Zoo Day With The Savages

How can one Nana get so lucky by going to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo TWICE in a 2 months' time frame?

 

Which means I took a day off of work - not really as I ended up going in after the zoo and shopping but still..................

 

It was downright COLD when we got up and I thought for a while we might actually have to take our jackets into the zoo but the sun was out and it was warmer in Colorado Springs so we opted not to - and that was a wise decision - carrying jackets is not fun!!

 

We thought the zoo might be super busy as they were offering free admission to any evacuees from the fire but it wasn't that bad - we arrived about 15 minutes before it opened and even got in the door before 9:00!!

 

I love Aleahs' face here - she just couldn't get over that LONG tongue coming out of the giraffe!!

  We actually had to feed them inside as they hadn't been let out yet!

 

This next picture is for the record books!!!  Getting BOTH Parker and Aleah to smile and look at the same time is almost impossible - but I captured it here!!!  Parker's hat couldn't be any cuter!!  And the picture is taken at the new elephant complex which is amazing!!

One of the most important times during the day is snack time!!  And the zoo has a wonderful place in the elephant complex to just sit and relax and enjoy!!

I love this picture of Parker - he's so unaware of me snapping his picture as he's so focused on drinking and eating his fruit snacks!!

Aleah didn't care for the bird palace but Parker had no fear!!

There were several peacocks around and this one was doing a great job of showing off his (or is it hers?) feathers!!  WOW - they are so beautiful!!

The sun went under as we were finishing up the last part of the zoo and we even had a few sprinkles but it sure didn't bother us a bit!!  The "Backyard" is always a hit with kids and Aleah loved petting the goats!

I went back to the car to get the ice chest for lunch while Robby and Jill took the kids on a merry go round ride - I think I got the better deal!!

After a great Subway lunch and relaxing in the picnic pavilion, we headed down the hill for one last picture stop before it was time to leave!

Thanks for coming down Robby and Jill - we had a great weekend with you and to top off the end with a zoo experience really made my day!!!

Fathers' Day Weekend

Happy Father's Day to all those wonderful dads!! 

 

The Savages were heading down for the weekend!!  Luckily I spruced up the house a little bit on Thursday night because Jill called early afternoon on Friday and said they were heading down in the afternoon instead of the evening.  Their car was having wheel bearing problems and they didn't want to take a chance of driving it at night!!

 

Dinner was Papa Murphys pizza since nothing was planned so we all feasted on that and Robby left to work on the car with a friend!  Since Parker is now in a "big" bed, he slept in the office (which is where Aleah usually sleeps) and Aleah slept up with us! 

 

Jill and I hit the hot tub after the kiddos were in bed!!  It was a gorgeous evening out and we enjoyed talking and relaxing while we were soaking!!

 

Saturday dawned beautiful!!  Papa took a quick swing with Parker before he headed in to work and the rest of us loaded up in my car to meet Bev (Robby's mom) at Mueller State Park!

 

 

Aleah and Parker hadn't been here before so we took the standard picture at the nature trail!!

It's pretty tough to get both of Jills' kids to smile at the same time but this one turned out pretty cute!!

Next up was the Visitor Center - the kids loved looking at the animals and listening on the "old" type phones to elk calls!!

After naps, the kids wanted to get in the hot tub - I fixed a new dip - Tropical Avocado Salsa - along with Miami Vices which Jill and I enjoyed while we were watching the kids!

Parker had no fear of the water until he stepped off the edge and of course went under water!!  Jill reached in and pulled him up and he was pretty upset for a while - and that's when Jill opted to just get in the water with them!  I chose to sit at my cute little table and eat and drink!

Dinner that evening was also a new recipe - Stuffed Mexican Chicken Shells - don't like look pretty?  The batch makes a lot - to the tune of a 9 x 13 which we had for dinner that evening and then another 9 x 13 pan which I opted to put into 2  8 x 8's and freeze!!  It was delicious although just a little too spicy for kids - I think the next batch I make I won't use the Rotel but instead use just canned tomatoes and 1 can of mild chili peppers.  The pan is actually covered with cheese before you stick it in the oven but I wanted a picture first so you could see the stuffed shells!

