A Penguin walks into a Bar and the Chimpanzee Says...........

We arrived Thursday afternoon and it was beautiful.  Recent rains had waterfalls at levels suggestive of spring, not the banal trickles of late summer.  Mosses and lichens on the hillsides were green instead of the brown, desiccated look of the typical late summer.

After greeting all the friends/guests from years past in nearby cabins we began to hear talk.

Stories!

Rumors!

Innuendos!

The self proclaimed mayor of Ross Lake and his crew counsel had hosted an evening, the night before, for all guests of the resort and staff to meet at an appointed hour and eat red meat (or wild Ross Lake Rainbows if you chose), drink, tell lies, occasionally swear, and generally let their collective hairs down.

As I walked past cabin after cabin everyone who was a guest on Wednesday came out, greeted me and then said "Paul! You have got to go down to the counsel chambers and meet the mayor!"

This from people I've know to be stoic, normal, tea totalers!

So! I did.  Sort of.

First I had to meet the deputy mayor pictured above on the right.  He then tested me to see if I was mayor worthy.

I was tested with a taste of 18 year old Irish Whiskey, then ordered to come up with a joke to tell - I did - the one about a penguin who is driving across the desert and his car breaks down...........

I passed with flying colors and was escorted into the bunkhouse inner chambers to meet the mayor.

Cameras were not allowed in counsel chambers.

But soon the mayor invited me back outside on a political junket and showed me what they had just gotten back from doing.

As I stood there admiring their catch the guests from the bunkhouse next to counsel chambers stepped out, greeted me and said "Paul you should have been here last night!"

Doh!

Here was a group of Cougars who obviously were straight laced and would never have been caught dead at the Coug at Pullman telling me I missed something special. Hearing their recollections from the the night before, the evening

was obviously an amalgamation for these Coug's of "The Big Chill" and possibly "Summer Vacation with the Griswolds"!  

The mayor stood guard in the background. Ensuring no obvious fabrications of the truth or for the matter the truth itself was released for public consumption.

All I can say is that I had an excellent time meeting politicians and Coug's.  And before we headed back to our cabin the mayor threw his arms around us and said "same time next year."

I walked back by the office and saw Tom sitting outside and sat down with him. Hoping to discuss some photo projects he would like to see. Tom pondered the question for a moment and replied "Man Paul, you should have been here last night - the mayor hosted a party..............

Doh!

I walked back to my cabin and the resort seemed to be listing a bit.

It was a long, lonely walk.  No one was out in the adirondack chairs to greet me. To guide me.

They had all gone to bed early.

And that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Oh, and did you hear the one about the Husky and Coug who ran head on into each other on Snoqualmie Pass and the Coug says to the Husky..........................

my view after meeting the mayor

another view after meeting the mayor - he bought my vote!