July 17

This blog everyday in July prompt is a fun one.  Take us on a tour of your city.  

I live just west of Denver and there is a lot to do around here.  Here are some cool things around town if you ever make a visit:

1. Heritage Square is a cute little amusement village that has shops, rides, and the like.  The highlight of the park though is the alpine slide.  I think the ride up the chairlift is far scarier than going down.

2.  Gambling in Black Hawk/Central City.  I'm not much of a gambler but it's neat to run up there every once in a while. 

3.  The Colorado Railroad Museum is awesome.  It's 15 acres of trains, trains, trains.  Bobaloo and I had tons of fun visiting.

4.  Need some healing water?  Mother Cabrini Shrine is the place to go.  To reach the Jesus statue, you need to hike up 373 stairs.

5.  The Colorado School of Mines Geology Museum has awesome displays of rocks, minerals, and gems.  I'm no geologist, but this place rocks.

6.  Bobaloo and I finally made it to UCAR last year.  There is a self-guided tour and you learn a lot about weather and get to play with clouds.  We also watched a very interesting video about pine beetles.

7.  Tiny Town!  Anytime I take someone here they find it pretty underwhelming, but I love it.  It's hard to explain its magnificence.  It's a park with miniature (tiny) buildings and there's a train that you can ride to see the whole town.  Here's a link.

8.  Celestial Seasonings is up in Boulder and offers tours.  The highlight of the tour is the mint room, where they store the mint tea.  Take one whiff and your sinuses are cleared.

9.  Lookout Mountain has a cool nature center and is also home to Buffalo Bill's grave.  Up top provides beautiful views and my favorite tourist gift shop.  Sometimes you can see paragliders which is both awesome and nerve-racking.

10.  The Coors Brewery is a must-see.  The tour is self-guided and you get three free beers at the end.  Hear, hear for beer!

And last but not least, Red Rocks.

December 8

Today's blog-a-thon prompt is to share where you blog.  Get ready for all of the fanciness...

December 3

what is the first thing you think of? APPLES
closest red thing to you? A STRIPE ON MY SCARF
last thing that made you angry? LACK OF SLEEP
are you a fan of romance? NOPE (although bobaloo bought me some bling over the weekend.)
do you have a temper? NOPE

what is the first thing you think of? GREEN APPLES! (i must have apples on the brain. (how do you like them apples?)) 
closest green thing to you? POST-IT NOTES
what is your favorite green environment? MY PARENT'S BACKYARD
are you jealous of anyone right now? NO
are you a lucky person? THE LUCKIEST

what is the first thing you think of? GRAPES (i think i am hungry for breakfast, hence all of the fruit)
closest purple thing to you? MY JACKET
do you like being treated like royalty? NO
do you like mysterious things? NOT REALLY
are you intuitive? MY GUT SAYS YES

what is the first thing you think of? THE CATHEDRAL DOME IN DENVER
closest blue thing to you? INK PEN
are you good at calming people down? YES
what's your favorite body of water? THE CHIPPEWA FLOWAGE IN WISCONSIN
what was the last thing that made you cry? A NASTY DEPRESSION DAY (stupid brain)
are you a logical thinker? NO, NOT EVEN A LITTLE BIT

what is the first thing you think of? THE SUNSHINE
closest yellow thing to you? MY SWEATER
what was one of the happiest times of your life? 2005
what's your favorite holiday? HALLOWEEN
what makes you happy? PEOPLE LAUGHING AND HAVING FUN TOGETHER 

what is the first thing you think of? FLOWERS
closest pink thing to you? MY WATER BOTTLE
what sweet things do you like? SKITTLES & LICORICE
are you sensitive? VERY
what is your favorite flower? I LIKE PLANTS
do you have a crush on someone? BOBALOO

what is the first thing you think of? ORANGES
closest orange thing to you? A CALENDAR
do you dress up for halloween? YUP
what gives you warm fuzzies? HANGING WITH MY PUP
what would your superpower be? DRINKING MILK WITH MY FINGER LIKE MORK