Saturday night we watched a movie - kind of a confusing one but it was still good!!  I think everyone slept a little better the second night!!

And then it was Fathers Day!!  Since I don't cook biscuits and gravy, Glenn had to do the cooking for breakfast but he doesn't mind at all!!  The guys went to town for a while and I made coffee and we just enjoyed sitting on the deck, enjoying the beautiful weather!!

The Smiths came around lunch time - they had to come down anyway to take Rayna and a friend to LVR Camp so we all enjoyed lunch together and just relaxing for a little while until they left to drop the girls off. 

Glenn opened his card and gift from the girls - a coupon for a pair of prescription polarized sunglasses (and also from me) which is his b'day gift and Fathers Day gift!  He has always wanted a nice pair too and after I got mine and enjoy them so much, I knew he would love this gift!!  Now to just get him downtown for his exam and to pick them out!!

We had a great evening meal of pork loin, hash brown casserole and baked beans along with dessert!!  The Smiths headed on home and we all collapsed after cleaning up dinner and getting the kids to bed!!!  To be cont'd..................

Wildfire Season

Woodland Park and Pikes Peak are shrouded in a hazy layer of smoke and the scent is heavy in the air - Colorado's wildfire season has begun.

 

Right now we have 4 fires burning in the state - 2 are major - Black Forest (right outside of Colorado Springs) and one at The Royal Gorge in Canon City.  I'm not sure which fire we're getting the smoke from today but am assuming it's the Black Forest one as the wind switched directions.

 

Yesterday the winds were horrible - and it was extremely hot!  Perfect conditions for a wildfire existed and nature took it from there!

 

The 2 pictures below were taken from the KRDO news website and show the Black Forest fire - pretty humbling to see a house in flames!

 

The latest on the Black Forest fire this morning indicated over 8000 acres have burned with many homes lost - 0% containment.  The Royal Gorge fire has burned about 3800 acres with a few structures burned.

Luckily it did cool off last night and the wind died down - it was a beautiful morning for a while with no wind but now it has started again and we're all praying that more homes aren't lost today!

It's time to post the "evacuation list" on the frig and do what I did last year - pack up all the photo albums and scrapbooks in boxes and bags so they're ready to pick up and throw in the car on a moments' notice.  The least I can do is to be prepared in case our turn comes!

You're Taking Me Where??????

It finally happened this last weekend - we left work early on Friday!!  It's been a long time in coming and we packed the camper Thursday night so we would be ready!  I had asked Glenn a couple of times where we were going but he conveniently ignored the question and then decided to make a guessing game out of it for me!!

We headed out at 1:30 (and the pickup even started this time!) and Glenn told me we would be driving 2 1/2 hours to our location - at this point, I'm thinking - OK - (and the girls will get a chuckle out of this) if he says it's 2 1/2 hours, it's PROBABLY 3 1/2 hours - Glenn tends to underestimate EVERYTHING so I've learned if he says we're hiking a mile, it's 2 miles - if he says our location is an hour away - it's 2 hours away - get the picture!!

So I guessed we were going west which was correct but I know when we got to the one turn-off, I would have to make a choice over which pass we would be going over and I chose the right direction.  BUT at the next turn, I was completely wrong as he headed in the opposite direction - and after a little ways I guessed it - Saguache!!  And yes, it took us 3 1/2 hours to get there!

Now Saguache doesn't hold great memories for me - we had camped near there many years ago down in this hole where there was no breeze, bugs, and tall grass - he wanted to camp there so he could drive his motorcycle to scout!!  The other time, we stayed at the only hotel in Saguache and it was one for the memory books!!  The wind was coming in the hotel room so bad that we had to put towels under the door to keep the wind out!!

But this camping trip only holds WONDERFUL memories - yes, it took a long time to get there but it was well worth it and Glenn knew right where to go for a camping spot!!  This was our view!

The spot was perfect and with the mountains and valleys for a view, he couldn't have picked a better spot - with only seeing 3 other campers on the way, we knew it wouldn't be too busy!!

We took a ride that first evening to see if there was any wildlife around - lots - elk, antelope and deer - it's a haven for animals!

