Sorry it has been so long since I last wrote. It has been a crazy-fun couple of days and I was busy enjoying it all, so I won't apologize any more for that. It has been a lot of fun however, and it really started in earnest late Wednesday afternoon. That was when my friends, George and Marge, from the South Denver area, arrived for a couple of days stay. They had been due in around noon but were delayed a few hours by having a tire blow out on the trip up here. Fortunately they had some help along the way and after a couple hour delay were back on the road with a couple new tires on their van.
    After arriving we just sat out in front of the trailer under the awning and sipped a couple glasses of cold drinks. I had figured they would be a little frazzled with all that had gone on so I had put together a quick dinner for us, including some chicken thighs I baked up using a recipe that was on Facebook a couple of days ago. It sounded really good, claiming it was an easy way to get chicken that tasted just like Buffalo Hot Wings. Turned out that it didn't turn out anything like that, but still good tasting enough, just no hot, gooey, spicy, finger licking good wings. Or in our case thighs. They were still good enough, and along with some bread, fresh fruit and more cold drinks, we did just fine.
   Thursday dawned clear and sunny and we were up early for some breakfast and some time just spent there in the campground. It really is a nice place to stay, with pine covered hills and open grass covered hillsides in view from the trailer. But we were soon loaded up in the truck and on our way to one of our favorite places to visit, the 'Fur Trader Museum' just outside of Chadron. We have all been there at least 5 times, but it is still one of our very favorite museums. Not only holding information and items from the fur trapping and period most important here in this part of the country in the late 1800's, it also talks about fur trading in other parts of the world including China, Russia and certainly Canada. With items as diverse as a 30 foot long birch bark trade canoe capable of hauling nearly 30 tons of goods and people, to a Inuit raincoat made out of seal intestines, to trade goods, guns, knives, food etc, etc.... The first time through it took us more than 6 hours to see and read everything. Now a days we are usually in and out in about two hours, but it is still wonderful to see all of the displays and some of the new items that often show up. We had a great time but once done there we just headed back to the trailer and had some lunch and then hung out for the rest of the day just talking, napping and reading. It was just a nice day.
   Friday also dawned clear and hot. It was the real start of what is known as 'Fur Traders Day's' in Chadron and part of it includes lots of people setting up little tables and booths on the grounds of the court house where they sell home made goods, knicky-knacky kind of stuff, and of course, the ubiquitous food trailers. We were there pretty early so there weren't that many booths set up yet, but then, none of us are really into that kind of thing anyway, so we didn't stay very long. It was however a great time for me to run into the court house there and pick up the forms I needed to apply for a new passport, as my current one is due to run out this fall and I hope to make good use of one next year.
    Since it was very hot that day we decided to head back to the trailer after that. We took the long way around and took a few back roads to get there, just to show George and Marge a few places they hadn't seen before. Once back at the trailer we went ahead and had some lunch, took naps, read books and just sat around a talked.
  We hung out for most of the afternoon and then packed up and headed over to Fort Robinson, about 28 miles west of Chadron. The purpose of the trip was to have some dinner at the restaurant there on the fort grounds and then see the play '9 to 5' at the Post Playhouse'. Dinner was pretty good as we all ordered roast buffalo with mashed potatoes and gravy. It tasted good, but being buffalo, was maybe a little drier than one would like. I was happy to have gravy to eat with it.
   The play is one of 5 that they are doing at the summer stock theatre this year. Having already seen one play, 'The Sound of Music', I had high hopes for this performance. We had front row, center seats for the three of us and the show was quite a hoot. I had never seen either the movie or any play based on it, so it was all new to me. But the performers were wonderful and they had us and the rest of the audience in stitches for the whole evening
   Once the play was over we walked out into the cool of the evening as a rain storm had passed through while we were in enjoying the performance. Not a bad drive back to the trailer even though the roads were wet. But no deer or antelope tried to jump out in front of the truck thankfully. Once back at the trailer though we found that the leak in the roof, which had seemed to be fixed for several months now, was back. Not a huge leak thankfully, but enough water to make the foot of the bed, where George and Marge were sleeping, damp. I dug out a light plastic tarp and spread it over the 'wet' spot and then added some additional covers in case it kept dripping through the night. Not a perfect fix, but it worked well enough that everyone managed to get some sleep. I will be looking at the roof 'ONCE AGAIN', when I have time to dig the ladder out of the back of the truck.
