With only 56 hours remaining those of you who know what an obsessive I am about order and organization will realize that I am beginning to get very fidgety as I look around my dorm room and try to imagine it all being squeezed into my Wrangler. It actually seems so innocent and unaware of what is about to happen sitting in its usual parking spot. Like one of the multitude of deer grazing the property with the stealthy OCD cougar about to pounce! Fortunately, if I can make it to Santa Fe, it will be returned to its normal state by Monday night.
Closing the lodge has been a fascinating exercise in controlled chaos. The accounting department has been relatively calm compared to somewhere like the dining room or the general store. Everyone is cleaning and counting and preparing the lodge for the winter ahead. And if you are curious, indeed two couples stay here for winter maintenance, using snowmobiles to get about. I prefer the summer, however, so no matter how exciting or "The Shining"-like this might seem, it would get old very fast. Or creepy. Or both.
In our department, we were simply preparing each day's reports and deposit with today being the final one to do that. Now, it is up to us to wrap up a few loose ends and prepare the contents of the safe for transport back to the bank. Sounds easy, but consider this: when I closed out all the vending machines and we unloaded the laundry and showers, we were left with more than 16-thousand quarters to roll and box up for shipment. That occupied most of our day Friday and I will get a much-deserved day off before I finish my contract on Sunday with the aforementioned safe preparation.
On a personal level, beyond the stress of packing, I am slowly seeing the staff disappear as their contracts conclude. First to go, in fact, was my dear friend, Willa, the history teacher who left on Thursday. We will cross paths again soon, but that was the first goodbye that meant something. We drove to Kanab Wednesday night for one more dinner at The Rocking V. The moon was brilliant overhead and the deer were out in huge numbers, so much so that I accidentally popped one on the rump when it didn't clear my front end in time as it bolted across Highway 67. Neither was hurt - the Jeep or the deer - but it gave us a start nonetheless. On the way back, I let her drive the last 20 miles, a sight to see with her barely able to peer over the steering wheel!
I am told that Saturday evening will be exceptionally quiet when I get back from my last hike but enough staff will remain to continue the winterization of the property, so I'll have someone to dine with. Of course, that includes several people I will miss tremendously, especially my favorite housekeeping buddy and "Dennis the Menace" lookalike, Brody Johnson. We'll meet once more before he leaves for the Ukraine and I leave for Canada, but we've also said more than once how much this has become our home, so even a temporary parting of the ways carries with it a bit of sadness.
As I draft this, Saturday has arrived. The weather should be perfect for one more walk in the woods and meadows of the North Rim. As I do that, I will consider, too, what to share in my last posting from our little sanctuary on the plateau. Good night, all!
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