Warrior Weekend June 2011 - The Beginning....

Planning any event, no matter how small, turns out to be work........
And after months of government calls, information leading to other information, and paperwork, we were approved to host convalescing warriors at our Tonkawaya Ranch B&B.

Setting up -  a week long process.... up and down the hill with every imaginable extra tool, electrical device, object for seating, and (really!) including the KITCHEN SINK!  Joe worked with a pick axe for four days in the hard ground, sans rain for months, burying water lines...

 Day of -  antsy with anticipation - how many would come?  Would families show up?  What would they think?  Keeping busy with set-up and details...
We had a great number of people volunteer their talents to make this event what it turned out to be - amazing!

Lesson #1 - learned a long time ago, don't ever turn away anyone who volunteers to help.  And lesson #2 - allow the talented to "flow" in their talents without micromanaging... there's enough to be done for everybody to be in charge of something....

So, at 2:00 (check-in time) we were all at our posts, standing and waiting. And waiting, and waiting, and wondering, and by 5:00 maybe some were imbibing... and cooking, and wondering.... "no one here but us chickens" ....

I had to laugh when the first group rolled in and parked... volunteers outnumbered Warriors by 20 to 1!  It worked out well.  Our first couple was assigned the Honeymoon Cabin.  Found out later they were celebrating an anniversary (which was June 2), and his birthday - June 5.  Funny how things work out perfectly. Second couple showed shortly thereafter - here to spend an early anniversary together, as he was being deployed back to Afghanistan, prior to June 24, their First anniversary....

Volunteers brought out a full size walk in cooler - good for two things: first, kept all the food the whole weekend, andsecond, a good place to run inside an cool off in the heat!

 Families trickled in - and the food came off the grill, the entertainment and music showed up, and the weekend was ON... nothing like the smell of good food, crickets chirping, rockers on the porch, and views for 30 miles to settle everybody in and create a relaxing atomosphere...

Some of the best fajitas I ever ate!  Thanks to Jerry Biesenbach and wife/sous chef Joni and friends...  Fajitas, beans, salad, Mexican cake, queso with chips, and Banana Pudding.  Of anything that could fail, I had an electric ice cream maker going, and going, and going, and going, and going.... forgot to watch it, looked like cream sauce after three hours- didn't matter... we all had so much good food and good company we all forgot about it anyway.. (Whew!)

Mike Blakely, Texas based entertainer, came out to play for the Warrior families,

sang some original songs, visited with the warriors, played a few of their favorites.  Thank Goodness he brought CD's!  Signed a few autographs and stayed to visit awhile.

     Phil Bob Borman, true cowboy, artist, sculptor, storyteller, and Cowboy Preacher joined in with tales of his travels and played a little music, too.

And as the day waned, the moon rose, and folks leaned back in their chairs to gaze at the stars, we all pronounced it a good day.

Job Well Done.