There is something so fundamentally hearty and good about spending time in small towns. For the past several days, Karl and I have been taking a break from remodeling the new Cheyenne house. We hooked on to the trailer and drove to Encampment on Friday to take part in their 58th annual Woodchoppers Jamboree. Saturday found us first at a pancake breakfast at the firehouse, then down the street a couple of blocks for a parade (which included percheron horses, firetrucks, old tractors, and tons of thrown candy). After the parade, we moved to the arena, and reveled in watching men and women compete with axes, hand saws (one and two person!), and chainsaws. Too fun and quite impressive. In the late afternoon we ambled over to the rodeo. After dinner, we went to the opera house for a quaint and fun local melodrama. On Sunday, we enjoyed another round of woodchopping competitions and watched the last of the rodeo.
On Monday, we hitched up our tin-can wagon and moved a few miles down the highway to Medicine Bow with the intent of helping out our friend Cliff put in a new sewer line. I’ve loved every minute of our trip, mostly because Medicine Bow and Encampment are both perfect examples of Wyoming small towns. The people in both places are friendly, the pace of the day relaxed, life seems simple. Deer and antelope are as prevalent as cocker spaniels and labradors.
This morning I’m sitting at the computer in our movable home. As I listen to the sound of a backhoe digging a trench not fifty feet in front of the trailer, I am watching a doe suckle her new fawn twenty feet away on the other side of the trailer. She’s watchful, but not fearful even when I step out with my camera to snap a few shots. Such a gift. Have a great day!
