MINNESOTA VISITORS

As the long, cold, snowy winter drags on in the north country, cabin fever sets in with a vengeance. People are tired of being inside, tired of fighting the snowdrifts and icy roads, tired of hunching against the cold as they slip and slide to their vehicles, and are ready for some SUNSHINE! The fun part of it for those who live in the south, is that we get to see our shivering friends and families as they take a winter break to come to the sunny Southwest.

I just enjoyed a weekend with a couple who ride with me in Minnesota. They are good people who love laughter, conversations, and the western style of this area. They rented some horses and Betts and I took them up riding in the hills, and they spent their time joining the cowboys at the Bar 7 for dinner, shopping, visiting the wonderful western museum, and I reluctantly said good-bye to them yesterday after sharing a breakfast at the Cowboy Cafe. They said they loved the western traditions they found here, and he said he could see himself coming down with their horses and living quarters trailer and spending a few warm months learning to rope and doing a lot of trail riding. So many have come here for a visit, and ended up coming back, and often spending the winters or retiring here. Wouldn't it be fun to have all those people that I enjoy horse riding and camping with in Minnesota spending their winters down here so we could continue our riding and camping when the weather turned cold up north? Now that is a fun possibility to contemplate!!!