Or normal weather for this time of year.  Maybe a little above average.  94 with a hot west wind.  Good motivation for going to adult swim. The water was a tad cool, but once past the initial shock, very pleasant swimming. 

Last night it stayed humid and didn’t cool off as much.  I looked at the stars and could only find the big dipper.  In the winter I can usually spot Orion, but last night he was missing.  Now that all the trees have leafed out, there is less visible sky to star gaze.

It was last call for lettuce this morning.  I got enough for a salad tonight but the remaining plants are history.  

This is the house number that is my inspiration for  the mailbox.  The colors aren’t showing quite right…the number (1) is actually a deep cobalt blue.  I haven’t figured out how to make the B raised on the front of the mailbox, so I started working on the top this afternoon. Tomorrow I plan to do the green leaves and the red flowers in the corner.   

Sunday was a recovery and prep for the coming week day. Not much to write about.

Monday I babysat Jax. We had a lot of fun.  Here he is drawing.  He shot some hoops, pushed the laundry basket around the kitchen–the cats would hop in, he’d push and they’d hop out.  The cats were not nearly as amused as Jax & I were. We read some books, ate some snacks, took a nap.  Thought about going outside in the wagon but decided it was too hot.  Time to fill up the swimming pool (child size).  It’s supposed to be in the 90′s the next few days. 

this morning I was one of three…quilters, not Borg.  It was an interesting time. Lots of chatting along with the stitching.  I was a little sad that my mom’s quilt top wasn’t in a frame yet.  She’s next “in line” but there are still 2 quilts not quite finished.  There are 3 frames, so people could work on 3 different quilts, if that many showed up.  I opted to work on the one that just had straight lines to start with.  It’s been a few years since I sat down and quilted on a frame.  My back & shoulders were ready to break for lunch at noon.  

I can’t claim I was “Army” ambitious, but I had the mailbox sanded & first coat of white paint on it by 9 AM.  That’s when quilting started. I have a long list of things to do this afternoon.  Fortunately I can just reheat chicken rice soup at 5 for supper.  I have a library board meeting at 5:30.  I’m glad it’s summer and I don’t have to “work”. 

It’s been a busy few days.  Yesterday evening the Rolla school nurses gathered (food in hand) at Sandy’s house for an evening of eating & chatting.  It was officially a good-bye party for Adrienne, who’s husband got a big promotion…and transfer to Florida.  Hard to feel bad for her.  LOL   It was also a “welcome” to Heather, who will be our new “rotating” nurse. 

Tonight we are headed over to the Kearbey’s…to eat and admire all their hard work on the new deck and landscaping.  I baked a pineapple upside down cake for dessert.  I’m sure lots of chatting and laughter will also be involved.  Adult beverages may also be served.  

I added another (and final) coat of gesso to the front of the mailbox.  As soon as it is completely dry (perhaps tomorrow) I’ll do a light sanding and the painting will begin.  The “prep” has taken a lot longer than I expected. I’ve had HGTV on all day…hoping for inspiration as I do laundry and daily chores. 

I pulled out the Almanac to check and see what it says about June…lots of thunderstorms and cooler than normal temperatures.  That fits the month so far. It got up to 81 degrees according to our porch thermometer.  And the A/C even came on once during the afternoon…as the sun hit the west side of the house.

Hannah is out looking for apartments today.  First she wanted no roommates, then decided she knew someone she met at a previous job who would be a good fit.   It’s complicated.  Safe neighborhood.  Close to work.  The parking situation.  OR  rather the lack of parking situation. And of course, the price.  At least she doesn’t have a lot of stuff to move.  Unfortunately none of her friends own a truck…but she might be able to call on Big Brother who does have a truck…and lives only 6 hours away…practically around the corner in California travel.

After finding some almost dried up Gesso in the basement yesterday afternoon, coupled with the Pope’s statements about how over-consuming and wasting food was stealing from the poor and starving, I decided to salvage the mail box instead of buying or making a new one.  This is the 2nd coat of Gesso…it’s still pretty rough but maybe a light sanding will have it ready to paint.  Or another coat of gesso.I even found my old acrylic paints, which hopefully can be used as well.  I don’t expect perfection in this project.  

