Child's play

[Previous Rural Farmgirl, April 2009 – May 2010]
Plato says, “You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” I believe that to be true. If anyone ever asked me to name something that I counted as one of the top blessings in my life, the answer would come easily. It would be that I have friends who are willing to play with me.

I often wonder if it is because my childhood was hard or simply because I just love to play, that I have to play as hard as I do. Do not get me wrong. I work hard, but I must admit that I play hard, too.
Last weekend was a perfect example of playing hard. The Prosser Farmgirls Chapter hosted a “Farmgirls on the Loose” camp-in here in Prosser. We packed more fun than you could possibly imagine into three days. As gals from “Sisters On the Fly” also arrived, we had fun with all the hellos, and then moved the fun into town for a Mexican dinner at El Cap. Just as everyone was full, we moved back out to hostess Nancy Bender’s 4 Seasons River Inn for more girl talk, a little wine and a lot of laughter before bed. Most of us hit the ground running the next morning, donning sunglasses and a coffee mug, ready to take in the yard sales, farmer’s market, alpaca farm, herb farm and DavenLore Winery. After all that, we returned to the inn in time for dinner and an awesome barn dance.
Weeks before the event, I was lucky enough to get country crooner Zac Grooms to agree to play for our little shindig. Now, Zac is WAY past playing in a little barn for a group of people who simply refuse to NOT play, so when he agreed I was thrilled. I knew that I had scored big, and I couldn’t have felt more blessed.
I was so excited to introduce Zac to the few who weren’t already familiar with his music. No one was disappointed. We asked Zac to play from 7-10, but I am proud to say that none of us stopped until well after midnight.
I knew the dance was a huge success for two reasons. The first? After getting ready for bed, I discovered that my perfectly manicured toes were no longer, well…perfect. Now, we girls know that it is a good dance when you dance the polish right off your toenails. The second reason was that by 7:00 the next morning, folks were already asking when the next one was going to be. Seems we started something.
Sunday morning we were all dog-tired; to say that we played hard all weekend would be a gross understatement. We were all so thankful for “Chef” Brad Smith who greeted us with poached eggs in hollandaise sauce, steamed asparagus, artisan bread, fruit, and coffee. (Lots of coffee…)
As Sunday afternoon approached, good-byes came too quickly and too painful. I always hate them. The only thing that makes them doable is believing that in a few short weeks we will all meet up again, making new memories, blazing new trails, laughing, and saying good-bye all over again, more tired than the time before.
As the last trailer pulled out of sight, my mind jumped to being a small child and camping with my grandparents and their friends. For a split second I felt once again like that little girl at play, but this time experiencing it through adult eyes. So much work went into this past weekend, and so many girlfriends lent their talents, land, and cooking skills. Everyone was willing to invest a little part of themselves into a perfect family weekend of child’s play.

  1. Debbie says:

    I’m sorry, I just have to say this…

    WAY TO GID ER DUN FARMGIRL STYLE RENE’!!!

    Looks like a wonderful time chuck full of good old fashioned memory making fun!

    Very inspiring indeed!
    Deb~

  2. Maria says:

    Sounds like the perfect women’s weekend! I love "playing" with my friends too! We are never too old to have fun with friends.

  3. THANK YOU, Prosser Farmgirls for such a wonderful planned weekend!!! I will definately be back for number two!! This time with my vintage trailer all finished. Thanks, Rene for your hospitality (letting me sleep under your stars!).

  4. Heather Hansen says:

    You really made me feel like I was there. Every detail was well thought out…plus coffee 🙂 🙂 🙂 This just looks like so much pure joy and fun. I’m so glad that all the ladies had a great time. The pictures prove it. Thanks for posting the pictures about this event 🙂 🙂

  5. Janice Kaye says:

    I LOVE the vintage trailers! Now I just have to find a way to pull one…..I could almost feel your excitement and how much FUN that you had. I am just going to have to find a Farmgirl chapter in my area that I mesh well with!

  6. Barbara says:

    Love this, I have a 68 BeeLine that we are fixing up so I can hit the road again. Love things like this.

  7. April says:

    Oh! What fun! I truly wish I lived closer to get in on all that farmgirl fun! What a great weekend you had!

  8. Bonie says:

    Wow, what a great time! I smiled when I saw the pictures – we had a little "Scotty" camper in the 70s when the girls were little. We would load up when my dh would get home from school (he taught) and go for the weekend. How everyone loved it. Sadly we had to sell it later to buy a 2nd car. Sure wish I still had it – I might be tempted to join you, although a long trip from Ohio! Great blog as usual, Rene.
    Bonnie

  9. Mary Rauch, aka MaryFrantic' says:

    I just relived your weekend as I sat here with a big old cup of hot coffee and went over similar memories of my own. The whole world needs more of this "family-style-fun" (even though it’s a mix of friends & family). I totally loved the wall decorations of sheets and aprons!…Go Rene!

  10. carol branum says:

    Rene,hi!I am with with Deb,Ya,got er done!I am jelous,wish I would of been there,I want an antique camper,does anyone know of where one is for sale cheap?For a girl on a beer budget?I want to drive out there this summer in one if I could,maybe by next year,a good one is hard to find.Blessed be,Carol Branum

  11. Gary says:

    What a Great Idea Rene’…!
    Thank You for taking the time to include all the photos…
    Looks like Y’all had a real good time, and made some Memories…
    By all means, Y’all should make it an Annual Camparee… t-shirts… souvenier coffee mugs, and… oops… there I go again… nah… Just have FUN…!
    GodSpeed Y’all…!
    Gary
    inn Tampa

  12. What fun! A joy-filled time! All us us *need* time to play, no matter what our ages!happy day!~marcia

  13. Yep, it goes w/o saying, Rene & her band of ‘rene-gades’ did an awesome job hosting us & showing off their wonderful lil town of Prosser…
    Thank you sooooo very much…I loved it and had a wonderful time and count me in again for next year!
    YeeHaw & Wagons HO!
    >^..^<

  14. Valynne says:

    Oh, my goodness. I just love it. I try not to be a jealous girl but how I wish I were there! So many of my favorite things, and packed into one weekend! What great friends you have PS I truly cannot WAIT to see what you end up doing with your vintage trailer…sigh…

    Hahah.. I wish you were here too…

  15. Linda Atkins #583 says:

    The Prosser Farmgirls really showed that farmgirls can accomplish great things when they work together, as demonstrated by the recent Prosser Farmgirls’ Camp-In. New alliances were made when the Prosser Farmgirls "cross pollinated" with Sisters on the Fly. It’s our hope that "Farmgirls on the Loose" are just as successful as these two groups of wonderful women doing amazing things for the betterment of women and the communities where they reside, explore and influence in the name of making life better for all those whom they come into contact and network with. Congratulations to the doers! They can really get’er done!!!

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