June 30, 2014

Quilt-tastic!

After some weeding, mulching, patio furniture moving, and plumbing, mom gave us a break and we drove down to Brush to a small Quilt exhibition at the public library. My sister Debby and my mom are quilters, my sister Barb can sew and I ....appreciate the art of it all! It just amazes me how people create such beautiful works of art! There were quilts of all different varieties on display by local quilters. Afterwards we went over to Debby's house and she showed us the quilts that she is currently working on. She definitely needs to show some of here quilts next year. I got all caught up in it and for a brief moment thought about trying to quilt something. The only things holding me back are the love/hate relationship between me and my sewing machine and my not-so-exact measuring skills...hmmm...maybe I should think on this...

Ahhh the library!

Beautiful!

I told Debby that I need two of these please!

June 29, 2014

Happy Birthday Dad! 

Today is my dad's birthday but unfortunately he hasn't been with us for quite some time now. Coincidentally, I traveled to Fort Morgan today to visit with my niece/goddaughter Erin who was on a short work visit and to see my sister Barb who is visiting from Italy- and of course my mom and sister Debby who live in Fort Morgan. We thought of dad when we were eating our spaghetti and meatballs with rhubarb pie for dessert! Hopefully he was there in spirit. Currently, I am really missing my air conditioned house but maybe I'll sweat off that pie during the night! If not, I know I will when we start doing the jobs my mom has lined up for us tomorrow!

Mom, Erin, Debby, Barb getting ready to dig into that pie!

June 28, 2014

Coors Field Carousing!

Tonight we celebrated the 17th Annual Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital Intern Party where they honored the outgoing interns and welcomed the new group. For the past few years, they have held this party at Coors Field when the Rockies are not in town. It is a fun venue where we get to be behind home plate and can go in the dugouts - sans tobacco juice and sunflower seeds! I'm very proud of my husband and his partners for how WRAH has grown and become an outstanding hospital for pets!

 

Big crowd tonight!

In the Rockies dugout 

After dinner we enjoyed the band Cold Steel comprised of WRAH staff. They play popular music but change the lyrics to reflect the vet profession = hilarious!

June 27, 2014

Breakenridge Break Away

Paige and I took off for the mountains today - headed for Breckenridge. We stopped along the way to do some Outlet hiking- not too challenging since we have been training but we did have a few sprinkles. Don joined us in Breckenridge later and we are just staying the night. It is very green and beautiful up here and there is still snow on the mountain tops. In search of some relaxation, we found the hot tub and sauna tonight. The sauna brought back childhood memories of birthday parties out at the Ramada Inn -the location of the town's only indoor pool. My friends and I used to see how long we could stay in the sauna. I'm sure it was a lot longer than I can stay in now since at my age I can create my own sauna on my own! Fun times!

June 26, 2014

I  ❤️ Freedom Dogs

For many years I have belonged to the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association Auxiliary. We are a small group of spouses of veterinarians and our purpose is to support and promote the profession of veterinary medicine. I am currently the Chairman of Canine Projects. We give donations every year to two programs who provide service dogs to those in need- Canine Companions for Independence and Freedom Service Dogs. Today I had the opportunity to visit the Freedom Service Dog facility in Englewood. It was wonderful to meet Executive Director Sharan Wilson and see the wonderful work they do. They get all of their dogs from shelters and then train them to be service dogs for veterans with PTSD and other disabilities as well as children and adults who have disabilities. They have placed 30 dogs this year but unfortunately have 50 people on their waiting list! Of course it was wonderful to meet the dogs and hand them a nice check from the Auxiliary! If you would like more information about this terrific organization visit their web site: http://freedomservicedogs.org/

This is Chase who just completed basic training from an inmate in a correctional facility and now is ready for specialized training.

All Freedom Service Dogs have to be able to coexist with cats and this is their resident "trainer"!

It was great to hand Sharan and Chase a $6,000 check from the Auxiliary!

June 25, 2014

Food and Friendship

We had a wonderful evening with friends Debbie and Ken who came over for dinner. I always wonder why I don't have people over more often. I guess I always worry that my house isn't clean enough or that they might notice that I still have my snowman cookie jar out (did you see that Debbie?) But really when it is all said and done, friends don't come to inspect your house they come to see you. So as soon as I take care if that cookie jar I may be calling you next!

