A Ranger’s Warning

What a great night sleep…Took a good shower….Had breakfast…Turned on the computer…Watch The Today Show…Mary Ann wants to go shopping and I want to carve…That works out great…I don’t like shopping and Mary Ann has more fun by herself…I get the carving  equipment out of the car and Mary Ann is ready to go…Ranger comes by and said a large snake was headed our way…Mary Ann was in the Car by this time and called me our phones (she was apprehensive about getting out of the car)…Well here comes the snake across the road, by our utilities, and under the motor home…The excitement began to mount…I opened the door to the motor home and watched it crawl out…It was a good size snake…About four to four and half feet long…Yellow in color with black diamonds, straight head, no rattles…A harmless bull snake…The ranger and I watched it crawl off into the trees and down toward the lake…Well the excitement was over, people begin to leave and Mary Ann went shopping…I will now go and carve…I am carving some more cowboy boots…There are a lot of magpies around…I want to take some pictures of them and start to carve one…I can’t believe I didn’t have my camera to take pictures of the snake…Talk To you later…Philip

A Beautiful Ride

Got up early this morning and pulled up the weather forecast…A clear day was forecast…Let scout out a RV route to Fairplay…We were told that the route to Fairplay was not mountainous…It was a beautiful ride and we enjoyed it very much in the car…It would not be an easy drove in an RV…We got to Fairplay and wanted to cut over to I-70 and return to Chatfield…This is an excellent route for sight seeing the beautiful Rocky Mountains…There is still a lot of snow along this route…I would believe the mountains would be snow capped year round…Talk to you later…Philip

Hold Everything

Call off the carpenters…send the plumbers back home…the electricians did not show up…STOP BUILDING THE ARK…It has stopped raining…The sun is out and I stepped out just now and took some pictures…This is where we are parked for the next two weeks…

I plan to carve the rest of the day…What a way to live…I wonder if the world revolves around me????Philip

Broken Record…Still Raining

Well I woke up this morning…Still raining…I guess I will go to Camping World, check out the Elks lodge and have lunch with them…It has to stop raining sometime…If it clears up I will get out and explore the mountains…Goodness, I do sound like a broken record…This rain has made it boring for me as it has for you…Philip

I Was Right

Mary Ann came back with groceries…Yes I was right….Had a great dinner…sweet potatoes, ham, apple sauce, French Bread and butter…It is still raining…Well there is tomorrow…Talk to you then…Mary Ann just ask me if I wanted fresh strawberries, ice cream, and angel food cake…Someone has to live life in an RV when on an extended vacation…Boy am I glad it’s me…Philip

We Are In Chatfield

We were glad to leave Colorado Springs and get out of the rain…Guess what?…It is raining here in Denver…Sitting on the lake and watching the wild life is great…We will be here for two weeks…Mary Ann is happy to get back in her old stomping grounds and the shopping centers…I am happy to be able to have the snow capped mountains in the back ground and my carving equipment at the ready…Mary Ann just left for the grocery store…Guess we will have a good dinner tonight…I did not know how much I would enjoy writing this blog.  If it ever stops raining I will post some pictures…This is a beautiful place…Talk to you later…Philip

Building another Ark

Still raining and I guess I will just stay in and watch the 500 and the 600...We will head for Denver tomorrow....I will talk to you later...Philip

Still Raining

Sorry no pictures...We have been sitting in the rain for two days...The temp does not get out of the sixties...Very cool mornings...It does not look like the rain will let up for a while...This is unusual for this part of Colorado...I would like to explore the area and also set outside and do some carving...It looks like I will put a DVD on the computer and watch some carving...I always learn something new each class I take or each film I watch...If I carve in the motor home ... well Mary Ann throws me out...so I will just wait until it stops raining...Just maybe it might stop raining this afternoon where we can tour The Garden Of The Gods...Talk to you later...Philip

Still

Colorado Springs

I am sorry that I have been unable to write...We are now sitting in Colorado Springs until Memorial Day...We had a big day yesterday making a two hundred mile trip in the car to scout out areas in which to camp...We love Colorado and the many state parks that have been developed during the past years...We have reservations made now through August third...Our plans for tomorrow is to revisit The Garden Of The Gods...It is within a mile of our camp...I will put more pictures on the blog when we take them...I wish from time to time for my Sister and her husband...I wish they were able to be with us...May be some day...Mary Ann has been talking about going to California and the wine country in September...We are not due back to Happy Trails until October...It is great being retired and making our schedule as we desire...It is raining right now and quite cool...Mary Ann does plan to wash the clothes tomorrow and I will carve...Then we will go to The Garden Of The Gods...Talk to you later...Philip

I Am Learning

If I keep trying I can eventually get what I am trying to publish....Now for my traveling companion, best friend, wife....Mary Ann on the painted desert....