what is the first thing you think of? COFFEE
closest brown thing to you? MY DESK
what is your favorite type of chocolate? NOT A BIG FAN (twix, maybe?)
what makes you feel grounded? TAKING WALKS
paint the wood or always leave it au naturel? NO PREFERENCE 

what is the first thing you think of? SNOW
closest white thing to you? PAPER
do you always try to keep the peace? MOSTLY, EXCEPT FOR BOARD GAMES
do you like to play in the snow? YES
are you afraid of going to the doctor or dentist? SOMETIMES  

what is the first thing you think of? CATS
closest black thing to you? CELL PHONE
are you sophisticated or silly? SILLY, ALL THE WAY
do you have a lot of secrets? NOPE
what's the new black? WEARING WHAT'S COMFORTABLE

Join the fun!

September 13

Bobaloo and I are doing just fine and keeping dry.  We have been getting so, so much rain which is very strange for September.  The flooding is around us but we are in a pocket of the metro that doesn't have any creeks or rivers and the roads are fine.  The rain isn't supposed to let up until Monday so I hope everyone can hunker down and stay safe.

On Labor Day we went to the duck races at one of the bars we like to hang out at.  Here is the creek then...

My friend (Hi Eric!) took this photo yesterday...

Yikes!

------

Today's topic is A self portrait.  I found this 1989 gem in a scrapbook.  I would probably draw myself the same way today, without such a liberal use of tongue.  And I might add some hands and feet.

.

   

I also found a lovely Mother's Day card I made.

 

PS - I was crying on camera because she wouldn't let me watch The Cosby Show

What a kid.
Happy Friday the 13th and Happy Weekend! 

Happy Tuesday!

Yikes! I am just coming off of a 5-day weekend. 

The 4th of July went well, Bobaloo and I went to Red Rocks to see Moe and Blues Traveler.  The show was good and the fireworks were spectacular!

 

 

The rest of the time off was pretty low-key.  The darn brakes went out on the car so we stayed close to home.  We did check out the Forney Museum of Transportation where they had a 60's Cadillac exhibition.

They had some vintage Burma-Shave ads there too.  As I am not the biggest fan of Bobaloo's "New Years beard," I especially got a kick out of this one:

The answer to a maidens prayer is not a chin of stubby hair.

 

It's been a busy couple of weeks and my brain is still spinning a little, I am looking forward to things settling down a bit.

May 6

 

It's day 6 of this here Blog Every Day in May challenge. Ambitious I know, but there are topics posted for every day. Go check it out. Today's topic is if you couldn't answer with your job, how would you answer the question "what do you do?" so here goes.

 

I would probably just reply with, "Oh you know, this and that."

 

Speaking of this and that, here's what I did over the weekend:

 

Friday

It was kind of a long week so Bobaloo and I kicked it mellow Friday night.  I did make a batch of my Panty-Dropper Drink and we walked over to our friend Aaron's house for a visit.  The weather was perfect for an evening stroll.

 

Saturday

I was so excited about the alpaca show I couldn't even handle it.  It was the largest show we have been to with alpacas as far as the eye could see!  We also watched an alpaca agility competition, which is basically the animal going through an obstacle course.  It was a pretty goofy sight.

 

Three Amigos

After the show we stopped into the Buffalo Rose for a couple of drinks and to check out the afternoon band.  We ended the night eating snacks and watching a flick.

Sunday
Yesterday we headed to Civic Center Park in Denver for Cinco de Mayo.  The lightrail near our house opened recently so I got to make my maiden voyage (compliments of some free tickets from RTD!). 

At the fiesta we checked out a taco-eating contest and watched a band.  We ran into my girlfriend and her husband and went to a couple of bars in the area for some good old-fashioned day drinking.  I was so happy to bump into Rachael because the two of us can laugh and laugh all day.  We took the train back to our side of town and enjoyed the gorgeous day on a patio.  Bobaloo made his famous white sauce pasta for supper and I called it a night.

A great weekend was had!

May 2

 

Today is day dos of the above challenge to Blog Every Day in May. Ambitious I know, but there are topics posted for every day. Go check it out. Today's topic is Educate us on something you know a lot about or are good at.

