A cold and snowy night -- in a place we'd never heard of.
But the moment we walked through the door, we were delighted at what we found. We were guests at a family reunion to honor Betty (Maiden) Love Jolovich at a remote guest ranch about 17 miles north of Buffalo, Wyoming.
We've lived in South Dakota and Nebraska for a good number of years, and we've traveled quite a bit throughout Wyoming, but we'd never heard of this place: The Ranch at Ucross.
Jan (Love) Tennold and her siblings -- Sandra, Matt and Beverly -- orchestrated this special reception and dinner to honor their mother, who is the last living child of William J. and Leota (Durham) Maiden. They couldn't have chosen a nicer place.
But we have a feeling that no matter where they might have assembled, there would have been an outpouring of warmth and love that would have filled the room. We counted 25 children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and other assembled family. And we were fortunate enough to live close enough to receive an invitation the the festivities.
The afternoon was a time for family members to visit, tell stories, and catch up on activities. From California and South Dakota to Arizona and Wyoming, there was an abundance of stories and lots of reminiscing. What great fun for cousins and kinfolk to be able to come together for a holiday reunion. The group paused long enough to be captured in the photo below. You'll find a higher resolution version of this photograph in our Maiden Photo Gallery. And we're working on compiling all the names for a caption, so please lend a hand! A simple e-Mail note will do!
Following a reception and dinner at the Ranch House, the group reconvened at the Lodge to view an hour-long video that Larry and Karen Miller recorded at Betty's home in Dayton in 2008.
We can think of no other way to celebrate the Christmas season that family coming together to share memories -- and to show affection for the lady who helped make it all possible: Betty Maiden!
With a gloomy medical diagnosis, this remarkable lady faces the future -- however short or long -- with great dignity and grace, and still nurturing the keen sense of humor that she has embraced for her 87 years. While doctors count her future in months, we all know that her spirit -- and our memories of her -- will be alive for generations to come. What a lady!
