Frost

Frost came hard last night. I'm sad to see my annuals wither and turn black. On the other hand, I've less watering to do in the evening. Another benefit is that I can now plant garlic. I read in the newspaper this summer about growing garlic. Wait until after the first frost. Take any bulb of garlic and break it into cloves. Plant each clove. Next summer each clove will grow into it's own bulb. I have two kinds of garlic to plant. One is the regular stuff I get at the grocery store - the soft necked garlic which is easier to braid. My other garlic is a stiff necked garlic that I bought at a farmer's market. This garlic has a stiff stem and more of a purple color to it. I want to plant both and see which one I like better. I think I'll plant them this weekend when I dig up my carrots and 3 kinds of potatoes. Besides the frost, I noticed my rooster was crowing from inside the coop this morning, muffling his loud morning greeting. I felt sorry for the poor hens who had to listen to them in such a tight space. Another seasonal first for me today - I turned on the furnace. How can I relax in 62 degrees? I wouldn't put up with this low heat in December and I'm not putting up with it today. All day I freeze in my office. I had two long sleeved shirts on today and I still had to put a lap blanket on my lap. All summer I freeze in my office and wear a fleece blanket over my legs. It's ridiculously cold in my office. I deserve comfort at home.

The wind we had on Sunday and Monday was so strong. How strong was it? The wind was strong enough to blow away summer leaving autumn to fill in the void. The wind was strong enough to blow a dozen black walnuts to the ground in front of my house. The squirrels love these walnuts. The pesky varmints take them to the sidewalk or my stone wall and peel them leaving the green and black husks to stain my cement. After the walnut is peeled, the squirrels dig holes in the ground to bury them. The holes are deep enough that all but the squirrel's tail and haunches are below ground. To avoid all these holes in the grass by my house, I pick up each walnut, put it to my nose to inhale it's lovely scent, and then whip it across the yard as far as I can throw. If I'm going to the mailbox, I'll whip it down the driveway and or down the road. Tonight I brought in my ficus plant, my fern, and my herb pot with basil and parsley. I heard there might be a frost.

Rafting Pictures

My dog for the day, Harley.

Things start getting rougher.

Woo Hooo! Awesome!

Here I am soaking in the natural hot spring (lower right).

The Colorado River is beautiful

Lollipop Ride

On Saturday I wanted to enjoy the day and focus on myself. So I treated myself to a motorcycle trip. If you picture Highway 47 as a stick and Mille Lacs Lake as a round piece of hard candy, then you can imagine my lollipop ride. The stick meets the candy in Isle. Along Highway 47 I saw a bald eagle, a family of sandhill cranes dancing in an almost dry pond, and a flock of turkey vultures circling above a bog. Vultures are one of the few birds that have a sense of smell. The flock of vultures numbered about 30 so something in that bog must have been making a big stink. I nearly had the road to myself except for the stretch between Isle and Garrison. I took the south shore scenic drive where the speed limit is 40 and the new road is as smooth as a baby's butt. The scenic drive takes you right to the edge of the lake. For awhile, I kept pace with a pair of jet skiers heading counter clockwise around the lake. I decided to go counter clockwise so I could be closer to the lake as I traveled. After Garrison, I had the road to myself again. I'm not sure how long it took me to travel around the lake but I know it felt too short considering I couldn't even see all the way across the lake. Soon I was in Isle again. I stopped in town to get some tea. Next to the coffee shop was a yarn shop. I was good. I didn't buy anything. I have to stick to finishing one project before buying the goods for the next project. But they sure had nice yard there. I spoke with the owner as I admired the yarn. She had one display of yarn from her own flock of sheep. She has started out with 4 Shetland sheep and now has a flock of 40. She said the sheep give her and her husband plenty to talk about. She talked about Freckles, one of the original four sheep. She held up a cream colored skein of yarn from Freckles as she spoke about Freckle's personality - assertive and a very attentive mother. Freckles generally has one lamb per year. Then she picked up a gray skein of yarn from Speck, Freckle's daughter, also assertive but not as attentive of a mother. Speck generally had twins who would wander away from her and cry out. Speck didn't go to them when they cried. She waited for them to find her. I thought it was awesome that she had undyed yarn from each sheep on separate shelves. The yarn felt creamy like there was still lanolin embedded in the fibers. Then I looked at the price. $22 per skein?! Awesome, but not $22 worth of awesome. I might go back there someday if and when I finish the sweater I'm working on. Saturday was a great day for a ride in the country.

