RETIREMENT, CARVING, AND THE RV LIFESTYLE

WORKING ON THE HORNED OWL

2011-12-09T08:44:00.001-08:00

I have a chance to carve on my project of the great horned owl…This has been a busy week working with the sound system…Monday we had the board work shop…Thursday was the board meeting…I was able to put together my new toy from Ram Products…It will help on my detail work…It can be used with 110 V or off its battery…Mary Ann said it was my birthday, Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Years, Anniversary, Easter, and anything else that might come up…I can’t believe we have been in Arizona for fourteen years…Time is flying by entirely too fast…Mary Ann and I will be celebrating our seventeenth anniversary January first…We will be traveling to California and watch the Rose Parade in Pasadena…We have reserve parking and reserve seating…We felt fortunate to be able to secure the tickets…Mary Ann loves the parade and the activities that are involved…We were there in 2000 and had a great time…We now have to start getting the motorhome ready for the trip…We try to keep duplicate items in the motorhome that we have in the house (tooth brush,cooking utensils, clothes, etc.)… Mary Ann is going with a group today that have lunch together at least once a month…They seem to have a lot of fun together…The call themselves Red Hat Ladies, but it is just a bunch of old women having a good time…Well if I am going to do any carving today I better get with it…By the way, if you are interested I have now lost 61 lbs… Mary Ann has lost 45…I still have a long way to go…These holidays are killing me but I am still watching the calories…Talk to you later…Philip

The Plate Is Now Installed

2011-11-29T12:02:00.001-08:00

I had to get up early to make my appointment to have the Blue Ox plate installed…I didn’t know how long it would take…So I took a lunch consisting of two apples and a coke…The appointment was for eight a.m. this morning…The installment was completed by ten forty-five…This is the third plate that I have had installed by this company…I have been totally satisfied with their work…Here are some pictures of the installation…AFTER INSTALLATION

BEFORE INSTALLATION

Talk to you later…Philip

BACK AGAIN

2011-11-28T07:22:00.001-08:00

I went to Facebook and started posting…I did not get the satisfaction writing on that as I have received on my Blog…So today I will start over and renew my efforts…We need a plate installed on our new car for towing behind the motorhome…We use the Blue Ox system which we have been very satisfied…This is our fourth car that we have installed a plate…We have probably pulled our vehicles over 124,000 miles with the Blue Ox system…I will try to take pictures, before and after, of the installation…Trying to do a better job on the blog…Talk to you later…Philip

2011-08-25T17:09:00.000-07:00

SOME MORE PICTURES

2011-08-25T16:57:00.001-07:00

These pictures were taken by a neighbor at valley view…I am still working on the buffalo

The water marks were made by my neighbor…I glad someone thinks I am a master carver…Philip

JUST SETTING HERE CARVING AND TURING

2011-08-25T16:32:00.001-07:00

Today we went to Idaho Falls for supplies…I have been busy carving several pieces this summer…I have carved a Marlin Hawk, a buzzard, a turtle, a Snow Owl, a buffalo, and getting ready to carve a horned owl…We have spent time exploring the areas that we have traveled…I didn’t realize how much enjoyment I would receive by traveling and carving as the mood struck me…I love retirement…I will publish some of the pictures of the carvings…I will research some now…Philip

STILL AT ISLAND PARK

2011-08-06T05:53:00.001-07:00

Last week end we had family from Utah and had a great time…They had to leave Monday and head back to work…We have made plans to go to Idaho Falls each Thursday for supplies…If we don’t have enough food to feed an army, Mary Ann feels that we might starve…I have been busy carving several items that I have wanted to create for some time…I have a Snowy Owl that I am working on now and am wanting to try some changes that I have been thinking about…Tonight we are going over to Flat Ranch to a lecture on birds of pray…My next project is another owl, but a larger one than the Snowy Owl…I have lined up to do a buffalo after that…That should keep me busy until we get back to Happy Trails about the middle of September…It is always with mixed feelings about leaving the mountains and returning home…As most of you know our anchor is firmly attached to Happy Trails…It is easier to carve when I have all my tools that are in my shop…The most important is the friendships that are missed each summer while we are gone…I will try and take some pictures tonight during the lecture and demonstration of live birds of pray…Talk to you later…Philip

I WAS HACKED

2011-07-24T06:50:00.001-07:00

I tried to write everyone on my e-mail list to let them know that my address book had been violated…I hope this has not been to much of a hassle for anyone…Well hello George…We are in Island Park, Idaho…Just over the mountain from you…We have family coming in this week and our schedule is pretty full for the next two weeks…We really want to visit you and it will probably be some time in August before we can get away…I washed the motor home yesterday and put some pork chops on the grill…It was a good day…Slept like a baby last night and looking forward to breakfast of bacon and eggs…As you know on Sunday I am allowed eggs…We both have lost weight and are having to buy new clothes…Of course this is just another excuse for Mary Ann to buy clothes…We went to the head waters of the Missouri River, where the Gallatin, Madison, and Jefferson merge with the Missouri…We had a picnic lunch in the State Park…Of course this is in Montana…The trip was just about a hundred miles from Island Park…This is beautiful country here and we really enjoy exploring every nook and cranny…I have a picture of our picnic…The only problem with the trip was the mosquitos…We have tickets to the Play Mill in West Yellowstone Thursday…We always look forward, each year to one of their plays…Talk to you later…Philip

Mary Ann and the picnic

I WAS BAD…

2011-07-17T15:35:00.001-07:00

Well we made it to Old Faithful Inn and got the ice-cream…You guessed it…I got two scoops…Probably won’t get any dinner tonight…Here are the pictures I promised…Enjoy…Remember to click to enlarge the pictures…Mary Ann standing in line for ice-creamYellowstone is recovering from the fires of 1997…I rode the motorcycle through here during the fire…We were trying to get to the West exit then, but it was blocked…Could hardly breath the smoke was so thick…Another recovery pictureThe Madison RiverAnother Madison pictureThe Madison This is a view from our camp…Looking out the windshield

Mary Ann is going shopping in Idaho Falls tomorrow…I will probably stay with the motor home and carve…I am working on a turtle…Still starving…Philip

GOING INTO THE PARK TODAY

2011-07-17T11:01:00.001-07:00

This past week has been a joyous one…Have heard from those that are from my past…Caught up with news from those that I thought a lot of…Life changes and we move on…Well, today we woke up to our regular Sunday breakfast of bacon and eggs…Mary Ann only lets me have eggs on Sunday…If you knew how much I love eggs you would know that this is a real sacrifice…Breakfast is usually cereal…I checked my e-mail and took my shower…So now I am ready to do some scouting around…We come to Yellowstone almost every year and still have not been over a lot of trails…We have a favorite activity and that is when we have scouted a destination we will go to Old Faithful Lodge and get some of their ice-cream…Since I have cut back on calories I can only have one scoop…By the way I have lost about 50 lbs. this summer…I will try and get some good pictures today and try to put them in the blog tonight…I don’t know what we are having for lunch but, Mary Ann said if we are eating ice-cream this afternoon we were going to eat very light…I guess it will be ice tea with a straw…Sunshine is eating better than me…I will talk to you later…Starving Philip

OUT OF TOUCH

2011-07-11T17:09:00.001-07:00

For the last four days we have been dry camping on the Gallatin River in Montana, just north of Yellowstone…We could not get internet or any phone service…I always worry about any emergency messages that may come my way…It was a beautiful place to camp by the river and in the valley between two mountains…We did not go anywhere during the time we were there…We just kicked back and carved, watched the people floating through the white water, watching the river flow…The sound of nature was relaxing and made the nights very restful…We took some pictures so you could experience nature as we did…I know it is impossible to let you hear the sounds, feel the coolness of the weather, smell the fresh smells of the evergreen forest, and listen to the sounds of the wild life…Hope you enjoy the pictures…We have traveled to Island Park, Idaho for the next month…I don’t believe we will be out of touch electronically for the next thirty days…Talk to you later…PhilipJust meMary Annour camp siteThe river behind the motorhomeSome raftersThey are having funMore rafters

As you see, we are having a real adventure

I JUST TOOK THESE PICTURES

2011-07-02T08:53:00.001-07:00

The sun finally peaked throughElk Grazing

Our Space In Custer GulchSome Pictures Of The Park

I really hope to be able to write more each day…Philip

GETTING READY FOR THE FOURTH

2011-07-02T08:16:00.001-07:00

We have been in Custer for almost a month now…It has been a good time ,except for the weather…It has rained every day that we have been here…My wood carving class was a very good experience…Each time I go to a class, I learn something useful…The park is filling up with holiday visitors and it will probably be full by this afternoon…The buffalo seem to be in larger numbers this year…It has rained so much that there is an abundance of grass for the wild life…There should be a very good reproduction in wild life if there isn’t a fire to destroy the food supply…I am constantly thinking about my sister and her husband, David,…There son, David Wayne is the reason for my concern…David Wayne has fought a courageous fight and has not given up…His wife has shown a devotion to their faith and faithfulness to David Wayne…Sometimes lemon aid is hard to make when life has dealt a specially hard hand…Prayers continue to be lifted up…I will publish some pictures if it stops raining long enough…I think it has stopped raining now so I will hurry out and be back in a few minuets and put them in the blog..Talk to you later…Philip

ON THE ROAD BREAKDOWNS

2011-05-17T15:01:00.001-07:00

It will happen at home or on the road…We got up yesterday to a beautiful, cloudless day…Got our early morning chores done and Mary Ann decided to wash the clothes in the Laundromat…When she finished the car had a dead battery…She got a jump from a maintenance man and came straight to the motorhome…She left the car running and we unloaded the clean clothes and took off for Wal-Mart in Colorado Springs…We bought a new battery and some groceries and headed back to the motorhome which was 20 miles away…Each day brings on adventure and solving those problems is really part of the fun in traveling…Well today we got up to cloudy skies and the prediction of strong winds…We were not planning on leaving until 10am but decided to leave as soon as we were ready…Fortunately the strong winds never developed and the ride to Chatfield was a very pleasant scenic morning…The day starts at 12noon and we arrived early…We have waited in the parking area before waiting for the space to clear, but today the space was opened when we arrived and we took our reservations immediately…We hooked up, had lunch, took a massage and took a nap…This life is really tough, so Mary Ann wants to go to the Texas Road House for dinner…Texas Road House is a steak restaurant with excellent selections of beef…Don’t go if you want a quiet dinner…Loud music and waiters are always line dancing and singing anniversaries and birthdays songs…Well I will let you know how it works out for us tonight…I will try and take some pictures…Talk to you later…Philip

