Time for the party itself!

Neighbours

Most of the people who come to the cattle drive party live in remote locations.  Many of them are ranchers.  Often this gathering is the only time I see these people who are my neighbours even if they are scattered over a very wide area of the Chilctoin.

A hockey match (watched on a solar-powered TV) took precidence over the first part of the evening so the sun was already going down when Lee started to barbecue the steaks.

There is always home-made music at the Precipice Cattle Drive Party. Lee used to play base in a rock band, and a visiting friend, Mikey, is also a professional musician.

(Lee is wearing his base-playing face.)

Everyone else sang or used noise-makers as an accompaniement

(Patti hates this picture so I didn’t make it full sized!)

There are always kids and dogs everywhere.  (This is Ricky.)

Here is Fred

And here are Hoss and Joyce Dorsey, who ranch north of Anahim Lake and operate Rainbow Mountain Outfitting.  Their area got a great deal of publicity last year when Chris Harris Published The Motherlode.

Because of the hockey game, the music went on well after dark.

The Precipice Cattle Drive Party is definitely the social highlight of my year.