Night On The Town

Friday was my night on the town. Some friends and I had dinner at Kikagawa - a Japanese restaurant near Riverplace in downtown Minneapolis. I had a view of the river from my seat and was given a warm washcloth to wash my hands when I sat down. We had our choice of sitting on chairs at a table or kneeling on cushions at a low table. I had two appetizers for dinner - edamame and vegetable tempura. Both were delicious but the vegetable tempura put a lead balloon in my stomach for the rest of the evening. I guess I'm not used to fried foods anymore. Offspring #2 met us as we headed next door to Picosa to watch the salsa dancing. There was a salsa dancing lesson at 9:30 and a live salsa band playing by 10. Holy cow, some people can dance. Salsa is done with partners and they tend to hold both hands at least some of the time. Some of the guy dancers seemed almost aggressive in their moves. Their partners were spinning right and spinning left and spinning right again. Wow. One girl, in a patterned wrap dress, must have had her heart rate over 120 beats per minute. I got tired just watching here. And she was smiling and having a great time. I don't know how she could do it with her slip on high heels. I had a blast watching the dancers. As Offspring *2 and I walked back to my car, my ears were ringing as we enjoyed the city lights reflecting off of the Mississippi.

Concrete Crafts

A friend and I made concrete birdbaths. My first attempt (the orange one) didn't work out so well because it wasn't thick enough. My second attempt (green one with orange veins) is much better. Here is how you do it. Buy a bag of sand and arrange it in a hill. Make the hill as high as you want your bird bath to be deep. Cover the hill of sand with plastic (I used a plastic bag cut in half so it was single ply). Put a big leaf over the hill on top of the plastic. You can use rhubarb or burdock or pumpkin or any kind of leaf you care to use. I used burdock. If the leaf extends lower than the beginning of the stem, trim the leaf until it is even with stem. If your leaf has a hole in it, patch the hole with another leaf piece. Take off your rings and bracelets and roll up your sleeves. Mix a bag of vinyl patch with water. Put the water in first and then add the vinyl patch so it doesn't get as lumpy. Mix it thoroughly. I found it best to use a large and low container. Scoop the cement on top of the leaf. Use the entire amount on cement on one leaf. Spread the cement to the ends of the leaf. Make sure the cement is thicker at the center of the leaf than the leaf edges. Allow the cement to dry for at least a week. If you have it outside, protect the cement from rain by covering it with plastic. When the week is up, turn it over and peel the leaf off the cement. If the leaf won't come off, use a scrub brush to brush it off. Let the bird bath air out a day or two. Paint with acrylic paint. Spray with Krylon clear spray. Set on a plant stand. Voila! A bath for birds is complete.

Have A Little Faith

I got an advance copy of this book about a week ago. Mitch Albom's book, like all his work, is easy to read. I realize a lot of people really like his work but I think he's over-rated. After finishing, "Have a Little Faith" I felt like someone who was hungry for a meal but only got a plate of snacks.

Families Are Fascinating

A large part of my job is meeting with families. I love that part of the job because to me, families are fascinating. We talk about progress and vocational goals at these meetings. Sometimes people have barriers that keep them from getting or keeping their ideal job. Maybe the barrier is the way they handle anger or comments that others find offensive. So we talk about the barriers with the families and how we're going to work on overcoming those barriers. I've seen a mother slap the table in frustration in the exact same way her son does. I've seen a father tilt his chin in the exact same way his daughter does when she's making a joke. I've seen a sister wiggle her fingers when she laughs in the exact same way her brother wiggles his fingers. I think to myself, 'so that is where that comes from.' I wonder how much of what I do is actually me and how much is my family? Can I be totally separated from where I came from? Offspring #2 says I say "Yeah, yeah, yeah." the exact same way my father and one sister do. Is that true? I remember when she started talking and I thought to myself, "Do I sound like that? I had better be more careful in what I say if I'm going to have it repeated like this!" Whenever I see one family member act just like another family member, I get a little thrill down my spine. Families are fascinating.

