Thursday, June 28, 2012

Feelings

The Colorado Springs people whose streets are being listed on the TV, are starting to gather at UCCS to hear about the 346 homes that were lost  - I can't imagine what they are feeling right now.  Maybe some of them have already accepted the fact that their home is gone - others I'm sure are holding onto the hope that their home is still standing.

Being in the insurance business most of my life, I have to admit that I'm glad I'm not working there now - it's a tough place to work during a wildfire and I remember vividly the calls I took while working at Farmers during the Hayman Fire.

I had grand plans (since we weren't working) today of deep cleaning the kitchen - I can assure you, that didn't get done and was probably the furthest thing from my mind!  We did drive into W. Pk this morning and after we got there, I couldn't wait to get back home again - I was irritable, agitated and depressed after we arrived.  And back here at the house, it's calm and you can actually forget about it for a while.

My friend Joleen stopped by after she got off of work today and we went into Florissant to have coffee together - now that was fun - and it took our minds off of the fire for a while.

It just seems you can't turn the continuous coverage off of the TV - you watch and watch and watch - and most of it is a repeat - yet you still stay glued to it.  About 8:00 each evening though we do watch either a movie or a taped show, just to get away from it!

It's after 6:00 now and it's 60 degrees out - we didn't get any rain, just a few sprinkles but the humidity has risen and that made for a good day for the firefighters.  Let's hope we have more of these days ahead!

I'm praying that by next Monday they will have a large containment on the fire and we will be able to get back to business. Until then.................

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Waldo Canyon Fire

Tuesday was a tough day.  I spent a lot of time just looking out my window at work and snapping pictures of the smoke.  Because of Hwy 24 being closed, we were not getting a lot of info about the fire in our neck of the woods, just the Colorado Springs side of it.

 Woodland Park was put on standby evacuation and everyone was on edge.  Mid-afternoon a strong thunderstorm came through - no rain but lots of wind!!!  The smoke was horrible.

 About 4:00 during the news live update in Colorado Springs (I had live upstreaming on my computer so I could watch it all day long) is when the Springs got the wind and all hell broke loose!!!  The evacuations started fast and furious and we watched in horror as the fire moved down the hillside toward Colorado Springs!

We left work about 5:00 and went to a high point over by Edlowe Road where we used to live and the picture below shows what we saw.

 Of course when we got home, we watched the homes being burned in Colorado Springs - it was devastating

After watching for so long, you just have to get away from the TV - we sat on the deck and this was our show in the sky.
We woke up this morning with heavy hearts, knowing that many, many homes had burned in the C. Springs area.  I felt numb, frustrated, angry, and sad.  And we have another long day ahead of us, waiting and watching the skies to see if the fire up this way spreads like it did in Colorado Springs.  It will be hot again today, with winds picking up as I write this.

As I sat on the swing last night, looking at our beautiful view of Pikes Peak and all the trees, all I could think of was what if a fire took all of this away from us? 

Monday, June 25, 2012

ATV Fun

Last week was stressful due to the Springer Fire - I was bound and determined to stay home over the weekend but once we found out the fire was almost 100% contained, Glenn said he really wanted to go camping for one night!  I think he was excited that the camper was already on the truck and ready to go and also that when we returned, he would NOT have to take the camper off!  So Saturday morning I threw some clothes and food in the camper, Glenn hooked up the trailer with the ATV and we just went north of Divide to camp - within 1/2 hour of home!

Did I say it was hot - really hot?????  By the time we arrived and set up camp, we couldn't wait to get on the ATV and go for a ride!!  The scenary was pretty - the moving air felt good and I was glad we had come!

We headed back to the camper after lunch and it was so darn hot in the camper - but the flies were really bad so you couldn't sit outside - and I got one of my raging headaches!!  I finally had to sit outside with the flies but of course it was much cooler out there and soon I felt good enough so we could ride again, just to get some air moving!!

We saw some smoke in the distance - but I didn't think to take my cell phone with me on the ride because there was no cell phone coverage where we were camped!!!  And guess what we saw on the way back to camp - yup - a bear!!!!  He was coming out of the creek on the other side!


