Iowa Bound

Time to make our annual trip to Iowa!  We usually fly but Glenn had decided that it would be fun to drive this year AND spend a nite on the road so we could take our time!

We headed out early Sunday afternoon and took a 2 lane highway into Kansas - the drive was nice although there's not a lot of exciting things to see along the way!  I brought lots of snacks to get us through the afternoon along with some good music !  But also realized as we were driving that I forgot the phone charger...................

After a quick dinner and gas fill up at Colby, KS., we headed out again - but it took a lot longer than Glenn expected - he was hoping to stay in some little town along the way - I informed him that most of the LITTLE towns did not even have motels!!  So he set his sights on McCook, NE and it was after 9:30 before we got in that night!

The motel was nice and served breakfast - and luckily there was a Walmart in the town so we could stop and get a phone charger!!  First order of the day - coffee to go!!

We arrived in Soldier around 4:00 and Patty and Leonard were our hosts for the week!!  We had a great dinner and spent our time catching up!

Tuesday we spent with Glenn's mom Lolly who had moved into the town of Onawa - we took a trip back out to the farm and gosh there is a lot of stuff still out there.  The place she moved into is very small so there's lots of sorting and decisions to be made about all the furniture and antiques in the house!

I found out that evening that our 45th Class Reunion did NOT happen as no one from out of state could attend in July!!  So Patty got on the phone and put together a mini reunion with some of my friends who live locally!  We had a great time catching up with each other!!

We stopped at Neal's place one night to give Maggie and Chance their birthday presents!

I do believe these two little ones have the exact same smile!!

Chance had to put on his cowboy hat and boots to show us!

The weather was extremely cooperative while we were there - it did get warm a couple of the days but the humidity wasn't bad at all!  Patty and Leonard have such a nice house and it was a real treat to know each evening we came back to their house, that it would be nice and relaxing!!

Babysitting The Keppys

Amidst the camping and the company and working on the trim, there was time to head to Denver as Jessi and Gary were going to a 3 day seminar and we were scheduled to babysit!!  Right down our alley!  They did come home in the evenings but it was usually late and they were up very early to head back to their seminars!!

Gwyn has a new pink rocking horse that plays music and she loves sitting on it and rocking!

 We had fun practicing to walk!!  She can stand up by herself and take several steps but she still prefers to crawl at this point!!  I did get her to walk 8 steps though!!

 Jill happened to be in Denver for a couple of nights as she had 2 days of training so her and Jaime came over Thursday night so we could spend some time together!  Jaime has started work at a new pharmacy which will be doing compounding - we stopped on the way in and saw it - super impressed with how nice it is!!

Friday I dropped the kids off at school and headed to Sprouts and the coffee place before I went back to the house.  Glenn and Brad worked on a couple of things at the pharmacy while I watched Gwyn and we had a fun day together.

Jill joined us for dinner again Friday night before she headed back to Ft. Collins - and I sent Glenn and Evan to get us all smoothies for dessert!!

 Saturday I took Kenzie to the movie, "The Secret Life of Pets" - didn't get a picture but we had a great time reclining in our seats and enjoying popcorn!! 

And Saturday afternoon was the subdivision "Party in the Park".  I opted not to take a picnic dinner - taking 3 kids was enough for Papa and I!!  They had several bounce houses and Evan and Kenzie sure had fun with their friends!  Gwyn of course was cute as can be - I put her in a pink dress and she enjoyed being strolled around the park!

 Face painting is always a hit!!

We were all tired that evening so headed to bed early!  Glenn cooked up biscuits and gravy the next morning before we headed home as we needed to do a few things, pack and then hit the road for Iowa! 

More Iowa Company

Jim and Brenda hadn't been out to our place for a LONG time as they hadn't even seen our first house in Florissant!  They had done some sightseeing on Friday so when we arrived home Friday afternoon, we had some time to get unpacked and organized!

They arrived late Friday afternoon with daughter Jordan and we had a fun time visiting that evening and eating some great steaks he had brought from Iowa!

