Meghann and Jeff

At the Top of the World

2010-09-26T23:16:00.003-06:00

I took a drive up Mt Evans to see the fall colors, which promised to be fantastic this weekend. I was not disappointed.

I took I-70 to Idaho Springs, which is the turnoff for the Mt Evans road. Along the way, I saw spectacular changes in the trees as I got higher in elevation. There were many times I wanted to stop along the way to take pictures, but I wanted to get as close to the summit as possible. Mt Evans is part of the National Park system, and is also run in partnership with the city of Denver. The road to the summit was closed, but I got up to Summit Lake Park.

This is overlooking Echo Lake Park, taken from along the road. It is the recreation area right before the ranger station at the Mt Evans road. The Mt Evans road is the highest paved road in North America.

This is a view of the summit from the lake, which was carved out by a glacier a long time ago. You can see that there is already snow! That's probably why the road to the summit was closed.

A short hike away, the glacier's path continues and yields this amazing view. I don't even know how far that is.

Next time I am definitely coming earlier so I can enjoy the lake more. I saw a couple who brought lawn chairs and were just hanging out. As it was, I had to drive back down. I stopped at the Mount Goliath Natural Area, right at the tree line. They even have a restaurant there.

I really enjoyed the aspens next to the evergreens. These were placed on a high rock right next to the road. The afternoon light makes the gold leaves even brighter.

I love living in Colorado.

Closing Weekend, Part 2

2010-04-21T11:08:00.004-06:00

Closing day at Copper was a blast. For those who haven't seen a closing day, there are fun costumes, warm weather, music, and good times. The day started at the bed and breakfast in Frisco. This was our second time staying at the B&B, this time we got a patio room. Here we are enjoying the patio in the morning.

The day started off with a trip up American Eagle and then a suprise ride on Excelerator that took us to what is almost the top of the mountain. This picture taken later in the day shows the Ski Patrol Hut at top of the lift.

After a brief warm up run, I was in for my first suprise of the day. Our next destination was up three lifts, the previously mentioned American Eagle, Excelerator, and then a lift neither Meghann nor I had ridden, Storm King. Here is Meghann at the base of the lift and then again getting off.

For those of you who ski, yes that is a Poma Lift, yes it has significant elevation gain (unlike any other Poma I have ridden), and yes it is probably the toughest lift I have ever been on. I don't remember the T-bars and J-bars that well, but this was a challenge. What it meant however was not only would we be skiing a new black, we got a new lift, and still hadn't met Meghann's goal of going on Super Bee.

Here we are at the top of Storm King looking over the bowls. While we didn't ski any of the bowls this year, it is not far off.

The trip down was captured on video so I unfortunately do not have any pictures to show. We skied to the base and took a nice lunch before our ride up Super Bee. Word of advice, closing day is not the best time to go to the resturants, they run low on food at that point. Then again, it felt just like being back at the Taco Bell overseas. To add to that feeling, we had a nice visit from some friends later in the day.

It seems that I just can't get away from them.

Here we are riding up Super Bee, a six person high speed lift. Goal Accomplished!!!

Finally, me having a little bit of last run of the season fun.

(If you think I look scary in the picture, the sight was even worse in person) All in all, it was a wonderful end to a ski season I wasn't sure I would get to enjoy.

Copper Mountain, Closing Weekend

2010-04-17T22:03:00.005-06:00

I arrived back in Colorado earlier this week and was excited to be able to make it to closing weekend at Copper Mountain. Meghann took Friday off and we drove up to ski through the last day of the season on Sunday. Friday the sun was out and the snow soft as you can see.

A few of our favorite runs are closed, but it was still a blast to go skiing. I was able to ski one day in early December, but otherwise this weekend will be my season. Next year we plan to get season passes to Copper and Winter Park. Meghann skied some while I was gone, so more photos may be forthcoming.

The soft snow made it harder to ski and took a lot more energy so we were both happy to have a short day. After skiing, we hung out at the base for a bit and enjoyed the sun.

Then it was time to go get food. Since we are staying in Frisco, we decided to check out some of the local resturants. Friday night we ate at a pizza place that was very tasty. In the mood for something different, we got a Mediterranean Shrimp pizza and had to take a picture.

Saturday the weather was not as sunny, but the snow was better because of it. Having warmed up on Friday, we decided to start the day on some more challenging terrain. Throughout the day there were several bands performing near the center village to celebrate the passing of another ski season. While we didn't hang out at the base much, it created a fun atmosphere. Favorite outfits included the people dressed as bananas, a gorilla, and wearing a union suit.

In the afternoon, Meghann rode a lift that she had never ridden before (Excelerator).

Here she is enjoying the sights at the top of the lift.

While we were skiing down, a light snow fall began to fall. The big news however was that Meghann decided to ski her first black run. Here she is in front of the sign.

The snow picked up while we were skiing to a brisk pace but had passed
by the time we reached the base. This picture looks back up the slope we had just skied.

Finally we got to see the East Village, after spending all of our previous time at either Union Creek or the Center Village.

Tomorrow's goal is to ride on Super Bee which is a six person high speed lift and maybe skiing a few more blacks (my goal, Meghann hasn't heard that one yet). We will try out a few new blues so it will be a fun conclusion regardless.

Favorite Shots

2010-04-17T21:59:00.001-06:00

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the past few months.

(Pictures to follow)

Tales of a new CHU

2010-04-03T14:12:00.003-06:00

Moving into a brand new, only sat around for two years waiting to be installed, Wet CHU has been an experience. On the plus side, I got more space, a sink, and a toilet/shower that I share with one other person. On the downside, it took a few days to get the internet installed, they had to replace the smoke detectors with models that are hardwired in addition to having a battery backup (I trust the battery much more than I trust the power, so that in and of itself was rather humerous), and had to fix a leaking shower. Why someone once felt the need to drill holes in the shower lip, I will never know. The newest problem however took the cake for being down right funny. Fortunately I have pictures to share this expeperience with everyone else.

First, a close up shot of my new door. It later got the same day sleeper sign added that was on my old door.

Next, a picture of the problem:

And a close up of the after shot of both the door and the handle:

Note that the handle is solid metal as it the part still left in the door. How this snapped I will never know. I came back from work one day and noticed that the handle had an extra space that hadn't been there when I left. Did someone try to break in, probably not.

So I put in a trouble ticket and got this as a replacement.

After getting the new door handle installed, I noticed that my neighbor already has the new door handle. Guess his had already broken.

My New CHU Part 2

2010-03-23T17:50:00.002-06:00

After living in my new CHU for a few days, I finally got settled. Here are a couple of photos of what the fully furnished room looks like.

First, the one side, complete with wardrobe:

Next, the other side complete with plastic storage drawers:

Finally, the sink area and a reflection of myself in the mirror:

All in all, it reminds me of living in the dorms in college. The internet seems to be more stable in the new room (knock on wood), but we don't have AFN installed yet. Can't say I mind since I haven't got a TV and am tired of the "commercials" that are all PSAs.

