News Report from
VR World Headquarters
Winter 1997-98

In Which:
We hear news of the Christmas party
The RP leaves for Chile with Jesper and the Hatch Watcher
"Tip Up Town" appears out on the lake
Pictured at left: Jesper and horse amid the moai

As you may or may not know, we had quite the to-do around here when the RP decided to throw a Christmas party and invite everyone who visited the ranch this year. If you sent us a Tall Tale, gave us a link, or even just E-mailed us to say hello - you should have been sent a personal invitation to come and spend the holidays with us here at the ranch. For further details of the party - you might want to click here.We are still cleaning up the dried pine needles and finding crumpled origami insects underneath the rug. Why just the other day we discovered an unopened bottle of champage stuffed into an old boot way back under the couch. Down there among the dust motes, we also found the keys to one of the older ranch trucks, which we have been starting with a pocket can opener in lieu of said keys. It does pay to clean up every once in a while. The buffalo head has been restored to it's original dignified state - sans tiara - and all the electronic gear and wiring for "his voice" has been returned to the closet until the next occasion arises. All 12 sled dogs are taking a well deserved rest in front of the fire in their customized dog house after spending an exhausting week ferrying our guests up and down the snow-bound road. Unfortunately the situation at the party rapidly deteriorated into a state where everyone wanted to stay put, do a little ice-fishing and relax, so we did not fly down to Easter Island to see in the new year after all. This turn of events has apparantly disapointed Jesper much more than we thought .....

Quite unexpectedly, Jesper decided to return to Easter Island on his own for a brief soujourn in the sun and visit with his family.Curiously enough, the RP decided to join him with the Hatch Watcher in tow. It's that wild desolate landscape that just gets into your blood. The three of them packed up last week and as far as we know they've all arrived safely and checked into a suite of rooms at the Hanga Roa Hotel. We hear they have even rented 3 bicycles and several horses for transportation.We received the photo below via special courier just yesterday - so it appears they are already riding out to inspect the various sites up in the hills.The Hatch Watcher managed to purchase a copy of Roger Torrey Peterson's Field Guide to Birds in the Santiago airport and plans to make a formal study of avian life on the island. That is, if he can drag himself away from the insects. Just before leaving, he was thrilled beyond measure to read about the rich and multitudinous insect life on Rapa Nui in an ancient copy of National Geographic magazine that we managed to dig up for him in the library. Who knows when they will be back. It's too cold here now anyway.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, there is a veritable "tip up town" of tiny huts out on the ice. The folks from the Margarita Stand are out there on the lake, taking advantage of the stand being closed for the season, trying to catch some trout. Our Aussie bartender has expanded his arsenal of tempting little trout morsels to include cocktail sized meat-balls, which he heats up in a tasty sauce over a small stove in the hut. When they reach just the right temperature, he places them on a small plate near a hole in the ice, sits back and waits. It doesn't take long before somebody swims by, catches a whiff of the powerful aroma and jumps up out of the water to have a better look. It's a pretty clever technique - for the next time they jump up to actually grab the meat-ball, the plate has been replaced with a wicker basket and lid that snaps shut. Since it's a catch and release piece of water......and it's really only the sport that amuses him....he.generally lets them have the meat-ball before slipping them back into the icy water. Mr. Davies has established a hut of his own out on the ice and customized his paramotor for the winter season. With the addition of a pair of skis, he can now rev up his motor and glide across the lake at unprecedented speeds, then sail off, up into the air. We've asked him to go out and fly around to see if he can locate the ever elusive, Mr. McCoy. Apparantly, McCoy has sloughed off on his porch project and disappeared for warmer climes. Typical!

Yours truly,
V.S.O.P. Hickock
Ranch Reporter

back to the directory