After breakfast on Saturday, they headed to the Royal Gorge for the day - and when they returned, we headed down to our old house so they could see it.  The people who bought the house were out of town and we were watering their plants so Jim's peeked inside so they could see it!

That evening found us looking through my scrapbooks at all the "Gran" trips we had taken together - laughing and reminiscing and telling stories - what fun!!  We sure had some great trips as a family!!

Somehow my camera never took any pictures - but that's OK - we're heading to Iowa soon so will get some then!  They headed out Sunday morning for home and then it was back to work on the trim!!

Scouting Out Gunnison

We headed into Gunnison early evening and went to a campground on Blue Mesa Reservoir - it was getting dark by then and the campground loops seemed to be pretty crowded!  One loop wasn't so we drove into it and got set up before complete nightfall!

I hadn't slept well the night before so ended up sleeping at the opposite end of the bed again and I sleep like a log that way!!  But around 3:00 the chirping started..............you know that sound when a smoke alarms' battery is going bad and it's time to change it?  Only the chirping wouldn't stop - it was constant!

We both got up as the sound was SO LOUD and of course we're in a campground and I could just picture the entire campground hearing this chirping sound!!!  Glenn checked both smoke alarms and it wasn't them, it was some charger thing that is supposed to let you know when your battery is low - only our battery wasn't low!!  He finally just took the fuse out to reset it and then it was fine!!  So much for a good nights' sleep!!

We trailered over across the highway which is where Glenn will be hunting this fall and started our ATV journey!  It was pretty chilly out that morning and I was cold for the first hour!  Not very many side trails to take but once we got high enough, the trees were absolutely gorgeous!!  We found a couple of beautiful spots to camp but it took us 1/2 hour on the ATV so know it would take over an hour to get up to them with the 5th wheel!

There was a gorgeous lake up at the top!  It would sure be a beautiful place to camp if you were in a tent!

 Yes, that's snow in the distance.............old snow though, not new snow!

 Glenn found lots of gooseberry bushes so decided to try them - they were a little sour to me!

 We had a great morning and then trailered up and moved to a different trail for the afternoon!  Glenn found a pretty spot for lunch - since there were cattle in this area too, you have to get away from them or there are lots of flies!!

We ATV'd till 4:00 which was a pretty long day for us and then headed back to the camper - he took a little nap and when he woke up, decided he wanted to go back out for the evening to see some wildlife.  I opted not to go as I had a good book that was calling me!!  We had an early dinner and I sent Glenn on his way, knowing he still had 2 1/2 hours before it would be dark!

After I did the dishes up, I noticed it was already getting darker out which didn't make any sense to me until I looked at my WATCH and realized the clock on the wall was an hour off!!!!  Yes, that darn clock tends to lose time but it had been working properly this trip so never thought to check it!  I went out for a walk on a couple of the loops - it's always fun to see the different campers!!

Poor Glenn didn't have long to ATV but he still enjoyed it!!  One quick picture of this pink cloud over the lake before it got really dark!!

We were up bright and early the next morning to pack up and head home - on the way over my brother had texted me that they were arriving to see us on Friday so it was time to get back and once again, get ready for company!!

Saguache Camping With Friends

It's been quite the summer - we've either had company, been camping, or working on the house!  Seems like there hasn't been a lot of down time at the house but hopefully that will change soon as we continue to work on the floor trim and the window trim!

But it was time to camp again - you have to take advantage of our short summer so we planned an ATV trip to Saguache with Dick and Jane.  It's a beautiful trip over there even though it does take a while but we enjoyed the scenery on the way.  As we were getting very close to the place we hoped to camp, Glenn realized he hadn't put in any additive to the diesel truck and it was on empty!!  At that point he didn't know if he should drive any further so we found a closer place to camp and set up, just in time for the rain!!!

Glenn and Dick needed naps anyway so they took a rest while us gals read!!  And then it was off to ATV for a couple of hours before dark!

What an awesome rock jutting up out of the ground!  We drove over to check it out!

 We rode and rode and saw some great country before we headed back to camp to feast on steaks that Dick and Jane had brought!!  Then it was campfire time to round out the perfect day!!

