The Riley Factor #32

The Riley Factor -- Weekend Edition
(All the news that's fit to print, along with some unfit to print rumors, prognostications and bloviations.)

Fort Plain, NY, January 16 -- Day broke this January 16 with Riley & Company bidding a fond farewell to CJ, who was visiting Middle-of-Nowhere to help celebrate the completion of his first quarter century of life on this third rock from the sun.  It was at 11:59AM 25 years ago today that CJ was welcomed into the world at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford.  Quickly following the bon voyage was a brisk walk around The Boulevard Trails for Riley with Nancy, Susan, Chris and Gabby.  Next, the obligatory dog-nap.  Riley sprung to life at the door knock to greet Hank Burton with all the enthusiasm normally reserved for a dog's master returning home from some five-minute trip to the store or five-month journey around the world.  Hank is the man who did all the excavating for our buildings and fields in 2007, and stops-in every week or two or three when he is on one of his periodic goodwill journeys around the area.

Saturday afternoon was the second perfect day in a row for running the ATVs around the trails on the snow.  After CJ and Chris did the test driving late Friday, everyone got into the act on Saturday.  Much speeding and sliding around with only the very occasional need to assist a stuck vehicle.  Even the dogs were running around the trails while the ATVs were motoring.  Beautiful warm sunny day with fairly firm snow and frozen ground -- perfect.  Eventually, Riley pooped-out and was driven back-in by Susan on the back of the Polaris 500.  Susan, Chris and Riley all sat out back on the Dodge City porch and swing and watched the sun drift over the hills beyond the pond late in the day.