RAIN, RAIN, RAIN

2011-05-15T11:12:00.001-07:00

Well it is not freezing…It has been raining now for three days…I am not getting cabin fever yet, but Mary Ann is beginning to feel the walls closing in…I am watching the NASCAR races and writing the blog…I have my Spanish Lessons and my woodcarving keeping me happy…We have been cloistered by the rain for the last three days and have not been able to take pictures that would be of interest…I brought my woodcarving dvd’s with me and still learn a lot from watching the various techniques of each carver…When I am waiting for Mary Ann while she is shopping for groceries or other shopping, I can wait in the car and listen to my MP-3 and practice my Spanish…I cannot carve in the motor home because of Mary Ann who cannot stand wood chips all over the motor home…It is predicting rain to stop this afternoon and not rain tomorrow…We will pack up and leave Tuesday for Chatfield…We will stay there for two weeks and then move to Rocky Mountain National Park and dry camp for three days…I think I have brought you up to date and will talk to you later…Philip

NO MORE SNOW

2011-05-13T10:34:00.001-07:00

Well today started out with no snow on the ground…I got up at 6am so that I could connect the water…If it looks like it is going to freeze we disconnect the water…The furnace keeps the fresh water tank from freezing…When we disconnect, we still have water for whatever is needed…The mail forwarding service from Escapee has given us excellent service through the 12 years that we have used them…There have only made 2 or 3 mistakes in that period of time…We received ours today…The next service will be next week in Denver…There are a group of children (about 35 or 40) camping…They seem to be having a great time…It must be a school activity…Mary Ann is working on some music for the variety show for next year…I have been watching some DVD’s on carving…I will talk to you later…Philip

GOT THE CAR REPAIRED

2011-05-11T17:18:00.000-07:00

I looked for the weather forecast on the computer for todays forecast…It was raining when I woke up…Forecast was for rain, sleet, and snow…guess what…It did all three…By the time I finished getting the forecast, it was 6am…I wanted to download some of my Rosetta Stone (Spanish lessons) to my MP3 so I would have something to do while I was waiting for the car to be repaired…My appointment was for 1pm…By the time we finished with morning chores, it was time for lunch and then leave for Colorado Springs…Colorado Springs is 20 miles from Mountain Dale RV park, traveling hwy 115 just West of Fort Carson…We were not sure the part had arrived until we got to the dealership…The part had arrived this morning…Things just seems to work out which makes for a pleasant day…Wait just a minute…It was snowing with both hands and we had to purchase fuel and pick up some groceries…It snowed on us most of the way back but things always work out…The ground was still warm and the snow was not sticking…Well, Mary Ann prepared and outstanding dinner of Salmon and sweet potatoes while I sipped hot apple cider and checked my e-mail…Well here I am with a full stomach, writing on the Blog, warm as toast in the motorhome…I didn’t take any pictures today…Snow flurries are forecast for tomorrow…Will let you know how good the weather persons are…Talk to you later…Philip

PICTURES OF OUR MORNING VISITORS

2011-05-10T10:38:00.001-07:00

From the front window with the sunscreen in placeThrough the windshieldLove the early morning

I hope you get a thrill of the wild life as we do…Talk to you later…I am sorry about the reverse of the sequence…Philip

CAR REPAIR

2011-05-10T10:21:00.001-07:00

It is inevitable…As much as we are on the road, vehicles will require some maintenance…As hard as we try to keep all vehicles well maintained, something will happen…We woke up to fine the break warning light would not turn off…Checking the fluid level and looking for leaks and the brake pedal was very firm, it was time to take The Saturn to the Chevy dealer here in Colorado Springs…We are use to working with computers and felt that we would find something wrong with the sending unit…Sure enough the sending unit had been literally broken off…Well by having a Saturn (they don’t make them any more) an orphan car, the part had to be ordered…We will go in tomorrow after lunch and have a new sending unit replaced…Another experience with computers…Well this morning we woke up to a heard of deer grazing all around the motorhome…I have already had my massage and have taken my morning walk…Mary Ann was able to take the following pictures of our morning visitors…Hope you enjoy the pictures…Talk to you later…Philip

WE ARE IN TOUCH AGAIN

2011-05-08T15:34:00.001-07:00

We left Happy Trails April 24th. Our RV group from Happy Trails was having a rally at Lake Powell on the Arizona, Utah border in the Navajo Reservation…Such a beautiful location…Was able to observe cliff dwellings,and learn more about the history and culture of the Navajo Nation…I was able to sit and talk with a Native American and learn from a well educated person a lot of intellectual insight from the past and present…Was able to discuss feelings of the past and future plans and hopes of the future…I have always wanted to do something like this…I wish I could have done this in my youth but probably did not have the insight then to ask the proper questions…We left Lake Powell on the 29th and drove to Navajo Reservoir in extreme southern Colorado…We had snow for two days and temperatures in the 20’s F…When it cleared it was beautiful and the sun came out and the snow was gone with temps in the 50’s, 60’s…We were worried about getting through Wolf Creek Pass…The snow plows kept it very clear and we proceeded to Royal Gorge…Spent the night and left this morning for our present destination…Mountaindale..We will be here for the next ten days…Here are some pictures of our recent days… on lake Powell

Lake Powell DamSandstone formationInside Antelope Canyon

We are getting ready to go and have dinner out in Colorado Springs…Talk to you later…Philip

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2010-12-24T11:42:00.001-08:00

Another Year!!!I wish everyone a very merry Christmas…I know that I have not written in a while and I know you are wondering why…Well I have no excuse…It is pure procrastination…This is truly the happiest time of the year…Starting November the eighteenth(my birthday)until January first is the main holiday season of the year…It seems like there is always a party going on during this time…Maybe I will make a New Years resolution to be more active with my blog…The weather is great here in Arizona, this time of the year…I know everyone has things in their lives that they wish they could change, but we know that life moves on and you cannot change the past…With the passage of time you realize that live is truly worth living with a smile…THIS TRULY IS THE BEST TIME OF THE YEAR…We are getting ready for the season’s performances and looking for a busy time of rehearsals…The future truly looks good…I do wish you all of the happiness that a new year can bring…Philip

BRYCE CANYON

2010-09-13T18:07:00.001-07:00

We had a good night sleep and woke up to a cold 37 degrees…We wanted to go to Bryce Canyon and tour the area…We were not sure if there would be any restaurants available for lunch…So we decided to take a picnic lunch with us…We had been there before, but really had very little knowledge of any detail…We took our time and took pictures of the most interesting points…We stopped for a picnic about 1 pm and found a beautiful location in the middle of ponderosa pines…A couple from England came by and had a wonderful conversation…A very pleasant conversation lasted for about 30 minutes…I told him to inform the Queen that the Colonies were doing fine…This is one of the reasons that I love RVing…So many interesting people that makes life such a great adventure…Here are some pictures that were taken today….Talk to you later…Philip

REMEMBERING 9/11

2010-09-11T10:05:00.001-07:00

Mary Ann and I were in New York State, on our way to Nigeria Falls…We were going to cross over into Canada and spend a couple of days on the Canadian side of the falls…The CB began to talk about the occurrence in New York City…We turned the radio on and realized that an attack was in progress…We made a decision to go to plan B and get across the Mississippi River in the event they decided to close the bridges…We felt fortunate that we had not already crossed the border into Canada…The terrible feeling of not being able to help was very frustrating…As we have traveled around the world and have seen many societies we are thankful for the blessings that have come our way in a country that I love with all my heart…Our feelings for the lives that were lost will remain as strong as the feelings of Pearl Harbor and the loss there…I realize that I have lived through a tremendous transition period in my 76 years and every year produces growth and compassion…I hope that I never loose my love for my fellow man…

STILL WAXING MOTORHOME

2010-09-06T17:09:00.001-07:00

We have a little more before we finish the was job…We have to wait for the sun to move from side to side to keep the surface from being too hot…It is good that we don’t have to hurry because doing is in sections makes it more fun than thinking we have to do it all in one day…Last night we went out to the Olive Garden for dinner…Rob and Karen went with us…The fellowship was good and of course we talked about a thousand things…Rob is becoming a talented photographer…Tomorrow we will work on the wax job…The motorhome is really looking good…Talk to you later…Philip

WAXING MOTOR HOME

2010-09-04T13:32:00.001-07:00

We got some special wax for the fiberglass…It came highly recommended from other RVers…We started this morning and worked on the shady side of the motorhome…We came inside to eat lunch and waiting for the sun to rotate to the other side…We are taking our time and doing a lot of detail…We had someone to come by and wash it, but he only washed…I am glad to do the detail and find all the chips and areas that need attended to…I want to lubricate the slide and spray the rubber that prevents water from entering around the slide…I am still studying my Spanish and making some progress…We went to Borders to get a calendar and Spanish/English dictionary…Last night Mary Ann had a coupon to the Long Star Restaurant…We were able to get an appetizer, two entrees, and drinks for twenty dollars…Of course we got steak with salad and potatoes…We will probably stay home tonight…A week from tomorrow we will probably head for Arizona (home)…I could have taken some pictures of us working on the motor home but I don’t think that would be very interesting…Talk to you later…Philip

