Holidays, 2015

Holidays, 2015
A Winter Scene - red door, a dusting of snow, and a vintage bicycle

Monday, September 26, 2011

watching the elk (and the tourists) in the river


Estes Park is one of the towns situated near Rocky Mountain National Park; thus, many tourists from around the world visit this gorgeous location.  Some come to hike the mountains, known as the 14-er's; some come to experience the crisp clean air; others still come to fish.  Many, however, come for the wildlife.  Alaska has its bears and Estes Park has its elk.  The guidebooks tell visitors to keep their distance, but especially during 'rut' season, elk can go after a human.  Rut is mating season and it begins in September through October.


There are several rivers that flow through Estes Park.  The elk, of course, LOVE to get drinks in the river and even lie down in the river to cool themselves.  Fishermen who know the area can easily manage fishing and not disturb the elk.  The elk almost have an intuitive sense of what people know what they're doing!  Visitors, however, just can't keep their distance sometimes....

I had gone up to Estes Park on Tuesday by myself to visit a home for the 3rd time.  On my way back down the mountain, a number of cars were pulled over to the side of the road.  A man of Nebraska (I later found out) said to me, "There's elk in the river!!!!!)  He was so excited.  The other couple they were with had gone down into the river to take CLOSER pictures.  Do you see where this is going??
large bull elk in the river, but what you don't see are the dozens of cows (female elk) he has nearby
                                                           I couldn't get my camera out fast enough to capture the woman who was chased down in the river until she fell head first into the icy waters, completely clothed and with camera and binocular around her neck, but I was able to capture the rescue of one of the gentlemen who now was yelling HELP ME to the nearby fishermen.....
they look like peaceful creatures......but they don't really want to be petted....

one of the nearby fishermen

one of the rescued visitors....in the river with his shoes and socks
So, there's always something to see in Nature.....and sometimes, it's silly humans doing silly things.....this made me smile all the way home......

OH, and no one was hurt.....just embarassed and soaking wet!
This time....

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Another room done

I LOVE RED..... I just do.  However, I've never painted any walls red before in all my years.....

However, when we rented our house right now, the dining room was painted red.  The problem, however, was that it was badly scratched and dinged and it needed painted.  We could have chosen to paint over the red and make it lighter and brighter......but we got a red as close to the red that was there and painted the room red again.......it's really too small of a dining room to be painted red, but it's not forever and it will be awesome at Christmas.  I have found that Fall colors don't go as well in there, so I've done just a few things....but at Christmas? LOOK OUT!!!

                                      so, here's the room BEFORE:

                                                           

You can see ONE of the BIG scratches on the back wall toward the left, but there were tons more....I don't know what they did in there....maybe through forks and knives against the wall!!!!   But here it is now.  This room took FOREVER because I have so many dishes and teacups and things.....it really made me think: DO I NEED ALL THIS STUFF?  I've decided that for right now, until we decide about the whole bed and breakfast thing, I do.....so, here it is:



                                                       
OK, off I go......more to do!!! I don't quite know if I'm going to make 'my' finish line date of the end of September, but I'm trying....We've been here now 5 weeks; I should be done!   Thank you for taking a peek....love you!!! xo

Friday, September 16, 2011

How quickly a year passes

September 2, 2010....I can't believe a year has passed since my youngest daughter's wedding....
little boxes that held bags of lavender

little bells to ring for kisses....

the tower of cupcakes I made the night before and day of (seriously)

her middle sister putting on her makeup

the groom being assisted by his best friend

Rod on far left and the men....on far right, my step-dad and Rod's dad

my youngest daughter Amanda with my granddaughters from my oldest daughter

me trying to lace her up

the setting in Estes Park, CO
and Rod was the officiant of the wedding

the little ones making their way
walking the bride to her new future

a really teary and joyful moment

I told you.....her middle sister dabs a tear; older sister far right


and their first Christmas together as husband and wife, 2010....from fancy to comfy!! XO

                                          A Year Passes Quickly
I know this to be True
But what can one person in one year
Possibly Do....

You can tell someone something
To bring them a smile
You can give someone your time
by just talking awhile

You can bake up a treat
You can send out a letter
You can offer a prayer
There is nothing better

You can hug a dear friend
You can pet a sweet dog
You can ride a bike or walk for a day
to not add to the smog

You can offer a hand
You can offer a shoulder
You can watch a friend's baby
Or visit someone older

You can do so many things
That are helpful and good
But we don't always do
All the things that we should

So today I am saying
A thoughtful prayer or two
For the blessings I have
In my family and love so true

And thankyou to my readers
New friends far away
Like sisters I have now
on this wonderful day

I am Blessed....

                                  

Monday, September 12, 2011

From the Heart, or was that from the Lungs?

I just wanted to share something that happened about this time last year but I lost track of the photographs and JUST FOUND THEM!!

I had gone away with two of my daughters to California, and while I was away, my sweetheart did something VERY ROMANTIC!!  I know you girls are going to LOVE THIS....Life wasn't always this wonderfully romantic.  It takes a special man to be this sweet and I didn't find him until the century turned into the current one.  Well anyway.....he picked me up from the airport and these balloons were hanging from the outside of the garage....
this alone was a feat with the winds we often have in Colorado!
When I came INSIDE the house, there were little balloons here and there.....
balloons on the floor

balloons on the chairs

and a WHOLE lot of balloons in my bathtub!!

and the closet?  Well, I couldn't get the door open!!

When I did, they tumbled out all over the bedroom floor
So, what did they mean?  Was it my birthday?  NO, he told me that he wanted me to know how many times he thought of me while I was away........it makes me kind of tear up right now just remembering it.

                                                     I am BLESSED

Saturday, September 10, 2011

A Room for a Crazy Chair



I've been working quite hard this past week---last weekend was spent mostly at home and we've managed now to make enough room to put ONE CAR in the garage.  That is an achievement, let me tell you~~~

So today's post is what I did with the front room. This is the first room you see when you come in the front door on the left. It is fairly small...just a bit bigger than 12 X 12. It is open on the side you see that is a hallway leading to the back of the house where the kitchen is. The left side is a big window. So, here we go!




Here's the empty room



In the log home, the bookcases were downstairs---and packing up all of the books, transporting them and then unpacking them and arranging them on the shelves was one of the MOST time consuming things I've done so far.  I don't know if I've mentioned it, but we moved EVERYTHING, except the furniture, ourselves.  Every lamp, dish, book, picture, decoration.....we packed it and moved it in our old 92 Toyota Van......

So, with FALL just around the corner, I thought that while I was putting everything together, I may as well decorate for Fall.....so here's the same room.  VOILA!!


except all it has room for now is the one chair....which I recently acquired for free.  I'd like to recover it, but for now, it's the crazy chair in the front room....look closely and you'll see LOTS of Susan Branch books on the far right bookcase.


Hope you enjoyed the transformation!!!
xo from CO!