Help Keep Colorado Beautiful

Fishing styrofoam out of the water.

I bet the person who carelessly tossed that take-home container to the wind didn't think it would end up spoiling the first shot below.  He or she probably didn't even think.  

Notice how much better the bottom photo is when the trash is gone.

Proud Coloradoans at heart want to keep their environment beautiful.  Please recycle and put trash in its proper place. 

see trash at upper end of small pond?

hubby fishes it out to take home

trash free and beautiful

Staycation

A couple of months ago, we decided we wanted a get-away without the travel.  We wanted a staycation - a stay-at-home vacation spot - right in own own back yard.

At first we looked at Airstreams.  The older ones needed lots of work - more time, energy and money than we wanted to invest, and the newer ones were very, very spendy.  With their silver skin we thought upkeep might be like polishing the silverware drawer.

Then we remembered Hal and Helga who lived near Canon City.  They parked their two-door Prowler Travel Trailer in full view of the Wet Mountains and commuted from Denver as often as they could.  Over the years, they built a large great room complete with wood stove and giant windows.   It was like living outside in the winter with tremendous views while staying warm and cozy.  And they had lots of room for entertaining while being compact, too.

We loved their setup immediately, but we have such busy lives that we didn't want to travel that far on a regular basis.  And we didn't need everything they had.

A couple of months ago, I found an old Prowler Travel Trailer in Longmont, and on my next free day went to see it.  It needed some TLC.  The awning arms didn't work, and I negotiated with the dealership to fix that at my price.  The required safety inspection found a propane leak that was fixed on their nickel, too.

We were to pick the travel trailer up in September, but that got pushed back to early October.  When that date arrived it was raining and spitting snow in Denver - no time to practice our travel-trailer driving.  In addition, the ground on the north side of our property was too soft for parking it.

By last Saturday, all issues were resolved, and we were off to the dealership.  We paid our money (one must pay cash for old travel trailers) and purchased a towing ball that fit the trailer.  We hooked it up with some gerry rigging as the height of the ball on the truck was considerably higher than the receiver on the trailer fully extended.

Finally we were ready to head home, and we took least traveled roads.  At Our Place we taught ourselves a thing or two about placing the critter where we wanted it.  Then my hubby secured it.

Leveling comes later.

More on our staycation adventures...

Reading to a Child

This beautiful statue is behind the Public Library in Golden near Clear Creek.  I had to take an over-the-shoulder shot because of the sun.

Tie Down the Yard, Small Cats and Dogs

Places in Colorado and times can be very, very windy.   Just ask the neighbor on Indiana who lost his giant Colorado blue spruce a couple of years ago.  Luckily, it missed the house.

Late last week, wind gusts were clocked at 63 mph at Denver International Airport, and it was just as windy at The Place.  The neighbor's trashcan separated, and the lid ended up in our yard.  And one of our weeding buckets returned the favor.   A large cottonwood lost several big branches near the library.

According to a recent Denver Post article, "This is just the beginning of a wind-plagued winter."

Apparently it is a double-dip La Nina.  If so, it will be the second year in a row as last year was pretty windy, too.  Meteorologists say that cooler-than-normal sea-surface temperatures across the equatorial central and eastern Pacific foster stronger than normal west-to-east jet stream over the Rockies.

What to do?  Move anything that can be blown around to the garage, shed or protected area.  That includes empty flower pots, weeding tubs, cloth patio covers and light furniture.  Make sure covers on grtills and AC units are secure.

Otherwise you will be running down the road chasing something of yours or retrieving it from a neighbor's yard.  We still have some pots from an abandoned nursery across the ditch that blew in a couple of years ago.

Front Door

Nothing says western like the front door.

Visitors cannot see mine from the road as a large Colorado Blue Spruce stands guard and a row of lilacs rim the private front patio.

Out of camera range and to the right of the door is a great place to enjoy morning coffee.  Click here to see the wicker love seat from a posting on Colorado Cowgirl Crafts.

The shoes peeking out at the lower right of the photo are ceramic planters.

Herding Steers while Sitting in the Truck

Click on herd meets robotic drover to theme of Rawhide.  Great video!

Hit back arrow when done.

Cowgirls in Training

Every cowgirl needs to start somewhere, and these are learning the care of their mounts from Ally Harmon (www.harmonyequestrianservices.weebly.com).

Big sis helping little sis

More helping

Ally telling young riders to keep head up

Middle sis mounting horse with help of Ally 

Off on first ride

Ally holding organic bug spray while big sis looks on

Adjusting stirrups

Coming back

Youngest rider and teacher - one on one

Youngest rider getting on horse with help from Ally