TRIP TO BIG COTTONWOOD CANYON

2010-09-02T18:00:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we discussed going to Cottonwood Canyon…We decided to go this morning and take a lunch where we could have a picnic at one of the picnic sights…We went all the way to the top and started taking pictures on the way down…We climbed from around 4000 feet to above 10,000 feet…We wanted to take our time and drive around 35 to 45 miles per hour…It seems that the drivers in Salt Lake area are very aggressive in their driving habits…The speed limit as posted was 45 and in some places 30…This is a National Forrest and we thought driving the speed limit would not hold up the traffic…Wrong…We would pull off anytime there were three or more cars behind us…We had to pull over about every mile and let the cars pass…We could not enjoy the scenery because of the road rage these drivers were demonstrating…We did take some pictures and they do not do justice for the beauty of the area…This being a National Forrest we thought we would pull into one of the picnic areas and have our picnic…Well we could stop and use the picnic area for lunch if we would pay $7.00 for the use of a table…We decided to pull off on the side of the road and eat in the car…It is hard to understand this…Here are the pictures…Enjoy…Philip Talk to you later…Philip

COULD NOT FIND PARKING

2010-09-01T13:15:00.001-07:00

We went to Temple Square and drove around and tried to find parking spots…We even tried private parking lots and they were full…We wanted pictures and just drove around and snapped them from the car while it was moving…We got some pictures but they were not what we wanted…After we left the Temple Square we headed for a Carl’s Jr. for a hamburger…This was my first time to get a hamburger from Carl’s…I have been wanting to for a long time but never really stopped at one…While we were eating Mary Ann suggested we go to Bountiful and look at the temple on the side of the mountain…While on the side of the mountain we had a beautiful view of the Salt Lake Valley below…Here are some of the pictures taken today…

The Valley from Bountiful

I wish we could have had a better view of the Temple Square…Talk to you later…Philip

RAINED YESTERDAY

2010-08-31T10:28:00.001-07:00

We wanted to go to Temple Square yesterday and decided to go when it wasn’t raining…I stayed at home and studied my Spanish lessons…Mary Ann has gone to wash the clothes and I am waiting for the detail man to come by and detail the motor home…I took this time to study again…and write in the blog…I will let you know how well the man cleaned up the motor home…Talk to you later in the day…Hope to get some pictures and publish them of our activity today…We are planning on going to the square tomorrow…We will definitely take pictures then…Philip

INVITED TO DINNER TONIGHT

2010-08-29T20:21:00.001-07:00

Karen and Rob invited us to dinner tonight…Had a wonderful time…The stake dinner was excellent…Ryan and Kelsi had just returned from their honeymoon from Mexico…They showed us the pictures of their trip…They seemed to have had a wonderful time…We are planning a trip to Temple Square in down town Salt Lake…I will try to remember to take my camera and show some pictures on my blog tomorrow…As you probably have guessed by now, I forgot it tonight…We have two more weeks in Salt Lake and we have several more places to visit before we leave…I am spending a lot of time on my Spanish lessons…Talk to you tomorrow…Philip

THE GOLDEN SPIKE

2010-08-28T05:42:00.001-07:00

When I was younger and saw movies about the Golden Spike and read the book by Zane Grey, I have been intrigued about that portion of history…We are here in Salt Lake, Utah for a few weeks and decided to drive the eighty some miles and see the spot where the spike was driven…I am sure that I will be able to find the golden spike and make me a rich man…HA HA…We left about ten in the morning and drove up I –15…Well you guessed it, Mary Ann had to stop for the inevitable pit…We saw a Flying-J and she rushed in…Out she came with two donuts…We consumed the sugar rush and continued to the spot in the middle of nowhere in the desert plains of Utah…They have made a National Park where the driving of the spike occurred…We arrived at eleven thirty and the movie was just beginning…This was some of out unscheduled luck…The movie was about thirty minutes long and as soon as the movie was over, the ranger lectured about the spike being driven…Then came the demonstration of the two trains…These were made from the actual plans of the original engines…The trains backed up about a quarter mile and switched to a side rail and made a pass where we could observe…I hope my pictures will give you the idea of the activity…I could not give you the experience of smelling the coal being burned, the vibration of the ground as the engine passed, the sound of the whistle and the excitement of the kids that were present…Here are some pictures…Hope you enjoy…Philip

This was another adventure that will not be forgotten…I don’t know why life has been so good to me…I am thankful for this time in my life…Philip

STORMS, FLOODS,AND MARY ANN’S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION

2010-06-20T08:32:00.001-07:00

We have been in areas where AT&T would not allow us to get on the internet without charging us roaming fees…We are wondering if we made a mistake in choosing their service when they cannot provide us with proper area coverage when needed…Enough about one of our choicest…We were in constant storms and rain for about three weeks…We were fortunate enough not to become victims in some of the tornadoes…While we were at Mary Ann’s high school reunion our motor home was camped in the City Park of Hay Springs, Nebraska…It rained constantly and the wheels of the motor home began to sink…We had to move twice to prevent some serious problems…The reunion was a wonderful experience for Mary Ann and I really enjoyed meeting some very solid people…The food was good and the entertainment was very enjoyable…After the reunion we had to go to Pender, Nebraska, where our car hitch is manufactured, to get it overhauled…Well after 11 years and over 100,000 miles the factory said we needed a new one…I now feel much safer with the new one…Our bank account is less so we look at the stock market daily to see if it is being replenished…We had to dodge flooded areas in eastern Nebraska, which made our trips longer and naturally increased our fuel bill…We spent Wednesday Night in Omaha and were treated to an excellent dinner at Cassios Italian Restaurant…Thursday we headed for my sister’s in Kansas City…We spent Friday with her and David…We went to the Olive Garden for lunch…We love Italian food…I guess you can tell????Saturday morning we headed for Carthage, Missouri and the Coach Light R V Park…We are sitting here under the air conditioner, staying cool and comfortable..By the way it is 98 degrees F, with about 98% humidity…As you see, I have no control over the weather…We will head for Branson tomorrow…If AT&T doesn’t mess us up with our internet we will write daily…Talk to you later…Philip

Beautiful Day…Let’s have lunch at Estes Park

2010-06-01T18:59:00.001-07:00

We woke up to a beautiful morning and wanted to experience it to its fullest…As I was getting out of the motor home, I was hit with the beauty of the snow capped mountains…

We had to go by the Post Office and pick up our weekly mail…I needed fuel for the car…We went into town to get the mail and fill the tank…I don’t like going into the mountains without full tanks in our vehicles…After we got the mail we headed for Estes Park, which is only 26 miles from Longmont…The drive is a beautiful drive and the traffic was very light…We were able to drive at a more leisure pace…It was lunch time when we arrived and decided to go to one of our favorite restaurants…It has a view of a small lake with ducks and geese flying, swimming, and feeding…We like sitting by the window where we can observe the actives of the wild life…Mary Ann took some pictures of the ducks and geese with her I-phone…Here they are…

These are the reasons we love to travel…Looking forward to tomorrow…Talk to you later…Philip

The Sun Set today

2010-05-30T19:52:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of the sun set tonight…

Talk to you later…Philip

We Are In Longmont, Colorado

2010-05-30T09:37:00.001-07:00

We left Friday about 9:15 and headed north to Longmont…We arrived about 11:00 and was hooked up by 11:15…I broke my watch band when hooking up…It wasn’t anything serious and would have it repaired Saturday Morning…It was hot Friday, in the 90’s and we were grateful for air-conditioning…Saturday rolled around and we headed for town to find a jewelry store that was opened…Saturday being the Sabbath for the Jewish Faith, most of the jewelry stores were closed…With my weak back and walking, did not make me a happy camper…We found a store and the owners were very nice and repaired the watch band for just $2.00…I thanked them sincerely and was happy to get back to the car where I could sit down…We returned to the motor home and Mary Ann decided we needed some groceries…While out she bought some BBQ chicken for lunch…There was enough left over for dinner…Well I took a nap and was treated to watermelon by my thoughtful wife…It begin to cloud up and the rain started and then hail…It was a refreshing rain and the hail was small so no damage was done…We watched TV and Mary Ann popped some corn…The evening passed pleasantly and rest came quickly…I was able to sleep all night…What a difference it makes when there are not lines to memorize, songs to learn, and entertainment troupes to work with…I now have the rest of the summer to relax, visit family and friends, and explore the sights that I have not seen before…With the mountains in the back ground and the clouds peaking over, it should make for a beautiful sunset…I will take some pictures and post them tonight…Talk to you later…Philip

Last Evening At Chatfield

2010-05-27T20:10:00.001-07:00

Today was a day that I wanted to get out and do something…Which means that I am feeling better and I am tired of staying in dodging the wind…Jack and Thelma left this morning for the repair shop where they had an appointment…I needed some epoxy putty for my carving and we headed for the Woodcraft store…Looked at some books and DVDs, but found none that I needed…We had heard about the Cherry Hill State Park and since we were in the area, we decided to go over and scout it out…It was very nice but getting to it was a hassle with the traffic…We just like Chatfield better…While we were on the East Side of town, we decided to go and have some fish at Joes Crab Shack…Mary Ann ordered fish and chips and I ordered a shrimp poor-boy…We enjoyed our lunch and headed for the motor home and catch up with our business…Since we had a large lunch we decided to eat lightly for dinner…Mary Ann wanted left over pizza and I had a hot dog…We waited for the sun to go down and took our chairs out with Sunshine, and wait for the sun set…It was not a spectacular evening for a sun set but very enjoyable…I took some pictures and hope you enjoy…Talk to you later…Philip Mary Ann and Sunshine

Our camp sight The sun set

The ending of another day

DINNER AT OUTBACK

2010-05-26T18:31:00.001-07:00

Mary Ann came home and wanted to go to the Outback for dinner…Had to purchase fuel for the car and get some cash from the ATM…After dinner we drove through the Deer Valley Canyon…Beautiful scenery and homes that have an excellent view of the canyon…We got home about 7:00PM…I am feeling good after the anti- biotic…Looking forward to tomorrow and what it might have in store…Talk to you later…Philip

