Camping Trip To Pitkin

 I can't believe I have only been camping ONCE this summer!!!  It was an extremely busy summer having grandkids down, a trip to Iowa, a trip to Michigan and other activities, including some of the grandkids!

And of course Covid slowed me down also so it was FINALLY time to take a trip and I decided I wanted to go to Pitkin - we have one special spot we love to wilderness camp in, although it is usually taken.  But I absolutely love their campground!  Glenn and I rarely camp in a campgrounds but this one is nice because the spaces are so far apart and it's covered in trees, surrounded by mountains!

We left on a Wednesday morning - and BONUS - the leaves on Monarch Pass were starting to turn - I was thrilled!  After arriving (and taking a little shortcut which Glenn had found ) we unloaded the razor and drove over to the wilderness spot - yes, it was taken.  No problem - we drove up to the campground and the first spot we came to was empty and perfect!

After getting set up, Glenn needed a nap so I read awhile.  Then it started to rain - so no ATVing that day - we grilled up some yummy hamburgers and played a game in the toy hauler - a nice evening!

The next day we were up and going and headed out to the razor by 8:00am!!  BRRRRRR - it was darn cold out and I'm so glad there's a heater in it!

I love the mountains over that way - these aspens were just turning light green!

But going up a hill, the aspens were starting to turn!

I must have been slacking since I only took a couple of pics that first day riding - it was beautiful late afternoon and we had a fire and roasted hot dogs!  YUMMY!  Everything always tastes better over the grill!

We were only planning on staying 2 nights but since we didn't get to atv the first day and checkout is at 1:00pm on Friday, we decided to ride all day and spend another night!  And I DID take pics on Friday!

We tried to get up to the Alpine Tunnel on this extremely narrow road but you could only go so far as a huge boulder was in the road - there was a larger ATV ahead of us and he sure had problems trying to turn around - luckily we are small and had no issues!  But it was a great drive up there!

Lunch at a favorite spot!

But of course there's ALWAYS an issue with the razor it seems - we were making a huge loop and were out in the "bare" country by Wuanita Hot Springs (it's about 9 miles off the highway to Gunnison and is known for hosting private events so isn't open very often).  Anyway, the razor starts making horrible sounds - we stopped and Glenn checked the oil and it needs it!  But there's only like a cup in the huge jug - what I DIDN'T know at the time was that Glenn had already put a pint in that morning!!  So he put the little bit in but said he had to have more or it would ruin the engine - so let's go to the hot springs and see if they have any oil!  REALLY???  I know they also run some horses at the hot springs and there's a huge barn and corral but I didn't think they were going to have oil!

We turn around and head to their gate - oh my gosh - it's closed for a WEDDING!!!  And of course he has to choice but to drive in - the razor is extremely loud - and we're covered in dust and dirt with old clothes on - and I'm SO embarrassed!!  The wedding had not started but there were quite a few people around the grounds and the hotel part - I stayed in the razor - Glenn got out and eventually found the owner who took him in HIS UTV somewhere while I'm sitting there hiding my head - HA!  Anyway, they come back with a quart of oil - all I can say is I'm glad Glenn had his billfold so he could pay the guy for the oil!  He gets it put in and we head out, having to drive by all the people standing around !  OH MY!  Not my favorite part of the day!!!!

We made it back to camp just fine!  I had no food for the evening meal as just had packed for 2 dinners so we went downtown to eat - this is a really cute sculpture that I hadn't seen before right across from where we ate.

We ate at the Stumbling Moose!  Food was just fine!

We headed back to camp but stopped so I could take a picture of the stream!  It's always so pretty there!

It was a great 3 days of camping - and our fall trip is right around the corner!!

Tea With Carrie

 Another tea!!  HOORAY!!  I LOVE doing tea, especially at a new place!  When I found out Carrie was going to be in town, we decided to do a tea in Old Colorado City - a true BRITISH place!!