There wer LOTS of columbines around - I didn't think there would be many due to the dry conditions but we saw a lot of them!!  And since I can't seem to write under this picture, I'll close by saying I took my cell phone on our ride Sunday morning and when we got higher, the text messages came fast and furious on the new Waldo Canyon Fire - and we raced home!

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

The Springer Wildfire


Fathers Day started out great!!  We enjoyed a nice breakfast with Robby, Jill and the kids and after they left at lunchtime, we headed to Co. Springs for a little shopping and to go see a movie - a rare occurrence for us!!

The highlight of the day was going to Underwater Connection and buying good snorkeling equipment!  After our Belize trip, we both decided we really enjoyed snorkeling but wanted our own gear so we wouldn't have to rent or borrow!!  We had a super nice guy who helped fit us and explain many things about the equipment so that was a bonus!!

We were just heading to the movie when my friend Joleen called - she was on her way home from Kansas and her neighbor had just called her to tell her about a fire and that her subdivision was on standby evacuation!  I immediately called another friend who informed me that yes, there was a fire in Lake George and it was spreading fast due to the wind!!

We immediately headed back up the pass and as soon as we got high enough, saw smoke that looked similar to the picture below!!
 It was an immediate flashback to the Hayman Fire which was 10 years ago!  We raced home and Glenn went to look closer at the smoke while I started packing up pictures and memory books and made phone calls to get the latest!  The wind was in our direction the first night so it was pretty scary, wondering if we would be getting the 911 reverse call in the middle of the night!
Monday and Tuesday were extremely hot days for the mountains, along with strong winds.  When we were walking on Monday morning, we talked to our neighbors who gave me a website to go on and sign up for immediate news bulletins, either by email or cell phone - PERFECT!!!  I signed up as soon as I got to work and as you can imagine, received dozens of texts during the day on the updates of the fire! 

Today is Wednesday and as of now, the fire is 23% contained - we had a cold front come in last night and the temperature was actually 40 degrees when we got up!  So our cooler weather today is surely going to help those firefighters!  As of now, the number of acres burned is holding at 1140 acres and we're all praying for more containment today!

Of course my evacuation list was already done up - I did add a couple of things and have decided to keep all the scrapbooks and memory items in boxes and bags till the end of summer!  Yes, it feels like a repeat of the Hayman Fire - I'm only glad I am NOT in the insurance business any longer!

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Fathers Day Weekend

What an unexpected surprise when Jill called last Thursday and told us they were coming down for the weekend to get out of the smoke!!  Little did they know that we also had a small fire over at Lake George but at least there wasn't any smoke at our place (my next blog will be on the current fire)

We had a fun weekend!!  Didn't do anything special but just hang out and play with the kids!!  Aleah decided she LOVED the barn and all the little animals we have to go with it - and insisted on taking it out to the front deck which in the morning has full sun!!  She looks so cute sitting there playing but of course her eyes are shut as the sun is so bright!!



We decided to let the kids get in the hot tub Saturday morning before the sun got too intense - Jill and I had gotten in the night before and it was a beautiful night - lots of stars, cool breeze - it was amazing!!  Here is Aleah fishing as she waits for her mom!


Parker enjoyed the water to a point - he stayed in a while but decided he would rather just watch!


I love this picture - Aleah is all curled up and Parker is just as relaxed as can be, thinking man it's hot here in the mountains!!!  Notice he's now doing the "tongue" thing!!

The kids loved the sand box!!   Of course they decided dumping the sand out on the ground was even more fun so I told them they could put sand in the lid and that worked out just fine!

Aleah had fun riding the trike around on the deck!!  She's getting it down pretty well now, just needs to work on her steering!
Aleah decided it was way too light in the room she was sleeping in as she's used to a pretty dark room, so she was up at 6:00am both mornings!!  I know Jill was ready for a nap on Saturday afternoon but instead of napping, we took the time to make some miami vices and play some cribbage while the kids were sleeping!! 

Here's Parker wearing Robby's hat and looking cute as ever!!!  Thanks for spending your weekend with us!!

Thursday, June 14, 2012

One FINAL Airport Story

It just wouldn't be a memorable trip if we didn't have airport stories, now would it???

