Rocky Mountain High

Mike & I just returned from 3 super relaxing days in Colorado. When I say relaxing, I mean we did a whole lot of nothing. Thursday, I read and slept all day. I think he messed around in the basement but I'm not too sure because like I said, I slept - a lot! He said I looked very peaceful. It was great. Friday was a little more active but not much. I mopped the floor and did a load of laundry. Our neighbors, Ed & Diane invited us over for dinner. I was all for it because I wasn't looking forward to cooking. We had a great visit. She made the best asparagus dish and Ed grilled burgers and brats. Mike took them off the grill and told Ed he turned the gas grill off. Mike has never used a gas grill so needless to say, he THOUGHT he turned it off. Time went by and we were enjoying dinner and Mike glanced out the window and saw flames shooting out of the grill sitting on the wood deck! Mike grabbed a watering can on the deck and threw a little water on it. Ed was right behind him with a pot of water that calmed the flames down a bit. I would have loved to get a better photo but we were all too busy screaming! Everything was under control by the time I snapped this shot of Ed supervising the flames. Saturday, we went to Lake City to visit friends Harold & Juanita Rimmer. They were all excited because they just got up close & personal with a moose family while fishing at the Deer Lakes with their son Tim. Juanita told me it was the strangest thing. They (moose family) knew there were people around but didn't seem to mind. The cow & baby were drinking from the stream while the bull stood there looking around. I can't wait to see her pictures. There was also a moose in our neighborhood the day before we arrived. Of course, I missed that one too! I haven't seen a moose in years so I am way overdue. The bears are plentiful again this year but after my last bear encounter, I'm not too anxious to see one again. We did a little shopping and went to the soda fountain where I had a cone and Mike had his usual Avalanche. He looks happy doesn't he? The annual Wine & Music Festival was in progress in the park. We aren't big wine drinkers and we could hear the music fine from anywhere so we didn't feel the need to spend $75 each for a ticket! I think Debbie said they were $40 last year. Mike did buy me a very pretty pair of earrings and a nice set of place mats. I was a happy girl. Later on that evening we went to a pot luck dinner at our neighborhood club house. As soon as we walked in, a lady grabbed him and asked if he could assist her in opening her bottle of champagne. Her hands just weren't strong enough. I was thinking, "lady this is a pot luck, not dinner at the Ritz." Mike helped her and we got to talking, her name is Brenda and her house is 2 properties over from us. She is from San Antonio as well. Very sweet, interesting lady. I decided champagne was very fitting for her but she also seemed quite comfortable with the rest of us common people at the pot luck drinking tea & beer.

All the relaxing soon came to an end. We shut the house down and drove to Denver Sunday morning to catch a plane home. We are new to winterzing a house. The previous owner was good enough to leave us detailed step by step instructions for opening & closing the house. I got the funniest picture of Mike this morning trying to turn the pump off on the well. He couldn't see because the sun was too bright so he took a sheet outside with him and was crouched up in a little ball. He looked hilarious! This picture is of the Pottin' Shed in Lake City. They moved to a new location this past summer and added a gift shop to go along with the nursery. She has planted flowers on the porch roof and it is so pretty. You can see in the background the aspens are starting to turn gold in the mountains.