In the County

We had a family date night last Friday - we went to see the last Harry Potter installment at our local theater. Yes, we have a local theater but it only shows one movie per week on one day and at one time. You have to pay cash. On the last run of the movie you can't get popcorn because they are cleaning the machine, but you can get all the leftover candy for one dollar.

I'm not going to tell you anything about the movie just in case you are one of those culturally illiterate people who haven't seen it yet.

There's not much to do in this county, especially for kids. As you know, if you're a kid you can go to the Chip Dumpster (look at a previous blog) and you can skateboard and you can pick up free candy and pop at various businesses (again, look at a previous blog) but overall kids have a hard and boring time here. They hang out in the library a lot and if I'm here and they're being obnoxious I kick them out and then they really don't have anywhere to go.

I haven't minded this lack of entertainment until I think of moving to Redmond. I'm to the point in my sheltered Granby life, that I can't wait to visit a Target and not have to make it a full-day field trip. I can't wait to go to Dairy Queen and order a cookie dough milkshake. I can't wait for a grocery store where I don't know everyone, including the check out people, the bag boys and the woman who makes my life miserable by making me use the self-check. (One time I actually stole a gallon of milk because the self check kept practically screaming at me to PUT IN BAG and I didn't want to, so I got scared and walked out with the milk.)

Usually my days consist of subbing at the library, subbing at Winding River Ranch, subbing for the Recreation Department, keeping my house clean just in case anyone is foolish enough to want to move here and buy a house, taking Ian back and forth to the skate park (don't tell me to have him skate to the park - we live on dirt roads) and riding my horse.

Last week I rode out to Selak to get pictures. Selak was a stage stop between Grand Lake and Fraser and was only occupied during the summer. (Next time I'll post the pictures - my friend Kristin says that people don't read anymore and you have to keep them interested by pictures). Skip told me this story about Selak - it was owned by two brothers who were rumored to have gold hidden in the bottom of one of the houses. One or two or three desperate men, drinking in Grand Lake, decided to rob them of their gold and escape to Denver. They went to Selak where they killed the brothers, searched for the gold, found some then escaped to Denver. The sheriff got a posse together and rode to Denver, found the brothers (probably in another bar) arrested them, and here's where the story gets a little foggy. Either the sheriff brought the brothers back to hang them in the trees or the Selak brothers were hung in the trees. Either way, someone was hung in the stand of trees outside the town (I'll post a picture of that also) which is why, I'm convinced, my horse is so reluctant to go through them. Or that he's kind of a lazy horse and sees no reason to go up a hill when he can go around a hill.

Selak is my favorite place to ride to, besides out by Miniat's place (I'll tell you that legend next blog). It's beautiful and quiet and people have been killed there. Seriously, what more do you want from a ghost town?