LOTS of Company When I Got Home Tonight

When I pulled in my driveway about 6:30 tonight, the yard was crowded with visiting grackles. I estimate there were between 50 and 100 grackles in the trees, the driveway, and the grass. They all were black birds with longish, wedge shaped tails and a blue sheen to their heads. I felt honored to have a flock in my yard. Their collective voices were not especially beautiful. What was beautiful is their aerial dances. How do they decide which way to fly in a flock? Is someone leading the performance? Their behavior appears too whimsical to be planned. Each flying decision must be instantaneous because I've never seen them crash into each other. I read grackles are snowbirds. I'll bet they're flocking up for the trip south. Where do they plan to stay? Will they winter in Florida, Georgia, Alabama or Louisiana? Will they miss me as much as I will miss them?

Pants Down Y'All!

I read a blog titled "Poor Penmanship" and she is one of the funniest people I have ever read. The author is also a columnist in a Utah newspaper. Go to this link to read a hilarious article about peeing in the woods: http://inthisweek.com/view.php?id=1390415

Tune Up Lesson

Today my friend, Ed, gave me a lesson on how to tune up a motorcycle. He helped me change the oil, replace the oil filter, and replace the spark plug. I think I could do it myself next time. I had trouble starting the bike sometimes. If the bike was warmed up the day it would pop right off . Starting it first thing in the morning could take between 5 and 12 attempts. The starting problem could have stemmed from the gap on the spark plug being way wider than the recommended .028 gap. Ed said sometimes the gap will widen with use. What a great guy, this Ed. I try to thank him but he never wants anything. I know he follows a low-carb diet. Last time I gave him beef jerky and he shared it with a bunch of people. Tonight I stopped at the Anoka Meat Market to buy Ed some T-bone steaks. The meat market is full of meat and smelled like meat. I was pretty grossed out by the place. I stared at the pork chops and the hamburger and the prime rib and was glad I am a vegetarian. My purchase was wrapped in butcher paper and the butcher said, "Enjoy your supper!" I decided not to explain I would be having tofurkey for supper and just answered, "Thanks!"

Ricotta Update

The ricotta I made last night? Tasted fine but was too dry. The directions said to let the cheese drain in the cheesecloth for 15 minutes. Next time I will pay more attention to the time instead of letting it drain until I was done on the computer.

Haralson Apples

When I got home from the store today I saw someone mowing my lawn. Offspring #1 came by to take over that chore. I am so lucky to have the kids I do. Later I found him up a tree. He had climbed the apple tree to get the best looking apples. Now I have a crisper full of Haralson apples too. Because I don't spray, the apples aren't the pretty ones you see in the store. Mine have splotchy skins and several have worms. Most of them are delicious. Just yesterday I saw a 3 point buck enjoying a dozen or so apples. He chewed contentedly even though he saw me watching him with my binoculars. This buck had a white ring around his nose and a huge growth on his right shoulder. He looked like he had a tennis ball under his skin. His girlfriend and her twins were frolicking nearby. I don't mind the deer eating apples. It saves me from having to pick them up off the ground and put them in the compost bin. The tree gave us a good crop this year. There are enough apples for everybody.

