The Gator and the Bull
It was cool and rainy last night, but the rain let up a bit in the morning. Gator and I met in the shop to load up sarsaparilla and other sodas (birch beer, root beer, cream soda) for the Miner's Exchange Saloon. Gator wanted a full complement of sodas, which I suggested was ambitious. I don't expect ice cold drinks to sell too well today. We'll see.
After our Saloon run, I went into the archives and digitized Smith Sherlock Company Store invoices and found a couple that are worth a story, not here unfortunately.
The rain resumed in the mid-morning and was still coming down at noon as I walked to the store to open it. For the first 45 minutes. No one was in town, so I pulled out the computer and did a little work. I have learned that the surest way to attract people into the store is to open my computer.
I saw group heading into town from the direction of the English tunnel. The tunnel tour starts off at 11:00 and a really quick tour, on a cold rainy day like to day, might run a little quicker, I thought. Well, this group was in from nearby Lander and had walked along with the tunnel tour group, which included several of their friends and family members. Once there, they turned around and walked back, about a two mile round trip.
Of course they came in! My computer was out! We talked for a good long while. I mentioned that my wife was helping with the tour and then was asked if her name was Connie. I said yes and they told me they had met her in the store during Golf Rush Days last month. Then one of the group said, I remember you, you were wearing a top hat. Well, actually a bowler. Yes, that's right! So now we having a reunion and a fun conversation. The group was around for a good long time, so I saw them from time to time throughout the afternoon.
Things slowed down a bit after that and I saw in a rocking chair drinking a cup of coffee. I looked up and the sun was poking though the clouds and the view was quite pretty. The willows are turning yellow in the foreground and the rabbit brush, with yellow flowers, is still abundantly in bloom. I took a couple of pictures, then sat down on the rocking chair. I looked out the window of the store and thought I'd try to photograph the view in an artsy manner. So, I took the photograph above\, with steel traps and horse shoes at the bottom of the window and a barrel full of axes to the right. The Miner's Exchange Saloon is just across the bridge and the Libby cabin sits up on the hill. I like this one!
A little later, I looked out the window and Gator was outside the saloon looking at something. A bull. It has been in town the past couple of days and was now out by the saloon.
I had a couple of other nice conversations. One with a solo woman who came by the store and talked and took a few pictures and who then came back later to make a few videos as she walked the store. There was also a family from Rock Springs, about an hour and a half away, that had traveled to some of the same places that Connie and I have, so we traded stories for a while. Those are the highlights.
Twenty-eight people visited the store today and two peeked in, when another group entered, then walked away. I guess FOMO forced them to at least take a look. No dogs today and Gator sold a whopping two of the 24 bottles of soda we carried over this morning.
I closed the store at 4:00 and stopped by the office for a few minutes and then headed home.
I was going to grill pork chops for dinner tonight, but decided against that because of the cold wind and threat of rain. Instead, I sauteed a few vegetables, cubed and browned the pork, and made a stew adding some canned tomatoes, a can of garbanzo beans, and a bunch of fresh spinach at the end. It turned out pretty good and there are lots of leftovers to reheat tomorrow.
Time for reading and writing after dinner.
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