The life that the select few lead

For more than a week now Ryan and I have been working through the temp. agency at a couple of properties around the Jackson Hole Golf Course. Our pseudo boss, Mike, makes a living out of taking care of these three properties that border each other. In total, he cares for over 100 acres of property. The consistent work through this guy has been great. We were originally told that this job would last only 2 days, so the fact that we've been raking, clearing fallen branches, and pruning all spruce, cottonwood, and willows for days now is just fine by me. In addition to Mike's laid back approach and easy going attitude we have enjoyed working here for mainly 3 reasons (other than a steady pay check).

1. We spend all day driving around in the Polaris Ranger.

Sitting shotgun in any vehicle with Ryan tests my nerves so I've done the majority of the driving. To his credit, we haven't gotten in any accidents, yet. As you can see, this Ranger is no joke. We've taken this through all terrain and made it out. We haven't tested its floating capabilities but it's dominated everything else we've driven over. And what would be the fun if I didn't Tokyo Drift this thing every now and again on the gravel roads.

2. The views and scale of the properties are unmatched by anything I've seen in Jackson, and much of the U.S.

The first 3 pictures are of the "guest house". It's basically a mini mansion. The last two pictures are of the main house and the view it has from its massive windows facing the Tetons and the all stone large patio out back. In addition to the houses there are a few rocky streams that empty out into the pond with a little island that Ryan and I had to canoe out to and do some work out there. One of us almost fell in... not me.

According to the care taker, Mike (who Ryan and I have decided probably makes six figures), the owner bought the 40 acre property for many millions. That was just for the land. He then spent more to build the two houses out of massive tree logs, have hundreds of spruces and willows planted with irrigation tubes coiled around the bases of each, and brought in massive boulders from Idaho to have the Snake River altered to flow better and carry "natural" streams through out people's properties in the area. As with many properties in the area, this property is used for about a week or two our of the year. The rest of the time it gets taken care of by Mike.

The interiors of both houses are impeccable; there is exposed wood everywhere and no detail has been overlooked (heated garage floors year round, built in screen windows that retract and disappear when the windows are shut, massive glass windows with unobstructed views of Jackson Hole Ski Resort and The Grand Teton National Park... the list could go on forever).

3. Mike's dogs Dewy and Dora and all the wildlife.

Despite never having owned a pet (Goldfish and hermit crabs the exception), I've always been a big dog person. German Shepherds have always topped the short list of favorite dogs thanks to my cousin Isaac's dogs and Gunner, Ryan's albino, when I was a kid. Huskies and Labs trail close behind. After having gotten to know these two dogs (they now lose it when we pull up at 9 am), I'm definitely open to some day having a mid size dog. Dewy, the black and white one, is the old wise sage. She's a 6 year old Australian Shepherd. Dora, the young, energetic juvenile, is a 2 year old orange mutt with some coyote in her that's a little skittish; she came from a shelter. Both dogs love playing go fetch and rolling over for a good belly rub. As much as this sounds like an ad from the local town's pet shelter, Mike isn't looking to let anyone borrow them. Lucky for us, Kyle seems to have a friend that needs someone to take care of her dog while she's away for a week or two. We'll see.

This is a typical shot from the scene on the way to work every morning. Jackson Hole Ski Resort is in the background.

These days, there is a road-side electronic sign that reads, "Driver alert. Moose Crossing nxt 2 miles. Use Caution. So one morning we drove to work and saw 4 moose on the way and...

another 2 moose right next to us while we were working at 1245 Bugling Elk Trail.

We were probably 25 feet away from the big gal. Her 7 foot frame was pretty impressive to see so close. And her youngster was probably almost about my height. I think we got close enough to them. I hear they charge and can kill with their kicks especially when with a baby. Good to know that now.

This job will end very soon and Ryan and I will go back to temping at the agency whenever there's work. As for me I landed a ski valet job (helping with the rentals) at the Four Seasons Hotel. Kyle also got the job so it looks like we have some planned q.t. in the future. Work starts Nov. 17 so less than a month and winter season is right around the corner!