In March of last year our friend, and we like to think, personal cruise director, Hettie, and her husband, Ronnie, invited us to join them and mutual friends, Walter and Cleone (think adventure #1), on this Atlantic crossing with Princess Cruises. We can’t believe the time has actually come to set sail.

Walter and Cleone lived in the UK for a couple years in the 80s and went a week early to connect with old friends and visit favorite sites. Hettie and Ronnie left yesterday so they could have a down day in London. We are flying overnight tonight and will meet Hettie and Ronnie at the Hertz kiosk at Heathrow Airport in the morning at 9 sharp. They have arranged for a rent-a-car which we’ll need to get the 75 miles south to the port of Southampton. Ron is our designated driver, thank heaven, since neither of us is brave enough to drive more than a block on the left/wrong side of the road.

Stay tuned………

Where/what the heck is the Eastern Shore? The term refers to a peninsula in Maryland on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay. Getting there from Virginia involves crossing the four+ mile long Bay Bridge (once the world’s longest continuous over-water steel structure) up by Annapolis and then heading south along the water. The area comprises a third of Maryland’s landmass but less than 10% of its population, so by east coast standards it’s semi-rural and not heavily populated, so it offers a nice change from the hassle, hustle, and bustle of the city. There is a series of quiet coastal towns formerly known for ship building, fishing, and agriculture but now home to quaint shops and restaurants, B&Bs, small resorts, restored old homes, nature trails, bike paths, and so forth. The 90 mile drive is beautiful, flat, and picturesque with fresh produce stands all along the route.

Destination: Harbourtowne Golf Resort in St. Michaels, a small town that sprang up around a church of the same name that was built there is 1677.

Why have an adventure there?  Dan’s business unit had an offsite there and plus ones were  included. Having been before, I knew that we’d get a small suite with a private deck overlooking the water. I also knew there would be other fun significant others to hang with, most of whom I’ve gotten to know pretty well over the years.

Tuesday, the 4th, was an optional day of golf or resort-based activities. I decided I’d subject the others to the resurrection of my very sad golf game by participating in the best ball tournament. I had not picked up a club in at least five years and then just to play once a year or so. There were three foursomes, each with a strong player, a medium player, an erratic player, and then someone new to the game or just plain bad. I filled out the just-plain-bad spot on my foursome. We had a great day for golf with full sun and a soft breeze to take your mind off the nearly 100 degree heat. The three men on my team were loads of fun and easily flabbergasted by the inconsistency of my spontaneous brilliance (occasionally chipping and putting better than the others), unabashed dumb luck (bouncing a ball off a tree with the necessary precision to position it right in the center of the fairway), complete ineptitude (“Anyone see where that went?”), and cheerful suaveness  (“Wow, Oreo brownies in our sack lunch.”). No matter … we came in second place and each got a $50 gift certificate for the pro shop. (A complete aside: Dan’s team came in first. Really?) Dinner that night was at a quaint place downtown St. Michele’s, a five minute drive. I tried relentlessly to bring the conversation around to how bad-ass the just-plain-bad golfers had done earlier in the day but no one was having it.

The tag along plus ones and I started the second day with a leisurely seven mile bike ride in and around the resort. The terrain was flat so the going was easy. After a quick lunch downtown we went sailing. Captain Iris is the 3rd generation guardian of the 42 foot Selina II, the wooden sailboat we were on. Her grandparents had it built to spec and after 30+ years passed it to her parents who enjoyed and looked after it for 30+ years and now it is hers to enjoy. Frosting on the cake was the perfect weather and the cherry on top was the bald eagle that kept circling behind the boat as we sailed along. A delicious crab cake dinner was a great way to end the day.

Thursday was full and fun also. Three ladies and I squeezed in a game of make-up-our-own-rules horseshoes before lunch. With a stroke of dumb luck, I won! Note to self: It really pays to play with people who have never seen a horseshoe. Everyone said their goodbyes around three and we headed to the airport in Baltimore to pick up Murphy who was coming into town to spend the weekend with college pals. The three of us headed to Barb (adventure #11) and David’s for dinner and a fun evening of reminiscing about fun times we’ve shared over the almost 30 years we’ve known each other. After a fun dinner we dropped Murphy off at his friend’s place and drove the hour south to get home.

I decided from the get-go that I’d lay over in Salt Lake when my fellow cowgirls headed home. I had a blast all week hanging out with Jen, Rhett, and Cyd and playing with the kids, Jolie (5 going on 12), Rafe (a solid 3), and Maverick (3 months and ready to roll over for the first time).