This is Chimney Rock - kind of a neat rock in the middle of nowhere!!

Were the trails good?  Absolutely!!  Except there was a lot of open ground to travel over and it was pretty dusty!!  We packed a picnic and had a great day of ATVing - and the best part - we NEVER met another ATV or a dirt bike - we had the entire network of trails to ourselves!!

As I said, it was pretty dusty and when we got back to the camper, Glenn told me my face was filthy which I knew - my sweatshirt was horribly dusty so I had a feeling my face was pretty bad too - he insisted on a picture so I relented - I had NO idea I looked this bad till I downloaded my pics!!  Check out those ears!!!  Yes, I rinsed the washcloth many times!!



Happy Hour???  I see beer and a wine cooler but no people??

Sat night we left on our ride a little later than normal and although he won't admit it, Glenn got a little turned around and it was quite dark by the time we got back - good thing ATV's have lights on them!

Sunday dawned gorgeous and was the first day I didn't have to layer up all day long!!

There was a side road on one trail that I asked Glenn to take and this is what was at the end of it - what a beautiful place for the remains of those that must love nature and this national forest!  It was a touching sight!

There weren't any regular wild flowers out yet as it's too early but there were dozens and dozens of patches of wild iris!!  They just come in shades of purple and reminded me of our old home in Soldier where there were iris's growing along the side of the house!

I didn't look any better after riding all day Sunday either!!  But the rides were worth being dusty and dirty!!  After a stop in Buena Vista for dinner at Coyote Cantina, we rolled into home about 8:15 after one great weekend!!

Life Is Always An Adventure................

when Glenn is around!!  Let's go camping at Buffalo Peaks this weekend he tells me FRIDAY morning as we're headed into work!!  OK - we have 2 cars in town so I can leave right at 5:00 and go home and pack the camper - Glenn has an install in Monument but says he'll leave at 4:00 at the LATEST to be home by a little after 5:00!!

 

I go home and pack up - and wait - and wait - and wait - and finally call at 6:15 and he's just leaving the jobsite............sigh.................  But we do get left at 7:40 and luckily it stays light a long time so had daylight to drive over!!

 

We missed the turnoff the first time so had to pull in and back the camper and trailer out on the highway - but Glenn is very good at that - I'm usually biting my nails!!  And then we turn in the RIGHT spot and lo and behold, it's all gated off with a big sign that says "Closed due to elk disturbance during calving"  We later read the sign CLOSELY and saw that it is closed from March 1st to June 15th - we were just TOO early!!

 

So once again, back out and this time we decided to go up the highway and go in the back way to this huge wilderness area - the road is horribly rough and by this time it's DARK!!!  We pull up to the place to go into the section we want to camp in and it's also all blocked off!!  I kind of think we weren't supposed to go to Buffalo Peaks this weekend!!!

 

Luckily there was a camper right there at the gate who helped Glenn once again get turned around - we turned on a side trail as there were no other places to camp and headed up this kind of steep, trees on each side of you road and travelled for a while, not knowing what lay ahead and I was praying there wouldn't be a tree down on the trail that would make us back up!!  We finally spotted a place to pull in which was fairly flat and we camped there for the night!!

 

It was then that I turned on the water - I had asked Glenn before we left if he filled the water tank and he said he hadn't drained it from the last time we went - it spit like it was full of air and about 1/2 glass of water came out and that was it - then Glenn remembered - he DID drain the water out.  Ok, we have 2 gallons of drinking water that I had brought and that was it for the weekend!!  Needless to say, I didn't have to do dishes!!

 

It was VERY cold that first night and I had forgotten my long johns and despise sleeping in sweat pants so I didn't have a great nights' sleep!!  Glenn took the ATV out first thing that morning and sure enough, about 1/2 mile away the road opened into a beautiful meadow with a mountain for a view - we moved there right after breakfast!!

 

Because of the huge section being closed, we didn't have many choices of trails for the weekend - but we did enjoy the few trails we did do, just riding them over and over!!

We headed up the road from our campsite and at the very end of the trail, here's what we found!

Glenn and I looked at each other and basically thought the same thing:  get the camera and take pics of this for Bob!!  So we did - and these are for you Bob!!!  Interested????