June 24, 2014

Donkeys, Elephants,and Tea..Oh My!

It seems like the political season has begun in full swing now that the Primary election is over. Regardless of your affiliation, I think we all can agree that the relentless commercials and phone calls annoy everyone until November finally gets here! On the positive side, now is the time to celebrate the wonderful people who invented DVR and Caller ID! These people should be given a special award for helping make the political season much more bearable. Whoever you are I THANK YOU!

June 23, 2014

South Paw

My dog Scarlett is left handed...er..pawed. I became convinced of that today on our walk. We were on a bike path which meant that I needed to keep the dogs to the right because of all the bikes going past. Scarlett, however, was convinced that what she needed to sniff was on the left side of the path. We struggled against each other for the first half of the walk. When we turned around I thought, " oh good now she will get to sniff all the things she wanted because it is now on the right side." No. She wanted to sniff everything that she had just ignored when it was on her right side because now it is on her left. That is why I'm convinced that Scarlett is a south paw...or nostril...or whatever...or maybe she is just stubborn....

Or maybe it's abnormal blood flow to the brain!

June 22, 2014

My Interest is Pinterest:

Whoever created Pinterest is a genius! In the old days, I collected recipes by cutting up my magazines and saving the recipes in a notebook and plastic box. Every once in awhile I would poll my family to see if they liked a particular dinner. My husband once said, "what does it matter? I will never get to eat this again." He was right. I would forget which box or binder  a recipe came from or usually didn't have time to find recipes - it was easier to just pull another one from the magazine du jour! Crafts are the same way. I have notebooks and craft books stashed in my craft room that contain crafts I would like to make some day. If that "day" ever comes, I probably won't take the time to rifle through my piles of craft ideas. This is why Pinterest is so awesome! All my favorite recipes and crafts are in one place! What is even better is that this place is in a beautiful cloud that follows me everywhere. In the grocery store without a recipe? No problem- I can go to the Pinterest on my phone to look it up! Need a cute gift for a neighbor? Visit Pinterest and become instantly creative! There is only one catch to my Pinterest fanaticism - I need to start moving from collecting and organizing to actually doing! Yes I suppose the follow through is important- actually making the dish and creating the craft. I guess I'll work on that tomorrow........

June 21, 2014

Last Design

Tonight we traveled to Fort Collins to see a play at the Bas Bleu Theatre Company. This is a community theatre that Alex has helped out from time to time. The production was the ghostly Woman in Black and was Alex's last lighting design. On June 30 he will be closing the curtain on his Master Electrician position for the CSU Center for Performing Arts -ending his lighting design career and beginning his new pursuit of a career in medicine. This all is bittersweet for me because he is a very talented designer and I hate to see him give it up. However, his heart lies in a different direction and I know if he gives it the same amount of effort and commitment he did the theatre, he will be very successful. Besides with his theatrical background,  if he finds that he can't cure a patient, Alex will be able to put good light on them and act like they will get better!

Paige, friend Michelle,and Don at the Bas Bleu

The Kafka Project- one of my favorite of Alex's designs for CSU

Celebrating with Alex

June 20, 2014

Rockies Rooftop Review:

We went to see the Rockies play tonight and since we were early, decided to check out the new Rooftop Bar area. It's bigger than I thought and has a great outdoor wicker seating area, a few walk up food stands/bars and counters that look over the ballpark. If you are not really into the game and want to socialize, this is the place to be. We did snag a table which was an accomplishment in itself and that gave me ample opportunity to people watch. The busier it got, the older I started to feel as the median age I expect dropped to about 24. We ended up leaving because the food lines were too long and they had a table for us in the Mountain High Club where the median age is much higher! Unfortunately the Rockies lost but it still was a great night to watch baseball!

June 19, 2014

Ladies night!

My friend Cindy and I went to Ladies Night at our local golf course. It's a great deal- martinis through an ice sculpture, hors d'oeuvres, and tips from the pros. We played a few holes until it got dark with two lovely ladies who found encouraging words when our golfing was not up to par.....far, far way from par! It was really fun and a beautiful night with a special friend. We'll definitely be back- golf is like that. No matter how bad you play, you remember those few great hits that hook you to come back and try it again!