FINALLY GOT OUT OF THE MOTOR HOME

2010-05-26T10:34:00.001-07:00

The wind finally died and we were able to drive to the mountains and made a wide circle from Chatfield to Fairplay…We cut across to Interstate 70 and turned toward Denver…I enjoy going through the Eisenhower Tunnel and coasting almost all the way to Denver…The circle is almost 200 miles of beautiful mountain scenery…Guess what?…I forgot my camera…I guess I will have to make a check list for everything that I do…We were tired when we arrived and decided to go out and get pizza for dinner…With age, comes some unaccounted discomfort…It was hard to get to sleep…I got up and did some computer work until the discomfort in my left leg subsided…I think that I will try to walk more and see if that will help…Today is a beautiful, clear, day with wind velocity very low…Mary Ann has gone shopping and visiting the cemetery… Freedom waiting to travel for the next adventure… A picture of tranquility

Talk to you later…Philip

Anti-Biotic Seems To Be Working

2010-05-23T06:01:00.001-07:00

I feel that I am back with the living…Yesterday the wind was blowing around 40 and gusting 60…Everything was tied down…The wind gave me an excuse not to go out…I have two more days left on my medicine…My ears are coming back to life and that makes is easier to communicate with Mary Ann…Jack and Thelma have invited us to go out to dinner tonight…I do feel much better and have stopped coughing and sneezing…We are looking forward to dinner tonight…Their specialty is fried chicken…Jack and Thelma are our across the street neighbors at Happy Trails…Jack had some bad luck with pot holes and had to have some repairs done to his coach…It made them late getting in for their reservations at the state park…He called ahead and they assured him his reservations would be held for them…They did arrive early enough that it did not interfere with graduation of his grand-son…I have not had the opportunity to take pictures but, should have some from today's activities…George, I got your message and hope you are feeling better…Talk to you later…Philip

WELL, I GOT SOMETHING LIKE FLEW

2010-05-19T14:14:00.001-07:00

I came down with a cold while we were on Cheyenne Mountain…The rain and cold settled in and I stayed indoors…Tuesday we were scheduled to go to Denver…I didn’t feel good but drove the distance and after hooking up I went to bed and just about stayed there until a few minutes ago…I haven’t been able to take any pictures…I am feeling much better and look forward to tomorrow…I will talk to you later…Philip

Some pictures

2010-05-17T02:23:00.001-07:00

One of the wolfs

Old narrow gaugeA view from where we were sitting

The engine hooking up (the diesel)

As you can see it was a beautiful day

A BEAUTIFUL DAY

2010-05-17T02:01:00.001-07:00

Woke up Sunday Morning with out a cloud in the sky…Temps to reach in the 70s…Mary Ann wants to prepare a substantial breakfast and head to Canyon City and catch the Royal Gorge Train and kick back and enjoy the day…We did not have reservations and were not sure if we could catch the 12:30 train…Canyon City is only about 45 miles away…By 9:30 we were on our way…It is a very pleasant drive with very little traffic..We arrive about 10:30 and ask for tickets…There are two tickets left in the dome car…We grab them and find a seat outside in the warm morning sun…We drink a coke and eat a banana…I love watching people coming and going…We meet people from Michigan, Louisiana, Texas, Chicago, and of course Colorado…We are boarded about 12:00 and there is a photographer taking pictures…We find our seats and to our surprise they are very good seats facing forward…A waiter soon comes by to take our order for lunch…I just get some chips and dip while Mary Ann orders potato skins…While we are enjoying the beauty of the Gorge the photographer brings the developed pictures…They are not the best quality so we decline to purchase any…The two hour ride was just the right length for not getting tired and boring…When we return we see clouds gathering to the north and wonder if it is raining on the motor home…We drive back to the motor home and find that it has not rained…We get in and start up the computers to check our e-mails…After reading my mail, it is time to take a nap…Mary Ann said she would rest awhile and would wake me when dinner was ready…I asked her what we were having and she said,”meat balls and spaghetti”…This retirement is really a hard life…Let’s see if any pictures, that I took, turned out for publishing in the blog…Talk to you later…Philip

RAIN AND SNOW

2010-05-15T09:36:00.001-07:00

When you are hanging on the side of a mountain and the temp is in the 30’s you don’t know what you are going to get…We have been experiencing cold weather each day…Tomorrow looks like we will get some sunshine and the temp will get into the 70’s…Mary Ann has gone to the laundry to wash clothes and she wanted me to stay out of the weather because of my cold…I hope the weather permits for picture taking…I like sending pictures in the blog…We are hoping the weather will permit us going to Royal Gorge where we will take the train and have lunch…I really don’t feel like touring very much with this cold…I brought my Rosetta Stone language course…I am continuing studying Spanish…I do recommend Rosetta Stone for language study…I go to Mexico for my dental work and enjoy conversing and practicing my Spanish…I was fearful of going to the dentist in a foreign country, but it has been a very pleasant experience… I was quoted a dentist bill of well over 6,000 dollars…I got the work done for 1,000…A good % of our friends are using the dentist in Mexico…The matching of the teeth is a special art for the dentist with a sharp eye for color…I have had my bridge for about 10 months and have not experienced any difficulties…I will talk to you later…Philip

THE ADVENTURE HAS STARTED

2010-05-14T02:19:00.001-07:00

Last Wednesday we looked at the weather and saw that it was predicting high winds for Monday departure…We decided that we would leave Happy Trails on Saturday and stay ahead of the wind…After packing for two weeks we closed up the house Friday…Friday night we slept in the motor home so we could get an early start…It is always hard for me to sleep the night before one of our adventures…We were ready to depart by six thirty…We traveled from Happy Trails to Grant, New Mexico with some very strong winds…I wanted to go down deep into the Reservation and visit the wolf sanctuary…We pull the Saturn, behind the motor home for our many side trips…We took a picnic lunch because the sanctuary is in the middle of now where…The wind continues to blow and my legs gave out, so we left early…I wanted to get back to Grant and go out for a nice dinner since it was Mother’s Day…We got back to the motor home and rested for a while…Mary Ann got on the computer and looked up some restaurants…We entered the locations into the GPS and started out looking for a steakhouse…Grant seemed to have closed everything that even resembled a restaurant…We saw a Dairy Queen opened, but who wants DQ for Mother’s Day…We drove out to the Interstate and finally found a Denney’s opened…We got back to the motor home and had a big laugh about the day…Well the day ended on a pleasant note with Mary Ann’s girls calling her with long conversations…We knew the wind was catching up with us so we got an early start Monday Morning and drove until the wind blew us off the road…We stopped at an Indian Casino north of Albuquerque, New Mexico…We skipped showers so we could stay ahead of the wind…We wanted to make it to Trinidad, Colorado where we had reservations for two days…We arrived and explored the area that afternoon and went to bed early so we could experience a full day of touring…We had breakfast and started out for a full day of being tourist…We found a restaurant about noon and met some locals and had a relaxed conversation with our lunch…As most of you know I love hamburgers…Mary Ann is not a sandwich person so she got a shrimp basket…We wanted to cut over to the Interstate, 25, and check out places for fueling the motor home…We returned to the motor home after a 130 mile circle…We again, went to bed early and got a decent start before the wind picked up…We knew we had only about 125 mile to go…Now that is yesterday…We set up camp in the Colorado State Park on Cheyenne Mountain…The weather is cold and windy…Rain is falling and some snow flakes are expected…I could not sleep and got up and wanted to bring every one up to date…We will be here until Tuesday where we will head for Chatfield State Park…I guess I woke Mary Ann up because she is at the micro wave making hot chocolate…Talk to you later…Philip

We Are Packing For The Summer

2010-05-02T01:31:00.001-07:00

One week from today we will be leaving for our summer trip…We have been busy cleaning up the motor home and getting the oil changed…Today I will put fresh water in the tank and wash out the black and gray tanks…I have to check the tires one more time for proper presser for the weight…Mary Ann will transfer from the house freezer to the motor home freezer…She always takes enough food to feed the 8th Air force…Last night she prepared a wonderful dinner of steak, carrot salad, and hominy…We plan on being in Denver by the thirteenth of May…We have completed our obligations for the season and we are looking forward to the next five months on the road…We are always glad to see this time of the year, but we are always happy to get back…We love our life style and hope there are years before I have to hang up the keys…My eye sight is excellent and my reaction time is really good…Mentally, I feel like I am still in my forties, but physically I know my age…I am truly sorry that I have neglected writing in the blog because so much has passed and I did not share things as I should have…I will try to be a better manager of my time in the future…Talk to you later…Philip

Getting Ready For Dress Rehearsal

2010-02-13T01:29:00.001-08:00

I just got an e-mail from my sister wanting to know why I have not written in the blog…We have had a lot of entertainment coming in for the resort and our rehearsal for the variety show has taken a toll on my 76 year old frame…I have just been plain tired…I had a stress test Thursday and everything seemed to be alright…I get the final results on the twenty-fourth…I will do better with my writing…I must get something for Valentine Day…I just got a call from Brent and I will not have to work the dance Sunday Night…They are having a disk jokey who is self contained with his own sound system…Mary Ann is happy that we will have a night to ourselves…You see why the pressure is on me to get something special for Sunday…She loves flowers and that will be something that I will be looking for today, but I really want to get her something special…If you have any suggestions let me know…When she wants or needs something she just buys it…I very seldom get a chance to buy something she needs…I saw a Bob Cat in our back yard…With the coyotes and Bob Cat we can listen to the wild sounds SUNSHINE HEARS THE COYOTES each night…We have one coyote, with her pups on the golf course behind the house…When she brings food to them they all start howling…I love to hear them and their excitement when mama comes in with the food…I am listening to them now…It is a little past two am…I will need to get back to bed and get some rest…Talk to you later…Philip

