Todd Wynne-Parry and I hit the marsh this morning, and let me tell you… there are a lot of lucky ducks flying around Colorado right now. We burned through plenty of ammo and missed more than we hit, but we still came out with two drakes and two hens. After washing up and breasting the birds, I wrapped a few up for Todd to take home. Good morning, good company, good hunt. From there, the day took a business-savvy turn. We toured the Aramark facility here in Colorado Springs, called the Pikes Peak Destination. The Pikes Peak summit was closed from the snow (common this time of the year) — so we didn’t get to see the top-of-the-mountain operation — but we did get the full walkthrough of their food prep, storage areas, and workflow. Their manager, Jared, gave us a great rundown of the operation. Aramark is huge: District 20 Schools, the City of Colorado Springs, and a whole network of B2B relationships all rely on them for food service. Naturally, we talked about Monument Glamping and how something like our operation could fit into the broader Pikes Peak region Aramark services. The Pikes Peak branch currently has no accommodations, but Todd shared that he’d already explored a few ideas in that direction. So yes — the long-term possibility is real. And fun to dream about. After lunch, I took Todd over to our second property. He met Micah and Kya and a few of my grandkids. Short visit, but a sweet one. Then he dropped me off at home, grabbed his packaged duck from my freezer, and headed for the airport. Here’s what really stuck with me today: It’s just plain nice spending time with someone in the glamping industry who really knows his stuff. Todd’s got decades under his belt, and the back-and-forth was energizing — not just about operations, but about the mutual possibility of what future acquisitions or partnerships might look like as this industry matures.

Tonight's Mastermind was a blast, and the replay is now up: https://www.skool.com/gold/classroom/a51c84c0?md=3ccb11d8c46147eea31043dbb1376d74 The real highlight? Todd Wynne-Parry crashing our party. Todd is one of the strongest voices in the glamping world — thoughtful, experienced, plugged into the industry in ways most of us only hope to be. Having him in our midst was a gift. And it continues: I’ll be duck hunting with him in the morning (pics incoming), then spending the afternoon with him at the Pikes Peak operation Aramark runs here in Colorado Springs. Aramark is a massive publicly traded company, and Todd has been open about his interest in acquiring operations like Monument Glamping. I’m grateful for the time with him and I’ll share what comes of our conversations. Before I signed off, I gave a small reminder about posting here in the community — and it’s worth repeating. Your content doesn’t need to be polished, perfect, or strategic. It can be whatever is happening right now. Anything that crosses your desk… post it. That’s the magic of this group. We’re looking over each other’s shoulders as we figure out how to turn our land into gold. The day-by-day trials, wins, questions, or weird little discoveries — those are the things that help all of us. So keep sharing. We’re better for it.

Hey everyone, quick reminder that we’re meeting tonight at 7pm MT, and we’ve got a full plate of updates to run through. On the agenda: • My SBA application drama. It’s a great story — equal parts absurd and entertaining — and there are some takeaways in it for all of us. • Todd Wynne Parry’s visit. His flight was delayed, so he may arrive during our meeting. Wouldn't that be fun? • Updates from everyone. Especially you, @Anja Wynne — we’re all eager to hear where things stand on your end. Looking forward to seeing you all tonight. This community keeps getting better, and I love hearing what each of you is building.

On Tuesday, I had a 1 hr 15 min meeting with our county planning department. I'm rewatching it to build a Project Management Matrix so that I don't miss anything on the list. It's a massive project that I will definitely do in phases. From an event space with living quarters for the "caretakers" to making sure our dream of having one mirrored unit doesn't disrupt the Air Force Academy's flight path, there is PLENTY to keep me busy. The best part is that one of the last comments made by the county is that this looks like a great project and because one of my neighbors is the Pikes Peak National Forest, the location seems perfect.

Looks like our group have GROWN. See you all on the call tonight.