My New CHU

2010-03-13T08:37:00.004-07:00

So the past few days have been spent moving from my old "Dry" CHU (i.e. no water connections) to a brand new, only sat around for two years waiting to be installed, "Wet" CHU. The new one has a sink in my room and shares a toilet and shower with one other person. Additionally, the room got bigger in the process.

The downside of course is that we had to build all of our new furniture because it came disassembled. So here are some pictures of the new room, the assembly process, and how it looks now.

First, the empty room:

The bathroom:

An assembled Bed:

And the "instructions":

The completed wardeobe:

I will post pictures of the room with all my stuff once I am settled.

Care Package

2010-02-26T05:12:00.002-07:00

Ok so everyone has been asking what I need here and I keep saying "Nothing, we can get everything we could want here on base. I just enjoy hearing from you and knowing what is going on back home." Generally this is followed by a description of how there is a long aisle of snacks at the PX, and if I wanted, they also sell PS3/Xbox360/46" HDTV/... (pick one). Well, I was proven wrong just a few days ago. Some friends from England sent a care package, and I can get none of these things here, but then again I can get none of the in the US either (without trying really hard). So I will now amend my answer to state if you can find something that you normally can't get in the states, it can be a very welcome suprise.

The contents of this package suprised me enough that I decided to take pictures and show everyone else. (Prior warning, a young boy helped pick out the items and it shows. Which of course means that it works perfectly for boys of any age.)

First, a fun card that made me think of time spent together and passed along some kind words.

Next, a box of tea to enjoy while in my CHU. I have heard of the brand but never tasted it, so I am looking forward to trying.

A variety of digestives cookies I have never seen or tried:

Some hot cocoa mixes, again never even heard of the brand:

Cadbury chocolates, makes me think of Easter and creme eggs.

And some assorted other goodies:

I appologize for the bluriness of all the photos, but the lighting in a CHU while sufficient for doing anything you want normally does not lend itself to taking pictures without the flash. With the flash everything was washed out, so it was either see glare or live with some blur.

Billy, Redux

2010-02-23T23:56:00.004-07:00

Billy underwent a journey of more than 10 days to arrive in the Centennial State. After spending a snowy day cooped up at home, I decided to take him out on the town.

Billy was excited about seeing the Capitol, whose dome is covered in real gold. It was pretty snowy so I insisted that he borrow my hat, so he didn't catch a chill. It made sitting for his picture more enjoyable.

On the north side of the Capitol, where the main entrance is, there is a point on the stairs that is exactly one mile above sea level. There are a few markers thanks to ever-more-accurate methods of measurement. Who cares: Billy was basically a mile high!

Last but not least: we tried to go to the Mint. We have learned that the Mint doesn't accept visitors on Saturdays. Bummer! But Billy got his picture taken outside the visitor entrance anyway, just to show we gave it a shot. He does look a little bit bummed out, doesn't he?

I had a blast with Billy. I was excited that my friend Ken from Germany has agreed to be Billy's next host. Since Ken is in town this week, Billy can catch the plane with him back to Germany on Thursday. Billy has become quite the globetrotter. I'm jealous!

Billy

2010-02-23T13:43:00.005-07:00

A while back, Billy came to vist me here. I was asked to take him around with me and show him the sights as part of a school project for someone we know. Up until recently I was holding off on posting pictures of his trip because he has now gone on to visit Meghann. Now that she has seen him first hand, I felt it would be a good time to share his adventure with everyone.

First, Billy met up with me in my CHU.

After chatting a bit, he asked about some of the gear I had brought over with we so I gladly showed him.

After that, we went outside to just relax and enjoy the area around the CHU.

Finally, he wanted to see something more interesting than rocks (or my CHU) so we went out and looked at some of the vehicles.

All in all, it was a fun trip I think. As I said after visiting me, Billy went to stay with Meghann so look out for pictures from that adventure.

Pogs

2010-02-13T12:59:00.002-07:00

Those of you with kids may remember the Pog craze of the past, well the military continues the trend overseas. Rather than transporting a lot of coins, all change from the PX and other stores is given in the form of bills and pogs. There are several different designs, so it can be interesting to get a pog as change.

The exception to this rule is the post office which still uses change. Getting dimes back was actually a wierd experience, I didn't expect to have any coins.

Quick Picture

2010-02-13T12:53:00.002-07:00

Ok, so here is a quick picture of myself in my CHU. I think by now, I have taken this picture about 15 times, but very few of you ever get to see the picture. As you can see, it has been a while since I shaved.

My plan is to come back to the states with a beard, but if it gets too hot or scratchy, I may change my mind. Other than growing the beard, life continues as normal. There is still talk about when we will move over to wet CHUs, the food is still plentiful, and I continue to not work out as much as I would like.

Hurt Locker

2010-02-02T20:24:00.002-07:00

So a group of us watched the movie "The Hurt Locker" earlier tonight. For those who haven't seen the movie, it is about an EOD (Explosive Ordinance Disposal) team in Iraq. While I have no experience with EOD, we all joked about the lack of reality. For instance, not one soldier wore a reflective belt. Talk about a disconnect from the real world.

Ode to the Reflective Belt

2010-01-26T06:10:00.003-07:00

This is my chance to pay homage to the amazing powers of a reflective belt (seen below).

This belt allows the wearer to walk directly in front of a vehicle, be it truck, SUV, or MRAP and not be hurt in any way. In addition, it protects you from angry drivers when walking down the middle of the road.

Reflective belts are required to enter the DFAC, PX, gym, or any MWR facility when it is dark. Originally this was just required of soldiers, but the rule has since been expanded to include everyone. The punishment for not wearing one? Being refused entry and forced to go back to your room (without a reflective belt) to retrieve it. Notable quirks in the rules include that PT uniforms with imbedded reflective material still require a reflective belt, and that reflective vests are also allowed in place of a belt. The proper method of wearing the belt is said to be over your right shoulder, slanting to the left side of your body. For those interested in learning more about the powers provided when wearing a reflective belt, there is a facebook page dedicated to this topic. There are also several webpages with humor and comments available for those not on facebook.

Favorite Signs

2010-01-10T19:08:00.003-07:00

Here are pictures of two of my favorite signs, one because of the silliness, the other because it describes the people who work here perfectly.

First, a sign posted in the bathrooms documenting how to leave in case of an emergency.

Now I understand that there is a regulation someplace requiring this sign, and that it makes sense in larger more complex buildings, but the restrooms are inside a single connex, with one door and two very small, very high, downward tilting windows. The showers have another sign that is very similar but with slightly different sketches to reflect the six shower stalls and water heater rather than six toilets and water heater.

The showers are also the location of this second sign. There is one copy outside and another copy inside.

This is enforced by the use of an electronic lock during those hours listed. (There is also a combo restroom/shower that is for women 24 hrs/day) Now doing the math, you would guess it is a ratio of about 5 guys to every girl, but factor in differences in time to take a shower, and not forcing everyone to be there at exactly the same time and I would guess the ratio is closer to 12:1. For some reason, the difference in numbers seems to be even more pronounced with contractors than it is in the military.

Happy New Year!!!

2009-12-31T17:55:00.004-07:00

Happy New Years to all, I hope that you have a wonderful and safe time. Here we rang in the new year with some Coors...

