Tuesday, 8/19/14 through Thursday, 8/21/14

 

Tuesday, August 19, 2014 

We got up early to hug Connor and Jaimi before they departed this morning.  Jaimi is making a seven hour drive to see her Dad in Cusick, Washington before starting school next week, and Connor drove home to Helena.  They became good friends over the summer and assure us that they will remain friends since they attend the same university in Dillon. 

Chuck drove the train today, and Cindy worked at the Nevada City museum.  It was a slow day, and there is nothing much to report.  It turned rainy and cold about 5:00 p.m., and when Chuck got through on the train he went to help Cindy lock up the buildings at Nevada City. 

It was strange going home to the Bonanza Inn.  Elise is the only other one there now, and it seemed really empty and quiet.  We all worked together to prepare chicken stir fry and fried rice.  After supper, Cindy made a broccoli salad for tomorrow night while Elise did the dishes.   

We sat around and visited a while, and at 9:00 p.m. we announced that we were going to bed.  Poor Elise had no idea what to do with herself since she usually stayed up late with the inn mates.  She said she was going to text the inn mates and then read a book for a while. 

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

It was cold this morning, but it warmed up temporarily.  By early afternoon it was raining again and Chuck was wet and cold since he was driving the train.   It was in the low sixties, but it felt colder and the train passengers were snuggled up under blankets.  More of the same weather is predicted through the weekend. 

Cindy worked at the Virginia City depot, and she was able to huddle by the heater.  Business was brisk this morning, but it dropped off as the weather got worse.   

Today was Duel’s last day of work as he starts back to law school next Monday in Boise, Idaho.  We invited him to come eat supper with us and Elise tonight.  Chuck got off work earlier than Cindy did, so he went home to start the grill at the rehearsal hall.  When Cindy got home, he was very frustrated because the grill was out of gas and the spare tanks were also empty.  He had bought some steaks to grill when we were in Idaho Falls, so he was sad when he had to broil them in the oven instead.  Oh well—they were still delicious and everyone enjoyed the meal.

After supper, we played two rounds of Smart Ass with Elise and Duel each winning a round.  That made us the dumb asses, but everyone already knows that. 

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday, August 21, 2014

It was cold and rainy this morning.  Chuck changed the oil in the train engine this morning, and then he and Joni took turns driving the train and playing conductor.  Cindy worked at Nevada City today and she opened the buildings in the cold rain.   

It was really slow this morning, but the weather cleared up for most of the afternoon and business picked up a bit.  Chuck got through on the train at 5:30 p.m., and then he went to Nevada City to lock up the buildings for Cindy.  It was cold and rainy again by then, so he got wet while doing his good deed.   

We got home at 6:30 p.m. and ate a bite of supper.  The Montana Heritage Commission operates a historic area in Helena called Reeder’s Alley, and Elise and some of her co-workers spent the day working there.  We don’t expect to see her until bed time, so it was even quieter than usual at the Bonanza Inn tonight.