It is finished......

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6:41 am - Wednesday - October 4th - 23º F (double BRRRR!), humidity 89%, wind - CALM....I would agree....forecast for Gardiner, MT is 51º F, and 49º F in Livingston, MT where we will be later today.....forecast today is partly cloudy this morning with rain later this afternoon.....well after we have rolled our wheels northward.

In spite of all my best intentions not to get emotional Tuesday as I exchanged one 'until next time' after another with more of my co-workers I guess it was inevitable.  I find myself emoting much more easily as I add years to my age.  The longer you spend with people the more attached you become to them, and the more difficult it is to bid them adieu......it is always our intent to reconnect with those who have become friends, but there is a part of me that knows I will never see some of these people again, and that is the part that hurts.....that is the part that makes me tear up.  It's not my intent to be maudlin, but only to describe as accurately as possible what I am feeling at the end of another seasonal job.  Those of you who have worked seasonal jobs know exactly what I am talking about.  Part of me....the part that doesn't like the pain of separation from friends thinks it would be better not to get so attached, but the better part of me knows that as I let people into my life I am changed for the better.....I take a small piece of each of them with me as I move on to another adventure.  When I think of Taylor in the future I will be able to hear her wonderful laugh in my head, and marvel at how brave she is at such a young age to be living her life 'outside the box'......

 Me and my 'Fountain' buddy Taylor together Tuesday for one last shift......this lady can scoop!

......when I think of Bryan I will remember all of the conversations we had about the outdoors, about backpacking, cycling, about his enthusiasm for this nomadic lifestyle he and Caitlin have chosen at such a young age......

 Bryan....the 'Fountain' supervisor....a good man

......when I think of Susan the word 'classy' will always pop into my mind first.......Chuck is the consummate professional.......he is always right to the point.....he always very appreciative of any help you might offer......

 TLE photo bombing......Susan (cashier with TLE) and Chuck (floor supervisor)

........she prefers to be called Caitlin, but Bryan calls her Caitie, and so do I......every time I see her I start smiling, because she is always smiling, upbeat, and professional.....when ever I called for help with a register issue she was there in a flash from wherever she might have been.......

 With Caitlin.....one of our floor supervisors and Bryan's significant other.....she is the sweetest and most conscientious supervisor I have ever had at any seasonal job.

.....then there is Paul, our custodian.......he is the kind of guy you meet sometimes that you would swear you have known for years.......when he talks to you it is like you are the only other person on the room.....we had so many wonderful conversations about everything under the sun, and I will miss that a lot........

Paul.....our custodian.....we had many very interesting talks (Susan the cashier's significant other)

....but now, once again, I must tell each of them 'until next time'......even though I will be separated from them, they will still be with me.....they have become a part of who I am.  Does that make sense?  

Tuesday was much like other recent days in the Mammoth Hot Springs General Store.....not extremely busy.  The time did not seem to drag by so much because I was moving from one 'until next time' conversation to another, and then repeating that pattern all day long.  Around 12:30 pm Kristal, the General Store manager, and our boss called TLE and I into her office to do our 'exit interviews'.  She is the best seasonal boss we have had in the six years we have been on the road......again, very professional, but personable at the same time.  Always a smile, and always a positive word......TLE and I both agreed that we would happily work for her again anywhere she may land.

Around 5 pm Caitlin asked TLE and I to bring our cash drawers to the break room one more time to do our final countdown......this time we kept our big bills.....for me I had two $100 bills, and just added five $20's to those to equal my final $300 count.....all the small bills and coins went into the drop bag, and that was it for me.  TLE actually had three $100 bills so her final countdown was faster than mine.  We turned in our ID cards, our name badges, our red aprons, and our gray jackets (I'm wearing one of them in most of my pictures for this blog entry), exchanged hugs one more time with Caitlin and then we were done.......of course, the tears were not done.....TLE and I both walked to the Beetle wiping tears from our eyes, and then we began our last drive down the Gardiner River Gorge......it has never looked more beautiful than Tuesday evening at 5:30 pm.

We were home a  little after 5:30 still feeling a little emotional, but eventually we began to change our focus to what comes next.....getting ready to roll our 38,000 pounds of steel north to Livingston, MT, and then the drive into Billings Thursday to catch our flight home to see our son, Tim, get married to The Beautiful Laila (TBL).....whew.....I am still tearing up as I finish today's missive......life is, indeed, so good....I am blessed beyond measure.

Thanks for stopping by!

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