Trying To Get Pictures Posted

Here are some pictures I have been trying to post....

We Are Having Fun

The jumping off place that we chose for the tour of the petrified forrest and the painted desert was Holbrook...We decided to enter the South Entrance and leave through the North Entrance...By going this route we could tour both the forrest and desert with a 70 mile circle...That what it looked like on the map...The actual distance was 97 miles...That was leaving the motor home and returning to the motor home...We named each motor home and this one has a name of Freedom...I hope the pictures that I have chosen will excite you as much as it did me in taking them...Philip

On The Road Again

Friday finally got here...We left Happy Trails about 7:45am and stopped to top off the tank...about 8:05am we were on our way...We drove about 254 miles and stopped at the KOA in Holbrook...The temp was only in the 90's, which made a difference in hooking up the utilities...We disconnected the car and just relaxed the rest of the afternoon...We researched the area we wanted to visit for today's excursion into the petrified forest and the painted desert...I will bring you up to date tonight about the day's activities...We plan to have lunch at one of the visitors centers...Talk to you tonight....Philip

Getting Ready To Leave

Well today was a work day...Packing my carving equipment, spraying the weeds that come up in the desert, and washing the motor home made for a full day...With the temp reaching 104 it get very hot early...We get up early and try to finish our outside chores by 10am...We will take care of the sound for the board meeting tomorrow and then Friday we head out...We plan to stop at the painted desert and the petrified forest Friday afternoon and tour the area Saturday...I hope to take some pictures while on the trip...So stay posted...Talk to you later

A Laid Back Day

This was truly a day of rest...The temperature has been going above 100 for several days...The air conditioners are working over time...Mary Ann went to the store for groceries and brought back a large water melon...We both love water melon...After putting the groceries up we took a nap watching TV...We took our afternoon ride after a pizza dinner...We have to wait until 7pm for it to cool off for our afternoon ride in the golf cart...We said good by to our good friends that were leaving for the state of Washington...We are leaving the first thing Friday...We would have left last week if it were not for the board meeting...Here it is almost 9 pm and we have had an uneventful day...Hey...tomorrow is another day...Philip

Surprise

I was busy caring and Mary Ann was getting ready for a meeting in our home for the team that is working on the variety show...Sunshine let us know that someone was coming to the door...The door bell rings and a lady was standing there with a bouquet for Mary Ann...Teresa had sent a beautiful bouquet for Mother's Day...We go to the post office and there is a card from Karen...The girls are very loving when it comes to their mother...Of course Mary Ann had to show it all off to the members of the team...She was strutting around like a male peacock...It surely made my day a lot better...At least I was able to crawl out from under the bed...Well today will be busy...I will have a short time to carve before I go to NC1 for a 50th anniversary celebration...I will have to see if there is any special music I need to play...I do enjoy doing sound for people...If anything interesting happens to day I will let you know...Maybe Mary Ann won't chase me with the broom...No she does not ride it.....Philip

Town Meeting

The first Thursday of each month is the Town Meeting for the resort...I am the sound man for most of the activities in the Ball Room...Dave takes care of the sound for the Christian Fellowship...I also got a package from Smokey Mountain Wood Carving Supply and some of my patterns for my carvings that I plan to do this summer while on the road arrived...Was glad to get them...This will probably be the last of my mail orders for the summer...I am afraid that they will not arrive before we leave...I installed a program where I can take a picture of something and it will make a drawing for my patterns...I feel that this will be very helpful...I have so many things that I would like to carve, and time just keeps slipping away...I need to sharpen my knives and Mary Ann wants me to sharpen her kitchen knives...I do enjoy a busy life...I don't think I would be happy for long just sitting around and watching TV...Don"t get me wrong, I do enjoy watch TV but I enjoy life by doing a variety of things...When I look at the amount of changes since my birth, I can hardly believe I have lived through the most exciting times of history...I want every new gadget, constantly updating my computers, the electronic air way, and on and on...What is next?...That is the excitement of life...We know that someday life must come to an end...At age 75 I have become more philosophical...I also recognize that old age is not for sissies...Talk to you later...Philip

