It's a gamble

Well, I was hoping for a nice day to take some Colorado scenery pictures, but this time of year is pretty unpredictable. I met Roche & LeAnna in Blackhawk to go to the casinos. On the way I stopped to take a few pictures, but you can see the clouds were rolling in quickly. We got a little rain out of the storm. The moisture is always welcome here.

The gambling went better than usualy for me, I actually won a few bucks and the crab leg buffet was great as usual.

Tourist

It is really quite odd to be a tourist in a town where I lived for 40 some years. On Saturday, I bummed around town, doing a little shopping and enjoying seeing some of the changes, especially in Olde Town Arvada.

The mountains were hazy from Inspiration Point. I hope to get some better pictures before I leave though.

To celebrate Roche's birthday, (notice I didn't mention her age or the fact that she was born in '47) Tom & Roche, LeAnna and I went out for Sushi at Namiko's in Arvada. Yum! I have missed Sushi even though I was only introduced to it shortly before moving away from Colorado.

After dinner we came back to Rochelle & Tom's house for more kitty entertainment.

Judy (the cat with seniority around here) came upstairs to hang with us, but she didn't like to look at those kittens!

"I don't see those kittens if I keep my eyes closed!"

"Don't even try to make me like them!"

Since we last talked...

Colorado is nice this time of year, everything is very green and pretty.

Aspen in Scott & Laila's backyard

The party after the closing was great fun, lots of beer, quite a few friends stopped by to celebrate. I must have had fun because I had a bit of a 'fat head' the next morning.

Thursday I went to see my Orthopedic Doc here in town and he gave me 2 shots of cortisone, one for my chronic ankle and the other for the heel (Plantar Fasciitis) in the same foot. It is a miracle, that the heel no longer hurts. I had no idea that Cortisone would work to cure it. Yippee.

In the evening I headed to Laila's for cocktails on the deck and burgers on the grill. I stayed overnight there too. It was nice to have quiet time to chill this morning and just visit.

Cleo wasn't too sure about this hug from a strange woman.

Cleo admiring the cat in the window.

Scott was preparing for a presentation and I got to see Aerogel up close. That space stuff is pretty cool.

Cleo loves her Mommy Laila, she liked being held by her much more than by me.

Here is what I don't miss about living in Denver.

This was on the way to Scott & Laila's on Thursday afternoon.

Adios! Dover

I'm closing in a couple of hours on my Dover house.

Fun to think of all the gatherings that have happened there.

Three New Year's Eve parties that were outrageous!

The last one I counted about 100 people in the house at midnight, yikes!

At one, some friends brought Rocky Mountain Oysters, oil and bisquick and proceeded to deep fry them in my kitchen. What a rotten mess the next day!

The furniture from the living room always got carried to the carport so the living room could be a dance floor.

I was about a 100 years younger in those days (and so were my friends!) The parties were a blast, the clean up was brutal!

The backyard is nice and over the years many, many barbeques were enjoyed with friends.

I am happy for the new owner, it's a sweet house in a nice quiet neighborhood. But I'm even happier for me, as this Dover house made my move to Wisconsin a possibility & now I live in a little corner of paradise Up North.

Clean Out

Today is cloudy and cool here in Arvada, CO. It rained for quite awhile last evening, we skipped the Rockies game yesterday afternoon as the weather looked like it could dump a good rain at any moment.

The big entertainment here are Roche & Tom's new baby kittens. Are they cute or what??

Moe (the boy) & Camby (the girl)

I'll be going over to gather all my remaining belongings out of the Dover house this morning. I only have a few things left there, the house was partially 'staged' when I moved last September. Roche and I stopped by there on Sunday and my renter was in the process of moving out. It was the first time I had ever met her. She is a very nice woman and did me a real favor by living there over the winter!

The Nuggets basketball team is big news here. Last night they beat LA and now have to win the best of the next 3 to make it to the NBA finals, they can do it! BTW, the kittens are named after famous Nuggets...Doug Moe (coach), Marcus Camby (player).

Colorado!

I arrived safely on Friday evening after what seemed like a very long drive through South Dakota, then Nebraska and finally Eastern Colorado. It was an uneventful drive and that is the best news!