After saying our goodbyes, we headed to the airport - with QUITE a bit of stuff!!  2 rolling bags, a computer case, a LONG fishing pole case, an insulated carry bag full of fish, a smaller ice chest full of fish, and a large ice chest full of fish!!  Yes, we needed help when we got to the Loreto airport!!

We checked 3 items and did 2 personal carry-ons and 2 larger carry-ons and our flight to LA went just fine!!

The LA airport hadn't changed any from a week ago - darn!!  Actually customs went just fine and they didn't even open the fish - HOORAY!!!  We of course had it all taped up!! 

So after customs you drop your checked baggage off again - as I've said before, nothing is marked very well and you just kind of guess what to do!!  We dropped the checked luggage off to this guy at the United place sitting there and he had no idea what was happening - after worrying that we had dropped it in the right place, we finally got it all figured out and headed outdoors to walk to our terminal.

At the next terminal, of course the automatic check in place couldn't find us so we had to wait for a representative and finally got boarding passes and headed to the gate, only to find out we had to go through security again.  They herded us OUTSIDE to stand on a bridge like overpass and we waited and waited and waited - it was ridiculous!!!  (also quite chilly outside!) 

FINALLY we got through security and of course they insisted on checking out the fish - they ripped off all of our duct tape and proceeded to take EVERY single baggie of fish out and inspect it.  They did repackage it but not with the same type of tape.

I grabbed 2 sandwiches and a small coke (to the tune of $25.00) and we got to our gate - of course it was delayed.............early evening flights are ALWAYS delayed, aren't they???

We finally got to board - it was a larger plane with 3 seats on each side and naturally the seats we had were the ones where the overhead bins are full of whatever (computer equipment???) so we had to put our roller bag and the ice chest across the way and down one set of seats.  Glenn went to put the ice chest up (on its side as it was too tall) and the darn handle came off - the entire ice chest fell and hit this poor older lady in the shoulder and fish went flying everywhere as of course their darn tape was so flimsy!!!  OH MY - it was chaotic, wondering if the lady was OK and trying to pick up frozen fish all over the floor and re put it in the ice chest and then trying to get it back up there with now NO tape on it and of course, the line behind us is waiting and waiting as they can't get by till we get it done!!  WHAT A NIGHTMARE!!!  Glenn felt so bad for the lady - she said it just hurt and would probably bruise but the airline did do a report just in case....................

Needless to say, we waited till EVERYONE had disembarked the plane before we tried to get the ice chest down - sure enough, the lid had been off most of the flight - GRRRRRRRR- and we put the handle back on and got off!!

The Denver Airport never looked so good!!!!  We started towards the moving walkway and then the entire handle breaks off - the side deal was now busted............so once again we pick up fish..........this is getting old!!!  We ended up putting the ice chest on top of the roller bag and remembered we had a little bit of duct tape in the suitcase so pulled it out and taped once, all the way around it!!

And then Jaime and the kids arrived to pick us up and the daunting airline saga was behind us!!!

It was certainly a great trip for Glenn's 60th b'day and one he will never forget!!!

Monday, June 11, 2012

Vacation Comes To An End!

The picture above is the other side of this complex, the older side!!  It's just as nice as the new side although the little cottages are smaller!!  And the next picture is of 2 beautiful flowers that bloomed while we were here!!

I didn't feel so hot today - stomach cramps and a headache - blah!!!  Not any fun so I spent the day reading, sometimes by the pool in the shade, most of the time inside our place!  I finished a book and am 1/2 way through another one!!  Unfortunately, I did not feel like walking downtown to get the stuff I wanted to take home so hopefully tomorrow morning that can be accomplished before we fly out!

Glenn went fishing again with his two buddies - Bob and George!  They had a wonderful day on the boat!  It was a little overcast in the morning so the sun wasn't quite as intense!

They were on a mission to catch dorado and that's exactly what they caught!!!

George had the biggest dorado weighing in at 48# and Glenn got the second biggest, weighing in at 35#!!  They sure looked nice hanging on the rack!!

Glenn was all smiles again!!  What a great fishing trip he had - between the huge marlin, all the yellowtail and the large dorado, he did fantastic!!

