Paint-Freckled Smile

What an incredibly productive weekend!

We arrived in Piapot late Friday night. Task driven and motivated to the max, we sat at the bar and discussed our goals for Saturday. Then, one of the reasons we love this place so much, came calling. It was our new friend Garth, who boisterously entered while bellowing "Is the bar open?!" Garth is a rancher and fencer in Piapot who has a wealth of knowledge to impart to us regarding our new community and the people who inhabit it. His stories often have us holding onto every word. We sat and enjoyed a toast together followed by a good chat before retiring for some much needed rest. (well I retired, and Glenn kept busy organizing and tidying into the wee hours)

Once loaded up with supplies from an early Saturday morning run to Maple Creek, we got down to the business of renovating. I tackled the task of beautifying the bar cooler with a few coats of fresh paint. In between each paint-befreckling coat, I would attack another surface. Behind the bar, there were shelves that needed to be freshened up, so I drew my trusty brush and gave them a makeover to remember. After hours and hours of both Glenn and I staring upwards and straining our necks and backs, we started using a different muscle group...moving, cleaning and organizing the bar and cafe layout. After many miscellaneous projects, it was time for rest to prepare for a full Sunday's work to be accomplished in only half a day.

Sunday had us vacuuming, tidying and preparing the guest rooms. By 3pm, we were ready to head back to Calgary and into another work week. Just as we were leaving, a group of three local kids rode up on their bikes. When they discovered that we were the new innkeepers, the one exclaimed "Good, we need some excitement around here!" Their only requests, after Glenn asked them what they might want, was a slushie machine and some arcade games. The drive back was peaceful and full of contemplation for next weekend's grunt work list.

It saddens us a bit each time we have to leave Piapot...I guess that's a great indication that it is our new home.

--Nicole