Friday evening Roche & Tom and I enjoyed happy hour while we watched Roche's new baby kittens frolic in the living room. Tom grilled pork chops which were very tasty and it was early to bed for all.


Saturday I came to stay at good friends The Rockholds. Steve and Tammy are in Indiana at the 500 and the girls and I are here. Leesa has been busy playing in a soccer tournament so I have not seen much of her.



Emily went to the Sprint store with me to help pick out my new phone. I am happy to have the Blackberry and Emily made sure I got a cool red color. After we picked up Emily's friend Brittany and then ate at Colorado Hacienda. Yummy drinks (Brittany & Emily's were non alcoholic of course), and delicious food. It was all served up by our very handsome waiter Anthony, who the girls really thought was 'hot'.

Wanda with Marguerita & Emily with virgin strawberry dacquiri (Shirley Temple's have really upgraded over the years!)

Murdo, South Dakota - Five Star Accomodations!

I am in Murdo, SD on my way to Denver. The Best Western here is so nice. They recognize me when I come in to check in. Gotta love that. I've stayed here about 4 or 5 times over the years and they always act like we are old friends. Really a nice deal. Motel is clean, newly refurnished, cheap ($59) and has wireless Internet. It's a peach of a place, even has a nice outdoor pool. Keep it in mind if you are ever traveling on I90 through SD.

Now it's time for a cold Coors Light, a Subway Veggie Delight and the Nuggets. Starting out behind, hopefully they can make a comeback.

I'll be at Roche's tomorrow night in time for happy hour and dinner. It'll sure be nice to get back to Colorado and see friends!

Friday in Colorado

I'm driving Out West in the morning. Dad & Ev will be here in Rice Lake at my house sitting with cats and birds. I'm looking forward to seeing my Colorado buddies and DRINKING SOME COLD BEERS together.

Benched

Before the project

Today Dad and I built a work bench in my garage. It is 20 foot long and a real beauty. It's going to be nice to have a place to run my saws and do little projects! Ev gave me a book of recipes to build bird houses, so I guess I'll have to get busy and turn out a few of those too. The garage has been a mess since last fall, and now it's tidy & close to being organized.

Joists in place

Finished, lots of organizing to do tho.

Big Moon Lake

Glenn, Kathy, Dana, Jackson and Alyxis were at Big Moon on Sunday working on Glenn & Kath's lake cottage, putting the dock out and launching the pontoon boat. Dad & Ev and I went for a drive over to help and visit.

Glenn was explaining where the board walk / steps will be from the cottage to the dock.

Jackson & Alyxis couldn't wait to get their feet wet even tho' Dana & Glenn were still finishing the final dock work.

Alyxis was teaching Jackson how to cast with his new Batman Rod & Reel. Pretty cool

Jackson, looking good.

Here they come.

There they go.

More of The Birds

The yard has really be active with birds this morning. I suppose it is the dating / mating season as well as a nice sunny day. (I took these photos with my Pentax, 35mm, SLR Digital Camera.)

Today we had quite the treat when Ev noticed an Oriole trying to get a drink from the Hummingbird feeder. I quickly cut an orange and put it out on the deck posts, with great results.

The male cardinal has been flitting around here today too.

Primary Colors

Dad & Ev and I have enjoyed watching the birds today. It's cool and very windy outside but the birds have been busy at the feeders. A new visitor today was the Blue Bunting, quite the sight!

House Finch

Blue Bunting

Gold Finch

We are having a lazy day around here today. I ran out this morning to a plant sale by the Barron County Master Gardeners, but it was about 40 degrees and strong winds, so I didn't get too interested in looking at their plants. I did stop at a nursery close to the house and got my tomatoe plants and pepper plants, but frost is predicted for tonight, so I guess I'll wait to plant those.

The Parentals Have Arrived

Dad & Ev arrived Friday afternoon at about 5pm. They drove here from Iowa and now will stay here until I get back from Out West. It's nice to have them here. We are relaxing for the weekend and then I'll start getting myself organized to drive to Colorado to close on the Arvada house and visit friends & family!