 

Hmm..  Something I know a lot about?  I know a little about a lot, but not the other way around.  I don't think I have any secret talents either.  Well maybe I do but they're still a secret from me, who knows?

 

You may not know this about me but I am saving my rubles to buy a homestead and on my homestead I want to raise...

 

Alpacas!

 



  

Seriously, I want to be able to wake up and hug my alpacas everyday.  If you buy me one, I will name it after you.  Any takers?

 

Bobaloo and I have gone to a couple of alpaca shows around town, in fact the big Great Western Alpaca Show is coming up this weekend.  Ready Bobaloo?  The shows are fun and you get to pet the alpacas and talk to the exhibitors.  So, I guess I know more than the average bear about alpacas.

 

Jill’s top 5 alpaca facts:

1)  Alpacas live for around twenty years.

2)  You can keep up to five alpacas per acre.

 

3)  Alpacas produce 5-8 pounds of wool per year, the wool is hypoallergenic.

 

4)  Alpacas weren’t imported to the US until 1984.

 

5)  Alpacas come in 16 different tones.

 

P.S. Here's a link to an alpaca webcam in Loveland, CO.  It's time for babies!

 

Friday

 

 

I tried my hand at cooking (with close supervision) fondue.  It turned out great and I have fulfilled my cheese-eating quota for about six months.  Bobaloo put on some John Denver and we kicked 70s at the pad.

 

Saturday

 

 

Bobaloo and I headed up to Boulder to check out the National Center for Atmospheric Research which is a really fancy way to say we played with clouds.  Later we hit up a couple of bars and hung out with friends.

 

Sunday

 

 

We enjoyed the gorgeous day and hiked up North Table Mountain.  Afterwards, we enjoyed beverages on a patio.

 

 



 

 

Panic on the Rocks

On Saturday I was able to get Widespread Panic tickets for Red Rocks. To me, Red Rocks is heaven on Earth. Who knew such a wonder was in Morrison, Colorado? Who knew a heap of very old rocks could move and inspire people from all over the world? Nestled in the green hills of Morrison, you come upon gigantic rocks of red jutting out of the land and it is hard not to be dazzled by the terrain in this tiny community.

I had heard of Red Rocks for a few years from Bobaloo, who raved about this geological marvel. He kept telling me that words couldn’t do the park justice and it was something I would just have to see for myself. He described Red Rocks as his personal Mecca. The first time I visited Colorado we were seeing if the state was somewhere we wanted to move.

I was afraid to fly back then, so we packed up the old Ford Taurus and headed West from Minnesota. It is a fourteen hour trip and we drove straight through the night taking turns at the wheel and sleeping in the passenger street. The long stretch of Nebraska made for a rough drive. We made into Colorado just in time for morning rush hour and the hotel was not ready for another four hours. We were tired, hungry, and hopeful.

With time on our hands, Bobaloo suggested we drive up to Red Rocks so I could finally grasp it and he could visit the place he had come to for so many summers. I was exhausted and the last thing I wanted to do was go back in the car and traipse around town, but I sucked it up and grudgingly got into the car. You cannot see Red Rocks from afar, as we started on the winding roads the landscape started to change and the rocks became bigger and bigger.

We parked in the upper lot and the day was beautiful. My stomach fluttered when we entered the amphitheater, it was brilliant. I had never seen anything like it. The pictures Bobaloo showed me did not show the scale of how colossal the rocks that surrounded the seats were. I was astonished. The sunbeams reached the rocks and the different hues of red shimmered. I will never forget the heat of the sunshine on my face and the breath knocked out of me from climbing the stairs. Without delay the camera was out and I was trying to acquire the beauty of this magical place for my own recollection.

We checked out the geological exhibits and the gift shop and the rock’n’roll museum. There is a wall with a list of every performer who has played on the rocks throughout the years. I looked at the wall of entertainers in amazement and was eager to see a show there. When we left, I was revitalized and indescribably felt better about everything. Red Rocks was not a reason to move to Colorado but it certainly was something I wanted to be near.