent the rest of the day in the heat at the gold panning operation.  Cindy spent the day at the Virginia City train depot, and it was business as usual with nothing special to report.   

We got off work at 6:30 p.m. and met the inn mates at the local steak house.  We were all awarded gift certificates again by our employer to thank us for another record breaking revenue day last weekend.  It is nice to work for people who appreciate our efforts and reward us with these extra perks.  Dave Walker (formerly of the bands Fleetwood Mac and Black Sabbath) lives in Virginia City and he periodically performs at the steak house.  He was performing tonight, but he is definitely past his prime.   

At 9:30 p.m. we headed to Nevada City for a special lantern tour with the focal point being a duel.  As usual, we walked around the town with only old fashioned lanterns for light and watched the town nightlife unfold.  Inn mate Daniel was courting a girl on a bench and he was holding a courtin’ candle.  The girl’s father ran Daniel off with a gun as he said his daughter was too young.  Later on in the evening Daniel was shot and killed, and he was mourned by four different women.   Daniel is quite the ladies’ man. 

Dave Walker

Daniel, Duel, Elise

Sunday, July 13, 2014 

Cindy worked at the Nevada City museum with Duel today, and we were really busy because there was another duel this afternoon.  Poor Chuck worked again in the heat at the gold panning operation, and he was overwhelmed with lots of tourists.  His co-worker today was not much help, and he was pretty much left to his own devices.   

We got off work at 6:30 p.m. and headed home to rest.  The inn mates all drove to Dillon to go out to eat and buy some much needed groceries. 

Chuck's Co-worker

 

 

 

 

Refrigerator (Train) Repairman, Friday, 7/11/14

Friday, July 11, 2014

The train broke AGAIN today before it even made the first run.  Management called the train repair people who live in Dillon, and they said they were on the way.  Dillon is a one hour drive from here, and the repairmen showed up at 4:00 p.m.—we were expecting them at 10:30 a.m.  Meanwhile, all the employees were shuffled around and we were overstaffed as we thought the train would be back in service by noon.  We both worked at the Nevada City museum, so when the train guys showed up Chuck went across the street to supervise them.   Please look at the picture below and judge for yourselves why our train seems to be out of service so much. 

While we were working today, the septic tank guy that comes by once a week to pump out the port-a-potties came inside to tell us that the handicap port-a-potty is missing.  We contacted all parties who might know anything about this mystery, but since no one knew a thing we can only assume that it was stolen.  Duel’s dad said he hoped the thieves got the contents of their treasure all over them while it was being moved. 

We got off work at 6:00 p.m., and Chuck immediately installed the new window air conditioner.  It works like a dream, so the inn mates may not be seeing too much of us for the rest of the summer.  Of course, Chuck rubbed salt in the wound by having them all stop in our room to feel the nice cold air.

 

 

 

 

 

Mundaneness, Wednesday, 7/9/14 and Thursday, 7/10/14

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

We were the victims of more bad scheduling today, so Chuck had the day off and Cindy worked at the Nevada City museum. 

Chuck said he wouldn’t need the car, so Cindy drove herself to work today.  About 12:30 p.m. Chuck walked in the door of the museum and had arrived there via the train.  He visited while Cindy ate her lunch and then took the 1:30 train back home.  He did some laundry and then asked Jaimi and Daniel to help him pry open our bedroom windows so we could get some relief at night from the oppressive heat.  When Cindy got home he had a small screen in one window and a fan that just fit in the window opening in the second window.  The open windows made a huge difference in the room temperature. 

Chuck made taco salad for supper and had it ready when Cindy got home at 6:30 p.m.  We visited with the inn mates for a while and then called it a night.

 

Thursday, July 10, 2014

It was hot again and we don’t have anything exciting to report.  Chuck drove the train and Cindy worked at the Nevada City museum.  There weren’t too many tourists today, so it was a pretty boring day except that Chuck met a man from Hawaii who had recently seen Christopher’s ship while he was in port there. 

Shortly after we got home, Janet (the Victorian ball lady) drove up with a window air conditioner in her trunk.  We saw her at the Butte Wal-Mart a couple of days ago, and we told her we wished we had an A/C.  She said she had one she wasn’t using and we were welcome to use it for the rest of the summer.  However, Chuck was surprised and delighted when she made delivery today.  He plans to install it tomorrow.  It isn’t the same size as the window, so we shall see. 

