Howdy Buckaroos, this is an addition to our web page so all our past guest can keep up with the changes at the ranch.

The biggest change for the new millennium is the management of  the hostel.  My two boys, Dirk and Jake have grown into a couple of fine young men and are now of the age of responsibility.  Dirk graduated from Washington State University (my Alma Mater) with a BA in Hotel and Resturant Management. He managed for Boston Market for a few years and receive top awards for his position. He decided to leave fast food and try his hand in the hospitality industry.  What better place to begin than his home turf.

Jake graduated from Western State University in Aug of 2001 with a BA in Anthropology and Environmental Studies.  I am so proud of Jake, his schooling was interrupted by a short term marriage that produced a new man in my life.  My grandson is now 7.   He calls me "TEEPEE GRANDMA" .   Then in 2001 Jake had another child, a little girl called Kaya. She is grandma's pink princess and a dream come true. It has all made a difficult challange for Jake to finish school, but what an accomplishment, and what a nice addition to our hostel family.

Now that the my two boys are managing the hostel, Malachi and I are going to Disneyland.

The two of them have some fun changes in mind for the hostel.  Formost on their list is reaching out to more groups and schools.  They want to use the hostel as a teaching ground for all ages. Jake is putting together a non-profit hostel with his friend Johnny Street. They want to raise enough money to buy 100 acres near Stevens Pass for an environmental hostel. They have even signed up for the "Amazing Race" TV show to try and win the million dollar prize to help fund their dream. I am excited for both these guys. Without a dream, it's hard to make it a reality. Their hostel will be called Maktup meaning, It is Written. They are building a web site to help others get involved and soon we will have the site address listed here.

Well the battle with the county is over and I am not sure if you call it a victory.   It all depends on which side of the fence you are standing on.  The bottom line is that we get to use the barn and thats a relief.  Now we are free to do what we do best, and that is providing you with a special place in the Pacific Northwest.

We regret to announce that our old hostel dog Koko passed on to green pastures. She was a familiar part of the hostel and greeted all with love and affections. She was with us for 17 years and will be missed. We also lost Miss Piggy, the cat who also was a resident hosteller. She was 18 and had a good life, hope she enjoys her travels in the other world.

We now have 11 teepees, 4 covered wagons, a new tenting area,  the Big Red Barn , 3 private Log Cabin rooms, a 4 acre nature walk, and a special new house called the Lavender Duck  for our couples who want more than a teepee. We are working hard on the new nature trail that will have benches, interesting art works, 3-D animal totems and new rhododendrons donated by our school groups, brownie troops, campfire girls and boy scouts. The flowers add so much to the nature trail and we thank all that donate them.

This past summer has seen many school groups using the hostel. It is particularly satisfying to hear the laughter and see the children enjoy the little world we have created. I have been impressed with the quality of teachers that have brought groups out to study early American history. They are teaching how to make candles, quilt, write in journals and eat dried foods they prepared in class. The kids all seem to enjoy learning in the teepee and covered wagon setting. I am always willing to share my knowledge with any group that wants to know how to put up a teepee or how to build a log cabin. I love sharing my ideas, explaining my tongue-in-cheek humor around the hostel and explaining the animal totems I painted on the teepees.

I hope some of you saw our TV documentary in 1996 on "Living in a Teepee" that aired on Channel 7. I showed how to put up a teepee and it was filmed at the hostel. Then in 1997 we had a 30 minute program called " An All American Picnic" which showed on Channel 12 for the Dorothy Wilhelm show. It was so fabulous. She brought in the Cimeron Dancers from Tacoma, a great fiddle group and a Dutch-oven cooker. It turned out very well. Also in ’97 we had a nice article in Family Fun Magazine published by the Disney Company, boy did we see an increase in bookings from families. As of March of '98, I am happy to announce,  that I am in a new book by Jo Giese called "A Woman’s Path".

Jo picked 40 women from across the USA that had built an interesting path out of a difficult situation. I am very honored to be in this beautiful book. I hope you will take the time to look up my story and all that occurred in building the hostel.

For those ex-hostellers who might be wondering, I am still flying the friendly skies or what ever they call us now. In November I  start my 40th year with United Airlines.  I am now a designated Purser on the international flights. I hope I see you on board United on in my backyard.  But first I am going to take a much needed vacation and head for France to study the growing of lavender.  Hope to see you at the hostel.  