Frosting on the cake: Si and Susan drove the six hours from their home in Meeker, Colorado to join us for a day and a half. Cyd was visiting, so the three Woodruff kids had a mini-reunion which was very special since we had not been together since our dad’s funeral three years ago. Dan flew in for the weekend which meant we had a full compliment of in-laws as well.

Two extra special activities: Pioneer Days is in July each year. It is a celebration of the arrival in the Utah Territory in 1847 of Brigham Young and the Mormons who were looking for a new place to settle, one that was far enough west and isolated enough that they would not be persecuted and run off like they had been in New York, Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois. We enjoyed two of the various events planned during the week, a concert and a parade. The concert was in the Conference Center on Temple Square (the Square is the #1 tourist attraction in Utah) and featured the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square. They performed three tributes to the pioneers who trudged their way west and then focused the rest of the program on Broadway hits to a capacity crowd of 21,000. Laura Osnes, fresh from playing Cinderella on Broadway, was the guest soloist. A stop at Dairy Queen on the way home topped off a perfect day.

The parade, a week after the concert, was in the center of town and featured colorful floats of all sorts as well as marching bands, pipers decked out in  kilts, motorcycle police, horse drawn wagons of all sorts, hand carts, Chinese dragons, clowns … you name it. We decided to celebrate the fun experience with a stop for lunch at Bruges Waffles and Frites. By lunch I mean dessert and French fries. My waffle was topped with fresh strawberries, ice cream, and whipped cream. Rhett’s featured melted Belgian chocolate. All enjoyed under the shade of a tree.

Crafts class for the craft-challenged: Jen has a lot of fun making her own greeting cards, tags, and bakery boxes and offered to teach Cyd and me how to use the equipment and make one card and one box each. Oh boy did she have her work cut out for her. No kidding, it took us two whole nights to make our cards. Jen admits it was not what would be considered a card for beginners but still…two whole nights! We laughed so hard our sides ached. Jen finally declared it Crafts Class for Seniors which just made us burst out laughing again. In spite of all our fits and starts our cards turned out beautifully. We gave Jen a one night break and then tackled the boxes. I have to say they were easier although it took to midnight for us both to assemble ours. They turned out great with not a single flaw that couldn’t be disguised.

Other highlights:  One afternoon all the girls went to see the new Cinderella movie which was so cute. Jolie’s favorite part was when the Fairy God Mother did her magic and turned her miserable dress and Cinderella’s into beautiful princess dresses.

Jolie and I played princess and slept together. She made me promise that we’d sleep with our eyes open all night so we could talk anytime we wanted to. We also set up a little beauty salon, but the make up side of the house collapsed, unfortunately, when we lost our make up privileges as a consequence for abusing Mom’s cosmetics. Bummer.

Rafe’s favorite things involve transportation of any kind. You have him at truck or train. Fresh fruit of any kind is a close second. He favored Cyd, so I had to force myself on him, poor thing, which he tolerated well. He always shot out a greeting while he walked passed me toward Grandma Cyd.

Maverick was just a precious lump that took in all the noise and excitement without a fuss. He slept, cooed, napped, and entertained himself wherever we put him and could easily be bribed with a pacifier. He was swaddled before bed at night, so I especially enjoyed watching him stretch his mini-limbs in the morning. It took a few minutes before he worked out all the kinks and was ready to take on the day.

In order to have the kids to ourselves, we offered Jen and Rhett a night out. We ran the two big kids through the sprinkler, loaded and reloaded soaker water guns, catered SpaghettiOs for dinner. Thanks to the magic spell Cyd cast, we had them to bed and asleep before their parents got home. I hate to admit it, but it took two of us to take proper care of the three of them.

My fun week ended at Olympic Park (think 2002) in Park City, Utah. We had just enough time before my 5:00 pm flight to squeeze in two activities. The first one was an amazing ski jump demonstration with Olympians as well as hopefuls practicing their various jumps, twists, spins, and flips off steep runs of various heights into a million gallon pool of water. The finale had all the performers going down at once and successfully hitting their mark in the swimming pool. A must since it would be a disaster for them to land on top of one another all decked out in skis and boots. From the ski jump pool we headed to the zip line. While Jen watched the little people Cyd, Rhett, and I headed up the lift to strap on gear for the 55 mile an hour zip down 1,400+ feet. Cyd and I both admit to screaming as soon as we shot off the platform. No time for fries, waffles, or ice cream cones to top of the wonderfully fun week; we had just enough time to get me to the airport for a fast good bye and my flight home.

Jen and Rhett were wonderful hosts who went out of their way to make me feel totally at home. I had such a blast with the kids and had free rein to pitch in anytime, dispense snacks off schedule, cuddle Maverick even when he was sleeping, and save our gum to chew again tomorrow.