And as for dinner this evening?  So much for a night on the town in Loreto!!  Glenn walked up to our favorite little place and is bringing home a couple of meals to eat here at our place - I just didn't feel up to walking there and am hoping I'll feel just fine by morning for our trip home!!  And for once, let's hope I don't have an "airplane story" to tell..................

Sunday In Loreto

This is our buddy who lives next door and would always come out to greet us whenever we left the resort!!  The first day he barked and barked at us - but then he knew us and that was all it took!!

This is a shot of our private patio,, tucked by the side of the house!! 
I love the design on the top of this door!! It's the door we use from our pool area to get out to the road!
This is my usual happy hour combo - pina colada and guacamole!!

We were both lazy yesterday - we did go downtown and eat breakfast - not a lot of choice on a Sunday as most places were closed so we ate at Orlando's again!  And then it was off to the Flea Market!!  Yes, they have them in Mexico too and we needed to get a rolling ice chest to haul back the massive quantity of fish that we have!!  It was a long walk and hot - but nothing compared to the heat of the flea market!!  WOW!

I was impressed with all the fruits and vegetables - they were so much better looking than the ones we had bought at the store this last week!!!  We got a big batch of grapes and a pint of strawberries - the strawberries were delicious and I should have gotten more as they were only $1.00 a pint!!

We did find an ice chest - it was used of course but will work fine for what we need it for and I guess at $38.00 it was a bargain rate!!  That thing rattled over the cobblestone streets all the way home as Glenn pulled it!!

Reading and swimming were on the afternoon's agenda and then we fixed dinner - finally, the foil potatoes/carrots/onions that we didn't fix the other night and garlic yellowtail - it was all VERY delicious!!

And then we walked into town - for ice cream of course!!  We ate it while we walked down to the ocean and snapped a couple of pictures!!
Our time is getting short - just one more full day in Loreto and it will be time to pack our bags and head home to Colorado!!

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Loreto History

Is this a Spanish looking building or what?  It's actually City Hall, located right on the square where most people meet on the weekends!!
 There is one street that leads to the town square and the trees are trimmed to look like this!!

Here's a closer up look of them - I LOVE walking under them!!!
This is the Mission of our Lady of Loreto church - I believe the oldest church on the Baja!!  The top portion is really neat looking - and I'm wondering if they ever ring the bells!!
Now here's a picture of the entire church - and no, I did NOT take the picture crooked - that's how much it is leaning!!!

And here's the town square - most every Mexican town has a square with a huge plaza around it - Friday night they were having some type of a reception there!  Loreto is located on the Sea of Cortez and was the first settlement on the Baja.  It's 360 miles north of Cabo and at one time, was the capital!
Glenn and I went out for breakfast at Cafe Ole this morning!  Ham and cheese omelet for me -delicious!  Then we walked on down a ways to see if the liquor store was open for a special type of tequila that Glenn likes but it wasn't open yet! But we did check out the larger store for baggies and they had them - then it was off to the pharmacy for some cream that Glenn needed!

We had to be back by 10:00 as the guy was delivering the smoked marlin so we rushed back and made it back just in time!!  As our freezer was full, we put it in the owner's freezer!  We got the rest of the fish packaged up and all frozen!

My afternoon was spent at the pool, mostly reading and sometimes getting in the nice refreshing water!!  Glenn even donned his suit and got in too, I'm sure wishing he would have got in earlier!!

We decided to have Happy Hour out by the pool with the owners, Steve and Josie.  Glenn walked to the store to get me some avocados and I made a large batch of guacamole - we also had a large chunk of the smoked marlin that we ate with cream cheese and crackers - it was delicious!!!
After eating and drinking, we had no desire for dinner that evening as we were so full!  So we walked over to the video/library case and picked out a movie to watch!!  It was one fun evening!!! To Be Cont'd......

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Another Relaxing Day............

These top 2 pictures seem to be hooked together!!  Isn't the top one cute?  It's attached to a large round wall at Sea Coffee where I once again got my morning coffee!!  Glenn was off to fish again - and of course I got to sleep in!!  The coffee was so good yesterday that I decided to go ahead and do another walk by the ocean and get some!!  It didn't seem as hot today so I actually drank my coffee on one of the many benches by the ocean!!