The Rain Is Over

2010-01-24T10:22:00.001-08:00

Well all the neighbors started to build an ark but it finally stopped raining…Rain in the desert?…We needed it badly and it was welcomed, but not so much at one time…as the pictures show you the drainage ditches in the back yard was well filled and the Canadian Geese took over…It is a pleasure hearing them honking and playing around in the back…Mary Ann loves wild animals and she says that is why she married me…So be it …It is a pure pleasure to see her so happy with wild life around, including the Bob Cat…She has a well founded fear that the Bob Cat will attack Sunshine (our little dog)…She is cooking a turkey for dinner tonight and the smell is killing me…I can hardly wait for the feast…If you read this in time you are welcome to join us…I know most of you live quiet a distance from me so I am really no overwhelmed with fear that there will not be enough food…I finally got this Yankee woman to prepare ( I had to use that word rather than fix as most real southerners would say) cornbread dressing…She said she doesn’t like but I noticed she is eating more each time she prepares it…Well here are some pictures and believe me, we are having turkey and not goose…These were taken from my back porch…Talk to you later…Philip

I love living in the desert…

Thanks Phil Spohn

2010-01-13T06:18:00.001-08:00

Well wouldn’t you know it…The title of my blog was misspelled…And you know our in-house Guru, Phil Spohn, caught it…Here I am laughing about it with Mary Ann…Thanks Phil…I have only one question…Why did it take you so long to catch it?…You are going to loose your status as Guru…See you Thursday…Talk to you later…Philip

Today Is Very Busy

2010-01-11T00:43:00.001-08:00

I will have to get up early today and take care of the sound for the Get Fit, Stay Fit group meeting in the Ball Room…This has been a very active group under the leadership of Mr.. and Ms. French…The last three years Happy Trails Resort has been in first in all of Arizona…This afternoon I will do the sound for the Board Workshop…Mary Ann normally would do the workshop but we traded off…I normally would do the board meeting on Thursday but, George has ask me to speak on Thursday afternoon about my blog…Mary Ann wants to go out for dinner tonight…I don’t think she has made up her mind where she wants to go…I am still trying to find time for my Spanish, woodcarving, and my computer…I am still learning my lines for the variety show…Here it is after one a.m. and I am writing on the blog…I really do enjoy writing and it seems I let too many things interfere…I will do my best to do better…I know you have heard me say it before…I will try now to go to bed and get some rest before time to start the day…Talk to you later…Philip

New Years Eve

2009-12-31T03:24:00.001-08:00

Today is New Years Eve and Mary Ann I are looking forward to a quiet evening at home…We have been very busy during the last few years with the entertainers that come in for the New Years celebrations…We got a reprieve this year in that a disc jockey is being hired for this years dance…This left us free to do what we wanted and I guess we are really getting old…We just wanted to relax and watch the excitement on TV…I will need to go and make sure we have plenty of black eyed peas…As you know, I am a southern boy…I guess you could call me a boy, I am masculine in gender…Although, when I think of my age, my body tells me I am what I am…I hope I never grow old mentally…I had some sad news yesterday…An old girl friend (first love) husband pass away…I always feel that my words are not adequate to express my sorrow when such things occur…I will talk to you later…Eat a lot of black eyed peas…Philip

A Beautiful Time Of The Year

2009-12-28T09:04:00.001-08:00

Christmas is over and a new year is Saturday…Mary Ann gave me something I have been wanting for several years…Levels 1,2, and 3 of Rosetta Stone Language Learning for the Latin America version…Some of you have been chastising me for not writing a Christmas Letter…I didn’t realize that some of you do not have a computer to follow our blog…I will try to do better next year…We looked over our schedule and this week, nothing is scheduled…All the well wishes were received with thanks and wish I could see each one of you personally…It is hard to move on when you love those that mean so much, without some communication…Life is full of choices and we live with those choices…Realizing how short life really is there is not time to choose unhappiness…Rehearsal for the variety show begins in two weeks and I haven’t started learning my lines…I will start taking pictures when we start rehearsal…Mary Ann has her gun out making me do honey doos…Thanking of everyone and what you have meant to me…Have a glorious New Year…Talk to you later…Philip

Playing Santa

2009-12-18T09:04:00.001-08:00

I purchased a new Santa suit several years ago…Playing Santa is very enjoyable, but time consuming…Trying to carve and mail some things to those that care about my carving is truly a joy…We just finished the Christmas program and you know who was Santa…I had an appointment for the singles club with their annual Christmas party playing Santa…I will have one more scheduled for tomorrow night and that will probably be it until next year…Yesterday, I had my annual physical and all my numbers were well in range…I feel that I might live to aggravate Mary Ann for another year…I feel great so life is good…I have to make some dvd’s for the Christmas show and start rehearsing for the Variety Show in February…I believe I will start having time for some serious carving next week…I want to carve a Road Runner for display in the activities building…I hope your package arrives safe and sound…The weather is beautiful with cloudless sky's and the temp in the low 70’s…Talk to you later…Philip

Tonight Is The Annual Golf Cart Parade

2009-12-05T09:22:00.001-08:00

What another busy week!…Wednesday evening we had the Earth Angles from Los Angeles…They really put on a wonderful show…I really enjoy working with a professional group of this quality…They know how to use microphones, which makes my job easier…Mary Ann did an excellent job on the lighting, which enhanced the beautiful costumes…Thursday was the town meeting and Friday was getting the Christmas decorations down from the attic…So, now we have to get the music together for the parade tonight…I will talk to you later…Philip

Heavy Dust Storm

2009-11-30T08:45:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, we wanted some seafood and decided to eat out…Clouds were gathering all around and there were some cumulus with moderate tops…We ate our meal early and started home…About ten miles from home I saw a helicopter nose down and went behind a hill…I told Mary Ann that a helicopter might have gone down and proceeded to watch for smoke…There was none…When arrived in the area where it looked as though is had gone down, we found it…The engine was in its cool down mode…The crew was tying it down…I looked to the northeast and a solid wall of dust was rolling in…I understood why the chopper went down so rapidly…We hit the dust cloud about a mile later and the wind was blowing about forty knots (my estimate)…It started raining mud and then we were through the dust and into solid rain…At least it washed the mud from the car…It was the first real dust storm I have been in since I left Lubbock…We got a hard rain for a few minutes which we badly needed…Today I have to get a package off to my sister…I have been trying to finish it…I know you probably think I am procrastinating, but I have really been busy…Well I will talk to you later…Philip

Had A Great Thanksgiving

2009-11-28T08:51:00.001-08:00

Thursday rolled around and what a beautiful day…There were eighteen of us together and had all the trimmings…Mary Ann made some of the best pumpkin pies ever…After dinner we took sunshine for a golf cart ride over the resort…It takes about an hour to make the perimeter…It is according to how many people we run into and talk to…Yesterday I watched a marathon showing of A Band Of Brothers…Today we are doing the sound for a friend who is celebrating their fiftieth wedding anniversary…I will probably kick back and relax until the time to go and set up the sound in the Chuck Wagon…This is a smaller room where meals can be purchased at a modest price…It holds about 150 people…I hope your Thanksgiving is as happy as ours…By the way the anniversary celebration is for Dick Savage and his wife…Talk to you later…Philip

Made It Back From Mexico

2009-11-24T06:35:00.001-08:00

I left you last going to Mexico for dental work…I was Leary going to Mexico for dental work from all the tales of horrible experiences…We had so many friends going for their dental work and the expense of our local dentist that I made a decision to go and got some recommendations…Mary Ann made us some appointments and we got up early Friday Morning and headed for Mexico for a noon schedule…We arrived and the clinic met us at the border and drove us to the front door of the clinic…We arrived and our friends had called ahead and told them we were coming…What a nice reception…I had a lot of bridge work to be repaired and I was quoted five thousand dollars from my dentist in the U.S…I really didn’t know what to expect my bill to be in Mexico…There was some surgery performed and with some stitching and molds made for the replacement bridge…They scheduled us back the next day for putting the bridge in…We were not prepared to stay over night, like tooth brush, change of underwear, razor, etc…We found a room at a Super 8 for the night…The bed was so hard that it was hard for us to sleep very well…We went in the next morning and got my new bridge and we were on our way by two pm…When we got the bill it was only a thousand dollars US…We were treated very well and had a very pleasant experience…The gentleness in which we were treated was pleasure…I would recommend these people any time…We drove back Saturday night and here it is Tuesday Morning and the bridge work is very comfortable…My fears were unfounded and we look forward to our cleaning appointment next May…We have to go to the Ball Room and help with the stage lights…We are installing new jels and adjusting the lights for the new addition that was made to the stage…Talk to you later…Philip

Birthday Yesterday

2009-11-19T08:19:00.001-08:00

Another Year…Can’t believe that I have lived this long… Don’t think for a minute that I want my life to be shorten by one minute…It is just hard to believe that 76 birthdays have occurred…I got up yesterday and selected some carvings to go on display…I came home and relaxed until time for the musicians to show up in the ballroom and set up…As you know Mary Ann and I do the lighting and sound for most of the productions held in the Ball Room…It is a lot of fun meeting the entertainers and their bands…Today Mary Ann is teaching a computer class and I will have to go and rehearse for the Christmas play…As usual I am playing Santa Clause…I can’t imagine why I would be selected for Santa…I am sure my size has nothing to do with the selection…Tomorrow we are going to Mexico for some dental work…We enjoy the trip down to Mexico and look forward for the trip…Talk to you later…Philip…

Windows 7

2009-11-17T06:24:00.001-08:00

I have not reported on my new computer…I just about have all my programs and files transferred to my new computer…I asked Mary Ann to put Norton on last night while I was at the Cactus Carvers meeting…She had it ready when I got home…Then she popped me some corn…and I tested the new upgrade with Norton and very little has changed over last years…This is one program that we buy every year…We like to have the CD in case something should happen and we have to reinstall…Now about Windows 7…I am very pleased with the performance…It has worked flawlessly and really corrects problems with very little effort…It is an easy transition from Vista, as for as learning the new system…I feel very comfortable with the transition…Talk to you later…Philip