Christmas 2000 / New Years 2001   was the most miraculous experience I have ever had in my life.   I share it with you because it is so wonderful.  It is  my gift to all who believe in miracles.  It is titled:
         
                                  "Miracle on UALFlight 50"

    What greater gift could I give my mother than to find her brother. Separated as children, she had not seen him for sixty-seven years and assumed he had died in the war. She knew he had gone into the service before he was eighteen as many young men had done.
       Mother was adopted when she was seven months old. From then until she left home, she moved every year of her life. It seemed as though her parents were running away from someone or something.
       Mom recalls playing with her "cousin" when she was eleven. Suddenly she was whisked off to a neighbor’s house, hidden for the day, and promised a string of pearls if she kept quiet. She never saw him again. At age 22, she was told the "cousin" was really her brother.
       By the time mother was sixteen, she was tired of moving and left home. She lived with a Salvation Army family, working for her keep. Life was tough, but mother lived by the Salvation Army slogan, "Dare to be a Daniel; Dare to stand alone; Dare to have a purpose, and Dare to make it known". Through the years, her slogan was preached to her children. The slogan became my guiding light, especially whenever I faced a daunting situation.
       Mother never asked for much out of life. She assumed nobody wanted her, and whatever she got was all that she deserved. The black hole within left her feeling less about herself but did not affect her willingness to sacrifice for others.
       She has been my helpmate for twenty years. She helped me raise two sons, build my business and fulfill my dreams. She has been my best friend for as long as I can remember.
       I have wanted desperately to repay mother for all she has done for me and help her feel whole and complete. I began searching for her brother. I searched records relating to births, deaths, adoption, and military service. I even paid to list her with a search company. I always came up empty handed. After a year, I put aside my efforts and worked on other projects.
       Just before Christmas 2000, I was cleaning out my file cabinet when I ran across the old file on my mother’s brother. I shuffled through all the information. Nothing new jumped off the pages. Reluctantly, I slid the file back into the cabinet, closed the drawer, and vowed that I would spend more time in the New Year pursuing the search. I would have time as soon as I finished my latest project, the cottage.
       In September, I had decided to build a small cottage for mother. I own a hostel and Bed and Breakfast. The constant activities of staff and guests make privacy impossible. My home slash business has become quite hectic for someone mother’s age. I therefore set out to convert a 103 year old peach-packing shed, into a cottage. Despite the crooked walls, termites, uneven concrete floor and two ole carpenters who were not quite up to speed, the project was doable. The renovation quickly ate up the money I had budgeted.  Rather than borrow more money, I decided to pick up a few flights to earn the extra cash.
       As a flight attendant, you are paid for flight time only. I told my family that this year I would fly Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years, something I had avoided in the past. The cottage had to be finished by March.
       On December 29th, I piggy backed a Hawaii trip onto a New Zealand trip. It’s an exhausting way to pickup time. I would fly in from Hawaii in the morning, sleep and then fly out to New Zealand late that night.
       I flew the purser position for the Hawaii trip. When I looked at my crew list for the flight, I was drawn to one flight attendant’s name, Stanclift with a "T". It is not a common spelling, but the same as my mother’s birth name. If I had not been purser, I would not have noted the last name. United Airlines has 23,000 flight attendants, and we fly with different crews all the time.
