Life on the High Plains

Well, we're on day 29 of our kitchen remodeling project.  In the last 2 weeks I've only seen our crew for a total of 3 hours.  They got pulled to another job and haven't been back.  The majority of the big stuff is done, but there are lot of little details that need to be finished. I thought I'd show up some of what is done. Our enormous pantry is ready to go.  They make cabinets so much smarter these days.  The lower half of the pantry is all drawers.  At first I wasn't sure how I'd like them, but I love them!  It makes so much more sense than shelves that sometimes require you to get down on your hands and knees to see what's in the back corner. Also, all of our corner cabinets have lazy Susan's.  This is something else that I love, especially this huge one that will hold all the over-sized Tupperware, mixing bowls, and miscellaneous stuff. Then there's the big drawers.  Look at these organized Tupperware drawers! ...

One of my favorite places on earth is Bavaria, Germany and Crazy King Ludwig's fairy tale castles.  We first visited them about 25 years ago and last year we got to go back. Hohenschwangau was Ludwig's childhood home.  This castle is old, really old.  It was destroyed by Napolean then rebuilt by Ludwig's father. This castle is beautiful on the inside and out, but... it must not have been fancy enough for Crazy Ludwig because he started construction of  Neuschwanstein just up the hill. Yes, this is the inspiration for the Disney theme parks.  I've been through it three times now and each time I'm in awe. It was never finished and from what I understand Crazy Ludwig nearly bankrupted Bavaria with the construction of his castles.  One thing that has changed in the last 25 years is the addition of the gift shop as you exit.  I'm not sure I agree with that, but maintaining these castles has to be hugely expensive so I'm sure ...

The spring semester finally started back up at CC so my art school is back in session.  My first class of this semester is just an Oils class.  Basically we work on whatever painting we like and the instructor is there to help when we get stuck or frustrated. I decided to call one of the students who studied with me with my previous instructor to see if she was still looking for a teacher and if she'd like to join me.  I was thrilled when Charlotte said yes (that's her above).  We hadn't seen each other in nearly a year so it was nice to reconnect. So I decided to go back to what I like doing and what I do well--doors and buildings.  The photo above is one that I took in Rothenburg, Germany when we were there last year.  I love old buildings and colorful doors.  It all starts with a sketch. Then the canvas is covered with a coat of paint for a base which needs to dry for several days before the next layer is applied.  This is as...

I'm always at the National Western Stock Show the day before it actually opens.  That's when the horse judging contest takes place for the 4-H National Western Roundup.  They always give me a Stock Show pass as part of my compensation and I always try to come back to take advantage of it. The draft horse and mule show was yesterday.  I always love the cart classes.  My favorite cart classes are at Arabian Nationals in Tulsa every October.  I need to get back there this year. I told Irv that maybe it was time for me to get my own hitch and cart (and draft horse).  These gentle giants are beautiful. There was a mama pig with a bunch of piglets.  No wonder she's so tired. There was a mule costume class.  These guy was pretty darn cute as a zebra. Walking through the barn we encountered this guy.  He was huge and very well behaved.  I think this is the guy that they put kids on and take their pictures. Ther...

This was a slow week for the kitchen remodel project so I don't have much to report.  The company we're working with had a new projected that started on Wednesday so they pulled our crew away to help with the demo.  They'll be back on Monday (hopefully). The cabinets next to the refrigerator are all installed. Yes, the above might be my favorite part of the new kitchen.  Now I won't have wine stored in cabinets everywhere.  The cabinets above the wine rack will have frosted glass doors. Our stove was moved in and they gave us a temporary sink to use until the quartz arrives.  I've actually been able to cook a few meals this week. There is other very exciting news this week... Yellowstone! I've accepted a job offer with Delaware North who is the concessionaire for the General Stores in the park.  I'll be going back to Grant Village!  I agreed to a supervisor position and it wasn't until after I signed the contract that I...

We had a beautiful sunset on the Eastern plains of Colorado last night. Still no snow, but it has warmed up again.  We've had single digits for lows the last several days.  Today the high is supposed to be near 70 degrees.  What the heck?  This is Colorado in January. Happy Skywatch Friday!

Eleven days ago our kitchen remodel started.  The plan was to have all the new cabinets set in place in seven days.  Well, anyone who watched HGTV knows that things come up. One of the things you never want to find is mold.  This was to the left of the kitchen sink next to the outside door.  (Gross, I know!)  Before we moved into this house 14 years ago the outside doors all leaked dreadfully. All construction has to stop when mold is found to determine how dangerous it is.  Fortunately, this was determined to be from an old leak and it did not seep through so they removed and replaced the drywall and work resumed. Then on the other side of the sink this was found behind the cabinets to the left of the refrigerator.  (Really gross!)  What the heck?  This was determined to be from a leak to the line that fills the ice maker.  A small bit of water didn't have anywhere to drain so it was trapped under/behind the cabinet...