Welcome to Grubstake

Henry Howard was staying at the rundown old Sunset Motel in the ghost town of Grubstake, Colorado, in South Park, for an extended fishing vacation. Not much action at the motel, off the beaten path, proprietors casual about theirs and their guest's comings and goings. Just fine with Henry.

Then one day he noticed the owners hadn't been there in a few days. Some folks pulled up to inquire about a room and Henry checked them in. No problem. Least he could do. The owners never did return, so Henry just took over the duties of running the Sunset, maintaining the place as best the old place could be maintained, paying the bills, checking in guests, cleaning rooms, the occasional campfire and requisite burned marshmallows, settled in.

Now the new owner was coming from back East to take over. She had every right to do so, but thing is, Henry had been taking care of business for nigh onto five years now without any interference. He'd come to like it that way. That Ms. Veronica had ideas, most perfectly ridiculous, that didn't fit with Henry's, well, bring 'em on! We'd just see who would come out the winner in this little game.

There was Henry's buddy Sniper to consider, too. Sniper had war injuries that were ever worsening. But he had dreams of opening the old general store in adjacent Grubstake that had also been abandoned, all the stock intact, even the ice cream in the freezers, a real bonus.

Of course, his old dog Shep liked the job he had, which was to entertain guests, should there ever be one. Still, it was an assignment he took seriously, between naps.

Henry had a lot of things to consider with this new development. Never mind this Easterner city office cubicle dweller owned the place and he was a squatter.
Or that the Sunset Motel was nothing to be fighting over in the first place. Still, to the victor go the spoils!

A man can only catch so many fish before bigger fish get to looking real good. Even a fisherman can kind of pine for another human now and again, possibly one not appropriately named Sniper.

Just goes to show you're never too old to fall in like. And to have second chances.