Rehearsal This Afternoon

2009-11-17T06:07:00.001-08:00

Hurray…I am free this morning with nothing on the schedule until this afternoon at three…We are rehearsing for the Christmas show…I will carve this morning and finish up with paint on the moon goddess…My sister,Ruth, expressed an interest in her and I hope to get it in the mail this week…I have to finish painting it and then mounting it. The resort has asked me to put some more carvings on display, so I have to select what to go into the display case…Since it is the beginning of the Holiday Season I will probably display my old world Santa's…I want to start on another roadrunner when I finish the goddess…I guess I will keep my ban saw busy because I want to make some humming birds…I will publish a picture of the goddess before I ship it to Sis…Is there anyway to slow the time down…It is passing to rapidly…I can hardly wait to get out of bed each day and get it started…Talk to you later…Philip

PICTURE OF MY CARVINGS

2009-11-07T09:06:00.001-08:00

Well it took me long enough…Here are some of my carvings that I have done recently…I will post others as soon as I can…There are so much I want to carve and time is so short…

As you can see my easy chair…I guess you know, carving keeps me out of trouble…and a great place to hide from Mary Ann…Talk to you later…Philip

Honey Do’s Forever

2009-10-31T09:48:00.001-07:00

Will I hope Mary Ann is happy…Her refrigerator came…Honey do…Her stove came…Honey do…Her kitchen island came in a kit…Honey do…Her micro wave came…Honey do…Now we are waiting for her spice rack to arrive, and I thought I had better write in the blog before she decided on something else…Don’t tell her, but it really does look good…With all the counter space it has created, I got the bread machine out and am now baking bread…I don’t have a lot of time because I have to take care of the sound system in the ball room for the Halloween Dance…I will have to meet with the entertainment crew and see what their needs will be for sound and lighting…My sister, Ruth, e-mailed me and told me about the sad news of her husband,David’s, brother in law passed away…Billy was in the same high school class with me…There is hardly a week goes by that the news of one of my class mates has gone on to another life…I know that I promised to post pictures of my recent carvings…If Mary Ann would leave me alone with the honey do’s, I might find time to take the pictures…Don’t tell her that I really do enjoy doing things for her…She so does much for me that I will never be able to repay…I need to go and check on my bread…Sister and David, by heart goes out to you with my thoughts and prayers…Philip

Catching Up

2009-10-24T09:06:00.001-07:00

It seems like I have had enough problems with the old computer and learning about the new computer that time has just slipped away…When we got back from our summer trip and started opening up the house for the season every thing needed to be don at once…Mary Ann wanted a new refrigerator, stove, microwave, spice racks, and new island for the kitchen. Shopping for these items kept her busy for a while…Yes I know, still a lot of honey dos that keeps mama happy…You see how abused I am…Well every thing is installed except the island, and spice rack…Thank goodness they haven’t arrived yet…That gives me a little time to play with my computer until they arrive…I might even get a little carving done…We went to a rally in Sedona, Arizona with the Elks Lodge…Had a wonderful time and enjoyed the mountains in the desert…Here are some pictures of the scenery. We love the mountains

Another view

Oh yes, I forgot to tell you that Mary Ann’s microwave hasn’t arrived yet…Maybe I can duck and dodge until it gets here…Talk to you later Philip

New Computer

2009-10-23T11:03:00.001-07:00

It was delivered yesterday…It took me until midnight (until I couldn’t see)…I have been working on it all morning…Still have a long way to go, to get all my stuff transferred from the old computer…I think I will have it all done by Sunday…I got the Windows 7 operating system…The transition is very easy to make…So far I really like the new system…It seems more user friendly…Great versatility,in searching for items…So far I would recommend it, particularly if you are buying a new computer…I have a lot to talk about and some more pictures to publish…Right now I want to continue putting my stuff on the new computer…Talk to you later…Philip

Computer Working Again

2009-10-20T14:06:00.001-07:00

I don’t know how long my computer will hold together, but I have ordered a new one and should be here soon…The frustration of not having a computer is driving me down the road to the nearest nut house…I truly am sorry about not writing in the blog…As we all know computer problems can be aggravating…I will write more when the new computer arrives…Talk to you later…Philip

COMPUTER PROBLEMS

2009-10-11T12:07:00.001-07:00

I have been having computer problems…I think I might have solved them…Talk to you later…Philip

Trying To Catch Up

2009-10-04T04:32:00.000-07:00

Being gone for almost six months takes a lot to catch up when it comes to maintaince around the house...Unpacking the motor home and putting things away in the house and shop always takes more time than expected...Mary Ann bought a new refrigerator and is shopping for a new range...It has to be ordered because the model she wants is not in stock...Putting our calendar together for the season is becoming complicated because of Dr. appointments, coordinating the sound booth schedule for the professional entertainers...and wanting to carve many things...I do look forward to working a schedule and keeping lots of activities in front...People are drifting in and things are picking up with the resort coming alive with activities of all kinds...I will take some pictures as soon as it gets daylight and post them...We are taking our daily rides in the golf cart...That is something Sunshine will not let us for get...She sits in front of the drawer where the leash is kept and waits...This occurs around three thirty each afternoon...I will post later today and try to stay up to date...Talk to you later...Philip

Made It Home

2009-09-28T01:43:00.000-07:00

We made it home Thursday about ten thirty am...We wanted to attend the board meeting at one pm so our timing was within reason...I wanted to check out the Ball Room and listen to the acoustics for the first time since the remodeling...The contractors did a beautiful job and my job will be a lot easier on the console...Friday we started unpacking the motor home...It will take us about a week to get things back to normal...I unpacked all my carving equipment and tried to get the shop in order...I hope to get things hooked up and be able to start carving again...I always need more room...Mary Ann was in a quandry on whether or not to buy a new refrigerator...The old one is about seventeen years old and getting worn in places, but it still runs good and makes ice...Well, Sunday she made up her mind and went to Sears and bought a new one...It will be delivered Wednesday...Now she wants a new range...So we will have to have some electrical work done before she can buy and have a new range delivered...I love to see her shop and plan for new things...I believe she is the happiest when she has a new project in mind...This morning I am going to my first wood carving meeting for the season...I hope there are enough members back to be able to meet...I want to finish painting the carvings that I did this summer...Sorry I took so long in bringing you to date, but unpacking in this hundred degree heat takes a lot out of me...I hate to admit that it is probably the seventy-six years of experience that I have...Talk to you later with some pictures...I hope to take some pictures of my wood carving after I finish painting them...Talk to you later...Philip

Let Me Catch You Up

2009-09-23T03:53:00.000-07:00

I got up Monday morning to high winds, rain, snow and temperatures in the low thirties...There was only one decision to make...Go or no go?..Well the final decision was to wait twenty four hours and see what would happen...Tuesday morning was cloudy, but it wasn't raining...Checked the weather, on the computer along the route, and looked good except Raton Pass...We hooked the car up and disconnected utilities...Looked at the sky one more time, jumped into the motor home and took off...The wind was a little strong but navigable...When we got to Castle Rock we could see some breaks in the clouds...Traffic was heavy in Colorado Springs...When we got to Trinidad there was snow on the side of the road...All the mountains were capped with snow...Now the dreaded pass...The road is clear and traffic is moving...We reach the summit at forty five MPH and start down the South side and gear down...There is still heavy, broken clouds as we enter New Mexico...I told Mary Ann that I wanted to go as far as we could with out becoming too tired...Interstate 40 looked good...We turned West at Albuquerque and decided we had had enough for the day..We stopped at Enchanted Trails RV Park and were assigned a space...The sky was clearing and the wind began to calm down...Mary Ann prepared a delicious Chinese Chicken dish and I checked the e-mail and was ready for bed...I woke up and could not go back to sleep, so I decided to let you know we are well on our way to Happy Trails and should arrive on Thursday...We want to stop and spend the night at the crater east of Flagstaff...Well I will talk to you later...Philip

Checking Weather

2009-09-21T02:54:00.000-07:00

I am up checking the weather early...We just had a front move through yesterday with strong winds...The forecast for today is another front moving in from the NW and bringing snow...We have to make a decision about leaving ahead of the front or maybe being held up for a couple of days...It looks like we may leave early this morning and try to get through Raton Pass before the weather hits...There are a lot of RV parks along out route, so if the weather gets too bad we will stop and wait it out...That is a great thing about being retired, we do not have to be any place at any time...I will talk to you later after our decisions are made...Philip

Catchup Day

2009-09-17T23:30:00.000-07:00

Today I will try to catch up with things that I have been allowing to slide...Mary Ann is planing on washing and I will catch up with some outside motor home maintenance...I want to do some carving on an eagle head that I have started...Tomorrow is a woodcarving show in Ft. Collins...I hope to take some pictures and look for some books that I need...It is always an inspiration to look at other artist's work...I want to carve an image of my dog Sunshine...The image of the Mayan Moon Goddess has turned out better than I expected...I do miss my equipment at home and am looking forward to getting back...Ann Smith wrote Mary Ann an e-mail stating that the Christmas Show is coming along real well and she was sending me some information...I do look forward to the Christmas Show and the Variety Show...Talk to you later...Philip

Other Pictures

2009-09-16T18:26:00.000-07:00

Sorry...These did not post...Philip

Looking For Aspins

2009-09-16T17:51:00.001-07:00

Today we took a tour to Fairplay,Breckenridge, Frisco, Dillon, Keystone, Love land Pass, Golden, and back to Chatfield...We were looking to see if the aspens had turned yellow...We woke up to a cloudy and foggy morning...We decided to go anyway...We were not disappointed...We had to get to an elevation of about eight thousand feet before there had been frost to turn the leaves...There had been frost and there was fresh snow in the higher elevations...I tried to get some of the beauty of the season on camera...Here are some of the pictures...Talk to you later...Philip

Today We Moved

2009-09-15T11:07:00.000-07:00

Today we moved back to Chatfield...We will be here a week and then we will head for home...We plan to head up to the mountains by Fair Play to look for the turning of the aspens leaves...I will take some pictures if they have turned...We are not through setting up our canopy, so I will go out and do some more work after lunch...I will talk to you later...Philip