Trilliums and Apple Blossoms

I noticed something white at the edge of the woods this morning, and much to my delight, it turned out to be a trillium. In many areas in Wisconsin, the ground in the woods can be covered with these delicate flowers. While they are not 'illegal' to pick or transplant in Wisconsin, the plant is very fragile and can take years to recover after any human interaction.

Trillium (disambiguation)

While I was out checking on the Trillium, I noticed that my apple tree is near to having blooms as well.

Neighbors

Today a couple of neighbors stopped by for a snack. I am enjoying getting up close with my new toy (slr pentax).

Beauty Shots

I got a new Pentax SLR Digital Camera and am in the 'trying it out' stage. I am not sure if I'll keep it (yeah right) so want to experiment with the results. My most accessible models are the kits, so here are their beauty shots.

Barley

Hops

Waumandee News

On Friday morning, I headed from Durand to Waumandee to see Betty. When I turned at Bremer's, I saw this announcement, I thought it quite clever. (Click on the picture to see larger version.)

The plan was to split some hostas in Betty's backyard and to have lunch with her, Dale & LeRoy (her brothers).

Before we did the work and before lunch, Betty and I took at look at the progress in Paul's house remodel. (Paul is Betty's son, Roche & LeAnna's brother for you non Waumandee readers.)

What a face lift the farm house is getting and I just loved the colors that Paul chose for paint, furniture and vinyl. Some work yet to be done, but getting closer.

After lunch at the Waumandee Cafe, I got to work separating the hostas and pulling out a few dandelions. When I was finished, I encouraged Betty to come and take a look and that was dumb. She tripped on the uneven grass and took a tumble, landing on her shoulder and cheek. Luckily, she doesn't seem to have any injuries from the fall, but getting her back on her feet was a bit of a challenge. Probably shook me up worse than Betty.

A few less weeds now and once the hostas spread their wings, this should be solid hostas.

The bleeding heart bush at Betty's is very pretty this year.

From Waumandee, I headed over near the river to LeRoy's house in Cochrane. He gave me a car load of perennial plants that he just wanted to get rid of. I have some work to do finding them homes in my yard, and will post some pictures when I get them situated.

Then it was time to head to Kaija's for a Tupperware party. On the way, I 'dropped in' on Sherri & Don at Catfish Corners. What a chunk of paradise they have. Sherri made sure I got the grand tour, 3 dozen fresh farm eggs and a cold Leinie's! Lora and Anders caught up with me there, so Anders got so see the chickens and he was pretty interested (and not a bit scared) of the horses.

Finally we headed to the Tupperware party and after that, I drove home to Rice Lake in the rain. I can truthfully say that I was really dragging by the time I hit my driveway here in RL, but it had been a really fun day. Action packed!

Go for it

Anders, a frequent star on this blog, has learned to stand up pretty easily when there is something he wants. This is his favorite 'blankie'. I think he says "there" when he gets the blanket down, but that's just me.

Anders does his own version of Pat A Cake now too. We had a fun day hanging out together.

Again

The bear was here again last night and got all 3 feeders, this time bent the poles too. Nice.

I'm headed to Durand for 2 nights and then Waumandee on Friday morning to help Betty split up some Hostas and also to have lunch with her and LeRoy & Dale.

The bear will have to shop elsewhere for snacks.

The Calm and the Storm

It was fun to watch the storm, I've always been one who loved a good thunderstorm and Wisconsin weather rises to the challenge.

After the storm rolled on NE, the moon was a beauty, although this pic doesn't do it justice. Just one more reason I 'need' that SLR camera.

Live Weather Cam

Okay, it's not live and it's not a weather cam, but I did take a little footage of our storm this afternoon. I had just gotten ready to go eat supper at our local Mexican restaurant, I was literally walking out the door when the Rice Lake weather siren started blowing. So, I decided to stay home and be safe.

So, I am settling for a cold Coors Light and homemade tacos for Cinco de Mayo.

A Little Forest?

Today I planted about 40 trees. Most were Balsam Firs and some were High Bush Cranberry Trees. Hopefully someday this 'little forest' will screen my yard from the county road. I got the trees from Barron County and they were quite inexpensive for 3 year nursery trees. I also planted several of the pines in the brushy area behind my yard that separates it from the country road.

Doesn't look like much now, but someday it will be a little Christmas Tree forest...I hope.