Who would’ve ever thought that a city girl like me could aspire to such a hootin’ hillbilly, buckin’ belt-buckle, sagebrush sass, carefree country kind of life?



If you read last week’s column (it was at www.weeklyvolcano.com — stupid ad replaced me in the rag!), you know that little lady Natasha corralled me over to the Ellensburg Rodeo for Labor Day weekend.



Yippy-ki-yea!



Our tractor pulled up Thursday night just in time to get dinner at Natasha’s favorite bar (as evidenced by the column she’s writing on her Blackberry next to me), The Tav.

She told me not to eat much all day because that makes The Tav food even better. Whoa, she was right. The jalapeno mother burger I had was out of this world, and the shoestring fries were the best I’ve ever had in my life.



After several beers, story-telling and laughing in that cozy establishment, we decided to retreat to the abode where we would rest our pretty heads — the wood cabin home of the world-famous Juice Box.



This Juice Box boy is one of Natasha’s dearest friends from her Ellensburg days, and she always refers to him as her wingman. Her wingman is also a gracious host.



We slept in on Friday (ahhh) and eventually met up with some of Natasha’s other boys who had just gotten off work from their construction jobs (so hot!) and we drank beers with them at the Frontier Tavern.



Natasha then decided that she was going to introduce me to some of the other nightlife hotspots in her college town: The Starlight, The Horseshoe and The Oak Rail.



While Natasha was busy fluttering around and catching up with everyone she knew (it’s amazing how many people she knows here), I spent my time in good conversations with one of the construction guys, Blue Eyes.



He’s an Ellensburg local, and while I made fun of him for not recognizing a Rolling Stones song, he made fun of me for not knowing who Toby Keith is. It was actually quite refreshing to hang out with someone who just simply loves their country music, and really doesn’t care about any of the fleeting latest and greatest bands.



It was then and there that I started to understand the simple, laid back, easy lifestyle that the people in this part of Washington live and appreciate.



After throwing down at the Horseshoe, Juice Box took us back to the cabin so we could save up for the big day on Saturday.



Natasha kept reporting that Saturday is her favorite day of the weekend. We got up bright and early so we could catch the big parade that goes through town. After the parade, everyone packs into The Frontier because Tacoma’s very own Clan Gordon Pipe Band immediately exit the end of the parade and play inside the Frontier.



Words can’t describe how great it is to drink big beers at 10:30 a.m. with nice people all around you having fun, and the wonderful noise that those bagpipes create.

By noon, everyone gets hungry, and we all go to The Tav where the bagpipers play more sets in the beer garden and on top of the bar. It’s such chaos with all of the people, but so much fun.



We sat there at the Tav until 5 p.m. with so many of Natasha’s amazing friends offering cheers and smiles, and then retreated back to the cabin to sleep off the booze.



Sunday I received a call from a cowboy I wasn’t expecting to hear from who wound up at the rodeo —Tyson.



He and Paully decided on a whim to head to Ellensburg, and Natasha and I gladly met them Behind the Chutes, the beer garden at the rodeo.



Behind the Chutes was another highlight of the trip because it was packed with all kinds of country folk, and Natasha loved the fact that for some reason this year several of the bull riders and cowboys were wearing pink button-up shirts in honor of breast cancer awareness.



We sat on the hay bales and watched all of the people line dancing or sashaying to the great country music that I didn’t know any of the words to (except “Friends in Low Places”).



Paully was hilarious as he was asking strangers if any of them wanted to join him on the dance floor for break dancing, and Tyson was as sweet and charming as ever.



Natasha and I left the boys after many hours of beer drinking and boot-stompin’ fun, and headed back downtown for nightcaps with Juice Box.



Now it’s Rodeo Monday, which will more than likely include a trip to the fair and some drinks with Natasha’s friends here who’ve had to work all weekend.



Now I fully understand what Natasha has told me about for years:



Life in Ellensburg really is good.