We had turnips & a lettuce salad from the garden last night.  Along with corn on the cob I bought and left-over brats.  In spite of the cool weather (for June) the lettuce is starting to bolt.  Dennis and I are both weeding when we can.  The rain and soggy soil makes it difficult.

Time is relative.  It’s hard to believe today is already Friday.  Vacation time goes by much faster than work time.

Dennis’ friend George came to visit Tuesday afternoon.  Spent the night and headed off to Texas to see his grandchildren.  He grew up next door to Dennis in Ivesdale IL.  George still lives there.George said I had to ID him as the “thin one” on the right.  He’s lost quite a bit of weight since I last saw him.  

Last night the K’s invited a group of us (officially known as the First Wednesday Club) out to their “property”…just north of St. James proper. They bought it 30+ years ago when they were working/living in St. Louis.  They built a pond and log cabin so it was their “get-away” place until they retired and built a “proper house”.  They made pizza’s in their wood burning outdoor oven.  We ended up eating inside due to rain, but that dampened no one’s spirits.  We all had a wonderful time. 

Yesterday afternoon I took our house numbers off the mailbox on our porch and scrubbed it.  It still looks sad.I was going to paint it to resemble the ceramic house numbers we got in Taos, but I think I want to start with a new mailbox.  Dennis built this one years ago, out of left-over particle board. (with no supervision from me about where it was hung or size)  It’s weather-worn and areas have soaked up some moisture and are “swollen”.   I like the size (magazines and large manilla envelopes fit without being bent or folded) & design of this one, but better materials for the new one and hanging it not quite so close to the door frame seem to be in order.  

On the news I saw that Duncan Donut is now serving a breakfast sandwich–which consists of a donut split in half, with bacon & eggs in the middle.  DD claims it is only 360 calories.   They didn’t mention how many carbs or grams of fat.

Our robins appear to have flown the nest while we were gone.  I see a lot of juvenile robins hopping around our yard anyway.  And the nest is empty.  I suppose we need to tear it down.  I don’t think robins re-use nests. 

5/29/13   We got up early and hit the road to Santa Fe.  There were just a few of the Native American vendors set up on the north side of the plaza when we arrived.  That was nice.  It wasn’t crowded and we could take our time looking at the jewelry and other crafts for sale.  We had a fun conversation with one man, about the different Indian symbols…we bought a sand painting magnet from him. It’s a bowl with cobs of different colors of corn in it.  I also got a pair of silver earrings from a woman who had designed the way they hang and dangle out of a single piece of silver.  I also fell in love with a bracelet because of the stone.  I was told it came from the area around Denver.  Most of the turquoise we saw was the typical blue or greenish.  There was also some white turquoise that my dad was quite taken with.

We ate at “The Shed”.  It was good but a bit hotter than I am accustomed to.  The menu had a disclaimer about how hot their salsa was.  If we ever go back, I’ll ask for the salsa on the side.  They use blue corn for their tortillas.  I had the burritos, and they were good.  Just a tad too much heat.

We also visited the St. Francis Chapel which is just off the plaza. It has the oldest Madonna statue anywhere in the United States.  It was carried with the Spanish army when they were driving the Moors out of Spain back in the 15th century. The original chapel was built centuries ago, by a wealthy Spanish family.  It’s been destroyed several times and rebuilt, each time larger and more elaborate. 

We also visited the Loretto Chapel and saw the “miracle staircase”.  A carpenter appeared and built the staircase out of wood, and left without telling anyone his name or charging for his work. Some say it was St. Joseph who appeared and built it. It is a steep spiral and has no visible supports.  Originally it didn’t have a handrail, but the nuns found it too scary to climb and the rails were added later.

Our final stop was the state capitol building. They had a display of quilts…but quilts that are paintings.  It was absolutely amazing.  Some were nature landscapes and 2 were of vehicles…one was an old truck out in a field and the other of a 50′s chevy cruising down the street. No photography allowed, unfortunately.  These quilts were amazing.  It was a temporary exhibition, so it was lucky we got to see it.  The 2nd floor rotunda has incredible artwork as well.  

5/30/13

Taos.  