       When Camille Stanclift walked into the briefing room, I thought she resembled my niece. However, I put aside my curiosity and prepared for the trip. I didn’t think any more about it until an unusual set of circumstances occurred on the flight. Several passengers met friends they had not seen for awhile and others discovered they had close friends in common. While talking about chance meetings, I mentioned that I was intrigued by Camille’s last name. I brought up the fact that mother was adopted and her birth name was also Stanclift. I added that I had been trying to find my mother’s brother.
       Camille, commented, "Gosh, my grandfather’s sister was stolen by the babysitter!"
       I responded. "If his name is Bobby I will be spooked"
       Camille replied. "No his name is Robert!"
       We both got very excited. When we compared the ages of my mother and her grandfather, the age difference was right. Mother is 78 and Robert is 80. When did he last see his sister, what was her name then? Mother’s adoptive parents had changed her first name, and I could not remember it. Camille could not recall the missing sister’s name. Camille said it was a family joke that they had come from circus people because her great-grandfather worked in a circus.
       With this bit of information, I went weak in the knees, and a chill passed through me as though a ghost of the past was verifying the words. My mother was told her grandfather was in a circus. Part of his act was to break rocks on his chest.
       Tears welled up in my eyes; my mind was spinning. Could it be? We still had to fly back to Los Angeles, and I was so glad it was an all-nighter. Most passengers sleep, and I wanted to think. I reviewed the old files in my mind. I did remember a small picture of Bobby. He had a lazy eye. It looked half closed, but I wasn’t sure if it was a permanent infliction.
       I raced to the back of the plane and told Camille about the picture. She gasped and relayed that her grandfather had a lazy eye, but she thought it was because he was old. She remembered a picture of her grandfather holding her father when he was a baby. Her grandfather’s eye was half shut. He evidently had his lazy eye his whole life.
       Now the evidence was overwhelming. Suddenly, I remembered the name of mother’s birth mother. I hurried back to Camille and said, " I think mother’s birth mother’s name was Vivian".
       Camille looked as though a ghost had nudged her, and she said, "I just got the biggest chill all over my body, I think my great grandmother’s name was Vivian."
       "Pinch me, I must be dreaming", I said. "I think we are cousins,"
       Had I found my mother’s brother? Did I now have an uncle?
       We were stunned. Camille would call her grandfather and verify some of the information we had shared. I needed to find out mother’s first name at birth. Camille agreed to e-mail me that night before my New Zealand trip.
       I couldn’t wait to call my mother. "Mother, I have the best Christmas present ever, are you setting down." I told her the miraculous story.
       Her reply was a long soft drawn out, "Oh My". She began to cry and said she was not sure she wanted to open the past. She was stunned to learn she had a brother who was still alive. She told me her birth parents had named her Ruth.
       Needless to say, I didn’t sleep much before my New Zealand trip. When I woke up, I rushed to a computer. The e-mail, was titled, "The Scoop." My heart pounded as I opened it up and read, "Grandpa’s sister’s name was Ruth. His mother’s name was Vivian. Guess we are cousins.!!!"
       How do you stand in the middle of a crew room and shout for joy without twenty other flight attendants thinking you are crazy? You don’t. I settled for running to a supervisor and sharing my excitement.
       Thank you the powers that be, the millennium forces were with us. If Camille had married and changed her name, I would never have put it together. If she had not been on her first international flight, our paths would not have crossed. If I had not started the cottage, I would not have flown the holidays. If I had not been purser, I would never have seen her last name. She has only been a flight attendant for two year and I have flown thirty-five. With that spread in seniority, it is not common to fly together. And she had only heard the story of her grandfather’s lost sister three years ago.
       "What-ifs" were all around me. An explosion of fireworks danced in my head. Happy New Year!
       My most precious wish has been granted. Merry Christmas Mother.
                                        