June 18, 2014

Hike on Hump Day:

The dogs and I went for a long hike today just around the hills and lake where we live. It was a beautiful morning for it - not too hot and beautiful blue skies. Along the way, I decided that for the remaining weeks of my vacation I will be celebrating Hike on Hump Day every Wednesday. There are several hikes around the Denver area that I have never done so I will try to do a few. If you are interested in joining me and my canine compadres, let me know and I will let you know where we'll be headed next Wednesday.

June 17, 2014

Retail Therapy

I prescribed myself some retail therapy today. Nothing big- it started with having to return something at Bed, Bath, and Beyond and just kind of spread out from there. I had no time restraints and no specific list of items I needed- two great ingredients for stress free shopping fun! Why is it that when you're not really looking for anything you find all kinds of treasures?!

June 16, 2014

A day of learning:

Today I went to an all day iPad class. I must say it was a little difficult to be in class while still suffering from vacation brain! Anyway, the reason I bring this up is that the book for the class had a term that I never seen before and thought was very timely. The word is InfoWhelm -meaning our students live in a world of so much digital information that they have InfoWhelm. Isn't it a great word? I have experienced this myself! By the way, the word hashtag has just made it into the Oxford dictionary.....#whattooksolong #ineedanewdictionary

June 15, 2014

Happy Father's Day! This has been a very busy day so I didn't have time to find any pictures of my dad and I forgot to take pictures today as we celebrated Father's Day. I had the most amazing father who - believe it or not- was a bigger smart &$@ than I am but in a good way! I miss him very much and channel him often! My father-in-law is wonderful and has the best built in moral compass there is. He is truly someone to look up to. My children have a great dad that I think they are appreciating even more as they grow older. So we had a lot to celebrate today and hope you did too!

June 14, 2014

Utah Adventure ends:

We're back home and back to reality. It was a wonderful trip and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in seeing nature's wonders at its finest. And they are not too far from home! Many thanks goes to our friend Karen who planned our trip, typed out the itinerary, and made reservations. Because of her hard work we saw many wonderful things and stayed in terrific RV Parks. Thank you to Gary too for his expertise on towing and maintaining trailers. It was comforting to have his experience caravaning with us on our first big trip with the Ostwald Tajma-haul! We can't wait for the next trip...start planning Karen!

Funny story of the day...this morning the boys went golfing at the crack of dawn. After I slept in I went over to visit Karen in her trailer, leaving our dogs to eat their breakfast in our trailer. After awhile I told Karen that I probably should go check on the dogs. She said, "why? They're right there!" Maggie had learned how to open the screen door of our trailer and they both were sitting outside Karen's door looking at me! 

Miss Maggie Smarty Pants

June 13, 2014

Utah Adventure Day 7:

Today was a travel day. We got an early start and made the 7 hour trek to Grand Junction. Even though we were pushing it by traveling on Friday the 13th, we didn't have any trouble - just a little windy in some spots. 

Our friends Karen and Mark who live in Grand Junction, came over tonight with their children. It was great to see them and their kids are the nicest kids on earth (besides ours of course!)I'm sad  that this is our last night as gypsies and have to go back to reality tomorrow.....

The gypsy caravan

Mark,Karen and family

June 12, 2014

Utah Adventure Day 6:

Today we visited our fifth National Park this week- Zion National Park. This is a really heavily visited park. So much so that everyone has to ride a shuttle into the park. The first hike we went on was 3 miles and it was hotter than a Jeffco School Board meeting..over 100 degrees at one point! This factor along with hiking with 1,000 of our closest friends made it a little difficult to appreciate the beauty of this place. We had a different perspective here as we were hiking in the bottom of the canyon and looking up at the majestic rocks. There are many trees and foliage here because of the the Navajo Sandstone. This pretty red stone is very porous so it retains water. This allows plants and trees to take root.....now you know!

Our second hike was along the Virgin river where at the end Don and I kicked off our shoes and cooled off our feet for a bit. Many people chose to swim as the water was just the right temperature. We decided against the highly praised Angels Crossing hike because it discourages anyone who is afraid of heights (me) from attempting it. Also a fun fact is that seven people have died on this hike. I didn't want to be number 8 and become one of the angels!  

It was a hot and tiring day but well worth the visit. Also we topped it all off at the campground by barbequeing locally grown, grass fed T-bones...yum!