Now many of you know that I am not a huge fan of Coors, but I will report that Coors NA tastes a lot like Coors Light. Now this of course translates to me not being a huge fan, but at least they seem to be fairly consistent. ( Those of you who can, please enjoy a nice scotch for me)

Fortunately, I have mostly settled into a routine that includes working out. I plan to try and increase both my cardiovascular and muscle fitness. Only having one year till I turn 30, I am starting to notice a little extra weight around the middle and a lot less speed when I run. I hope to change that while I am here and be in great shape to ski when I get back if there is still snow. This is especially important because of the quantity and types of food we tend to eat over here, it would be very easy to come back home and weigh 10-15 pounds more than I do now.

My New CHU

2009-12-27T18:29:00.007-07:00

So several days ago I moved into my new CHU that is located near the rest of my program. The new room is smaller, but has a nicer interior. The reason for the size difference is that the old room was designed for two people whereas this one is designed for one and therefore half the size. The biggest downside is that this room does not have a desk. The lack of a desk makes browsing the internet, typing, and chatting on skype all very interesting (see photo later for how I manage). I plan to go the college route and make a desk from some plastic drawers and plywood but haven't gotten around to it yet. I am sure that I will probably procrastinate until I have just a short time left. Another option is to get a desk from the PX area, but that option is a little more costly.

Here is the interior of my CHU before I got settled. Notice the nicer walls and furniture.

A door that seals much better than the last CHU. This one doesn't swing open when it is unlocked.

And then again once I had arranged this as best I could. I don't know what will be more welcome, a place to type or more drawers for my clothing.

The commputer on the night stand. Fortunately, I have a small computer so it fits rather well.

The area looks about the same as my last location, dirt, dirt, and you guessed it more dirt. The other area did have more boardwalks connecting rooms which was nice. When it rains the walk here can be a bit messy, or at night the gravel will make more noise than is ideal. All in all, when you are complaining about the lack of boardwalks between rooms, it is a sign that you aren't roughing it too badly.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T18:13:00.002-07:00

So I haven't posted in several days, but I wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. Life has gotten busier recently, I am assuming more duties in the ground station. The two biggest changes that have occured are one, I moved to a new CHU. That move left me without internet for a few days. Originally I thought the problem was with the wiring,m but in the end it was my computer. Oh well, I was able to fix things. The new CHU is smaller, but nicer inside. Now all I need to do is find a desk. The PX has a desk for $350, but I don't think that cherry veneer is appropriate for a small room (more details on the room in a later post).

The second big change is that I am no longer the newest member of the team in Iraq. One of the guys I went through training with arrived about 24 hours ago. Today was spent helping him through the in process for the most part.

Future installments will describe my new room in more detail and describe the multitude of vehicles I have seen since my arrival.

Transportation

2009-12-17T17:30:00.002-07:00

As I alluded to in the last post, there was a plan to remove the requirement that I be picked up in order to go anywhere. The program has several vehicles, so one was provided to me after mid rats on my first night in the ground station. Until I move over with the rest of the people, I will have a Toyota Hilux truck dedicated to my useage. Of course there are about 500 of these trucks on base, so finding the right truck can prove to be a bit of a challenge sometimes. Without further adu, my truck:

(These pictures were taken the next day)

Now some of you just fell off your chair and onto the floor in a fit of laughter. For those of you who aren't in on the joke, I have (had) never driven a vehicle with a manual transmission. Word of advice to everyone, learn to drive a manual transmission ASAP so that you do not find yourself in a foreign country, at night, alone, and on dirt/gravel/asphalt roads learning. Fortunately, the process didn't take more than about ten minutes to get proficient enough that I was willing to drive to the DFAC the next day.

Heading into the Office

2009-12-17T04:35:00.004-07:00

So today (16 December, yes I know that isn't really today but I will pretend) I went into the office to get to know what is going on and complete some of the paperwork. Upon waking, I arranged some of my stuff and took pictures of the area. You will now get to see my desk.

Me after getting settled in my CHU

The Desk, it reminds me of college.

My CHU from the outside

Other CHUs in my area

Do you get the feeling they don't want you to swim?

A close up so you can get an idea just how serious they are about not swimming.

At lunchtime I got picked up and went over to the DFAC for my first meal at a DFAC in Speicher. I have now eaten at DFAC's in three different locations, Ft. Benning, BIAP and now Speicher. After eating, I was off to our office for paperwork. After that, it was back to the CHU to wait for dinner.

One of the guys picked me up for dinner and it was back over to the DFAC. The food is generally very good, with some exceptions that are to be expected. Things can get a little dry if has to be kept hot (think pizza), but other things have been very impressive. Options include Ribs, Stir Fry, Lasagna, ... Overall, it is easy to see why it would be possible to gain a significant amount of weight.

Work went somewhat smoothly, I will be in the ground station for the next few weeks so I got my first practice last night. For the most part, I just observed, but I did spend some time on the radio with our aircraft, and helping set up the computers.

If you have been reading the previous posts, you will notice a common trend. < Insert Name Here > stops by and picks me up. Well, that problem is solved in the next blog post.

The Journey Part II

2009-12-15T11:40:00.006-07:00

Great news, I was able to get on the flight Space "A". I should be headed to my quarters tonight. More promises of details and pictures to follow. I will update this post once I am at my final destination.

Added 17 December:

Ok, so updating things when I arrived was a little optimistic. I caught the Space "A" flight with no problems. It was a C-130 carrying six passnegers. All of us were in our body armor and helmets since they are required when flying on a military aircraft. The cabin was the standard cloth web seating that is oh so unfomfortable but at least we could spread out. Once again, the cabin was darkened, but this time there was a little more light in the form of several green bulbs of low intensity. Having very few windows, there was nothing to do but sit back, and relax as best possible.

Upon arriving at Speicher, I was met by two of the people from my program and given a ride to my temporary living quarters.

The Containerized Housing Unit (CHU, pronounced chew) is pretty spartan at this time. I have a wooden plywood desk (not pictured), a bed, some amriores, and a couple of night stand like pieces. Additionally there is an HVAC unit and some carpet. Since I am flight crew, there is a nice sign on the door saying, don't bother me until 1500. As said, this is a temporary location until one of the other folks leaves at which point I will move over with the rest of the team. All in all, the accomidations will be about the same, just located in a different area. The big problem with updating the blog however was that the internet was down. Doh!

Jeff

Welcome to Iraq

2009-12-14T11:27:00.003-07:00

So it is official, I am in Iraq. I have not made it to my final destination yet, but I am in country. I plan to post about things I see but can't promise that it will happen all that often. For now, I am off to find transportation.

Added 17 December:

The flight on United was wonderful, I slept through most of it and woke up in time for a small snack (turckey sandwich with roasted potatoes was the snack, don't get that on travel inside the USA). After arriving in Kuwait, we were met by the Gryphon Airline representatives and taken to our next gate. A few minutes later we boarded the aircraft and pulled away from the gate. The flight was very comfortable and highly unusual. The approach to Baghdad International AirPort (BIAP) is done in blackout conditions. Imagine sitting in a leather seat on an airliner, flying at night, and the only lighting is from the emergency pathway lights. No anti-collision lights, no landing lights, no overhead lights, no reading lights, just the small green lights on the carpet that guide you to an exit in an emergency. The landing was smooth and the flight attendents were great, it just made for a wierd feeling.

