Melancholy...

Well Pardners... Tis the end of another very busy and successful season here in The Town Of Dry Gulch. Almost five thousand visitors this season! It started on a cool spring day in May, went through an incredibly hot and beautiful summer, and ended this past weekend on a rather cool and windy fall day.

I always get exhausted by seasons end, as it takes you to the limits with a demanding seven days a week schedule. There are acres of grass to keep cut, trails to be constantly groomed, "tons" of rocks to be re-positioned, repairs and maintenance on Fuzzys' Hut and The Miniature Town and Railroad, and a variety of after event clean-ups. I answer a mountain of questions on gemstone identification, solve hundreds of disputes with who found what first, get tugged around by lil' munchkins who want "The Sheriff" to personally help them find the gold, and do my very best to make each and every kid feel special (after all... I'm helping them to build a memory of an "awesome" summer experience, and that's a whole lot of responsibility to take on!)

Does it sound like I'm complaining? Not in any shape or form! These kids were wonderful this season... only a few questionable problems out of thousands of visitors... and that ain't too durn bad!

My only problem now is that of "MELANCHOLY". The prattle of tiny voices, the constant laughter, and the stampeding of small feet up and down the trails will not be heard again till next spring... Why is it that the summers fly by, but the winters just drag on?