Deer pooping in woods...don't see that every day!

June 11, 2014

Utah Adventure Day 5:

We had to say goodbye to picturesque Torrey to head over to Glendale, Utah via Highway 12. It was scenic alright. So scenic that in one spot we had over-the-cliff views on both sides of the narrow highway! Just as I started reaching for the rosary beads, things got better. Actually it was a very beautiful drive.  We stopped just outside Bryce Canyon and dropped our trailer so we all (including the dogs) could drive up the canyon in our truck. Wow!

"There are deep caverns and rooms resembling ruins of prisons, castles, churches with their guarded walls, battlements, spires, and steeples, niches and recesses, presenting the wildest and most wonderful scene that the eye of man ever beheld, in fact it is one of the wonders of the world." - T.C. Bailey (govt. land surveyor 1876)

No hiking today because dogs aren't allowed on the trails but we saw all of the main rock formations from the observation points. We will have to come back and hike down into the canyon another time.

We did learn about Hoodoos (rock pinnacles) that are prevelant in Bryce but am sorely disappointed in the gift shops. If I ran the gift shops I would make sure there were t-shirts that said, "Hoodoo you think you are?" or "Hoodoo you love?" I think they're missing out....

Tonight we are in the tiny town of Glendale and anticipating our visit to Zion National Park tomorrow!

June 11, 2014

Utah Adventure Day 5:

We had to say goodbye to picturesque Torrey to head over to Glendale, Utah via Highway 12. It was scenic alright. So scenic that in one spot we had over-the-cliff views on both sides of the narrow highway! Just as I started reaching for the rosary beads, things got better. Actually it was a very beautiful drive.  We stopped just outside Bryce Canyon and dropped our trailer so we all (including the dogs) could drive up the canyon in our truck. Wow!

"There are deep caverns and rooms resembling ruins of prisons, castles, churches with their guarded walls, battlements, spires, and steeples, niches and recesses, presenting the wildest and most wonderful scene that the eye of man ever beheld, in fact it is one of the wonders of the world." - T.C. Bailey (govt. land surveyor 1876)

No hiking today because dogs aren't allowed on the trails but we saw all of the main rock formations from the observation points. We will have to come back and hike down into the canyon another time.

We did learn about Hoodoos (rock pinnacles) that are prevelant in Bryce but am sorely disappointed in the gift shops. If I ran the gift shops I would make sure there were t-shirts that said, "Hoodoo you think you are?" or "Hoodoo you love?" I think they're missing out....

Tonight we are in the tiny town of Glendale and anticipating our visit to Zion National Park tomorrow!

June 10, 2014

Utah Adventure Day 4:

We are camping in Torrey, Utah which is a cute little town right outside the Capital Reef National Park. There are tremendous rock formations in the park but the town is a green agricultural area. A little oasis. The boys decided to go on a guided fishing trip today so Karen and I ventured into the National park. We did a 3 mile hike up to Hickman's Bridge. It was not as strenuous as yesterday but well worthwhile especially since for awhile we were the only ones on the trail. After the hike we stopped to see the petroglyphs made by the Fremont Indians who lived here many years ago. We also visited the old homestead of the Mormon pioneers who settled here after the Indians. Since this Fruita area is known for the orchards, of course we had to buy some homemade pies for tonight's dessert! 

I also bought a book called The Prairie Traveler by Randolph B. Marcy -Captain U.S. Army. This book was printed in 1859. The book was written as a handbook for American Pioneers. The chapters include: Different routes to take, repairing broken wagons, rattlesnake bites, packing supplies, and fighting Indians. I'm finding it very entertaining and informative about this time in history when people were venturing out to discover new territories to settle. For instance, we look for where gas stations are along our route. This guide explains the grass availability on the different routes for your oxen and mules to refuel. Now you know......

Look for the bridge behind us between our hats.

June 9, 2014

Utah Adventure Day 3:

We hit the trails this morning in the Arches National Park. We hiked the trail to the Delicate Arch. Well, you can't be too delicate to make it to Delicate Arch! It was strenuous and involved a lot of navigating over rocks but the destination was beautiful! It is amazing how some people are not as careful on these high cliffs as they should be....after saying this, the next thing we knew we decided to climb up some boulders for a better photo op under a smaller arch. Well, I overestimated my ability to heave myself up the rocks and in the process butt dialed Siri who dutifully asked "can I help you?" Don was the one who helped in the the end-literally when he pushed my derrière up the rock with Siri declaring that she "needed some help!" We got our photos and made it down in one piece!