                                                     HAPPY TRAILS,
                                                                                          Judy Mulhair

PS.
For those of you that have met my mother, Gwen, you know what an integral part of the hostel she is.  She is our accountant, receptionist, laundry maid and house cleaner. It would be heard to do what I did without her.

2003 Dirk married a beautiful girl named Katie. He is no longer managing the hostel but busy creating boarding houses in the University of Washington area. He bought a beach house on Vashon, remolded it and then sold it for a handsome profit. With his gain he bought his first building. As of now he is on his 4th building. I think they are more like long term hostels.

2004 Judy and Gwen moved from the cottage at the Lavender Duck to a new Dockton place on the water. Judy plans to do weddings and enjoy the sunsets. Katie and Dirk welcomed their first son to the world, Jack and he is so cute. I call him Captain Jack and I am known as"ROW BOAT GRANDMA" because Dirk takes him out in a row boat at my new place in Dockton.

2005 This was a good year that saw more hostellers returning to the US. We bought a few more teepees and created a couple traditional teepees that are very popular with our guest. More weddings are being booked at the Hostel and at Judy's new water front property. Both places offer beautiful settings to tie the knot.
The bad new is that I lost my brother to cancer. He was my travel buddy and confidant. He is the first to go in our family and that sure leaves a hole.

2006, this is our 25th year and since 9-11 we have not done well. The hostellers are not coming and although we do groups and families we need more bodies to stay open. HI has shown a drop in hostelling by 25% throughout the hostel net work. I guess people are heading for Asia or other places. Jake plans to move the hostel in a new direction. We are not sure of its destiny, but one thing is for sure, it has been a great journey. It will be exciting to see what Jake has in store for the hostel. Check back for the status of the hostel and tell your friends to join you in a fun adventure at the AYH Ranch Hostel on Vashon Island. One thing for sure, our hostel is unique and fun and we have many repeat visitors. Now for the bad news, we lost my younger borther's only child in an avalanch in Devos Switzerland. Jake and his friend always head there in the winter and Josh joined them this year. He too has worked at the hostel and built the buffalo that greets you at the entrance of the driveway. He loved making scrap sculptures, graduated in art and sold some out standing big pieces for thousands of dollars. Some of you may remember him. He was always fun and full of laughs. We were so lucky to have him in our family for his short 32 years on the planet.

2007 Molly Mulhair joined the Mulhair gang and belongs to Katie and Dirk, I now have 2 boys and 2 girls, I am so blessed. Jake has moved to Bend OR. where the sun shines 359 days a year, the rest of us remain in the wet ole Seattle area where the sun shines 4 months a year. That was the good new in 07 and now for the bad, Grandma Duck (86) passed away unexpectedly in her sleep. She has been such a part of my hostel I am not sure what I will do without her. Our murel in the barn that William Forrester did has her picture helping a horseman and is so typical of her presence at the hostel. She loved making blackberry syrup for the hostellers. They would pick the wild berries and she boiled it into syrup to be slathered on the free pancakes, yum. Mother lived with me for 28 years and did all the bookwork for the hostel, hemmed sleep sheets, picked up hostellers, managed the phones, did the banking, laundry, and made beds at the Lavender Duck, we were a great team and she is surely missed. I do touch base with her when I unexpectedly see 11:11 on the clock. It is a strange story, ask me about it when you visit and I will share it with you at the campfire.

2008 This was a special year for us. Jake married the girl of this dreams and met her at the hostel. Stacie is so special, I guess that is why she is the only girl he asked to marry him. Granted he has a couple children by others but they were friendships and this is the real thing. Their moms are still special to all of us and if situations must end, it's good that friendships remain. What a wedding, They were wed in San Diego on the water. What a beautiful wedding. Stacie's mom made her dress hand beaded it and even made little tuxs for the kids, dress for the bridesmaids and children. The flowers were exquiste, food delicious and the Bride and Groom beautiful.......wow best describes it. Before the wedding, I did squeeze in my first hostel trip with my oldest grandson, Malachi. We went to France and England. It made me feel young again and I am sure it made him feel more grown up than 13. We plan to do it again and again. Watch out world here we come.

2009 This will be our 27th year, that's a long journey and I may have to publish this newsletter because it has reached novel length. I am still flying the friendly skies and have been for 43 years. Dirk will turn 38 and Jake 34 I guess that makes me 65, ouch! Dirk is on his 9th apartment building and Jake is taking up flying and hopes to fly packages before people, that means Fed Ex or what ever comes his way. Dirk is buying a new house and Jake is in Bend OR. till he is through flying and wife Stacie is studying to be a nurse.

A lot has happened these past few years and I am moving a little slower, the teepees are getting heavier to put up and take down and the covered wagons are disintegrating where they stand. I think the time has come to say soooo long Buckaroos, this ole mare aint what she use to be. I hope you had a chance to visit my dream world and be part of the 150,000 guest we sheltered over the past 27 summers. That doesn't even include the Lavender Duck for the past 12 years. Just thinking of all the beds I have changed and laundry makes me tired. It has been a great experience and I have met some wonderful people from all around the world. Many of my guests helped build the hostel into the great place it is, and believe me I will not forget all your helping hands.

Does it sound like I am throwing in the towel. There comes a time when things must come to an end and this is a good year to think about doing it. The ranch is up for sale, and I hope it will go on serving the public, sharing experiences, and making new friends. I still have a couple years with United before I retire and then I want to work for habitat for humanity at least one year while I can still sling a 2x4 and hammer a nail. After that you may fine me on a hostel trek with my grand kids.
Happy Trails it has been a pleasure meeting ya!

2010: Well we are back, hostel still has not sold so Jake, my youngest (34) will be operating the hostel as an Independent Hostel. We dropped the International Organization of Hostelling International due to the economy. It has been a fun run with them for the past 27 years but we will wing it on our own. So we hope to still see you at the Ranch for a stay in our unique facility.