I love long dinners with friends.
–Sylvia Hoeks
Last night I had my first dinner party at the Ranch House. There were six of us — Dondi, Todd and John who live at River Stone Ranch, and Cynthia and Rey, and me.
On the menu: Beef short ribs in the slow cooker, glazed carrots, oven-roasted green beans, and mashed potatoes. Cynthia brought an arugula and pear salad. John built a fire (and came back the next morning and cleaned the fireplace!). We found out that Dondi’s birthday was the next day, so Cynthia brought a chocolate mousse cake from PJs.
It was a fun evening and everyone said they had a good time . . . and so did I. It had the afterglow of a good party, and everyone stayed till 10. That’s early compared to the Houston parties back in the day, but I was much younger then.
The next day, Dondi came over to talk with me about staying in the Ranch House past March, which was the original “cut-off” date.
She has a two-month VRBO booking that she wants to accept for August 15 through October 15 and wondered if I could work with that and would I want to come back afterwards. My answer was an immediate YES. I told her I would put my personal things in storage and take a road trip.
In fact, it gives me the best of both worlds. A chance to do another road trip and a home to come back to. It dovetails perfectly with my desire to be in Vermont during the fall. I would rent a VRBO in or near Burlington and take day trips from there. That would give me a home base and allow me to explore New England and maybe go to Montreal. Not having to pay rent for those two months frees up some money for the trip.
Also, I have no idea where I want to live, if not Durango. After my 2018 taxes hit my bank account I can’t really afford to buy a house until Sabrient is sold. So I’m happy to stay here indefinitely, as a renter. I live in a beautiful house in one of the best areas in Durango, where I could never afford to buy, and I’m around people who make me feel welcome and protected.
It appears to be the perfect answer to a problem I hadn’t yet begun to think seriously about.