It was bright and sunny the next morning but the clouds did roll in!  Even though we were in the national forest, there are grazing leases and since Dick and Jane are ranchers, they had to stop and check out the cattle whenever we saw them!!

 We also stopped at the tiny graveyard which is perched on a hillside overlooking the beautiful valley!  I can sure see why someone would want their ashes scattered here!

 We did have to put on our rain gear early afternoon - we had stopped for a picnic lunch and about that time the rain came...............it really isn't much fun riding in the rain but we made the best of it!!

This picture was taken BEFORE the rain!!

We had met a ranch hand that was taking care of the cattle and since his wife was heading to town the next day (40 miles away), she offered to bring back the additive for Glenn's truck!!  Super nice people!  So we actually got to ride another 1/2 day before Dick and Jane headed out for home and we headed into Gunnison for another 2 nights stay!!

Is It A Bench Or A Picnic Table?

When we were out at Dick and Jane's cabin at Guffey, I saw an awesome old bench that actually turns into a half of a picnic table!  Glenn thought it was a cool idea too so when we got back home, I started researching.....................

I actually found it at American Furniture Warehouse and even though it was made out of a plastic type material, Glenn said to go ahead and get it - but it wasn't to be as it wasn't in stock and they had no idea when or if they would get it in.

So I did the next best thing and went to Amazon - there I found the actual parts to put it together and you just add your own  2 x 4's, whatever length you wanted!  I knew that would make it super sturdy so I went ahead and ordered the parts.  Glenn bought the wood and had it together in no time at all!

Here is the completed 1/2 picnic table - picture another one pushed up to it on the other side!

 Then you just pull out a couple of plugs and tilt it downwards.

 And presto - it becomes a bench!!  (yes, that is Glenn acting mighty silly!!)

Anyway, I am totally thrilled with it and have now ordered the parts for the 2nd 1/2 - and soon Glenn will have that put together and I'll have a full picnic table and 2 awesome benches!!

Harley Riders

Glenn's nephew and wife, Frankie and Tami along with their friends Pete and Judy trailered their harleys out to Colorado from Missouri and stopped by our place.  They actually left their truck and trailer at our place for a week while they took a road trip to Yellowstone and Montana!

We enjoyed visiting a while before they headed out on their bikes!!

They had a great trip but did hit rain on the way back to our place - they were tired and hungry by the time they arrived to spend the night!  We fixed them a huge breakfast before they headed out the next day to drive back home after a great vacation!

At Last - EGGS!

I didn't think the day would ever come when the hens would start laying eggs!  But a couple of weeks ago the first egg was laid by one of our bantys.  We only have 2 hens and 2 bantys so it's not like we're going to get swamped with eggs but it was pretty exciting to get that first one!!

Now the banty egg doesn't look that small here but keep in mind it's sitting in a teaspoon!

 And the eggs just keep coming!  They taste fantastic and here you can see 2 white store bought eggs along with the regular hen eggs and a little egg!

Do you think this means I can stop buying eggs?  Somehow, I highly doubt it!

What's Caught In Canada, Stays In Canada

Since I had taken a couple of trips with friends and sisters, I told Glenn he should take the Canada trip by himself!  We have friends from Nebraska that own a home on a lake up there and they've told us for years we need to come up!  However, there is no electricity or running water and of course an outhouse is used so this first time, I told Glenn he needed to go up and hang out with Jerry and I would come another time................Don't get me wrong - I do enjoy rustic but I wasn't sure I wanted to enjoy the rustic along with the mosquitoes!!

But Glenn had a great time!  He flew into Winnipeg and Jerry picked him up and they drove a couple of hours to reach a resort where Jerry's boat was tied up and waiting - and then it was another 1/2 hour to the house!

The guys had a great time fishing all week along with working on Jerry's house!  He was trying to get solar hooked up and between the two of them, I believe they did get it accomplished!!

Here's a couple of pictures of the awesome fish he caught!!  Walleye is one and I believe the other one is a northern.

 And here's a cute picture of Jerry and Glenn - they're like two peas in a pod if that tells you anything!!