The day before I had stopped into Goodwill to peek at the clothes - a favorite pasttime!  Lo and behold I not only found this cute dress below that I was wearing to the tea but also a simple sleeveless black dress - both for only $17!  You just can't beat that and both were in perfect shape!

And I'm off to the tea!

The front part of the tea house is actually a "British" store with all types of groceries from the UK - very interesting!!  The back portion was the tea house - it wasn't very large at all and even though most of the tables were taken, it was still an intimate setting!  A very nice waiter came over and told us about the tea - they only serve one type and it's the most famous over in England!  I was surprised we weren't given a choice as most places have you "pick" your tea - but I was very happy with the tea, even though I'm not a full fledged tea drinker - it was excellent!

The 2 tiered glass plates were full of yummy food - the sandwiches were excellent, the scones (2 different types) were not hard and dry at all (which sometimes is the case) and they were served with a yummy jam and clotted cream!  And the desserts were excellent!  I was so full that I had to bring the cupcake home!

Carrie and I enjoyed drinking our tea, eating the goodies and catching up on life!

It was a wonderful time spent together and I will definitely go back to this place for tea!

Labor Day Sunday With The Smiths

 Sunday morning was nice and relaxing, also enjoying cinnamon rolls for coffee time!  By 10:30 Glenn and I were out the door to head to Co. Springs - Nedelle was in town for a wedding with her mom so we met both of them for lunch! It was a fun time catching up and eating a great meal!

Back home, Jill and I prepared to feed 12 of us for dinner that evening!!  Jaime's crew (minus Brad who  was scouting) came over and we all had tacos and watermelon!  It was a beautiful day so some of them sat outside!

Jaime and Jill hate how they look in this picture so I have to post it - HA!

The guys played pool and had a great time - here's Parker trying to make his shot!

And the crew who played, along with Rayna who wasn't in the picture!

We enjoyed cake and ice cream later!

It was a fun evening having them over!!  

Jill's got left on Labor Day by 10:00 so they didn't hit any bad traffic!!  What a great weekend!

Labor Day Weekend

 We had plans to go to Denver for Labor Day Weekend to see a couple of sports events BUT Jill asked if they could come down and of course I said yes, since they had not been down as a family all summer!  Crazy to think that summer was that busy for them but with Aleah having softball games most every weekend and Parker having baseball games, they just didn't make it down!

I was excited to have them and we had a fantastic weekend!  They didn't arrive till later on Friday night as they waited to miss all the traffic - I had the beds ready so they just came in and hit the sack!

Saturday morning everyone slept in and the guys and Aleah decided to go ride the bikes and the razor!  

An assembly line trying to get a lunch and snacks packed for them!!

They had a great time riding - Aleah rode with Papa in the razor!

Here's Parker all decked out in his gear!

While they were gone, we had Jaime come over and we visited a LONG time with her - she also brought over sack after sack of clothes that Kylan didn't want anymore and I think one sack of Rayna's clothes!!  Later, Jill and I sorted a lot of it but most of it Parker had to look at!

Caught these two eating breakfast - I had to laugh as it's not a good picture of either of them as they're usually smiling REALLY nice!!  HA!

Robby and Papa enjoyed a beer or two by the fire one night!  I'm sure Jill and I were doing something equally exciting inside!

Jill helped me with a couple of computer items and Robby really came through - he hadn't been down for so long so ended up updating Glenn's computer since it's pretty old!!  I also wanted Robby to install an update on the navaigation system on our car - what a hassle that turned out to be but Robby perservered and got it all taken care of!!  He's a pro at stuff like that!

While we were gone on Sunday, the kids rode their bikes around the subdivision - this is Aleah!

Yes, Penny was here too - she loves being outdoors and sniffing around the property but is always good about coming back when we call her!  I'm not sure what Aleah was eating here?

To Be Cont'd...

August Photo Dump

 It's time to move on from one of my least favorite months and head into MY FAVORITE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER!