After arriving at BIAP, you walk over to the airbase and collect your luggage. Once there, I checked in with the Helo/Sherpa folks to see if there were any flights to Speicher. No luck, so I was off to explore a bit and find my way around the base. I took very few pictures, but did take this one of the Christmas tree.

After a little looking, I managed to start doing the things I really needed to and talked to the Assistant Site Lead who pointed out the e-mail I had seen earlier and ignored the content while reading the powerpoint attachment. It provided several important details that got me back on track. Unfortunately I had barely missed the fixed wing flight for the evening and had to bed down at BIAP. I was however able to get my name ont he Space "A" roster for the next evening. All in all it was a good night, I grabbed some food from the Grab n Go at the passenger terminal and relaxed.

Jeff

ETA: For those not interested in Iraq, we made our first ski trip of the season just over a week ago and the ski blog should be starting up again shortly.

Pretty Flowers

2009-07-09T17:13:00.002-06:00

Our rosebushes outdid themselves this year. Here are a few pictures.

The pink ones always come out first. They are about halfway opened up when the yellow ones start coming out.

I got a pretty good up-close view of a pink one.

The wine-colored ones, dark red, start coming out after the pink and yellow pretty much expend themselves. So we get twice as long to enjoy them!

Here is a late evening photo. I love these bushes! It is sad that they only hang around for three or four weeks before going away. We will prune them to see if we can get another showing this year.

Space Age

2009-07-09T16:32:00.002-06:00

So for work, I got to go to an Atlas V rocket launch. We were actually supposed to see the Shuttle launch also, but it was scrubbed until July 11. So we had to "settle" for the Atlas.

Before the launch day, we got to tour Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS). These facilities do a lot of work behind the scenes.

The first places we got to go were the old sites for the Mercury and Apollo launches. This is the place where the Apollo I explosion occurred. It doesn't look like much but it holds a place of honor.

These small plaques appear on the concrete pillars holding up the structure in the picture above. The second one is pithier and perhaps captures the "spirit" better, but the first provides more details.

We were fortunate enough to be there while they were replacing tiles on one of the Shuttles. I kind of assumed that the Shuttle was painted black on the underside. It isn't paint at all. It's heat-resistant tile. They inspect and replace tiles that need it after every flight. You can see the markers where they expect to make a replacement. Each tile has a serial number.

Here are some people working on the Shuttle. While the Shuttle isn't in a clean room, they try to prevent as much FOD as possible from entering into the workspace.

Reminders of these three missions are everywhere. People have special reverence for these and the astronauts on them. It is also a motivator to do the job right, so we can minimize future risks. The monuments in Arlington National Cemetery aren't the only ones.

Here it is! YES! I really got that close!

(OK. I'm shooting the picture through a fence with a guard shack and barbed wire nearby. But it looks pretty good, doesn't it? No zoom!)

Here is the Atlas, from an ignominious little dirt road. Who knew you could get that great of a view? The Atlas V was carrying the LRO/LCROSS mission, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite. NASA wants to go back to the Moon. Here's the first step. Everyone made fun of George W. Bush when he proposed it, yet here we are, quietly developing the plans!

KSC had a visitor center with a big pavilion that had some history and rockets on display. Here is a fun sign.

I had so much fun. It was really an excellent trip and I know I'm fortunate to have gone.

Great Sand Dunes and Monte Vista

2009-06-14T18:17:00.002-06:00

Our first part of the trip was from our house to Monte Vista. On the way, we stopped at the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.

We passed by the YMCA of Boulder Valley Santa Maria Camp. The statue of Jesus is visible from the road, as is the lettering on the mountain. The statue's base contains a replica of Jesus's tomb.

The Great Sand Dunes National Park is home to the tallest sand dunes in North America. They are over 750 feet tall. The dunes are directly west of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, and the whole area is really geographically diverse.

These pictures are visible from the visitor's center. Once you get there, you can't do a whole lot more driving past it. There are plenty of hiking trails. The weather was rather poor, otherwise we might have climbed the dunes--just to see what it was like.

We stayed at the Best Western Movie Manor in Monte Vista. What a fun place! It was built next to a drive-in movie theater.

The owner of the drive-in built the place, thinking that it would be a great idea if his hotel guests could watch the movie, if they wanted to, in the comfort of their own rooms. The sound is piped directly in, and the rooms have large picture windows that look out onto the screen. Each room is named for an actor or actress. You can see whose room we had the good fortune to stay in...

The screen is pretty big but looks small from the rooms in the daytime. We watched Star Trek the night we were there, and the screen didn't look small with the picture and sound going. We had a great time watching it!

Lamar Trip

2009-06-14T17:51:00.002-06:00

Before we got started on our big Colorado vacation, my parents and I went to visit my Grandma in the nursing home. Grandma looks exactly the same as she ever did... and she still refuses to wear her teeth.

Here is what was on the wall of the hotel room where we stayed. The Country Acres and RV Park in Lamar has eight themed rooms and a lot for RVs. It is far and away the best place in Lamar to stay, in my opinion. We stayed in the Space Room.

Here's more of the room. The shelves holding up such things as the alarm clock, the TV and the microwave, as well as the headboards, were all cut from an old satellite dish. Very cool. Now that is "retro."

Here I am with my Grandma. She is such a ham. She was blowing kisses at the camera.

We also found some time to visit my dear departed Grandpa. He would have been 95 this year. I think he could have lived that long, too. Getting sick when you're old just isn't easy, I guess. I miss Grandpa.

Nuggets Beat Mavs!

2009-05-14T15:04:00.003-06:00

We got some tickets to Game 5 of the series between the Nuggets and the Dallas Mavericks. The tickets were on the club level, which was pretty nice. We got to see a little bit of how the other half lives! A waitress bringing food? I could get used to that.

Here's Dallas superstar Dirk Nowitzki taking a free throw. He never seems to miss!

The Nuggets are over on their side of the court. The Pepsi Center was totally packed. There were no seats available... not even single seats. I think there were 20,000 people there.

The Nuggets mascot, Rocky, had his hair done just like Birdman! Chris "Birdman" Andersen is not exactly a huge scorer, but he has a cult-like following here in Denver. He is called Birdman because he flaps his arms to celebrate when he makes one of his trademark stylistic dunks... and he has feathers tattooed on his arms. Anyway, Rocky put his hair in the mohawk-style hairdo that Birdman has become known for lately. He's shown here with a t-shirt gun to launch t-shirts out at whoever can catch them in the crowd. That thing has some range!

Nuggets win! The final score is at the top of the picture. "NUGGETS ADVANCE" was in lights all across the arena. The media is on the court to interview everyone they can get a hold on. The towel on the right belongs to the guy in front of me. He could not stay sitting down, and waved his towel all over the place. You can see that since the towels were a game freebie, almost everyone else had one too.