All in all he had a great trip - lots of mosquitoes around and he came home with several bites - and of course as the title states, what's caught in Canada stays in Canada as you are only allowed to bring 2 fish back.  Oh well...............

Final Day of Aleah and Kenzie's Excellent Adventure

All good things must come to an end................the girls were not happy Thursday morning when I told them it was time to go home...........

A few random pictures from the previous days...............

Aleah had never played the "8" game so Kenzie and I taught her - she loved it!!

And for coming to stay at the house, the girls were also required to pick up pine cones!!  At first they complained (just like the boys) but found out it wasn't hard work at all and they soon had their 2 bags full!

I guess we must have had ice cream one night with all the trimmings!!

And then we loaded up the car and headed to Co. Springs to meet Jessi at guess where???  CARIBOU COFFEE!!!  Yes, two are now in Co. Springs with a smoothie place next door so we got the girls their drinks and then coffee for us!!

Gwyn was excited to see me and sure didn't want to go back to her mom when it was time to leave - she cried and cried and then hung on to the door while Jessi attempted to put her in the car seat!

So the girls' excellent adventure had come to an end - what a great time we had with them and I know they'll look forward to coming again next summer!

Tea Time With The Girls

It was a little strange not having Glenn around - I know the girls missed him because they wanted to hold the chickens and even though I would let the chickens out, catching them for the girls is not down my alley!!

We took a walk up Brittany as the girls decided we needed some exercise!

Yum - hot chocolate and homemade banana/blueberry muffins!!

And then it was time to dress for the tea!!  The girls had matching dresses from Easter so were eager to get them on and be twins!!

We headed over to Cripple Creek and our table was all ready for us!  Don't the girls just look darling sitting there?

Even though I knew the girls probably didn't like hot tea, they insisted on ordering it - and of course they didn't like it!!  Kenzie did end up drinking hers (after putting scoop after scoop of honey in it) and Aleah ordered lemonade which she still got to drink out of the cup!!

They were amazed at the tiny little forks and spoons!

Our first course was fresh strawberries and blackberries topped with whipped cream - they ate that right down!!!  Next were the tiny sandwiches - they did like the chicken salad and the turkey - not so much on the pimento cheese!!  But then the next plate came out and it had PB&J so they were thrilled!  I thought they would love the cucumber ones too - but they didn't care for the cream cheese underneath which had a garlic flavor to it (it was excellent) so they ate the cucumbers and I ate the rest of it!

Last was dessert - chocolate/cinnamon scones with whipped cream - and they loved that!!

A lot of people that came in the store stopped by to tell me how cute they were and how lovely their dresses were - of course the girls' loved all the attention!!

When we came out of the tea place, there were 2 donkeys across the street so we headed right over!!  The girls got to pet the white one, even though he kept trying to nudge the leftover scone box right out of my hand!!  He even followed us down the street but I didn't budge on giving him the scones!!

It was movie and popcorn night back home but I can't even remember which movie on Netflix they watched!  I must have been busy on the computer!!

Last night to giggle and talk in the guest room - they sure had a fun time sleeping together!!

Good-Bye To Glenn/Fun Times With The Girls

The girls had to say good-bye to Glenn on Tuesday morning as he was flying to Canada to fish!!  They were NOT happy they had to get back in the car to take him to the airport BUT they had a DVD player to keep them occupied!!

We stopped back at Cafe Leo in W. Pk to grab smoothies for the girls and a coffee for me and then headed to the big playpark!!  The girls had a ball running around on it all!  There is a cute picture of them with their smoothies but somehow it went to the bottom of the page!

They were all smiles during their play time!!

When I asked the girls what they wanted for dinner that evening, they both said PIZZA!!  Gosh, how easy can that be!! And of course you can't have pizza for dinner without getting cookie dough!!  They were all out of the little containers of it but said the big cookie was the same amount!!

The girls did the hot tub for a while and then we ate the pizza!!

And here's that cute picture of them with their smoothies!!

It was strange that night having the little girls in the house but not Glenn!!  But we all slept great and that's what matters!!