My mom found a turqoise bracelet she liked and bought it.  It’s a bit heavier than mine, with a more traditional blue turquoise stone. Very pretty, but I like mine better.  We had the best meal of the trip at Graham’s Grille.  I had their Southwest Chicken Wrap with a green salad. As we were leaving Taos, we stopped at an “import” place (probably all of it came from Mexico) that had everything from from A-Z.  We found some painted ceramic numbers to put on our house.  Which created another project for me…to put a B on our mailbox and paint some similar flowers to those on the numbers that will hang  above the mailbox.  I’m looking forward to it.

It was a cool day for June.  I definitely noticed the humidity.  Got a lot accomplished.  Cats “furminated”.  Photos printed.  Mail picked up at post office…bills paid.  Spaghetti, salad & garlic bread for supper.  Garden still too wet to do much.  Ran out of energy before I reached the bottom of the list, so a few things transfer over to tomorrow’s list.  

Meanwhile, back when we were in Colorado…

On Memorial Day we went to Mesa Verde.   The museum and movie helped put the history in perspective.  I had no clue that the Indians in the Southwest grew and wove cotton back in the earliest centuries.  They domesticated dogs and turkeys.  An interesting combination.  It was quite a civilization that traded with other tribes to the north and the south.  Dennis and I hiked down to the Spruce Tree Pueblo.   We drove around to all the different Pueblos in the park, but just looked down at them, rather than hike down.  Many of them required guided tours and only limited numbers of people could go down to them.

We had Navajo Tacos at the restaurant at Mesa Verde.  Then we headed to Four Corners.  On the way back from Four Corners to Pagosa Springs, we stopped at this Denny’s. 

Tuesday was the balloon ride!  That was the most fun thing we did (in my opinion).  Riding in a hot air balloon was on my bucket list.  I try to get one thing crossed off every year.  I’m usually successful.  

The balloon ride took most of the morning.  That afternoon we hiked up to chimney rock to see the “pit” houses of a group of Indians that pre-dated the Pueblo Indians…if I understood the history of the movie and what the guide told us.  It was a rugged hike (my mom opted out of going) and you had to be accompanied by a guide…wear sturdy shoes, a hat, and bring water.  There was a long list of the dangers we might encounter on the hike up to chimney rock.  Fortunately no snakes or wild animals were on the path.  No one fell off the side of the mountain or into cactus.  This is the “kiva” or ceremonial “pit” near chimney rock. This is the view from near the top.  Photos just cannot capture the beauty of the landscape.

This is the name of the place we ate the first night in Pagosa Springs.  It was originally a Putt Putt golf course.  Then they added a garden area with a band/music & beer (blues of course)  and served BBQ.  It was good food.  It was a bit cool & windy, so we ate inside, but could still enjoy the music.  Our 2nd evening we played a round of “golf”.  We also enjoyed the band while “golfing”. After our round of “golf”, the owner took our photo.   Notice the beautiful mountains in the background.

On Sunday we rode the narrow gage train from Durango to Silverton. It was an amazing ride.  The views were spectacular and not for those who have a fear of heights.  I took this photo of the engine from the window in our passenger car.  Did I mention hairpin curves and switchbacks?  Unfortunately we had a bit of engine trouble and our 3 1/2 hour ride was almost 5 hours.  So we didn’t get to do as much in Silverton as we expected.  I’d like to go back to Silverton and have more time to walk around and get a better history of the area.  Our guide did not impress me.  She made executive decisions to cut things short and exclude parts of the tour.  :/  

Today we went to Aldi’s and stocked up on food.  We also picked up Lucas.  It was good to see him…he got kind of shaggy and dirty hanging out with Mike & Berdie.  That was what I expected–not a complaint.  Living outside in a kennel and running with other dogs.  We’ll get him a bath and a trim ASAP.  It’s good to have him home.  The cats weren’t quite as happy to see him as we were.

Laundry is caught up.  I think I have everything put away.  Lists of things to do have been made and prioritized.  Talked almost 2 hours with Hannah.  We talked about her plans for finding an apartment (instead of sharing an attic room)…and the dream of finding one big enough she could have a sewing area.  She’s designing a paisley print pattern for work right now.  Fortunately she got a little experience doing this in college. It’s more of a graphic design project than fashion design; she’s on a fast learning curve right now.  It’s a lot of pressure but she loves it.  