Now this place wasn't built back in the early 1900's or anything like that - probably was built 20 to 30 years ago and my oh my - this cabin was a dandy!!!  Check out the school bus in the back which IS part of the cabin - 2 stories even!!

Here's a picture of the back of the bus and the back part of the cabin.

And here's the front part of the cabin which actually isn't that bad looking!!!

Of course we had to check out the inside - it was horribly filthy from animals being in there but it was kind of strange - there was no food of course but furniture, clothes, a solar shower bag which looked quite new hanging up and a couple of beds with sheets on them - more in the old bus!!  It looked like whoever had used this camp, had just up and left for some reason, never bothering to take their stuff out of the cabin!!

And did you notice what is on the roof???  Yup - a dish satellite!!  They must have had a generator at this cabin too!!

We had fun poking around the grounds there and imagining what it would be like to actually LIVE in a cabin like that!!

All in all one fun weekend, even with a minimum of trails to go riding!!    We also did some hiking and ran into several patches of snow - and there is still plenty on the mountains too!!

Memorial Day Weekend

I'm sure you can hardly wait to hear about our wonderful weekend - all the fun things we did - all the great pictures I took............keep looking because it's sure not going to be found here!!

For the first time in many years, we had a work weekend - I know, I know, not very exciting at all and I was pretty bummed about it since it was a 3 day weekend!!  But we're still behind at work, the car was still broke down and the list just kept getting longer and longer and longer..............

So we just decided to stay home and work!!  Glenn did diagnose the car with a bad fuel pump and got it removed, but hasn't got it replaced yet!!  He worked on some old batteries we had at the house and got the workable ones figured out! He worked at the shop and got a few things done along with meeting a new client.   And he worked on the hot tub - the poor broken hot tub that we haven't got to use since last Feb!!!  It is now UP AND RUNNING!!!  But it's still having some issues!

I made a list about a mile long and worked my tail off over the past 3 days - I won't bore you with all the details, but just know I did what I had to do for the summer and that's all I'm doing!!!  The house is nice and clean - all the windows are washed - and the garage is swept and even FEELS clean if that's possible!!

In between work I did find time for coffee on the deck with a great book, movies in the evenings and the making of 2 new recipes which I added to my list!!

All in all it wasn't such a bad 3 day weekend except for the fact it was absolutely gorgeous outside and would have been a perfect weekend for ATVing and camping!!  But we can't cry about it now as it's over and done with - now we just need to look forward to the rest of summer - my list is done - is yours???????

Lunch At The Cliff House

Picture a huge Victorian Inn with flowers blooming on the outskirts, a huge covered wrap-around porch complete with wicker furniture and a beautiful dining room that transport you to "The South" and you're looking at The Cliff House!

 

The Inn, as it was formerly called when it was built back in 1873, was once a stagecoach stop for the Colorado Springs/Leadville run.  It became hugely popular when the nearby mineral springs were discovered, and soon became the stomping grounds for the wealthy!

 

After the building survived a flood from the canyon and a bad fire, it sat empty for many, many years before being bought and totally restored to a beautiful inn, bar and restaurant!  The Cliff House has won many awards over the last 10 years for its' lodging and restaurant.

 

Which brings me back to lunch!  We had planned on going to Adams Cafe which is a restaurant we all dearly love, but we had parked up past The Cliff House and as we were walking by, we decided we would rather eat there!!

 

The perfect place to eat would have been on the veranda which was all set up for lunch but it was just too cool for us - so we headed into the dining room and had a fantastic lunch!!

 

We usually all decide on one dessert and then split it 4 ways - and the choice this time was called "Moka" which is chocolate espresso mousse with cocoa sponge cake and raspberry kahlua ganache.

 

It of course sounded delicious but we were amazed when it was delivered to our table!!  Take a peek at the "cup" it's in - that's the ganache!!!   It seemed almost sinful to eat the cup!!  And yes, it was absolutely delicious!! 

 

It's on my list to eat there again this summer when we can sit on the veranda sipping ice cold lemonade or mint juleps and pretend we're real Southern women!!!