I'm trying to remember what I even did  yesterday!!  It's a good thing I'm blogging daily as I would NEVER remember once I got home!!  Walking around the streets of Loreto and seeing the people go about their daily lives helps you to remember that you ARE on vacation!!

Here's a picture of just a little bit of the vegetation at the small resort we're staying at!! They water everything daily and it all looks so healthy and lush!!

When I sit out on my patio, there is a tree that hangs over the lattice work on top of the patio and all these red flowers blow down on you - it's so pretty!!!  So when I was taking my walk, I actually saw the same tree and could get a better picture of it!!

I spent the day doing exactly what I did the day before - sitting in the sun a few minutes and then under the umbrella by the pool, reading and swimming!!  Such a life.............

The guys were back MUCH earlier than the day before!!  Glenn came and got me and again told me to bring the camera as he had caught a couple of fish!!!  Right.............
Between the 3 fisherman (the captain is squatting in front with his grandson) they caught 21 yellowtail!!!  They wouldn't even all fit on the hooks!!  You can bet the guys were all smiles!!!  They figured the total weight was around 450# for all of them!!!

So guess what I was doing the rest of the afternoon - yup, packaging up fish!!!  But of course we didn't bring enough freezer bags so 3 huge bowls of fish sat in the frig overnight waiting for us to buy bags!!

We took our fish up early to Mita Gourmet at the square so the chef could prepare it for us and then later went back for our meal!!  The chef did an excellent job!!!  Our appetizer was called "fish fingers" and they were strips of fish, lightly breaded and cooked and served with kind of a horseradish type sauce - yummy!!!
The main course was delicious!!  Besides pasta and veggies, he had prepared the fish (it was a cabrilla that Glenn had caught) 3 different ways - garlic, creamy cilantro and mango sauce!!!  It was all very good and we ended up bringing part of it home even!!

The restaurant was very nice and we had the waitress take a picture although it's not very clear!

Glenn saved enough room for ice cream - I didn't!!!!   To Be Cont'd..................

Friday, June 8, 2012

On My Own In Loreto!

I must be on vacation - I can't remember what day it is!!!

Thursday - Glenn went fishing!!!  He was excited to say the least and we checked the alarm we had set several times as he didn't want to miss his ride!!  Him, Bob and George headed out at 5:40am - I'm sure you're all thinking I got up with him to fix bacon and eggs before he headed out the door and packed him a lunch - umm, no.  I slept in............

I did manage to roll out about 7:30 - tidied up the  place a little bit - drank some wonderful peach juice - cooked some bacon and scrambled eggs to have with my jelly laden flour tortilla  - and then grabbed my sunglasses and a map and headed out!!

Now anybody that knows me, does know that I have absolutely no sense of direction - hence the map given to us by the owner with all the pertinent places marked!!  I knew exactly where I was going and that's where I went - no wrong turns - of course it's not too difficult when you're only a block from the ocean and that's where I was going - he he!!

 I had no fear whatsoever walking by myself!!  Loreto is such a friendly town - little business places tucked into residential streets.  The only thing that bothered me was the thought of the dogs - as any Mexico town, there are a lot of dogs around - most are penned up but some aren't - but they really are ALL friendly, they just bark!!!  Whenever I saw one sleeping on the sidewalk in front of a place or business, I would just walk out to the street and walk way around them - solved my fear problem!!

 The ocean was like glass - it was beautiful out but already getting pretty warm!!!  I LOVE the tile work that is done on some of the streets - very unique!!

 First on the list was coffee - I had seen this little place as it was on the same street where we ate dinner last night so I knew right where it was.  It's called Sea Coffee - now how perfect of a name is that since it's right across the street from the ocean!!

 I got my coffee and then headed over to one of the benches by the ocean and drank it, just relaxing by the sea!!!  Then it was up to the"square" where I took some pics which I'll post at another time!!!  I headed out on a different route then after consulting my map to find this liquor store, which I hoped would have pina colada mix - it did - so along with the mix of course I had to get Malibu Rum - no little bottles so a large one it was and both bottles sure got heavy before I got home!!  I did take one wrong turn on the way home but soon realized it - no harm done, just some extra walking!!