We reluctantly rolled out of bed knowing it was our last wake-up in this beautiful setting. After the usual huge breakfast Barb headed out to ride with Paige, Pat got organized to leave, and Cleone and I hayed the horses one last time. This time was a little different: the horses were all friskier and noisier for one thing. For the first time three colts approached. They would not eat out of our hands but came within a couple arm lengths. A small group of mustangs that had recently been rescued from San Diego stayed in the background as did a small group of mostly all white ones. We saw an albino too.

Noon was take off time, so we hurried back to throw things in our suitcases, say our goodbyes, and hit the road for the three hour drive to Salt Lake.

Lucky for us we had one last treat in store. My niece, Jennifer (Cyd’s daughter), lives at Hill Air Force Base, just north of Salt Lake City, with her husband and three cute-as-a-fricken-button children. They invited us all for dinner, so we had a really fun last evening together in the company of her family and Cyd, who is visiting from Arkansas, and Dan, who flew in just ahead of our arrival.

After we got done taking pictures of our cute, old selves this morning, Pat and I made the other two pledge to never ever go out without underwear no matter the circumstances. Once that was settled we enjoyed a full-on alfresco breakfast before heading back to the ranch. While breakfast was being set up, we watched two groups of horses trot up a nearby mountain. Dust trails are the dead giveaway that a group is on the move, so we’ve been in the habit of looking for that clue. We can easily spot them if they are not moving also … as long as they are close enough.

The ride back to the ranch was beautiful. We got back in time to clean up, shop the gift shop, and get organized for an alfresco lunch of quail, my first ever. Chef Dave made it with a no-soy type of soy sauce, which was spectacular, and served it on a bed of arugula. We had been such enthusiastic foodies and eager eaters that Chef Dave invited us all to come back ahead of the evening meal for a cooking demonstration.

Barb used some of our free time in the afternoon to take a real ride. By real ride I mean one unencumbered by the three of who don’t like to move faster than a brisk walk. She rode with two of the horse wranglers and had a blast. Pat napped, I caught up on the blog, and Cleone posted pictures and got friendly with the Swiss couple who had just arrived.

Around 6:30 we all went to Chef Dave’s cooking demonstration. He poached shrimp, walked us through smashed potatoes, made hot bacon dressing right before our eyes, introduced us to the Middle Eastern spice zahtar, and showed us how to cook a steak with the poele method where you ladle hot, melted butter over the steak constantly. Little did we know the steaks we devoured the first night had been prepared this way.  We enjoyed homemade pizza squares and white wine while we watched.

We were excused to the saloon for cocktails and the shrimp he had poached while Chef Dave prepared our evening meal which, as usual, divine. After dinner Nix showed us a video of our trip. This fun surprise made us laugh laugh. The evening concluded out by the fire with Viktor on the guitar and more dancing and singing by Joe who was wearing beautiful clothing and a headdress made with porcupine quills.

We all headed to bed talking about how fast the time had passed and our reluctance to leave.

After crazy winds, black clouds, and a few drops of rain we woke to another beautiful day. Pat slept in, Cleone, Barb, and I met at the saloon for coffee and a yoghurt before we went out to toss hay to the horses. I brought my bag of horse treats that Barb gave each of us to see if I could make the most four footed friends. I failed. Since the wild horses are not used to ‘treats’ they could have cared less, per Paige.

After a yummy breakfast buffet, we loaded into Mavericks, a kind of ultra stable 1000cc ATV, and headed off-road for an exciting, DUSTY, ride up to some rock formations. We enjoyed a short hike, took in the beautiful vista, and then took a few pictures. When Barb was sliding down a rock where she had posing, she tore her jeans big time. We all cracked up when she said, “I knew I should have worn underwear today.” We thought it was a joke until she turned around and mooned us.

After showers we grabbed lunch and headed off for an overnighter in the Goshure Valley. No power lines, no noise, tens of thousands of stars, a huge campfire, and sheep herder wagons to sleep in. We loved it! First order of business was to go to the shooting range where Nix gave us a tutorial at a small range set up in the trees. We each had the opportunity to shoot two pistols: a 45 cowboy long colt and a sig 226 9mm. The rifles we tried out were: Henry lever action 22, AR 15 (22 cal), 45 long colt pump action, two AR15 5.56 mm M4s, and my favorite the 7.62mm Larue Tactical sniper rifle. The girl to beat was Barb and we all surprised ourselves and gave her quite a run for her money. The lessons finished with long range shooting, a big finale since two of the targets exploded in a big cloud of smoke when they were hit…leaving no question that they had been destroyed. Pat hit the first one at 150 yards out and Barb the second one at 180 yards. When it was my turn I had no choice but to nail (with the Larue) the little red man 225 yards out. Guess what? I hit it FOUR times and have worked that into the conversation as often as humanly possible ever since. I tried to nickname myself Hotshot but Nix reminded me that choosing one’s own nickname is not exactly how it is done.

