Life on the High Plains

 What's been happening this week? I got a new iPhone 15 this week.  I'd had my iPhone XR since before I retired from my "real" job so it was time for an upgrade.  I haven't played around with it much, but one thing I like about the camera is that it has a setting to enhance dog and cat pictures.  Little Miss Aspen is about to have her first birthday in November. I'm starting to venture out and get a little more confident with my artwork.  Entering contests or exhibitions require professional photos.  I found a guy about an hour from the house that has done a couple shots for me.  It's relatively inexpensive...$30 for the scan and $20 for color correction. Last week I decided to join the Pikes Peak Arts Council.  They were offering a workshop on photographing your own artwork so I signed up and went.  I was hoping they would provide some quick and easy tips on how I could take my own photos, but as I expected it takes quite a setup to get prof...

While I was still in Yellowstone Mary started begging me to go see Tyler Childers in concert at Fiddler's Green in Denver at the end of September.  Tyler who?  The tickets were expensive and I'd never heard of this guy. Then she said the magic words - "Wynonna is going to be there too". That was it.  Sign me up.  I'll never pass on an opportunity to see my all time favorite country singer.  Without Wynonna and her mom I would never have become a country music fan.  I am a Juddhead through and through. We arrived early, probably too early.  Mary got us great seats! We decided to get a hotel room within walking distance so we could both enjoy some adult refreshment without worrying about driving home.  I haven't had a Blue Hawaiian in years so thought I'd give it a try.  The vendor said it had a lot of alcohol, but as a really lightweight drinker I can tell you it was only Kool-Aid. It was Kentucky night at the Green.  The night started wi...

We just got back from a trip to Walt Disney World (WDW) in Florida.  I won't call it a vacation because nothing about going to WDW is relaxing.  We walked an average of eight miles per day which is a lot when you're 63 years old. We arrived on Sunday and checked into our resort.  The military runs a resort there named "Shades of Green".  It is really quite nice and is located right by the Magic Kingdom, Polynesian Resort, and the Grand Floridian. Our first stop was the resort's sports bar because the Chiefs were playing the Broncos.  That's an inhouse rivalry for us which I have become accustomed to losing over the last several years. This is the view from the balcony of our room.  An absolutely beautiful view of the golf course.  During the day it was filled with golfers and at night it was filled with deer and wild turkeys. One of the many reasons I would never choose to live in Florida--not to mention the banned books and crazy governor. On our firs...

After five seasons it was time to bid Yellowstone and the National Park Service goodbye.  On my last day I turned in my badge, keys, and CAC card and gave away all the uniform pieces that I wasn't wearing. My last day also happened to be a fee free day in celebration of National Public Lands Day. This is Ben on his birthday early in the summer.  He's the same age as my grandson and is a hoot to work with.  He's always a good sport which much be challenging working with so many females. I was reminded early on to never leave my phone unattended.  Someone will surely grab it and take a selfie or two. I'm not exactly innocent myself.  I also took advantage of a co-worker's phone laying around. Early every morning the electronic sign had to be changed for the pre-paid lane.  It should be easy, but it's not. One day Mrs. Montana American asked if she could come to the welcome sign to greet visitors and handout maps.  Of course!  We can use all the help...