It has become a standing joke that because of my not very good luck at Farkle and Bingo, I am going to have do something like sacrifice a goat in order to win. Naturally I have NO intentions of really sacrificing a goat. However, a gag gift given to me Wednesday night at Farkle by my friends Colleen, Ron, Brian, and Peggy has resulted in me being the proud owner of a tiny plastic toy goat. I was so touched by this funny loving gift, that little goat, who we named Freddy Farkle, is now one of my most prized possessions. The fact they told me after giving it to me they had been searching for 2 weeks for some kind of toy goat for me, makes that gift even more precious to me. 
Thursday I headed off to Enchanted Rock with Colleen, Ron, and Brian. There is no way, even if he had 2 good feet, Mr. Grinch is ever going to hike up a huge rock, so I was really pleased to be able to take that journey up Enchanted Rock with 3 good friends. We swung by Walmart first so I could pick up a backpack, and get Mr. Grinch a few things to make sure he had plenty to eat and drink while we were gone. I found a really nifty dark blue, trimmed in pink backpack that says Peace, Love, and Joy on the front of it, and has groovy peace symbols for zipper handles.I took Freddy Farkle along with me on the trip up Enchanted Rock for good luck. After all, goats are natural born climbers. I am pleased to say Freddy brought us all great luck since we did reach the top of Enchanted Rock without mishap. I even posed Freddy for a couple of shots as we made our way up. And posed him after we arrived at the top with my brand new backpack, and the walking stick I bought when Moonie and I were in Big Bend.
The journey up Enchanted Rock was an incredible experience for me. The views are really magnificent. I did forget to take my good digital camera with me, so had to snap what photos I could with the iPhone camera. Next time I'll pack the good camera in my backpack along with trail mix and other goodies. In a way forgetting the other digital camera was good for me though because it allowed me really experience this fantastic journey on the level I needed to.
I rediscovered parts of myself I thought I had lost along the journey of life while we hiked to the summit of that magnificent rock. As I stood on the summit of it, 2 days shy of my 54th birthday, I remembered that in my impetuous youth I had once climbed to the summit of the great Ayers Rock in Australia. How wonderful it felt to know that all these years later, I could still make it to the top of the largest pink granite monadnock in the United States.
To see more photos of Enchanted Rock, Click Here