Early Morning Phone Call

I was in a sound sleep and my cell phone woke me up with a musical ring...It was Brent and said the sound tec from the company we bought the new lapel mics. from...He wanted me to come to the Ball Room and meet with the installer...It was Rich and as usual he had to give me a hard time...I really enjoy those that tease me constantly...Of course I never give any one a hard time...We finished the installation about eleven a.m....I went home and had lunch while I watch the Dog Whisperer...After lunch, we went to pick up the mail and take our morning ride in the golf cart...We were stopped by some friends along the way and tried to answer some questions about the Ball Room, the sound system, and several who were having trouble with their computers...Mary Ann is the target for the computer questions...She really enjoys teaching the computer classes...We got word that one of our friends would have to have open heart surgery and would get a second opinion from the Mayo Clinic here...We stopped by the pastors house and met with him for a few minutes...His wife is having a very difficult time with her health...It is a very serious condition...Mary Ann was asked to find a back drop for the remodeling of the ice cream shop and we stopped by John and Sandy Hancock to leave some pictures...It was getting hot and we decided to head for the house...I wanted to rest a few minutes before I had to leave for Neighbor Hood Center number one...Fun And Games were having their meeting and I usually open the sound cabinet and monitor the sound during the meeting...We had a great pot luck and had excellent fellowship...I was tired when the meeting was over and headed for the house, got my feet up and Mary Ann decided we needed to go to the Dairy Queen and get a strawberry milk shake...You know what I did to keep mama happy...The day came to an end and I went to bed about nine p.m....Talk to you later...Philip

Preparing Wood For Summer Trip

I seem to have trouble finding wood to carve when I am on the road...I went to my wood pile and found some bass wood that I bought last year...My band saw will only take up to four inch wood...The wood that was in the wood pile was six by eight...We have a wood shop in the resort called the saw mill...We have all kinds of equipment for wood working...I took the wood to the saw mill and used the large band saw to rip the wood so I could use it on my smaller band saw...I drew and cut out some rough outs for birds...They are very generic so that I can go with what ever song bird that I choose...I have some patterns that I will use for other animals and will rough out some more...I want to have enough to last the five months that we will be gone...There is nothing like sitting in the middle of the mountains and whittling with my thought on the wild life observed around me...I am impatiently waiting to leave...Our plans are still set on May fifteenth for departure...Even Mary Ann is getting ready...She came in from the motor home today and made the statement that she was ready...Today I plan to cut some more rough outs and decide on which project I want to start on next...I will let you which choice I made, if any...Philip

I Finished The Cardinal

I promised you a picture of the Cardinal after I finished it...Well here it is...Now to get started on another project...Philip

Worked On The Cardinal

I always enjoy the days that I am able to carve...I am still working on the Cardinal for the wife...She asked for it after the first of the year and I started carving...Well things got in the way and I believe I will be able to finish it this week-end...I will take some pictures when I finish and put them on the blog...Today I will finish painting and a few details...I watch the Dog Whisperer on National Geographic every Friday night...Mary Ann enjoys ordering pizza while we watch...We order the individual pan pizza from Pizza Hut and kick back and enjoy a quiet evening...We are still getting the motor home ready for the summer...Mary Ann took the carpet shampooer over to the motor home and cleaned carpet, furniture, and throw rugs while I carved...He He...got out of that one...Well she put the motor home off limits until it dried...The temperature is getting hotter and we agreed to stay until after the board meeting on the fourteenth...We are looking forward to the improved acoustics for next season...I do enjoy doing the sound for most of the entertainment in the Ball Room...I learn so much from the professionals that do most our entertaining during the season...When I feel that I know a lot about sound there is always something else that I learn...Talk to you later...Philip