Friday, April 28, 2006

It RAINING in Colorado!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finally, it is raining in Colorado. I just realized how much I miss those days, rainy days, sitting on my couch under one of the many fleece blankets I have made, hot cup of coffee, at least 2 or 3 books I am reading all at once, a warm doggie snuggled in a round ball next to me and looking out my window at the rain drizzling down outside. Cars driving by on the shiney roads. Sometimes a familiar truck pulls in my driveway and makes my heart jump.
I never realized how much I miss those rainy days. You never know what you have until you move 2000 miles away from it. I have always loved my simple life. I always said I am looking for my own Stars Hollow. I didn't realize I was already there. I already had my peace and serenity. I got greedy and wanted more out of life. It took a really big change in my life to realize what was really more important to me and what made me happiest. Sometimes winning the lottery isnt the best..................

Saturday, April 22, 2006

Dim Sum Saturday

Another favorite past time is going to Dim Sum with my work family. These are the people I work with and we are very close. Chongmas my best friend, her husband Vincent and thier baby Kaila! Look at how big she has gotten. Celene is my manager and her daughter Bree. Roi our Team leader, Andy his wife and baby and Theresa my holistic tree hugger earth friend.

Dim Sum is like a chinese brunch of many many good appetizer type foods. We just spun that lazy susan around and enjoyed. Our last excursion was to Swing Tai, that was fantastic too. Of course we are missing more of our work team. More food for us...............

What is Dim Sum?
What is it, exactly? Let's start with what it is not. If you're the type that enjoys browsing through a menu, then a dim sum restaurant is not for you. There's no ordering; instead you choose from a wide assortment of snacks that the waiters bring out on carts and trays. Also, if you're looking to have a romantic lunch, then a dim sum restaurant probably isn't a good choice. First off, the atmosphere is hardly conducive to romance, what with the clattering of trays, people calling out their orders, and large groups of people talking at each table. Besides, the best way to enjoy dim sum is with a large group; otherwise you'll fill up on a few items and miss the opportunity to sample everything.

Vincent (Chongmas husband), Roi and Andy's wife

 Posted by Picasa

Andy's baby, Andy, Theresa, Celene and daughter Bree

 Posted by Picasa

Sum don't like Dim

 Posted by Picasa

The drive to the cabin

 Posted by Picasa

Cabin on Easter Weekend

04/15/2006

Now if I was home I certainly would not go for a walk at 6:52 a.m. while it was snowing. But here I am walking the dogs on a chilly morning, snow fluttering down. We can see the Vega Reservoir, its 80% frozen. There is snow up to the table top next to the cabin and snow covers the firepit completely. There was a nice big shovel near the door when we got here. Maybe I will get ambitious. Right now I am building small fires with the firewood I brought on the hibachi I have for cooking. Note to self and any others listening. Do not buy the cheap charcoal and fluid at Walmart. But the firewood is working much better and it’s kind of nice to have the campfire right on the front porch actually. The front porch is concrete. But the fire place in the cabin is cozy! We will be snuggled up to that this snowy afternoon. We have lots of books and magazines and I brought 2 huge knuckle bones for the boys. My plan is to tie each dog so they are just out of reach of each other to enjoy the bones completely.

I gotta go check the sausage on the fire.

On the drive to the cabin

 Posted by Picasa

Smoke from the forest fire on way to cabin

 Posted by Picasa

Rt 70 To Vega State Park

 Posted by Picasa

Lets go hiking mommie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 Posted by Picasa

We are here

 Posted by Picasa

Ahhhhh yes we have arrived to the cabin.

 Posted by Picasa

The camping brothers, reminds you of the movie Twins huh.

 Posted by Picasa

Vega Lake still frozen

 Posted by Picasa

Vega Lake from our cabin window

 Posted by Picasa

more view

 Posted by Picasa

The View from our porch

Posted by Picasa

Our Cozy Cabin

 Posted by Picasa

Our first pillow fight at camp!

 Posted by Picasa

My favorite spot by the cozy fire......mom can i have a snack?

