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!

Meet Tom

Tom Barnett, owner of Ross Lake Resort - one of the hardest working, nicest guys I have ever met.

I have a hard time describing what he does because it is nonstop every time I see him.

Yesterday for example:

I hike in and he runs the boat over to pick me up.  We rush back so he can start planning wood, then he is running around getting parts, material and tools for everyone and he knows exactly where everything is.

He fixes one thing after another, finishes one job and is told the sink is backed up.  Works on that for a while then heads back to the wood shop.  On the way he picks up some cleaning solution and prepares the steel roof panels so they are ready for Adam and Mark Bloom who are installing the new roof on the gas shed.

Back to the wood shop to trim the sides of planks on the table. He rushes over to the outboard motor shop where Bruce is welding up brackets, back to the wood shop he starts putting together the new upholstery for one of the boats we all ride in.

Back to the kitchen with empty coffee cups we all left scattered around the docks.

All the while I'm asking him dumb questions.  He answers graciously.

Over to the big shed by boat to pick up wood, then cutting apart old planks.

Its non stop especially this time of year.

Carol in the meantime is answering phones non-stop, picking and ordering hats, shirts, jackets, wine glasses, cooking lunch for all of us knuckleheads, preparing reservations, mailings, helping Bailey setup the laundry room, answering my dumb questions - graciously!

Tom - a plumber, mechanic,  carpenter, upholsterer, electrician, woodwork, welder, manager, owner, worker bee - nonstop. Phew!

After all this - he cooks dinner for all of us as thanks.

Tenderloin steaks, fresh crab, cheese, potatoes, asparagus - steak oscar! All the while serving us fine wine, excellent whiskey.  After dinner it's story time, jokes, laughter.

He and Carol are gracious hosts. They are thankful for their friends - and we know that.

And that's why he has so many decades long friends who want to hang out with him, do a little work, drink a little wine, and share a fine meal.

That is also one reason why so many of his guests keep coming back 10, 20, 30 years and more.

Who are they? Why are they smiling?

Why are they smiling you ask?

Well after several years of rapid shiner growth (the minnows you see in the lake) the wild rainbow trout are getting large enough to enjoy the shiners for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This results is some veeeeeeeery big and fat rainbows.

So big in some cases that they are starting to grow beyond the 2 foot measuring tape at the fish cleaning table.

Who is the guy with the ruler? Tom Barnett of course! Owner and fisherman muy excellente! And he is happy that so many friends and guests are being rewarded with nice fat fish.

Tom's young cousin Bode was up this past weekend and provided dinner for us. Oh man, fresh grilled wild Ross Lake Rainbow Trout! The taste was great.

Oh, and here is some more trout for you fishers!

Meet Our Staff

Will Shields is a craftsman.

He builds boats.

He builds Adirondack chairs.

He builds just about anything around the resort.

On average, with no interruptions, Will can build one of the blue boats in about 1 1/2 weeks during the winter months.

Using jigs that Tom had built years ago, and patterns from the original resort boats, Will and Tom build about 2 -3 boats over the winter.

A gentle and steady hand is required to shape and fare in the ribs and stringers with the side panels. Piles of wood shavings are generated with each build.

Tom and Will take a lot of pride in this mostly hand build process.

It is part of the character of the resort.........

........ and the history of Ross Lake.

Departure Day!

Tom Barnett stops by the cabin to pick up the guests and their luggage for the start of the trip home.

It is a melancholy time for our family and the kids always say on the truck ride out "I can't wait to get back here next year!"

You have the choice of leaving on the morning boat and truck or in the afternoon - depending on your schedule.

Sometimes guests do arrive on the morning boat, but the cabin availability is subject to when the previous guests leave and to housekeeping's schedule. You would have to check with the office before you arrive.

If you are dying to head out fishing and/or exploring in one of our rental boats, canoes or kayaks, we can store your luggage and drop it at your cabin after it is prepared for you!

Tom putting a shoulder to his work!

One of the more important jobs that Tom and the staff have (at all hours of the day) is ensuring that the cabins don't get hung up and go aground.  Since the resort is on a reservoir that fluctuates up and down as Seattle City Light produces power, the staff monitors the lake level and sometimes employs brute force to move the cabins into deeper water.

Keena, one of the resort supervisors, observes Tom, before providing feedback.