I couldn’t let this year’s Opening Hunt Meet pass without mentioning my assigned duties as…..

…..the Gate-Keeper & Checker-Off’er of riders coming through the ranch gate…..

…..a heavy responsibility…..

…..I was provided with an official clipboard and pen…..

…..my official papers stated who had paid and who hadn’t…..

…..I was given a copy of the Geneva Convention…..

…..(it was all listed there)…..

…..my younger daughter and I were prepared and ready in our official capacities…..

…..(I even put on a bra for the event)….

…..but the day was sunny and beautiful and breezy…..

…..I was seeing friends and their horses pass by in all their finery…..

…..I suppose I did an adequate job…..(just barely)…..

…..I checked off and added notations…..and between arrivals…..

…..I played by the railroad tracks…..

Actually we were there so trucks and horse trailers didn’t get backed up over the train tracks…..

…..you know…..on-coming trains and stuff like that…..

…..eeewwwwwww…..that could be problematic…..

…..(and I just don’t want to even think about it)…..

I also quickly realized that…..just perhaps…..

…..I might have been promoted to my own level of inefficiency…..

…..the “Peter Principle” at work…..(remember the Peter Principle?)…..

*****The Infamous Peter Principle Explained*****

…..so…..in between checking-off people…..

…..and other extremely important duties…..

…..(like handing a chilled bottle of champagne along with a couple boxes of eggs to my friend Ester as she drove by)…..

…..(and collecting the platter of smoked salmon from a generous & culinarily-inclined member)…..

…..(and then handing said-platter (without nibbling on it) to the caterer as he drove past)…..

…..and after that…..what did I do?………….well…..of course…..

…..I played…..

…..I played on the cattle-grate gate…..

…..I tried to imagine balancing on it while crossing over it in stilettos…..

…..and the train………………………it’s tracks had an allure……………..

…..I took photos…..

…..I inched closer…..the ground rumbled…..

…..I waved at the conductor…..I got a honk…..(but I think he had to do that at the crossing anyway)…..

…..I watched for hobos…..(there were none)…..

I took more graffiti photos…..I considered laying down on the ties…..(and thought better of it)…..

…..(you see…..I AM a grown-up now)…..

…..AND THEN I HAD A WONDERFUL IDEA…..!!!!!…..

…..A PERFECTLY WONDERFUL IDEA…..!!!!!…..

I NEEDED to put coins on the track for the next train to squish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What A GREATLY/FANTASTICAL Idea!!!!!!!

So I lined up those puppies…..

…..and I took some extra photos…..

…..and then I figured I should add more change…..

…..and then I took more pictures…..

…..and then…..

…..I waited…..

…..and waited…..

…..I left them there……

…..and Opening Hunt Meet proceeded…..

…..and I hoped that I had just missed the noise of a passing train…..(or two)…..

…..and I would pick up my nicely/smashed coinage on the way home…..

…..(I called my older daughter and we both agreed that we didn’t think that many coins would de-rail a train)…..

*****BUT DAMN!!!!!*****

…..there had been NO trains in the hours spent at Opening Hunt…..

…..(sigh)…..

…………………so………………..I collected my un-marred coinage…..

…..and I re-filled my change purse…..

…..and I sadly went home…..

…..(and Pascal…..no one was the wiser about my immaturity & irresponsibility around CSX)…..

~~~~~CSX~~~~~