Life on the High Plains

Life has been a little boring lately and I literally cannot think of anything "fantastic" to blog about.  I think it's because winter has officially arrived. I pretty much hibernate in winter.  I go from the house to the car to my office and back again.  I DO NOT want to spend any excess time outside when it's bone chilling cold.  We haven't even gone to get groceries in several weeks. And it has been bone chilling cold.  I'm talking temps well below zero, snow, and wind.  But we do live in beautiful Colorado so I'm not going to complain too much...I'm just going to hibernate under the covers, next to my heater with my dogs and kitten (and Irv of course). A couple days ago I did have to pause on my way to the car in the morning to appreciate the amazing sunrise.  Obviously God was sending a message.... United in Orange! Who else could be God's favorite NFL team when he sends messages like this?  It's definitely not the Cowboys or t...

I know...I've started the new year as a really bad blogger.  I think I'm beginning to take after my daughters. Let me share how I started the New Year. Irv was working on New Year's Eve so Mary and Mr. Beans invited me over for dinner.  What a special treat. We started with a little bubbly... A nice light Moscato d' Asti for the old people and some Welch's Sparkling for the young man. A little cheers to the new year!     This was followed by some enchiladas which were delicious!   Bella even got out from underneath the covers for a little while.     There's nothing better than spending time with my daughters and my very favorite grandson.  Thanks for a nice evening Mary, Mr. Beans, and Bella!     Happy New Year Everyone!   (BTW Mr. Beans...it's time to retire that shirt for the year.  Go Broncos!)

It was back to work yesterday after spending a few days in Idaho to celebrate Christmas with my dad, brother, and Dana and Adam.  I just downloaded the pictures I took, or to put it better, the pictures I didn't take. I spent a lot of time in the kitchen.  My goal while I'm at my dad's is to fill his freezer with individual servings of home cooked meals.  I made him chili, beans and ham, spaghetti, chicken enchiladas, and beef stew during this visit.  It should last him a few weeks.  I meant to take a picture of his freezer, but I forgot. Needless to say, Idaho is cold in December.  We were treated to a white Christmas which is indeed beautiful as long as you don't have to go anywhere.   Adam was thrilled to use the snow thrower, but guess what--I didn't get a picture of that either.  Luckily Irv snapped one with is phone and forwarded it to me. Dad got rid of most of his Christmas decorations, but he kept a s...

We were recently in Vegas for the Nationals Final Rodeo.  It was kind of cold and dreary while we were there, but we still went out for a midnight walk to visit some of our favorite places. There nothing quite like the fountains at the Bellagio.  Another favorite thing about the Bellagio is the Chihuly ceiling.  It is amazing! Happy Skywatch Friday!

Our family is spread out this year.  From Idaho to Colorado to Wisconsin to New Mexico to Oklahoma to our extended family in Australia. Just know that we're thinking of all of you and wishing you a very blessed and joyous Christmas. Love you all!

Have you ever thought about how they got all the supplies to the Hoover Dam when they were building it?  No, I had never given it a moment's thought before Irv found us a fantastic trail to hike while we were in Vegas.   The Historic Railroad Trail is a 3.7 mile (one way) trail that is the last remaining section of railroad line that was used during the Hoover Dam construction.  It consists of 5 tunnels that are approximately 300 ft. in length and 25 ft. in diameter.  Construction started in 1931 and the lines were used until 1961 when the last turbine was hauled to the dam.     In 1984 the trail was added to the National Register of Historic Places.     It was a cold, drizzly day and we had the trail pretty much to ourselves after the people in front of us turned back after a mile or so.     It cleared up a little bit on our way back and we got to see a little bit of Lake Mead.     ...

Happy Birthday Mom! We love and miss you!  (Oh my goodness, we were all so young and skinny 26 years ago when we celebrated Christmas in Ft. Rucker, Alabama!)