Character Talk Tuesday-Ethan Charm

Welcome, introduce yourself.

I’m Ethan Charm. I moved here to Peakview with my mom last fall. I’m fifteen and a freshman at Mountain High School.

What activities are you involved in?

I’m a runner, so I’m on the high school’s cross country and track teams. At first it was hard running at such a high altitude with my asthma, but I’m getting more use to it now. The elevation is much higher than where we came from in Nebraska.

How do you like Peakview?

It’s great. I’ve made a lot of friends. Everyone is very down to earth and friendly. I like being at a rural school. Now that mom and Jake are married, I love living on our ranch. We have so many animals. I love them all, but my favorite it my cat, Carrie. I was there the day she was born. She was the runt of the litter, but what she lacks in size, she makes up for in personality.

What are you doing for the summer?

I help Jake around the ranch and I’ve been working part time for Jerry at Heart’s Haven doing some repair work and trimming of trees and lawn stuff. I like it. It’s good to be outdoors in the mountains in the summer. In my spare time, I like to fish and hang out with the cross country guys. We have practices all summer, so running continues. I’ll go back to Nebraska for a couple of weeks with my dad, but I’ll be ready to come back. This town really does feel like home.

CHARACTER TALK TUESDAY-MOLLY PEYTON

Tell us how long you’ve lived in Peakview County.

My husband, Jim and I purchased Peaktop Guest Ranch almost thirty years ago. We absolutely love these mountains and the community. We also love running a guest ranch. Our two children grew up here.

What exactly is a guest ranch?

I’m glad you asked. A guest ranch, or dude ranch as they’re sometimes called, are wonderful places for family vacations. It’s an American-style all-inclusive vacation. The main activity is horseback riding, although there is plenty of other activities to keep our guests busy if the don’t ride. There’s many miles of hiking trails, fishing, tennis courts, and a swimming pool. During the summer months, everyone stays a whole week, from Sunday until Sunday. We have activities every evening. We have a square dance, singing around the campfire, cookouts, hayrides, and an old fashioned melodrama. During our off-season, September through May, guests can choose to come for a weekend or just a couple of days. We are closed in January and most of February.

That sounds wonderful.

People like it. We have many families that come year after year. We’ve even gotten to the point where kids who grew up coming here are now bringing their children.

Any plans to retire?

Not in the near future. Our hope is someday when we get too old to want to do this full time, that our kids will take over. Our son, Brandon is a junior at Colorado State majoring in animal science with a minor in business. He hopes to become a vet. It would be great to have our own with so many animals on the ranch. He loves this place as much as we do.

Where is your ranch from the town of Peakview?

It’s located about fifteen miles northeast of town. It’s very isolated, which is what guests like. They come to get away from civilization. We still don’t have cell service, and we like it that way. There’s always something going on. Stop by and check us out if you get the chance.

I love Autumn

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Fall is my favorite time of year. Changing leaves, cooler temperatures, football, the beginning of holiday season with Halloween and then Thanksgiving, and pumpkin spice (we can’t forget pumpkin spice), these are all things that make me love this time of year. I’ve lived in many different parts of the country during my life, and although Autumn presents itself somewhat differently in different regions, it’s still the best.

This is my first Autumn in East Texas. It’s warmer here than in my last home of Colorado. No frost yet. But it has cooled off from the constant stream of 90 degrees plus. It was 44 a couple of mornings ago! We’re in a drought this year, not much rain. Leaves are just starting to turn. The stifling humidity from the summer for the most part seems to be gone. Flowers are going strong in my yard in many vibrant colors. My lettuce and carrots are thriving. And there’s football. No major college football here, but high school football is huge. Really huge. And the festivals, each weekend is another festival or two. Looking forward to Yamboree this weekend. Who wouldn’t love a sweet potato festival complete with a barn dance?

I’ve spent a small fortune on pumpkin spice drinks, one of my favorite. My Halloween lights are up, and shine brightly in my yard each evening. It’s also the time of year when all of a sudden the days get shorter. Time to snuggle up on the couch in the evenings, and watch a new season of my favorite shows. Or even better snuggle up and find romance by reading my Peakview Series set in beautiful Peakview, Colorado where everyone has a chance at love. I’m busy working on book 8, Colorado Autumn Sunrise.

I hope you all enjoy Autumn as much as I do, if not, don’t fret, winter will be here soon.

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