A couple people headed back to the ranch after dinner along with most of the staff. We four slept in sheep herder wagons situated in the trees. Each had its own outhouse just in case that was worrying you. After dinner, out by the fire, Cassandra played banjo and sang; Ira played the guitar and sang; and Joe sang a few Native American songs and, at our request, explained the beautiful beaded cuffs (made by his grandma) and bolo ring, and steel bicep cuffs he was wearing.

The camp was ideally situated facing a meadow where we could see our buddies, wild mustangs.  Magic!

We were up early to pose for a zillion pictures in our matching red nighties. Our favorite was on an old chuck wagon. Barb and Cleone volunteered to climb up on the driver’s seat. We doubled over laughing when Cleone told Nix, who volunteered to be our photographer, to turn around while she climbed up because she was not wearing any underwear. What is with these girls and underwear?!?

OK, so who is making all this fun possible? We have spent most of our time with a few of the staff. Paige, Ira and Cassandra (between 19 and 34) are wranglers born and raised on horses and so good at what they do. Not once have they laughed at us. Nix, a retired Navy Seal, is the activities coordinator always aiming to please. Big Mark, 26, is the ranch manager who takes the care and maintenance of the fields and machinery very seriously. Doing a lot of the behind the scenes work are 25 foreign students from Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Ukraine who are here for the season (May through September). Chef Dave Oland is responsible for all the amazing food we have eaten. Think along the lines of black truffle dressing, quail, venison, and the other treats you’ve already read about.

The light coming through the muslin panels on the French door and large window woke me at 5:00. I jumped up thinking I was late starting the day. We sorted out the time and went back to bed. I was up an hour later though and parked myself on the front porch until time to get dressed for the 7:30 meet-up. The view was serene and breathtaking with wild mustangs in the distance.

First order of business: feed the wild mustangs. They do not need to be fed since grass is plentiful this time of year, but for the sheer pleasure of the guests, they are given s snack to entice them to come close. We sat on the back of a hay wagon and drove through the gate that separates the wild from the tame horses and …wow… 300 or so mustangs were waiting for us. A few small bales of hay were separated and thrown off the wagon and then small bits were left for us to use to entice the brave ones to come and eat out of our hands. Really special. By the way, the herd is 800+ strong, so there were a few hundred on the other side of the mountain not at all interested in us or our free food.

We went back to the saloon after this fun and dove into a huge breakfast. Then it was time to saddle up and ride. Our destination was the top of Spruce Mountain. We drove to the base of the mountain, saddled up, and off we went. Three of us rode mustangs and Barb, the only real rider in our group, was on a quarter horse. We road up, up, up for an hour and a half going from 5,659 to 8,896 feet. We passed an old silver mine and a small herd of cows being tended by three dogs and two Peruvian cowboys. Lunch was laid out for us by the time we got to the top. The views were amazing as you can imagine. After lunch we headed down the mountain. My mount, Velvet, was in a big hurry and kept jogging along and did not appreciate my efforts to control her and make her walk. After giving it my best for about 15 minutes, I decided to get off and take the lunch truck down. Cleone and Barb stuck it out all the way down.

Some of us opted for baths and others showers to freshen up for cocktails. On the porch of the saloon we enjoyed drinks, mini pizza squares, fois gras on homemade bread rounds, and poached quail eggs.  Nix shared some interesting Navy Seal stories to include a couple about his friend, Chris Kyle, the American Sniper. An amazing Colorado lamb dinner (best chop I’ve ever had actually) was served in the saloon. Viktor was table side serenading us on the guitar.

Cleone headed to bed as soon as the apple cobbler (served in individual cast iron crocks) was cleared. I am blogging at the bar right this minute; Pat is chatting with Nix and the other couple, here from California; and Barb is chatting with Viktor about all things music.

Check in time at Mustang Monument is 3:00, so we were in no rush to head to Nevada. After a late breakfast, a stop at Target, a fabulous lunch at Kneaders (new to all of us but Pat), we headed out of town. The three hour drive took us through the desert past the Great Salt Lakes and the Bonneville Flats. For the most part it was quite desolate until we got into Nevada and gained a little altitude.