This afternoon we hitched up the wagons and continued west to Torrey Utah. On a not so positive note, our bike Tule bent and dragged our bikes on the highway until a Good Samaritan in a passing car flagged us down. Fortunately I think only the front wheels of our tires are ruined. I guess we won't be going on a bike ride any time soon.....

   

   

June 9, 2014

Utah Adventure Day 3:

We hit the trails this morning in the Arches National Park. We hiked the trail to the Delicate Arch. Well, you can't be too delicate to make it to Delicate Arch! It was strenuous and involved a lot of navigating over rocks but the destination was beautiful! It is amazing how some people are not as careful on these high cliffs as they should be....after saying this, the next thing we knew we decided to climb up some boulders for a better photo op under a smaller arch. Well, I overestimated my ability to heave myself up the rocks and in the process butt dialed Siri who dutifully asked "can I help you?" Don was the one who helped in the the end-literally when he pushed my derrière up the rock with Siri declaring that she "needed some help!" We got our photos and made it down in one piece!

This afternoon we hitched up the wagons and continued west to Torrey Utah. On a not so positive note, our bike Tule bent and dragged our bikes on the highway until a Good Samaritan in a passing car flagged us down. Fortunately I think only the front wheels of our tires are ruined. I guess we won't be going on a bike ride any time soon.....

   

June 8, 2014

Utah Adventure Day 2:

We made it to Moab in good time this morning and met up with Gary and Karen at the campground. We have a beautiful view from our camper of this gorgeous landscape! This afternoon we explored a The Canyonlands National Park. Wow! I guess I've seen so many paintings that it looked fake like a background of a western movie. The weather was perfect- only in the low 80's and enough breeze to be pleasant. Also enough breeze to whisk my favorite hat off my head and into the canyon. Hundreds of years from now it will be on exhibit in a museum near here as an artifact of the dwellers that used to visit here. There are many tourists from Europe and it is humbling to see that they can read all the information plaques in English. When I was in Europe, I was relieved that the museums had everything written in English!

 

 

 

June 8, 2014

Utah Adventure Day 2:

We made it to Moab in good time this morning and met up with Gary and Karen at the campground. We have a beautiful view from our camper of this gorgeous landscape! This afternoon we explored a The Canyonlands National Park. Wow! I guess I've seen so many paintings that it looked fake like a background of a western movie. The weather was perfect- only in the low 80's and enough breeze to be pleasant. Also enough breeze to whisk my favorite hat off my head and into the canyon. Hundreds of years from now it will be on exhibit in a museum near here as an artifact of the dwellers that used to visit here. There are many tourists from Europe and it is humbling to see that they can read all the information plaques in English. When I was in Europe, I was relieved that the museums had everything written in English!

June 7, 2014

Day 1 Utah Adventure.

It has been a busy day, especially for Don. He flew in from Nashville this morning, unpacked, packed and then drove me and the two spoiled canines, and our trailer to Grand Junction! This is our first leg of our Utah Adventure. We will be meeting up with our friends, Karen and Gary, in Moab tomorrow. 

Here's a funny tidbit about Nashville. Alex and his best buddy Derrek have been driving across the country from San Diego to Derrek's new Marine Corp Band assignment in Virginia. By coincidence, they ended up in Nashville the same night Don was there! They all hit the Honky Tonks with Don buying the rounds!

June 6, 2014

D Day. Today is the 70th anniversary of D Day at Normandy. I don't know a lot about this historic event but learned more while watching the Brian Williams special tonight. They featured four veterans as they went back to France to visit the area for the first time in 70 years. They are all 93 years old now but by listening to them, they describe it as it was just yesterday. That just shows what an impact the experience had on them. Now we know to treat soldiers as they return from war for trauma, but back then they just had to "get over it" on their own. Having children in their early 20's, it really hits home as to how young all these soldiers were. I just can't imagine the bravery and fortitude these soldiers had to have to survive D Day- 10,000 didn't survive which is really incomprehensible! Thank you veterans of D Day and all other conflicts for the freedoms that I take for granted every day!