I was sweating like crazy (just not used to the heat yet) by the time I got back so I grabbed my suit and walked out to the pool where I spent the next few hours - mostly in the shade unless I was in the water..........

I expected Glenn to be back about 1:00 as that's the usual time  most captains bring their fishermen back but it was almost 4:00 before the guys got back!!!  Glenn told me to get my camera as he caught a fish but it wasn't very big - he was kidding though - check it out!!!!

 He caught a 150# marlin - the biggest fish he's ever caught - it took him over an hour to land it and he was one proud guy!!!!

They decided to smoke the marlin, after cutting off a chunk for our dinner that evening so the captain took it away and they'll bring it back in a day or two - and I'm thinking - WOW - there has got to be a LOT of meat on that fish!!!

After a LONG nap, Glenn grilled the fish while I cooked up some fried potatoes and we had an excellent meal - I can't say the fish was as good as yellow-tail or dorado but I'm anxious to try the smoked!!  We spent the rest of the evening, just sitting out by the pool, all by ourselves - it was gorgeous out and peaceful.........................To Be Cont'd...................

Thursday, June 7, 2012

The Simple Life In Mexico......

There's nothing like getting a good nights' sleep and knowing you're past "travel" day!!  Now the real vacation begins!!

We knew we had to get some groceries in the house today - the owner had come by later last night and told Glenn he already had 2 days of deep sea fishing lined up with 2 other guys here in the complex!  So since Thursday and Friday would be fishing days, Glenn needed supplies to pack a lunch and I needed some food in the house so I didn't have to go out for every meal!

Since we're pretty much early risers, we set out for breakfast along with a sturdy bag for groceries and headed back to Orlando's for breakfast!  It was excellent - I had cinnamon french toast and bacon!  Even the coffee wasn't too strong!!

We had our trusty map with us with everything highlighted that we needed to do and our first stop was the tortilla factory - 2 bags of tortillas which would last me probably a couple of days!!  And then it was off to the larger grocery store a few blocks away.  By this time it was already getting pretty hot out - we tried to walk on the shady sides of streets but that didn't always work!  We finally found the store and the back room was REALLY cold - it held the little meat counter and all the fruits and veggies - we stayed a while there!!

After loading up, we headed to the beer store and got 6 bottles of beer - put in a sack of course as they don't have the 6 pack cardboard holders!  And one last stop at the little store just around the corner from our place for the heavy stuff - cokes, potatoes and onions!!  We staggered back to our place and gosh, that a/c felt great!!

This is where I spent the afternoon!!!

I lasted about 15 minutes in the sun and then it was under the umbrella for the reminder of my outside time!!  That heat was intense!!!  I REALLY enjoyed the pool!!  Now most pools in Mexico tend to be VERY cold, probably because I'm thinking of the Feb. trips we take - you don't last long in those pools!!  This pool though was cooled down bath water!!  I had forgotten how nice it is to step into a pool just cool enough to make you stop sweating but warm enough to put a nice smile on your face!!  I spent a lot of time in that pool, just enjoying that clear, nice water!!
Here's a picture of our place - along the right hand side is our own private patio!

The inside of our place is extremely nice as it's brand new - we're enjoying the full size frig, microwave and 6 burner stove!!
Now in the bedroom is an amazing feature on the ceiling where the fan hangs - just picture a super huge beach ball with the lower 1/2 cut off and skylights in the top 1/2!!  WOW - it's great lying in bed and looking at it!
I love this picture hanging in our bedroom!
The place is decorated very nicely - this vase is in the corner of our huge shower and I'd love to bring it home but I don't think it would fit in my suitcase!!

Glenn had fun doing some shore fishing in the afternoon while I read by the pool - tough life!!  And then we both cleaned up and headed out for dinner at Isla's, down by the water!!  The pina coladas were wonderful!
I was hungry for garlic shrimp so that's what I ordered - take a look at this presentation!!  And for dessert we opted to go back to the ice cream shop for a chocolate cone for Glenn and a dish of raspberry sorbet for me - a perfect ending to a perfect day!!!  To Be Cont'd............