Pictures We Took Today

2009-09-13T18:51:00.000-07:00

Here are the pictures we took this afternoon in Rocky Mountian National Park...The bulls were bugeling and hearding the females...You will see the male mounting the female in one picture...This was a very interesting afternoon...Philip

Tons Of Downloads

2009-09-13T09:18:00.000-07:00

If you ever take your competer to day one, there will be tons of downloads...I realize that after five years, I have a lot of up dates...It has taken me most of three days and I am still getting updates...I do keep my computer up to date for security reasons...Today it has stopped raining...We thought there might some frozen stuff, but it bypassed us this time...Our plans are to go back to Rock Mountain National Park and observe the elk once again...We are trying to get close up pictures during the mating season...I did not realize the enjoyment I would receive from my camera...We will be leaving St. Vrain Tuesday and returning to Chatfield...We will be there for a week and then we will head for Arizona...I always have mixed emotions about ending the travel season and returning home...I will always look forward to the busy activities of the resort...I will post the pictures of todays trip tonight...I have some interesting pictures of some birds that I want to carve...You might get a preview of future carvings from of these pictures...Talk to you later...Philip

I THINK I HAVE LEARNED TO IMPORT PICTURES

2009-09-12T10:30:00.000-07:00

THANK YOU FOR HELPING ME LEARN A NEW PROGRAM...PHILIP

MORE PICTURES

2009-09-12T10:23:00.000-07:00

Stay with me...I am learning...Philip

Still Trying

2009-09-12T10:18:00.000-07:00

Here we go again...Philip

FINALLY GOT THE COMPUTER WORKING AGAIN

2009-09-12T09:34:00.000-07:00

After days of working to get my computer back, it looks like it is working again...I am using with delicate hands...I have decided, with Mary Ann's permission to purchase a new one after the new windows comes out...I am hoping this one will hold together until sometime in October when the new Windows is suppose to be released...Well we went to Rocky Mountain National Park and watched the elk gathering...Their bugeling could be heard eccoing through out the mountains...Witching the females going to the sound of the chosen bugel...Watching the males sparring for terrirorial rights...We did take some pictures, but the rangers were not letting us get too close to the activity...The educational value of travel is unending...I wish I could share the experiences with you...One of the most important things in life is having someone to share these experiences, like eating out, watching TV or a movie, riding down the road, cold crisp air in the morning, smelling the bacon cooking out in the open, the camp fires at night and the fellowship of fellow campers...I don't see how anyone could possible go through life without a partner that is reading off the same page...Well here are some pictures....Talk to you later...Philip

COMPUTER PROBLEMS

2009-09-11T10:13:00.000-07:00

My computer crashed and I have had to completely start from scratch...I am now putting all the programs back on...I am fortunate to have backed up most of pictures, documents, and favorites...I was up all night with updates...I had 92 updates for windows...I hope to have it back to normal by Sunday...I will talk to you later...Philip

The Family Reunion Is Over

2009-09-07T19:01:00.001-07:00

Well we had three days of family fun…There were from Missouri, Nebraska, Illinois, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and Kansas…It was constant eating, play, eating, sight seeing, eating, and oh yes, family fellowship…I tried my best not to pull any ones chain…Only because I promised Mary Ann that I would be good…There were a lot of pictures taken and passed around…I had seventy-one pictures when I put them on the computer…I made enough CD’s for each family to have all the pictures that I took…Of course I am not going to put all of the pictures in the blog, but will give you enough to see what was going on…We are going to St. Vrain in the morning…we want to go up to Rocky Mountain National Park and see the elk bulls gathering their females and fighting the other bulls off…Late in the evening to hear them bugling in the crisp cool air is a real treat…We have done this for the last three years…I will try to take pictures of the herds and all the activities…Talk to you later…Philip Karen’ family Mary Ann, daughters, sister,and grand daughters

Mary Ann and daughters

Another of Rob and family Look Who is lazy We did eat…

We Are Off The Road Now

2009-09-03T10:37:00.001-07:00

For the last three days we have traveling…Trying to get back to Denver for Mary Ann’s family get-together for the Labor Day week-end…We left Sheyenne, Wyoming this morning and arrived here in Chatfield State Park about ten-thirty am…We are now hooked up and getting ready to have lunch…It is good to be back in telephone range again…The Computer is much faster than it has been…As Mary Ann said,”It is great to be back in the city”…I will put the large canapé up this afternoon before the group arrives…It is a little on the warm side so I might wait until late in the afternoon…I will post pictures of the get-together when they all get here…Most of them are due in tomorrow…Mary Ann wants to go to the grocery store and post office and pick up our mail…It has been almost two weeks since we have received mail…I have a lot to get done before dark, so I will try to post something tonight…Talk to you later…Philip

Mary Ann’s Camera

2009-08-29T12:42:00.001-07:00

Mary Ann took these pictures on the Needles Highway…Hope you enjoy…Philip

Going through the eye

You then find Sylvan Lake…Talk to you later…Philip

The Eye Of The Needle

2009-08-29T12:29:00.001-07:00

Here are the pictures I promised you…These were taken on the Needles Highway…Some from my camera and some from Mary Ann’s…I have been painting this morning on the blue Jay…I should be through in a few days…I will make pictures when it is finished…Well here are the pictures…I hope you enjoy as much as we did experiencing the trip…Talk to You later…Philip

A Favorite Highway

2009-08-27T06:40:00.001-07:00

In our travels we have found special places in this great land of ours…One place we really enjoy is traveling the Needles Hwy…Today we plan to go once again and follow the scenic beauty of this Black Hills natural formations…We will wind up in Hill City at the Alpine Hotel and have one of our favorite meals…There is no menu…You have your choice of a small steak or a large steak…We have eaten here on each visit for the last six years…I will take some pictures of our day trip and hope it will give you a feel of natural beauty of the area…We do not have phone service here at Custer Gulch for our cell phones…AT&T has not seen fit to provide it here…We feel uncomfortable without this service…I hope no one has been trying to reach my phone or Mary Ann’s…I will try to publish the pictures tonight, if we don’t have a bond fire…We do enjoy the bond fires…It really feels like camping when we build one…Talk to you later…Philip

A Hobby I Really Enjoy

2009-08-26T03:45:00.001-07:00

I am fortunate to have found something that I look forward to each day…I love having my computer and the friends that it has made…I read several blogs daily and have e-mail that keeps me in touch with family and friends…Keeping in touch is very important to me…The one thing that I really look forward to is my carving…It opens a world that I can retreat into and let my imagination run wild…There are days that people ask me if I want to sell something and my response is that it is a joy and a hobby…I do not want any pressure that commissions or contracts would bring…I am very fortunate to have a wife that supports my hobby…As life moves forward we learn to live for the day…If problems arise I can retreat to my cave and carve and emerge to live for another day…It seems that I have fewer problems as life goes on…Today I will carve while Mary Ann shops and gets a permanent…The days are passing so quickly that several days will pass and I have not written in the blog…This I apologize…I will try to do better…Talk to you later…Philip

Woops…The Awning Pictures

2009-08-22T08:04:00.001-07:00

Talk to you later…Philip

What A Week

2009-08-22T07:27:00.001-07:00

Well I guess everyone thought I was no longer in existence…I am still kicking and having a ball…First let me tell you about an adventure of buying and putting up a awning for the table…When I carve, Mary Ann will not let me carve in the motor home…So I have to go outside and sit at the picnic table…Rain, sleet, snow, heat, all the same…she will not let me carve inside…Since I am such a wonderful husband she felt sorry for me and decided to buy me a shelter for my carving…I know why she really wanted it was because Labor Day she is having a family get-together and used me as an excuse…Well Monday we had to go to Rapid City for supplied…We cannot go any where without shopping Wall-Mart…You see they had a shelter on sale for twenty-nine dollars…The Scotch Blood that runs in her veins would not let her pass such a bargain up…You have to get this picture…Rapid City is fifty miles from where we are camped…When we go to get supplies we make most of a day out of it…We have lunch…Buy supplies…and head for home…We are pretty well worn out by the time we put the groceries away…I had to put the awning up anyway…With my outstanding knowledge of everything, I didn’t notice that the wind was blowing 20 mph…After I recognized that I wanted Mary Ann to experience putting together the shelter,I called her out to assist me…Can anyone imagine her assisting rather than leading…After a few words between us we decided to wait until the next morning to really put it up and maybe the wind would die down by morning…The Next day we started putting it together with the the help of our neighbor…We got it together and sat under it and enjoyed our accomplishment. We went in and had lunch, took a nap and woke up to a strong wind…Well with the expense of what we paid for such a well made piece of equipment it ripped apart…Here it was 4pm and we just had to go back to Wall-Mart and return this item…We purchased a more expensive one and came home after dark…With the previous days experience of trying to raise the tent while we were tired we did wait until the next day…It went up beautifully with no hitches…We had problems with our internet Thursday and Friday…Finally got it back last night and so here I am trying to catch up…I took some pictures of Crazy Horse as some of you inquired about the progress…It seems very little progress is being done…Well with the awning story here are some pictures of the completed project…Talk to you later…Philip

Mary Ann’s Pictures

2009-08-15T10:22:00.001-07:00

Here are the pictures from Mary Ann’s camera… Guess who? Buffalo grazing Mama and calf No…That is not Mary Ann Prong Horne Tunnel On Iron Mountain Mount Rushmore

I hope you enjoy our sharing our travels…Talk to you later…Philip

Custer State Park Thursday

2009-08-15T03:24:00.001-07:00

Thursday was a beautiful, clear day and we couldn’t sit still…We decided to go to Custer State Park, which is less than two miles from Custer Gulch RV…We would make the loop and have a picnic lunch at the far end of the loop…after lunch we would take the Iron Mountain road to Mount Rushmore…We love this route and it only takes about three hours, maybe four it there are a lot of animals on the road…Well here are some pictures of the buffalos…We had to wait for them to clear the road so we could pass…Up close they are really mean looking…There are signs telling people that buffalo’s are dangerous…Still people get out of their cars and try to walk up to them…Here are some pictures that I took with my camera from my side of the car…Since I was driving I couldn’t take as many pictures as Mary Ann…Most of the large herd were on the right side of the car…I will publish Mary Ann’s pictures as soon as she down loads them so I can transfer them to my computer…Here are my pictures of a few strays on my side of the road away from the main heard…Talk to you later Philip…