We drove through the gate of Mustang Monument and the charm of the understated resort began to unfold slowly. We had booked two tipis for the sheer bragging rights of saying we slept in one, but our reservation got confused and two cabins were prepared for us. They are more than a small upgrade and we decided to go with the flow and take the cabins (at no extra cost). They are charming times two! A snack basket with fresh fruit, drinks, and candy along with ice water were laid out to welcome us.

After getting the lay of the land we were taken, with the other two guests here this week, to meet the horses we would be riding. We walked in the corral amongst them. They are beautiful! All but a couple are Mustangs that have been taken from wild herds and sent to one of the Mustang Makeovers around the West/Southwest. Once trained, they were purchased and relocated here. Some of them were curious about us and came right over to say hello. Or maybe they were looking for treats.

Cocktails and hor’deuvres were on the deck/dance floor outside the saloon anytime after 5:00. A young, Bulgarian, classically trained pianist, Viktor, provided cocktail music on his guitar. Dinner, prepared by Chef David, who was just on the Cutthroat Kitchen by the way, was served at a large table in a tipi! It was delicious and my portions alone would have fed three. Homemade bread and corn soup were followed by a 2″ thick filet … the biggest piece of meat I’ve ever tackled. Creme brûlée, fresh fruit, and coffee topped off our first meal. The noise of a soft rain made on the tipi was perfect. At Cleone’s request Victor and Ira, a young cowboy born and raised in Montana, came in to play guitar for us. They met at the beginning of this season and played together like they’d been at it a long time. So enjoyable.

Like this was not enough for the first six hours of our stay, we relocated to the deck off the saloon where Joe Locklear, a member of the Lumbee tribe, the largest tribe east of the Mississippi, sang and danced for us in full regalia. A fire was roaring in a cast iron caldron and we were draped with small lap blankets. When Joe was done he joined Ira and Victor for more music. They did traditional cowboy ballads, blues, and soft rock.

We called it a night after that. Turn down service included a chocolate on the pillows plus a small dish of chocolate covered nuts and fruit. I don’t know if we can stand three more days of this.

This adventure is all about friendship. The three amigas who have joined me are: Pat from Saint Louis, now living in San Antonio; Cleone born, raised and retired in Tulsa; and Barb from Florida, now living in Baltimore. I met Cleone and Pat 40 years ago this summer at an Army mixer at Fort Lee, Virginia. Barb and I met as fellow adult education teachers in Germany along about 1987. Cleone, Pat, and Barb got acquainted through me somewhere along the line.

Destination: Mustang Monument, a 900 square mile, all-inclusive eco-resort in northeastern Nevada that was established to protect and preserve wild mustangs in the United States. Think horses, not vintage cars.

Theme song (chosen for us by Murphy): Mustang Sally.

In the event of problems with weather or the airlines, we decided to preposition ourselves in Salt Lake City for the drive to the ranch tomorrow. Pat, Cleone and I arrived well before noon and Barb flew in around 4:30. We’ve taken a hotel near the airport and are just hanging out until time for bed.

Jen, Cyd’s daughter who lives near here at Hill Air Force Base, came to spend the evening with us and surprised us by bringing along Maverick, her darling three month old, whom none of us had met before. What a charmer!

We all went to bed in our special theme nightshirts that say Fifty Shaded of Hay and have a sassy, mare dressed in a snappy nightgown.

We four bedraggled Stones fans rallied in the hotel lobby mid-morning and then walked a short distance to a great breakfast near an impressive monument to service members from past wars. The monument covered the entire center of a large traffic circle and seemed an appropriate site to visit at the end of our July 4 weekend. We blamed our healthy appetites on all the second hand smoke our fellow fans had shared with us at the concert. I think you know what kind of smoke I’m referencing. After all the partying the night before, it was tough getting up, but we had an appointment to meet Eli, Josie’s darling two year old nephew, at a mini golf course. Eli and his parents, David and Kelsey, live in Indianapolis, so the meet-up was easy peasy.

Words cannot describe how well Eli [let me remind you he is two] golfs. He used the shortest handled, regulation mini-golf club (not the plastic one for little people), totally got the game, always starting at the right end and not ready to move on until he put the ball in the cup, plus …wait for it… he even got a couple of holes in one! When I got my ball in the cup he said “Yay Shay-ul” with his arms straight up in the air like I just made a touchdown. It was fun seeing David and Kelsey again and meeting Eli, who by the way, will have a little brother to coach come fall.

We had a couple hours of downtime after our two hour drive back to Cincinnati. We got organized for our 8:00 pm flight home which went like clockwork. Stick a fork in Adventure #10. We had a blast and are grateful to Josie and Murphy for being such great hosts!