 

The inn mates asked us to go get pizza with them tonight at Ennis.  Libby was not here, so the rest of us all crowded into Connor’s jeep for the trip over the mountains.  We have enough pizza left over for breakfast in the morning. 

 

 

Redneck Swimming Pool and Toxic Waste, Monday, 7/7/14 and Tuesday, 7/8/14

Monday, July 7, 2014

Due to crazy scheduling Cindy had the day off and Chuck worked at Nevada City.  Cindy did three loads of laundry and went to the rehearsal hall to use the internet for a little while.  She packed a lunch for Chuck and took it to him at about 12:45 p.m.  He worked by himself today and was glad to see her as she arrived just in time to help him sell tickets to a bus full of tourists. 

After lunch, Cindy drove over the mountains to Ennis to pick up some prescriptions.  Upon her return home she took a leisurely nap and read a book.  When she emerged from her room she saw Connor standing at the kitchen sink in his bathing suit.  He was filling up a five gallon bucket with hot water.  Upon questioning him about this activity, he replied that he was adding warm water to the swimming pool.  When did we get a swimming pool? 

Libby, Connor, and Daniel all had the day off and they decided they needed a pool as it was so hot today.  They drove to Ennis and purchased a tarp and then used it to line the bed of Daniel’s truck.  They then proceeded to the Virginia City depot and used a hose to add water to the redneck swimming pool.  Since the water was too cold to suit them, they merely added five gallons of hot water at a time until it was just the right temperature.  When Jaimi got home from work she joined them in the pool.  Jeff Foxworthy has nothing on these kids!

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

We both had today off, so after our chiropractor’s appointment this morning we decided to head to Butte for the rest of the day.  We went to Butte the first week we were here, and we thought it was an ugly place with poor shopping facilities.   We have been reading up on Butte and decided we should give it a second chance, and we are glad we did. 

Gold was discovered in Butte in 1864, followed by silver, and then copper.  Butte still produces copper and supplies 25% of all that is used in the United States.  The original mines were dug in the 1870’s and were used until 1979.  The mines are deep vertical pits in the ground with many horizontal tunnels leading off from the sides of the pit where veins of ore were found.  There are approximately 10,000 miles of underground workings in the Butte area—4200 miles of vertical shafts and 5600 miles of main horizontal openings.   

The mines were topped with tall, black, steel structures called gallus frames which contained a hoist house.  The gallus frames used a system of cables and lifts to lower miners to their work, as well as bringing up load after load of ore.  In the early days, mules were put into straight jacket type harnesses and lowered into the mines.  The mules were used to pull ore carts in the horizontal tunnels, and once they were in the ground they spent the rest of their lives there.  There have been over 2300 recorded miner deaths in Butte since they started keeping such records. 

In 1955 it was decided that open pit mining would be the easier way to go, so now there are two ugly gaping holes on the north side of Butte where there used to be mountains.  The Berkeley Pit was closed in 1982 and is now filled with billions of gallons of toxic wastewater which the city is attempting to manage.  They have installed noise makers around the perimeter of the pit in an attempt to discourage birds from getting in the water as it kills all life that is unlucky enough to come in contact with the contagion.  The Continental open pit was begun in 1986 and is still operating today. 

We took an hour and a half trolley tour around town and stopped at the Berkeley Pit to view the monstrosity and take a few pictures.  It was an interesting tour and worth the time.  We also took a tour of the 34 room mansion built by “Copper King” William Andrews Clark in 1884.  It no longer belongs to the Clark family, but the current owners have turned it into a Bed & Breakfast with prices ranging from $75 to $125 per night.  The plumbing and bathroom fixtures are still original, so one shouldn’t expect too much luxury in that department by today’s standards. 

After our tours, we stopped in at a local dive and tried a meat pasty (pronounced passtee).  This is what the early miners usually packed in their lunch boxes.  It is a type of bread dough stuffed with beef, potatoes, and onions and then baked to a golden brown.  The miners ate their pasties plain, but we had ours on a plate served with gravy on top.  It wasn’t bad fare, but it seemed rather bland to our taste buds.   

After a quick stop at Wal-Mart, we headed southeast over the mountains and arrived home about 7:00 p.m.