Dan Walker happened to sitting behind the computer of the Ponderosa Bed & Breakfast which he managed with his wife Laura and son Matthew and his husband Mitch Cartwright. An email of Mitch came in. Dan opened the email and read it in silence. After that he called his wife to him.
“I just got an email from Mitch and Matt. They want that we change the room of Tim into an Efteling room for the boy”, said Dan.
“We do that. It’s our birthday present for Tim”, said Laura.
Tim was the son of Mitch and Matthew was busy adopting him. Besides Matthew was being called Matt by family and friends. Dan called Adam Cartwright (the father of Mitch) and told about the email of their sons.
“We help you”, promised Adam.
He put the phone down and told about the plan of his oldest son.
Ben Cartwright, the father of Adam and owner van de Ponderosa ranch + B&B, said, “That is an excellent idea.”
The brothers of Adam, Hoss and Joe, and their wives (Betsy and Paula) decided to help too. Just like Adam’s wife Sally and their children Lisa, Benji and Rose.
In the B&B Dan and Laura already had started with emptying the bed room of their grandson.
“Dan, I miss the little boy already”, Laura suddenly said.
“Me too and Chip also at all”, answered her husband.
Chip was the husky of the B&B and the best friend of Tim.
“They come home on Saturday. So you will have to have patience to be able to spoil Tim again”, said Laura.
“That goes for you as well”, reacted Dan.
They both were crazy about the boy who was also crazy about them.
Chip was getting so much in the way though that Laura took measures with him.
She called Ben and asked, “Ben, can you have another guest on 4 paws?”
“Of course. Just put his things ready. Then I come to collect him in a moment”, answered Ben.
He knew right away that Laura was talking about the husky.
Not much later Chip got collected by Ben to stay at the big ranch house.
Now the dog was a way the Cartwrights took over the renovation of the room of Tim because the B&B just continued.
“Boys, you sort out beautiful pictures to hang on the wall”, Adam said to his children and nieces Inger and Petra.
“Okay”, Benji said on behalf of the others.
They were allowed to use the laptop of Mitch and the printer too. There was also a map of the park.
Rose suggested, “The room has 4 walls. There are also 4 kingdoms in the park. Why don’t we print per each kingdom the most beautiful pictures to hang at 1 wall??”
“Good idea little sis. You go tell the others, then we write everything down per kingdom”, answered Lisa.
So said, so done.
The Cartwrights thought it was an excellent suggestion of Rose which was accepted right away.
The brothers painted the walls light yellow and on the floor there was later on laminate being laid.
“Adam, do you already have an idea about how we are going to furnish the room?”, Joe asked when they were almost finished with painting.
“A bit. I will work it further out this afternoon”, answered the oldest Cartwright boy.
“Joe and I will finish the painting part. You go and keep yourself busy with the design for the room of your grandson”, Hoss offered.
“Thank you gentlemen”, Adam said smiling.
He went to wash to make after that the design for a boys room.
Sally, Betsy and Paula kept themselves busy with the taking care of the furnishing like the curtains etc.
The children had the hardest chore to choose the most beautiful pictures. They knew Matthew took very good pictures which didn’t make the choice any easier.
“Why is our brother and cousin married to a man who is an amateur top photographer?”, Benji asked at a certain moment.
Rose answered dry, “Because they love each other.”
Everyone laughed.
“We make a list of what we find are the most beautiful pictures. We print those”, Petra finally said.
They thought it was a good idea.
The children came after a long meeting and watching photos to a definitive list of photos to print.
“We use photo paper because on that the pictures become more beautiful”, said Inger.
About 2 hours later 40 photo’s were drying in the bedroom of Mitch and Matthew. Benji called his grandpa to let him and the other children bring to town for frames. Of course Ben did that.
The next day the photo’s got framed and hung up by the men. The furniture too got placed according the planning which Adam had designed. Everyone was satisfied about how the room of/for Tim was made.
“They arrive tomorrow morning in Las Vegas. Pa, can you go and get them?”, asked Adam.
“Of course I do that. I take Chip along because I think that he has missed Tim the most”, answered his father.
The next morning (an early Saturday morning) Ben stood waiting in the almost empty receiving hall of van Las Vegas waiting for the return of his grandsons Mitch and Matthew Cartwright and his great-grandson Tim Cartwright. The family had been on vacation to The Netherlands.
Because they had flown with a private plane it was quiet for a while on the airport. Next to Ben sat the husky Chip. Normally he lived with Mitch and Matthew in their Bed & Breakfast. But due to an intern rebuilding Chip stayed with Ben. Suddenly the rancher saw 3 familiar people coming.
He unleashed the dog and said, “Chip, look who are there? Just go to them.”
Chip ran straight to the Cartwrights and especially to Tim. The boy put down his luggage and gave his friend a very loving full cuddle.
“I have missed you too, Chip”, said Tim.
The husky licked him extendedly. But Mitch and Matthew too got an extended greeting from their dog. Of course they didn’t understand at first how Chip came at the airport. They looked around.
Then Tim said, “There stands granddaddy.”
Ben got called granddaddy by his great-grandson.
“That’s how Chip comes here. Come Chip”, said Mitch.
They walked to Ben and got an extended greeting.
“Welcome back boys. How was it?”, asked the rancher.
Yet before his parents could react Tim said, “It was so amazing great that we go again around Christmas.”
Ben looked at his grandsons with a questionable look.
“We give that Mitch for his birthday. I’m afraid that we have told Tim a bit too much about when we were there in 2012”, Matthew explained.
Meanwhile they walked to the limousine of Ben.
“Jace drives so I can hear now all the stories from you”, said the rancher said when they had loaded in all the luggage and after that got in.
Jace was a loyal hand at the ranch.
“Granddaddy, I have met Little Riding Hood on my birthday. She even kissed me”, said Tim.
The boys told Ben everything that they had done and experienced.
The long trip took its toll of the boys because they became more quiet. Tim even fell asleep with Chip next to him.
“You will sleep at my place”, said Ben.
“Alright grandpa”, Mitch said yawing.
The rancher showed his grandsons photo’s of the rebuilding of the B&B.
“When Tim sees this he goes straight back to the Efteling”, Mitch remarked.
“Then he will have to wait until Christmas”, said Matthew.
“And you too”, said Ben.
The boys knew that the rancher was right.
At arrival at home Matthew tried to wake up Tim by saying to him, “Tim, wake up because Little Red Riding Hood is here.”
But Tim just kept on sleeping. Ben brought him to a room and put the boy in bed. Not much later Mitch and Matthew were sleeping too due to their jetlag.
On Sunday July 17 the world travelers had come out of their sleep.
“Tim, we have to blindfold you because we have a big surprise for you”, said Mitch.
“Fine”, the boy said, even though he didn’t trust it.
Matthew blindfolded his son and drove with the others to the B&B.
Adam greeted them hearty, just like the others. He picked up his grandson and carried him to his new room.
“Just take off the blindfold”, said Adam.
Tim took off the blindfold and looked amazed to his room.
“Is this really my room?”, he asked after a while.
“Yes, you get this from all of us. Because you had your birthday”, answered Laura.
“Thanks everyone. Now I have the most beautiful and unique room at school”, the boy said after a while.
Laura helped Tim with unpacking and of course the newest souvenirs of his vacation came with the collection. Above the bed of Tim hung a framed map of the Efteling.
“We go to it again around Christmas so then there can hang another map next to it”, said Tim.
He looked laughing at his parents and they confirmed it. With this it was proved that even abroad a Cartwright could behave himself.