Tomorrow I’ll still be following a “must do” list.  Being out west and seeing new sights has inspired me.  I have ideas for a few projects this summer.  Details soon.

It has been an adventure.  Installments to follow.  We came home to 3.5″ in the rain gage and a swampy yard & garden.  I gave friends permission to pick the garden…saw that lettuce and some broccoli were picked while we were gone.  We still have enough lettuce for at least another week if it doesn’t get bitter.  I was surprised to find that we had strawberries!  

The power was off for an unknown amount of time while we were gone.  The popsicles in the freezer hadn’t melted, so I’m assuming it was not out long enough to cause any food spoilage.

Our route home went thru Springfield so we stopped by to see Jax & his parents for a few minutes.  He was tired and ready for a nap, so we didn’t stay long.  It was wonderful to see all 3 of them.

We left Pagosa Springs before 7 AM on Friday morning.  We made it to Weatherford OK before we stopped.  That was at least 12 hours of driving, even taking the time change into consideration.  Originally we hoped to make it to El Reno OK…about 40 more miles down the road.  When we checked into the hotel, there were tornado warnings and tales of tornados around Oklahoma City.  We went upstairs to our room, did a bit of unpacking and settling in.  As we were walking out the door in search of food, the power went out.  Fortunately, areas of the city still had electricity and we ate at a Carl’s Jr.  The power was back on at the hotel when we got back.  This morning, we discovered a tornado hit El Reno Friday night.  We drove thru and saw some of the damage.  It was awful. There were semi’s tossed around and ripped apart at the weigh station.  We saw cars upside down on the sides of the road.  Part of the interstate was flooded…but still had 1 lane going east (our direction) open.  

Since we had very little food in the house and were low on energy, we ate at Pizza Hut tonight.  We ordered a medium hand tossed crust…Dennis had his half “supreme” and I hand the Veggie Special on my half.  I have a piece in the fridge for breakfast tomorrow.  Dennis ate all of his.

We sat out at the picnic table and tried to plan/prioritize what we need to do tomorrow.  The birds were singing. It was humid but not hot, and there was a nice breeze.  Everything was wonderful, until the mosquitoes showed up.  

We spent our first day in Pagosa Springs just looking around and seeing all the sights.  I bought a pair of earrings…brass instead of silver, so they were considerably less.  There is a lot more silver, but a few of the Indian jewelry designers are using brass or copper, as well as silver.  I got this at the Lantern Dancer, which had to nicest and most expensive jewelry. They have several different kinds of stone inlayed in the lizard.  Later I found this pinkie ring at the Rainbow Gift Store.  The Zuni tend to do more of the inlayed jewelry. Even in the small amount of time we were there, I learned to recognize different styles of jewelry.  

Now I am just looking forward to sleeping in my own bed tonight.  Sweet dreams, everyone.

We explored Pagosa Springs today.  It was sunny and warm with a bit of a cool breeze.  There is still snow in the mountains…just on the tops of the tallest peaks.  I’ve tried but I cannot get my photos to upload on this laptop.   

Everywhere we look, there is a beautiful view.  The people are friendly.  We all ended up doing some jewelry shopping.  I got a pair of earrings–brass lizard chasing its tail with some inset stones–lapis, turquoise, and mother of pearl.  At another store I found a “pinky” ring with similar stones set in a silver band.  The “story” is that it is the same jewelry that they sell in Santa Fe, but at cheaper prices.  I love the pieces I got, so it doesn’t really matter.

Last night we ate at Bogey Q.  It is a putt-putt golf course that also has a small restaurant that seves BBQ. They have a small beer garden out in the back where a live blues band was playing.  It was a good time.  They just added the BBQ and were working out a few “kinks” but that was fine with us.  We enjoyed the music and staring off at the mountains in the distance…and talking to each other.

Tomorrow we have an early start.  6:45 we head out to do the Durango-Silverton train trip.  Tuesday is a hot air balloon ride.  Not sure what we will do Monday.  We have quite a few options.