Confetti is fun! We were so excited that the NUGGETS WON!!

Blanket for Baby Higgins

2009-05-14T14:50:00.002-06:00

So I spent forever on a blanket for another colleague who had a baby. The basketweave stitch doesn't add much height per row, so it itakes a long time. On the bright side, it crochets up into a nice, substantial fabric that is quite stretchy.

I broke my own rule and used acrylic, but the Bernat baby stuff seems like it's better than Red Heart, plus I had a bunch of it that I needed to use. I used a bit of pink Polarspun on the outside border. Too bad that stuff was discontinued... I like it.

Our Nation's Most Sacred Shrine

2009-04-21T12:01:00.003-06:00

We went to Arlington National Cemetery on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. There were a lot of people, but there was also a lot of ground to cover.

It is hard to imagine that each of these headstones represents a fallen hero or a family member.

I was fortunate enough to catch a Tomb of the Unknowns changing of the guard. Here is the sentinel by himself, right before the change. Continuous patrolling since the 1930s has caused discoloration on the ground where they walk.

This is in the middle of the guard change. It is a very elaborate ceremony. The guard asks that everyone stand up and remain standing during the ceremony. They say so at the beginning. So imagine this woman's embarassment when they stopped the ceremony to call her out for sitting back down!

The face of the Tomb has lettering, carved into White Yule marble entirely from Colorado. The inscription is almost impossible to see in this photo. It says

HERE RESTS IN
HONORED GLORY
AN AMERICAN
SOLDIER
KNOWN BUT TO GOD

Check out the FAQ page at the Society of the Honor Guard website. It answers many questions about the Tomb guard and the rituals. There have only been three female sentinels, because they have to be between 5'11" and 6'4". Wow!

Here is the Memorial Amphitheater. My Dad is in the picture... see if you can spot where.

Audie Murphy, the American legend, is so famous that his grave is on the map as a point of interest.

Here are the Space Shuttle disaster memorials.

This is the memorial for the rescue attempt to save the Iranian hostages. I did a paper on the attempt for a military history class. Those poor people were doomed from the beginning, thanks to a few crucial mistakes.

Theodore Roosevelt commanded the Rough Riders in the Cuba campaign. In case you hadn't guessed it... Theodore Roosevelt is my favorite president!

The brightness makes it hard to see, but this is Robert F. Kennedy's grave. It is on a small hill all by itself. I wonder if they will bury Ted next to him.

Here are the graves of President Kennedy and Jackie O, in front of the eternal flame. They also had a couple of infants who died, and are buried with them. Another thing I did not know!

Last but not least... the view from the Kennedys' gravesite. It is quite lovely.

Museum of American History

2009-04-21T10:20:00.003-06:00

After a long renovation, the Museum of American History is finally open again! That was at the top of my list for museums to visit.

Everyone loves Dumbo! Elephants are one of my favorites, too. Of course there was no way to sit on him, but that's probably a good thing.

Here are Grandmaster Flash's turntable and Fab Five Freddy's boombox. These are symbolic of the birth of hip-hop. Grandmaster Flash is credited as the first person to use a turntable as a musical instrument. I didn't know that he was from Barbados.

This character needs no introduction! I think we all wish that we had a door so readily available to slam when we don't want to be around other people anymore!

A smorgasbord of presidential street signs. I would have liked for them to specify which Roosevelt was being honored...

...because I know which one I would prefer! Theodore Roosevelt was one of our greatest presidents. It has become fashionable to call him a socialist. I don't think much of those comments.

The Declaration of Independence. The real one at the National Archives is a bit more faded, but this one is easier to read!

Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day. It would seem appropriate that I post this! This is a huge reproduction of the front page of the Stars and Stripes, the newspaper serving the armed forces, on the "unofficial" V-E Day.

An old Army Jeep... hanging from the ceiling!

Here is a Huey helicopter. It was impossible to get the rotors; they hung out over the other exhibits by quite a bit. This is a representation of the soldiers in Vietnam.

This is twisted metal from the 70th floor of the World Trade Center. I'm not sure which tower. Needless to say, this entire exhibit was fascinating in a somber sort of way.

Our nation's highest military honor. It had its own small exhibit. In the Pentagon, they have a whole corridor devoted to Douglas MacArthur, who was part of the only father/son team to win the Medal of Honor. They have the actual medal on display.

The Lincoln Memorial & Vietnam Wall

2009-04-21T09:49:00.004-06:00

It's time to play catch-up from the last few weeks. Here are a few scenes from the class trip to the Lincoln Memorial.

Could there be a more iconic pose of Lincoln than this?

Here is the Gettysburg Address. It is easy to appreciate how short it was when you see how easily it fits on this wall in giant letters.

On the facing wall, there is the Second Inaugural Speech from 1865.

I also got to visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, only steps away from the Lincoln Memorial. I suppose I was paying a visit to Maj Robert M. Gilchrist, who is on my POW/MIA bracelet. It has been almost 43 years since he was shot down over North Vietnam. I hope wherever he is, he is resting in peace.

The People's Government

2009-03-23T20:14:00.004-06:00

We got to go on a trip to the U.S. Capitol last Friday. We left bright and early on Friday morning and arrived at the Capitol by 8:15 am. The day was cloudless and a bit breezy.

Here is the view from the west side. The sun had not yet risen above the line of the Capitol.

On the east side, I got another photo of the dome in the morning sunlight, and then zeroed in on the House of Representatives. I love this architecture.

Here is a bigger picture of the Capitol. There weren't too many people there because of the early hour.

Here is the Capitol dome from underneath. This painting, if you look closely, is starring George Washington. It is depicting the ascension of George Washington into Heaven. Washington really is a legendary figure in our history. He is shown with the purple blanket on his lap, on the left side of the inner ring of figures.

I also learned that the Capitol dome is made of cast iron and weighs nine million pounds. That is 9,000,000 pounds. That is 4,500 tons. I was pretty speechless by this incredible figure. I guess you have to fireproof it somehow!

I like Ike.

Two of my favorite Founding Fathers, Ethan Allen and Samuel Adams. Adams must be spinning in his grave right now given the state of affairs. But I digress.

Here is a giant bust of Lincoln. It was taller than I am. According to the tour guide, this was Lincoln's son's favorite sculpture of his father, because he said that it captured Lincoln's character the best. Take a look... what is he missing?

Last but not least... the view from the southeast corner of the Capitol facing toward the Washington Monument. I thought that this really great view was totally unexpected.

A Walk Around Campus

2009-03-22T10:42:00.008-06:00

Most of you reading this know that I am at Georgetown University for a month-long class sponsored by my agency. We got a chance to walk around the campus during the day earlier this week. I hope to get some more pictures over the next three weeks, but here are three to start.

My distinct lack of botanical knowledge makes me, regrettably, unable to tell you what this tree is. But I thought it was pretty.

This is White-Gravenor Hall. The admissions office, Dean's office and registrar are in there. Here is what the campus visitor's brochure has to say about White-Gravenor.

