08/13/2024
My mom, Wendy Hackett, the owner of Green Snow Oasis, set up a surprise for my Grandpa, her Dad, Pat North. The surprise was planned about a year ago. Luckily the whole family was able to keep it all a secret!
To make sure my Grandpa made it to Green Snow Oasis without making any other plans, my mom came up with a little fib... she told her dad that a cousin named Nihla had friends from Iceland that were coming to stay at Green Snow Oasis to surprise Nihla and that we would really love for him to come up and stay to surprise Nihla too...
He knew about his own surprise for a whole year without knowing about his surprise!!!
Grandpa Pat stayed up for 3 nights writing this poem:
"When your life is full of strife and you're tired of the city life.
I know a place you should go, up in the mountains to Green Snow.
There are four cabins in a row at this little Oasis called Green Snow.
You take Highway 145 out of Dolores, it's a really nice drive.
When you get to where the air is fresh, Kevin and Wendy will welcome you as their guest.
They are the owners, oh don't you know, of this little Oasis called Green Snow.
You may go to Rico and explore a mine or ride the Silverton train and step back in time.
You may go down to the river and catch a fish or just stay in bed, do as you wish.
Around the campfire the stories start to flow and you think to yourself I love Green Snow.
Now the time has come to say goodbye.
You shake Kevin's hand and give Wendy a kiss, as you start to cry.
And down the mountain you will go. With a solam oath to come back to Green Snow."
Wendy wrote this poem to explain the shenanigans that took place:
"It was a year in the making. A surprise visit from his siblings from out-of-state. Oregon and Washington they did come.
To keep the surprise, a small fib turned into an all out lie. The rouse of Icelander's coming to visit, our cousin Nihla was used.
But it was not Icelanders at all. It was family that traveled to surprise their brother. It was the greatest, like no other.
This plan all fell together with a plotting daughter and a sister and they convinced the others, this was their chance.
So, early one morning in the month of August, they hopped in their cars and began to travel. They came from lands far away, but not as far as the rouse they say.
It all happened just as planned. Patrick North was the victim of this plot. It was he that they surprised.
Sitting in a chair, he was unaware. He looked over from his seat and to his great surprise, it was his brother-in-law Mark that he saw. Not an Icelander at all.
There were many stories and huge hugs. It was the best lie Wendy could tell. To witness the love the rouse did not fail. It was the best four days of sibling delight.
We sat by the fire and regaled old stories by fire light. It was the new memories made and new tales to tell. We pulled it off so well."