     George and Marge packed up and left before noon on Saturday. It was great timing as my sister, Kathy and her husband Mark, drove up that day to spend some time at Fur Trader Days and see both of their sons. I met them and their son Luke over at my other nephews place in town. We were all headed to the town of Crawford for some lunch and then on to the Post Playhouse for yet another play. This one was going to be 'Schoolhouse Rock'. But first we had a nice meal at a local restaurant there in town, the Ranch House. I had chicken fried steak, a meal that I haven't had since the last time I was in town last year. It was yummy, and way to filling.
   The play was very good of course, the performance was outstanding as this group of actors is top notch. It however is a play geared more for young children, of which there were many in the audience, so it was a little long for someone who learned how to multiply by 10 many years ago. That being said, it would of been fun to have had some of my grand nieces and nephews there in the audience with me. Maybe next time.
    We all went on back to Chadron after that and then I went on back to the trailer for a nice, though short, nap. Back on the road around 6:00 and a quick stop at Micky D's so I could plug in and at least check my email account from the past few days. Nothing of any real import so I was on the way back to Fort Robinson soon after that. I had ordered a single ticket to the evenings play, 'Guys and Dolls' and it was time to go be entertained once again.
    Front row seat of course and I was enthralled by the whole performance. Every single one of the actors up on stage was perfect for their part and the only criticism I might have is that the lead female actor had a to perfect voice at times. I feel it would of been better if it had been a little more gravelly and common, but that is just me. Otherwise it was more than two hours of rollicking good fun watching 1930's gangsters trying to find the perfect place to hold their big 'crap' game. Along the way we also have two simultaneous love stories weaving through the rest of the show. It was marvelous.
    I had promised my sister and nephew that I would join them all after the play at a local bar where Brian's band was going to be playing. I got there around 11:00 p.m., which turns out to be just about the right amount of time for me. I managed to drink a couple of beers, listen to Brian and the band, for which I am now nearly deaf, and watch countless skinny cowboys and girls and collage students "dance" out in front of the band. No one actually 'went down' as far as I could tell, but there were a couple near misses and lots of spilled beer on the dance floor. We closed the place down and then everyone else stayed for the after party while I headed back to the trailer and some much needed sleep.
    And it was a really wonderful night of sleep over all. I really enjoy having friends stay with me at times, but I have to admit that it is really nice to sleep in my own bed again, and give up the couch to just use as a place to take short naps. Not sure why my bed is so comfortable, but it is as good as any other bed I have slept on.
    That being said; I was still up earlier than I thought I would be. Kathy and Mark came by about 10:00 as I was finishing up breakfast and reading some of my book. They had bought a new/used 4-wheeler while up here and were taking it out on some back roads to check it out. I met them about 45 mins later, after cleaning up and taking a shower, out on one of the dirt forest roads around the area. They gave it a good try out and found it met with all of their expectations. A good hour or so of being out in the woods on a beautiful morning. We soon loaded the UTE back up into their pickup and headed back to town. After saying good by to them all it was time for me to head over to McDonald's again so I could log on and finally get caught up on everything. Sorry it is such a long missive, but I hope I'll be able to keep up with posts for at least a couple of days. Can't promise that though.
    For now, let me leave you with a picture I took last year while I was here in the Chadron area. This is taken outside the 'Post Playhouse' on the grounds of Fort Robinson State Park.

The 'Post Playhouse Theatre' on the grounds of Fort Robinson State Park just west of the town of Crawford Nebraska.

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