The White-Gravenor building takes its name from Andrew White, S.J., and John Gravenor, S.J., two of the first Jesuits to come to Maryland in 1634. Completed in 1933, the building houses the Office of the Registrar in the basement and the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and the Dean's Office for Georgetown College on the first floor. The Department of Psychology, chemistry labs and classrooms are located on the second, third and fourth floors.

This is the front of Healy Hall. It is a big, Gothic-looking building that can be seen from a fair distance. At night, it has a red light on top so nothing flies into it. The cross is from Georgetown's Jesuit heritage. It's kind of like the House of the Twenty Gables. You can see the head of the statue of Archbishop Carroll in the lower right area of the picture.

Here's what the visitor's brochure has to say about Healy Hall.

With its distinctive spires towering above the Washington, DC, skyline, Healy Hall is an impressive example of 19th century architecture. At its hightst point, the building rises more than 300 feet over the Potomac River.

The Hall's construction in 1877 carried symbolic meaning and educational purpose--signaling to the nation that Georgetown was no longer the small, rural academy founded more than 100 years earlier by Archbishop John Carroll. Healy Hall is named for Georgetown's "Second Founder" and the first African-American president of a major university, Patrick F. Healy, S.J., president of the University from 1873 to 1882. The building was completed in 1879 and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Considered the centerpiece of Georgetown's campus, Healy Hall houses classrooms and academic and administrative offices including the Office of the President, the Office of Student Financial Services, Campus Ministry and the Office of Mission and Ministry.

Gaston Hall, located on the third floor of Healy Hall, is an ornately adorned lecture hall that is a popular venue for heads of state and other distinguished speakers, concerts and awards ceremonies. Riggs Library, locagted in th south tower of Healy Hall, is one of the last cast-iron libraries in the United States. Riggs Library and its various annexes and reading rooms served as the main campus library until 1970, when Launinger Library was completed. In front of Healy Hall, facing the Main Campus gates, is a statue of Georgetown's founder, Archbishop Carroll. The cannons in front of the building are relics of the two ships, the Ark and the Dove, which brought the first Maryland colonists and Jesuits to America in 1634.

Sweater for Baby Dawson

2009-03-19T20:48:00.002-06:00

My colleague Maj Dawson and his wife Krista are having another baby. I had another excuse for a baby item! I got the duckie buttons at the yarn and fabric store in Breckenridge. I had had the happy face buttons, but the duckie buttons were just so great. I had a blast making this. This is so far my favorite baby garment to make.

My First Blue Run

2009-03-19T20:33:00.003-06:00

On March 8, I skied my first blue run, Clear Cut. It was very short and connected two ends of a longer green run. Here's me getting started. I was very excited, of course, because I did a blue run without blowing out my knee... YAY! And there were no moguls.

Here's Jeff in front of the village, about halfway down Carefree. Bonus: I had to ride up a new lift, American Flyer, to get to the mid-mountain greens. We started with Coppertone and transitioned to Carefree all the way down to Center Village, which is behind Jeff. I put this in because there are entirely too few pictures of Jeff on here.

Paco in Bloom

2009-03-13T17:46:00.003-06:00

For the past three years, our cactus, Paco, has delighted us by blooming around the first week of March. Again, he did not disappoint.

(What? Yes, his name really is Paco.)

A Little Bit of Eternity

2009-03-13T17:34:00.001-06:00

I did a new run, Soliloquy, on Sunday, March 1. By now you all have seen the photos of me skiing... but this one came out pretty well!

A New Lift

2009-03-11T15:21:00.005-06:00

At the end of the day on Sunday the 22nd, we tried out the High Point lift for the first time! I went down Easy Feelin' and Scooter. Those sound like nice, kid-friendly slopes, don't they? Er, not.

So this is what happens when the lifts are about to close! The cone shows the lift operator that there is no one else behind the cone and that it is OK to stop the lift without stranding anyone.

After we took a wrong turn at the end of Scooter, we ended up going down the Loverly run. It was narrow and ended in a steep area full of moguls. The afternoon was cloudy so it was difficult to see where the moguls were. I still tended to ski across steep areas instead of down them, but that doesn't work too well on moguls! This was me after I got down. I was so glad to get off the mogul field!

Galena Street Mountain Inn

2009-03-11T15:13:00.003-06:00

We got a chance to stay at an amazing bed and breakfast in Frisco on February 21. We got the King Tower room, so named because above the bed, there is a high ceiling with windows. Sort of like the inside of a turret.

These were the main views of the inside of our room. The bed was enormous and really nice. We were very comfortable. There was a little sitting area and views across three out of four of the walls.

The first picture is the view from the bed straight upward just after sunrise. It was wonderfully bright in the room. The second picture is of the sitting room next to the front lobby.

We were very glad that we stayed here instead of at a big chain that would have cost the same but would have been soulless. The breakfast was excellent. We will stay there again.

Yay, a new resort!

2009-02-24T15:53:00.003-07:00

If you're wondering why 50% of our blog is taken up by skiing, that's because skiing is pretty much what we've been doing recently. Due to business travel, my ski season will end on March 14, so that means we have to pack it in.

We decided to maximize our 50% off lift ticket coupons by going to Monarch Mountain, which is down by Salida. It is a tiny resort but neither of us had ever been there, and it was reasonably priced. $54 for a lift ticket, and with our coupon? No-brainer!

Here I am at the top of the Skywalker run. It is the first time that I have been at the top of a Colorado mountain. You can see the trail map next to me. It is the green run that goes across the top of the mountain toward the left edge of the trail map, and then curves downward.

This view was utterly amazing. We are at the top of the Continental Divide, and the trail is labeled as such. The view is to the west. There wasn't exactly a horizon--more of a gentle fading into eternity.

Here's Jeff with the view from the same place, facing to the east. The view there is just as great as it was on the other side. Truly amazing. We had to stand there for a while, soaking it in.

The runs here were harder than the easier runs I had been doing at Copper. Here we are part of the way down the mountain. You can see the lodge and the parking lot, way down there! So we still had a ways to go. I had a couple of really ugly runs, meaning big snowplows and putt-putting across the slope, because as you probably all know I have an insane fear of falling.

Ironically... I did fall once at Monarch. It was on the babiest of hills, the Snowflake run. I think I leaned too far toward the slope, my ski caught and then I just kind of tipped over. I still don't know what I fell on! I didn't hurt myself, thankfully, and was more amused by the whole thing. I still don't know how to get up without taking my skis off, since this is only the second time I have fallen since starting up again. Guess I never learned before!

Here we are at the end of the day, in front of the lodge. Awwww.

After sharing a cup of hot chocolate, we decided that we will be back to Monarch--perhaps not this season, but next year. The drive alone is worth the trip!

Post-Valentine's Ski Day

2009-02-24T15:31:00.002-07:00

This was our first there-and-back-again ski trip. We didn't stay overnight since it was Sunday. But I was excited because I got to try out my new skis!

Here's my first time standing on them. I had not been on skis this length since I hurt my knee. So far, so good. This little avenue is the stretch between the Easy Rider magic carpet and Green Acres. We are, of course, on our way to Green Acres because I'm too chicken to start with the Roundabout and West Ten Mile runs I had completed on the 130s with Steve.