I was close to these, but stayed in the car

We Made It To Custer, South Dakota

2009-08-12T14:26:00.001-07:00

We left Alliance about nine fifteen this morning and arrived here in Custer about twelve thirty…We saw the clouds gathering in the west and knew we should set up in a short time…We got everything set up and tried to take a nap…Then the rain came along with small hail…Here i sit watching and listening to the rain drops and hail bouncing off the motor home…It is not large enough to do any damage but it still makes us uncomfortable to hear the loud pops on the roof…I am looking out the window and the hail is about the size of a regular marble…I am wondering how long it will last…It has been going on for about ten minutes now and doesn’t seem like it is going to stop…It must be lightening up some because the satellite TV is trying to come back in…Would you believe it, the sun now is coming out and it is still raining…The hail has stopped, the sun is out, and it is raining very hard…We will get out later today and try to take some pictures of the Black Hills, Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park, Wind Cave National Park, and the land of Crazy Horse, Annie Oakley, and Wild Bill Hickok…Still raining and sun shinning…I love the history of this area…Will I guess I was born too late…Come to think of it, If I was born earlier, I probably wouldn’t be alive now…And I am surely enjoying life now…Well it probably took me this long to learn to be happy where ever I am…Talk to you later…Philip

Monday…Day Of Travel

2009-08-11T01:35:00.001-07:00

Monday morning, and time for unhooking and hitting the road…We left St. Vrain about nine am and headed north on I-25 for Cheyenne, Wyoming where we would pick up I-80 and head for Nebraska…Our destination is Alliance, Nebraska so we can visit Mary Ann’s sister…We will be in Alliance until Wednesday morning and then head for Custer, South Dakota…The campground in Alliance is next to a train switching yard and the noise is keeping me awake…I thought since I couldn’t sleep I would just catch up with my blog…The connection to the internet is very slow, so I will not send pictures until we reach Custer…We are doing great and really enjoying the smaller motor home…We wouldn’t dare camp here with the Monaco…We can just whip around and pull into just about any campground and have very few worries…We only have 30 amp electricity and the weather is very warm…Thank goodness for air conditioning…I guess I have bored you enough so I will try and get some sleep before daylight…Talk to you later…Philip

My Nursing Skills Must Be Great

2009-08-09T09:25:00.001-07:00

Mary Ann lived over her bout with food poising…I know it was because of my magnificent abilities in nursing…We woke up this morning to a wonderful, clear day…Temperature in the 70’s and as pilots love cavu…The geese are everywhere honking and squawking at anything that moves…I took some pictures and they never quite tell the story…Mary Ann is vacuuming and talking to me and I am not paying her any attention…She thinks I am going deft…I believe she realizes that it is selective hearing…We have to get ready to leave for South Dakota tomorrow…We will be up there until we head back to Chatfield for Labor Day and Mary Ann’s family get to gather…Well here are some pictures that were taken this morning of the geese…

Talk to you later…Philip….Don’t forget to click on the pictures to enlarge

Not Feeling Good

2009-08-06T11:05:00.001-07:00

Well it was Mary Ann’s turn…She went shopping and had a chicken walnut salad for lunch…Well she felt fine all afternoon, prepared dinner, and enjoyed the evening watching TV…It had to be a pleasant evening, I was there…Well about eleven pm she started trotting…She really had a miserable night…She finally got to sleep about three am and got some rest…She is feeling good now but is very week…I am the one who got it last summer while on Prince Edward Island in Canada…I guess I will play nurse until she feels better…Well you know how clumsy we men are when it comes to nursing the sick…Well I guess I am not twinkle toes at 295 lbs…I will talk to you later after I complete my nursing career….Philip

St. Vrain State Park

2009-08-04T20:17:00.001-07:00

We moved Monday Morning from Chatfield State Park to St. Vrain State Park…It was about a hour and half drive though Denver traffic…This is another Colorado State Park that has full hook ups…This was a pleasant surprise to find this park with ponds and a tranquil atmosphere…I had to get up early for an appoint to have the oil changed in the Saturn this morning…They took me right in and had me out within an hour…When I got back to the motor home it was early enough to do a little touring…Mary Ann had to stop watching The Price Is Right before we could leave…We decided to go up to Cheyenne and check on a RV park for future references…We then went to Poudre Canyon and drove through and returned to the motor home…We got back about three pm, checked our e-mail and decided to go to Pizza Hut for a pizza…We got back and got the lawn chairs out to watched the evening sun set…I took some pictures and here they are…

Mountains in the back ground…Trees reflecting in the lake

Mary Ann making sure that I do it right

The evening sun set

Wish you could experience the moment…Talk to you later…Philip

What A Beautiful Morning!

2009-08-01T09:02:00.001-07:00

Well it rained all night and finally the sun is shinning beautifully this morning…Mary Ann just finished bathing the dog and now getting ready to wash the clothes…We went to Joe’s Crab Shack for sea food night before last and was surprised by the extreme in quality…I ordered crawfish and shrimp and Mary Ann got the sea food platter…The platter was excellent,but the crawfish was really bad…It was not the Louisiana style of cooking crawfish…Joe’s is a very good place to eat, but they do not know how to cook Cajun…I carved yesterday on a moon goddess face mask…I will be more specific about the origin after I have done some research…It is such a beautiful day, that I want to sit outside and do some more carving… Here you have a grizzly looking for food…

I don’t want to get too close…Well I will talk to you later…Philip

Another Rainey Day

2009-07-30T10:07:00.001-07:00

It has rained for the last three days…Tuesday Morning we woke to fog and rain…We had planned to go up on Trail Ridge Drive and have lunch at the Grand Lake Lodge…We went to the post office to pick up our mail from Livingston…We left the post office and drove on the loop to Golden…From Golden we headed north to Boulder…From Bolder to Lions and on to Estes Park…The entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park is in Estes Park…We have been over the Trail Ridge Drive numerous times and it is always exciting to see the changing terrain each time we cross the ridge…There is still a lot of snow left on the top above the tree line…The air is thin and breathing becomes a little short on top…It is always good to start down the other side because the traffic is thinner and it is down hill…Signs tell up there is construction ahead and a possible 20 to 30 minute delay…We continue on and become uncomfortable for no being able to stop for a rest room…Well you guessed it…We are stopped for the construction project and we wait…each minute seems like 30 in our misery…Cars are lined up front and back and the mountain is too steep to on each side to go into the woods…OOOOh for a gallon jug…We finally were released after several hours (really about 15 minutes) and we head down looking for anything to find relief…There it is and we stop…What a relief…Well with everything feeling more comfortable we head for Grand Lake Lodge…We finally reach the entranced and guess what???It is closed for remodeling…Well the day isn’t ruined yet…We head on down to Grand Lake and look for a place to have lunch…It is now two in the afternoon and we are hungry…We find a hamburger joint and go in…Hamburgers are eight dollars…Chilly dogs five…I order a chilly dog and Mary Ann orders just a regular hot dog with fried sweet potatoes…The chilly is not like good old Texas Chilly…The day is not lost…what a beautiful drive back to Denver…We get home and the rain started again…It has been raining ever since…Well I guess I could take pictures of rain and rising water but you all are enjoying a hot summer and dry humidity…Talk to you later if, the Lord doesn’t ask me to start building an ark…Philip

We Moved To Chatfield

2009-07-26T09:21:00.001-07:00

We got up Saturday morning to move 65 miles to Chatfield…Mary Ann didn’t want to leave before eleven but by the time I finished packing and unhooking I was ready to leave by 9:45…Well we left and arrived about 11:30…We were in hopes our space would be vacant…We lucked out and the space was empty…We settled in and had a very relaxing afternoon and evening…We wanted to build a campfire, but the afternoon rains from the mountains came and knocked those plans in the head…We like to build a fire and invite the neighbors over to enjoy the evening…We should be able to do that tonight…We plan to go to our favorite Mexican Restaurant for dinner tonight…I have a picture that Mary Ann wanted me to put in the blog…See if you remember which performance it was taken…Talk to you later…Philip

It is from My Fair Lady and the song was Get Me To The Church On Time…

Cripple Creek

2009-07-24T16:00:00.001-07:00

We had a day of touring yesterday…We drove from Colorado Springs to Cripple Creek, where we caught the train and toured the gold fields…The narration was very informative and was very entertaining in presenting the local history…These pictures show the abandon mines within about a 10 mile radius of Cripple Creek… Some housing

Old mine

Office building

Looking down into the valley

The other train…These trains were used in Mexico, hauling lead and other mining products…Talk to you later…Philip

Got Pictures

2009-07-22T09:36:00.001-07:00

I waited for it to clear up so I could take some pictures…Here they are…Almost to the top

Looking out over the city My traveling companions

On The Move

2009-07-22T02:52:00.001-07:00

We left Creede Monday morning on our way to Royal Gorge…We arrive and filled up with propane, found our spot and took a nap…We wanted to eat out so we drove down to Canyon…Canyon is the location of the Colorado Territory Prison of the early days of Western History…It is still in use and can be seen right on the edge of the highway…We wanted to stop in Canyon at Chilies and get some baby back ribs…Enjoyed dinner and returned to the motor home for the night…We got up yesterday morning and headed for Colorado Springs and Cheyenne Mountain…We arrived, hooked upped, had lunch on tuna sandwiches, and guess what…Took a nap…Woke up to rain and it is still raining…I promised pictures and was unable to get good pictures in the rain…I will take some from the top of the mountain as soon as it clears up…The lights of the City are beautiful at night…Well Sunshine wants to say hello…Talk to you later…Philip