 Posted by Picasa

The only place Jeffery can chew his knuckle bone away from Jasper

 Posted by Picasa

The clouds hanging low, if you look down you see Vega Lake

 Posted by Picasa

Cabin 5 at Vega State Park

On the drive here I saw my first forest fire, or brush fire? I don’t know what they call them here. I was on the phone with my cousin. If you know me, I don’t answer the phone at all. But it was Ursula and she was going thru a significant “moving forward” step in her life and I had to wish her well. Ursula and I are more than sisters; I think we were from the same soul, just born different years but in the same family. She is the only other person in the world besides my daughter that is exactly like me. And the similarities are actually freaky. I am so glad she is in my life. So I’m driving down the last 12 miles to the cabin off the main highway, a winding 12 miles, with a dog on the lap. Chatting away with Urs, I see smoke in the distance. As I get closer I realize that the smoke is coming from a large source and it looks like it is exactly 12 miles up the road. With my luck it will be my cabin. But as I get closer I actually can see the fire on the side of a mountain! The last 5 miles are on treacherous road. There are no guardrails and the road is very narrow. There are no shoulders just a drop down, straight down. When we got here I was in a tank top. It was sunny and warm. Today it is snowing. That is Colorado weather for you.

Oh, I have to tell you the first thing I did on the trip after I meticulously took 3 hours to pack and get all our gear, food etc into the truck. I got the boys into the front seat. Shut the door, and yep, they were locked in the car with my purse and both sets of keys to the car. I was very very lucky that the back door was opened, but I still had to crawl over everything packed in the back to get to the keys on the front seat. Of course the dogs looked at me like, mom is having more fun than us once again.

This cabin is nice and cozy. Sitting here I get gorgeous views from every window. The back window goes out to the hillside forest. I am hoping to see wildlife out there. The front windows look over the lake and mountains. It’s snowing kind of hard and that’s okay because it is actually too warm in here. It is so peaceful and quiet and calm. It is time to live just in the present, not the past and not the future. Just be here now.

Rude awakening, I finally got myself together to go down to the showers. They are closed for the winter. I did manage to drive to the Visitor Center. They have a gift shop with books and stuff. I will be back. More books! Oh yeah.

2:27 You are not going to believe this. Honestly, Im sitting at my cabin window drinking an apricot martini and I swear to God an ambulance is at the cabin across from me. I have never experienced that before.

Jasper winding down, see clouds in background

 Posted by Picasa

Yes the red necks called an ambulance!

 Posted by Picasa

Easter Sunday at the cabin

04/16/06 Easter Sunday
My worst fear happened yesterday. I tied the boys out with a long rope. They loved jumping up on the snow banks and exploring the good smells of the mountains. I was inside the cabin doing something when I looked out the window and saw Jasper further out in the snow, with out the leash. I don’t know how the leash ever got off him but it did. He was kind of far away. And he had that look, that look of a hunting dog looking for wildlife. I got a piece of chicken but that was no use. He kept looking at the forest behind us that goes straight up a hill. The only luck I had was that the snow was too deep for him to run, he kept getting stuck in the deep snow and I finally got him. Of course I was shaking, scared out of my mind once again. All I could think of was him lost in these woods and mountains. I don’t know how the leash came off. It’s a leash for a St Bernard! The metal hooking part is huge. But it did. It is the worst feeling in the world. I am glad I brought the big metal fence. At least we can enjoy the outside with the door open with the fence up. I try to be as careful as I can, but when I try to treat my dogs like other normal dogs, sometimes it’s not worth it. Not worth losing them. I may spoil my dogs. I may be too lenient than most. But they are my boys. I won’t do it any other way. So if I meet someone and they ever make me choose, the boys will come first.
WOW, was that refreshing. As I mentioned earlier, the showers are not open and I really needed to wash my hair. It was stuck to my head. I went to the visitor center. No Sunday paper and the women’s room has those automatic faucets. So I went to the water spigot outside of the cabin. It’s fresh mountain water. Drinkable too says the info in the cabin. And freakin COLD, I mean really cold. There is a new meaning to the words “frozen headache”. But I feel SO much better now.
Its beautiful sunny out, the people in the cabin across have left and its just me now. And that is exactly how I like it. I will have today and tomorrow. I will pack up and leave around 5. I am still getting used to this Colorado weather. Its still kinda weird to be walking over snow with sandals on. But that’s how it is here.

Clouds are gone

 Posted by Picasa

Sunday afternoon

 Posted by Picasa

The Vega Reservoir is still frozen

 Posted by Picasa