Here's Jeff at the top of Green Acres. You can see that it was a really nice day. You can also see that Green Acres is nice and gentle--a great place to get my ski legs.

We moved on to bigger and better slopes after I got the hang of it. Here, Jeff is adjusting his ski on the wrench bench. Jeff got new skis too, ones that are more suitable for powder. They are shorter and a little wider and rounder than his other skis. So far he really likes them.

We ended up doing four hours worth of runs. I didn't want to stop for lunch! Here's me with my victory salute. Yay! It was a great day and I didn't fall on my new skis at all.

Rather than looking at me in this picture, check out the homes on the right hand side. These are new Lewis Ranch homes that are either for vacation rental or for purchase. They are ski-in/ski-out and are really super nice. I don't know what the rentals cost, but I was surprised to see that some Lewis Ranch properties were for sale for between $3 and $4M, which is less than I expected. Fodder for future dreams...

Valentine's Day

2009-02-23T16:53:00.004-07:00

So we decided to try something different this year and get Valentine's Day dinner from Tony's Market. If you aren't from Denver, Tony's is a wonderful little family owned establishment that sells fine meats and gourmet groceries. If you want excellent meats and quality cuts, go to Tony's. Anyway, Tony's was offering a prix fixe pre-order dinner for two. All we had to do was reserve the dinner online in advance, show up on Valentine's Day, and pay. The re-heating instructions were included. When you think of re-heating anything, you think dry, chewy, tough or something else unpleasant. Not this dinner. It turned out perfectly.

Here is the first course. The red rose came with the dinner, so that was a nice decoration! There was an appetizer, artfully named Mascarpone and Fig Phyllo Purses. The fig inside reminded me of apple butter, but with fig instead. The phyllo didn't get dried out or too crisp. The salad was vanilla pear with lemon Stilton and candied pecans. To die for! You can see that Jeff broke out the wine, a German Riesling. I hadn't had wine in months.

Here's the second course. The main course was jumbo shrimp with homemade cocktail sauce, and an excellent Chateaubriand with wild mushroom sauce. To me, it's difficult to cook meats in general without making them too dry--you really have to pay attention. Re-heating meat universally makes it worse. But in this case, Tony's cooked its meat in such a way that reheating it made it perfect! It was wonderfully tender. The side dishes were roasted red potatoes with herbes de Provence, and dinner rolls.

Dessert! It is a heart-shaped cheesecake with strawberry swirl. That was really, really good! It had a graham cracker crust, but it was very finely crushed and perfectly moist.

Here is my present! I was VERY excited! The skis are 142s, so just a little longer than the ones I skied on the 25th. They are for "advanced beginners." I will write in my next post about how they did the first time on the slopes.

(If you're wondering what I gave Jeff, it was a subscription to Skiing magazine. I guess great minds think alike!)

We'll have to stitch up Bublé

2009-02-23T16:26:00.003-07:00

The day before Valentine's Day, Chris Botti came to play with the Colorady Symphony Orchestra. As subscribers we had found out about the show months ago. This was fortunate for us, as the entire Boettcher Concert Hall was sold out. That's kind of a rarity, at least for the shows that we attend.

For the few who don't know who Chris Botti is, he is a jazz trumpeter. That's sort of like saying that Chet Baker or Maynard Ferguson were jazz trumpeters--there's sort of a lack of superlatives there. Anyway, Botti is stylistically very smooth and mellow. I discovered him in 1997 in a music shop in Boulder, the kind where they had CD players and headphones so you could listen to the entire CD, not just the pre-fab samples that someone else got to pick out. I listened to the whole Midnight Without You CD and bought it immediately. I have been a fan ever since.

In the picture above, he has migrated to behind the harp. During the program, we were treated to some of his tunes from his recent albums. He brought his band with him, which consisted of a guitarist, a bassist and a pianist. We also got to hear a tune from another jazz great, Miles Davis, as well as a Billie Holliday song.

One of the neat things about Botti's performance is that he migrated around the stage a lot. He didn't hog the spotlight when others were doing solos. Since Boettcher is in the round, there are a couple hundred people, at least, who are behind the stage. Botti turned around to face us quite a bit. This was a totally unexpected delight, since most performers do not do this.

Something funny: the woman in white on the balcony above Botti on the right was incredibly loud. At one point, the tune was really quiet and mellow, but you could her HER clapping throughout the entire theater. It was sort of amazing. Even Botti himself noticed, and commented on how... exuberant she was. Ha!

At the end, he said, "You know that song Fly Me To the Moon?" and everyone cheered. He said, "We aren't going to play it, because now that Michael Bublé has sung it, I can't play it anymore!" Most of you know that Fly Me To the Moon was Jeff's and my wedding song, so we were greatly disappointed, although Botti and his band did play another, less well-known Sinatra song, after he related his tale of playing with Sinatra's band in the early 1980's.

Jeff and I waited in a long line afterward for a chance to talk to Botti for a minute and maybe get some stuff signed. I ended up with a signed program and this picture. The poor guy was probably exhausted, since by that point it was nearly 10:30 pm, but he was gracious and very nice.

I told him how he had dashed our hopes of hearing Fly Me To the Moon, and he just smiled and said, "Yes, we'll have to stitch up Bublé!" It was the end of a perfect evening.

Jeff's Yuma Trip

2009-02-23T16:25:00.001-07:00

Jeff went to Yuma for work last week. He will be updating this post soon.

Our January Ski Weekend: Copper

2009-01-29T16:42:00.003-07:00

I set up a 10:00 am lesson with a fantastic Copper Ski and Ride School instructor, Steve Wyman. I had previously taken a lesson from Steve in December, so I was really glad that he was available to teach me.

It started off sunny in Keystone, but by the time we got to Copper, it was snowy. I got to put on all my new ski gear. The only thing I had to rent was snowblades and skis. These blades were longer than the ones I had last month. I liked them better, too.

I didn't realize it, but Jeff was skiing around behind me (and in some cases in front of me) taking pictures and video. So all the photos are courtesy of him. Here I am in the morning with my ski instructor in the orange jacket. It was quite snowy but it was about 30º, so it wasn't too bad.

You can see it cleared up in the early afternoon. This was a great view off of the Roundabout run, a green on the western part of the mountain.

Now I am on skis, 130s that were longer than the snowblades. Steve was amazingly patient. He would give me instructions and pointers, then he'd tell me, "Follow my tracks." I would try to remember everything he'd told me and apply it.

He showed me some neat ways to make sure that you are centered and not leaning toward the mountain on a slope. I learned, getting off of a lift, that this is a great way to tip over. Yikes! That was my only fall all day, though I had to take my skis off to get up. Talk about a bug on its back! I'm glad that no one got a picture of that.

Here we are getting to enjoy a little of the view ourselves. I think I spent more time looking at where I was going instead of looking at the super view, but I guess that is the way it is supposed to be! You can see that there weren't too many other people out there. Especially as it got past three o'clock, we had the slopes mostly to ourselves. It was marvelous. I got to practice giant turns without worrying about someone who was fast-moving coming up behind me.