I'm definitely an "ad" shopper when I go for groceries and was amazed how much I saved at City Market one day - $53.05!!!

I had never been to the Florissant Cemetary, even though it's only a couple miles from our house - so when Joleen was here, we drove over to it - we were both amazed how big it was!!

Caught this beautiful rainbow one day!

I LOVE the wildflowers that Glenn planted around this tree!

I enjoy my coffee on the front deck every day that I'm home!  And on this particular day, I caught a hummingbird in flight!

Good friend Cindy from Tx. was in Co. Springs with daughter Erica and her 3 kids so we all met for a Mexican meal together - other daughter Cheryl and hubby Jeremy also were there from Firestone, CO which is close to Ft. Collins - we sure enjoyed seeing all of them!

And that's a wrap for August!

Lake Michigan and Cherry Point Farm and Market

 I enjoyed watching the birds at the feeder Friday morning!  Took a quick walk around the property for some exercise and then it was time to pack up and head out early afternoon!  I had never seen Lake Michigan so we headed to Ludington!

What a cute town!  And was I ever surprised to see this huge sandy beach!!  Guess I always think of Michigan as a northern state with no beaches and cold water!  HA - shows you how much I know!  Anyway, there were quite a few people enjoying the beach and even in the water!

Patty slept in the back seat of the car while Teri and I walked out to the lighthouse - a nice walk!

And here's me standing by the lighthouse and I love that Teri caught the sailboat going by! We went into the little gift shop  but the top of the lighthouse was not open.

We went into downtown and parked so we could shop a little bit!  My Christmas ornament was bought along with a nice coffee mug with Michigan on it!

Next we headed to Cherry Point Farm and Market - gosh was this place nice!  Besides having lavender plants most of the way around this huge garden,  you could actually walk around most of these sections that were marked with what kind of plants were there!

This was the flower section - so pretty!

The bridge that takes you over to the gardens.

And me standing by the lavendar plants!

Their gift shop was quite busy and Teri picked up some lavendar products.  I bought 3 cherry turnovers to have with coffee the next morning! (and yes, they were excellent!!)

We headed back to Teri's GR house and spent the evening visiting.  Saturday was travel day and Patty and I both had flights to Denver and from there, she was headed back to Omaha!  I stopped at Jessi's place on the way home to get an adjustment but didn't stay long as wasn't feeling the best and I wanted to get home!  (Little did I know at the time that I actually had Covid as I tested Sunday night - darn - both girls tested also and we all 3 had it!!)

What a wonderful SISTERS trip - spent with the best 2 sisters ever!!

The River House

 Teri and Jay own 2 homes - one in the city of Grand Rapids and one outside of Baldwin which sits on a stream.  They have done so much work on the inside of the GR house and it's so lovely inside - I especially loved their wine bar and their coffee bar!

We headed out to their river house on Wednesday afternoon - it's a nice drive there and their 6 acres plus their house is so nice!  They have again done a lot of work around their acreage and also to the house so it was fun to see everything that has kept them so busy this last year!

This picture shows a lot of their property and the house in the distance!

Jay had found a car that he had always wanted so he took me for a ride - it was LOUD!   But fun to ride in!

We had a fantastic dinner prepared by Jay - I'm not sure what it's called but it was chicken and a sauce which had tomatoes and mushrooms in it over pasta and it was excellent!!  Later that evening Patty was so impressed when she found out Jay had made tiramisu!!  (And I was impressed that Teri had made me a rhubarb cake that we had been eating on at the GR house!!)

We drove into Baldwin the next day so I could take this picture of the fish statue!

Teri made me special coffee!!  Patty was NOT feeling well at all on Thursday and Friday so she slept a lot while Teri and I talked and talked and did some reading!

Teri and Jay have put out many bird feeders and it was so fun to watch the different birds come in to eat!  

We sure enjoyed staying at the river house!