Speaking of which--there was a poor child who was learning to ski. She looked maybe to be four years old. At that age, Steve explained to me, they do not use poles. They do not have the upper body muscle development for the poles to be of much use. So they whiz around on just the skis. A family was up on the Roundabout slope (or perhaps it was West Ten Mile, and they were just letting the little girl go. Either they didn't teach her to slow, stop and turn, or she wasn't doing it. She was zooming toward a stand of trees and a steeper slope at an alarming rate. The mom really sped up to catch her, and in the process just knocked the poor thing over. It was like a cartoon where I expected to hear a bowling ball noise, knocking against the pins.

The little girl had also taken a fall earlier because of a similar issue. She was pretty outraged at being knocked over, and then when the parents announced that they were going to put a harness on her, she howled that she didn't want it! After all of that. Kids are fearless. My instructor clearly disapproved, but his pointers to them (as they collected themselves from their pile-up) were pretty calm. Jeff and I agree... we will let the pros teach our kids.

Just me. Believe it or not, I did not see him taking this picture!

I had a blast. I can't wait to go up again and practice. The Caughlins, who apologized for not getting our numerous messages in time this past weekend, invited us to house-sit for them in early March. So that will be our next weekend, at the latest! We are so excited. I think Jeff is even more excited than me, because now this is something we can both do.

I never thought I would ski again. But I think that it will become something that I really enjoy.

Our January Ski Weekend: Keystone

2009-01-28T16:32:00.004-07:00

The idea was to meet up with our friend Don at Keystone on Saturday and then Jeff and I would go to Copper on Sunday so that I could take a private lesson and we could meet up with the Caughlins. Hmmm... at least the private lesson worked out.

I liked this photo because it showed one of the lifts at Keystone disappearing into the clouds. No, that is not the top of the mountain, although it is hard to tell. This is the lift right by the little hospital.

Jeff managed to do a little bit of night skiing while I went shopping. The only thing I got was breakfast for us for the following morning. Bagels, dunkie donuts and hot chocolate--the breakfast of champions, right? Right??

I cringed at the idea of posting this picture because I've got hat hair and a weirdly flat face. But the idea is really not for you to look at my mug. It's for you to view the fabulous spread that we treated ourselves to at the fondue restaurant at the top of the mountain. We had to take TWO gondolas to get there. I think they must get supplies out there by snowcat.

The dinner was amazing. We started out with a cheese fondue and all manner of dipping items: bread cubes, cruciferous vegetables, apples. The fondue was laced with white wine and was very tasty. I was worried that it would be like melted Brie but it was much, much better.

We followed with a caesar salad. You can see it in the picture with me. The fondue pot is on top of a small flame and the plate of dippers is on top of the grill. The grill was used in the third course. We got to pick our meats and cook them on top of this grill. We ate venison, sirloin, shrimp and pork. It was really nice because we could cook them for as long as we wanted to. They also gave us bread and butter, potatoes, a plate of appetizer-type things like olives, tiny pickles, garlic, etc. and a tiny skillet to make our own dipping sauce with the butter.

The last course was a chocolate fondue. We chose the dark chocolate. This time the dippers were things like pound cake, piroulines, bananas in syrup and fruits.

The whole thing was impossibly good and we were actually uncomfortably full when we left. I gained a pound and a half. But some things are so worth it.

One of the first things the server asked us was, "Do you do the chicken dance?" I really thought I had heard wrong, because the place was full of staff attired in barmaid dresses and lederhosen. But then she made it clear that the entertainment, and oom-pa polka band, would be playing the chicken dance later and that we would be expected to join in! Well, all right then.

The aforementioned oom-pa band. They were great. They mostly did traditional music but they actually had a few jazz numbers up their sleeves too.

One of the snowcats. This one was grooming the snow in front of the restaurants. He even stopped so we could get a picture.

We returned to our little condo afterward. It was just perfect. I think we will try to stay there again, if we ski Keystone two days in a row. So far I prefer Copper, so this seems unlikely.

Goodbye, Uncle Pat

2009-01-28T16:21:00.002-07:00

Last Friday we bid goodbye to Uncle Pat. He was a good man who worked hard and did his best. Friends and family members came from near and far to bid him farewell. Uncle Pat is now free of all the trappings of mortality. May he rest in peace.

Old Movies Are Great

2009-01-15T09:32:00.002-07:00

The Continental on I-25 shows old movies on Wednesday nights at 9 pm on the giant screen. We have talked about going before, but last night they showed something we couldn't pass up: Raiders of the Lost Ark. Even though we have seen the movie a thousand times on DVD, the theater sound really is better! We picked up some dialogue that we have never heard before.

I couldn't decide whether I was amused or disturbed by the guy who did a happy dance when Belloq's head exploded toward the end.

They are showing Top Gun next month. We just might have to go.

Mexican Rodeo Extravaganza

2009-01-12T14:50:00.003-07:00

This past Sunday we went to the Mexican Rodeo Extravaganza at the National Western Stock Show. Every year we miss it because it's the first two days of the show. This year we got our act together and got tickets.

This was from the catwalk we walked over to get from our car onto the grounds. There were dozens of pens that we could see. Lots of cattle out there. Maybe it was the high winds, but we actually didn't smell a thing. Kind of nice!

This was a really cute segment. The rodeo clown has a three-year-old son who was introduced to stock show attendees for the first time this year. The boy was in face paint and costume to match his dad. The clown and the emcee were talking about how, for his initiation, the little guy would have to face El Diablo, a fearsome opponent, for his first rodeo appearance. El Diablo turned out to be the dachshund in the picture. I'll bet the kid can run faster than the dachshund could.

This picture is of another kid falling off of a sheep. The mutton bustin' event is really cute to watch. The participating kids are probably four to six years old. They get hockey helmets and face shields. They get put on the back of the sheep, which then takes off running. The kid has to hold on for dear life. The objective is to get the highest score, which presumably is how long you can hold on. It is great fun and the kids all got a trophy presented to them by the Mexican cowboys.

The bulls were in fine form. Here's one dumping a rider. They all get dumped eventually... or they are wise enough to climb off.

This picture is of Jerry Diaz. He's an amazing charro that has basically mastered everything and now choreographs shows and does horsemanship exhibits. Here he is with the rope. He kept that thing aloft forever. His wife Stacy was also there and participated in the show with him.

The matadors were the most anticipated event of the afternoon. The bull was trained but had never faced a matador before. There were two matadors. As the event progressed, they used different colored flags. They were both pretty artful at dodging the bull. Notice the hot pink socks...

Last but not least... the finale. They brought out all of the performers. You can see the little kids in costume on the right, and the Mexican and American flags.

I wanted to get a photo of the mariachi band, but it was way at the other end. They were really, really good!

We'll probably go back to the PRCA rodeo next year, but we will definitely attend the Mexican rodeo again in the future.

Well, this is it

2009-01-12T14:42:00.002-07:00

We've been talking about setting up a blog to share our various experiences, and we finally did it! Expect lots of pictures and wildly varied adventures.