I Made Cheese

On Friday I was reading my city newspaper. I read an article about what can and what cannot be recycled. I learned that the ricotta containers I've been putting in the recycling container actually can't be recycled. For years I thought they could. I hate it that I am adding so much plastic to landfills. I eat about a half cup of ricotta nearly every day for breakfast. I mash a half of a banana with the ricotta and put it into a pita that just came out of the toaster. If the containers can't be recycled, what could I do (besides switch breakfast menus)? I wondered if I could buy ricotta in a bag. That also would be plastic. What about a paper carton? I've never seen ricotta in a paper carton. What if I made my own? Offspring #2 googled ricotta recipes. "It's easy," she said. "Gradually heat up a gallon of whole milk and a quart of buttermilk to 175 degrees. Separate the curds from the whey by straining it though 4 layers of cheesecloth. Eat within a week. It makes 4 cups." Sounds simple to me. I went to the store to buy whole milk and buttermilk. Yikes, the gallon of milk comes in a big plastic bottle. But that can be recycled so no worries there. I noticed the 32 ounces of ricotta costs $5.09 I added the costs of buttermilk and the whole milk. That total was $5.08. Yahoo! I saved a penny. But my ricotta will go bad within a week. The other ricotta had an expiration date in the middle of December. Maybe mine will taste better without all those preservatives. Plus I had to buy cheesecloth and a candy thermometer. Right now the ricotta is draining through the four layers of cheese cloth. To me it smells like butter. The jury is still out on whether it's worth my while to make ricotta - I'll let you know after breakfast tomorrow.

Highway 3

This year the summer is hanging on and I took full advantage of it. I might have stayed home and done something responsible like clean the house or finish home improvement projects or craft projects but I didn't. I biked to Northfield to visit Offspring #2. I started out heading southeast on old Highway 10. I don't normally take any freeways. My little motorcycle has only a 250 cc engine and isn't made to go over 60 mph for very long. My issue with freeways might partially be a mental barrier. This time I dared merge onto Hwy. 694 only long enough to get off on Snelling. Later I was glad I dared to do this. I followed Snelling south to Larpenteur. I headed east and went south again on Rice Street. I drove through downtown resisting the urge to beep my horn and hear the echo between the tall buildings. I crossed the river on Robert Street. Robert Street will take you all the way into Northfield. I was very excited to climb the Robert Street Hill that comes after you cross Ceasar Chavez Boulevard. A sun face decorates the bridge at the top of the hill and the black eyes of the sun watched me climb up. I drove through West St. Paul. I struggled with a detour because it took me on Highways 52 and 55 for short distances. Since I had already tackled Hwy. 694, these highways didn't seem so bad. Then I was back on Highway 3 (Robert Street). I traveled through downtown Rosemount and through Farmington. Soon enough I was in Northfield. I had traveled 72 miles - a few miles less than my usual trip on Hwy. 35. I drove almost 2 1/2 hours to get there which is double my usual trip length. But I had fun. I took Highway 3 north to get home again. I think it's funny how the trip in the opposite direction has completely different scenery. This time I did toot my horn in downtown St. Paul. It does echo between the tall building - just in case you didn't know that. I took University Avenue east so I could motor north on Lexington through Como Park. I went east on Highway 694 (brave, aren't I?) and west on old Highway 10 on home. Nice day for a bike ride. There is always time tomorrow to be responsible.

I Might Have Stayed In Bed

I got up this morning at 6 o'clock as usual. If I had known what would happen today, I might have stayed in bed. It wasn't a bad day overall but several individual incidents were a little hairy. I rode my motorcycle to work as I have done every day this week. The weather has been good. In the morning I drive through the fog and head east on Bunker Lake Boulevard. The extra large sun rises through the clouds "Like a Red Rubber Ball." I cut over to Main Street. Traffic was slow. I signalled my intention to take a right on University Avenue. I waited until the turn lane appeared as a good driver is supposed to do. Lucky for me, I was cautious in my entrance to the turn lane because the car behind me did not wait for the turn lane to start and was RIGHT THERE. And yes, I do owe another dollar to my swearing jar. Later in the morning I had a meeting in Anoka. On my return to Blaine I had to stop at Kohl's to pick up one item. And no, I'm not doing my personal shopping when I am supposed to be working. I was there to pick up an item for work. You might think me lucky to be able to shop and get paid for it but I really don't like shopping. I found my item and turned to walk to the cash register. I had my boots on (because I was riding my motorcycle). The lace of my left boot got caught on the lace hook of my right boot. My upper body was in motion to stride forward but my feet, tangled up in the lace, could take only teensy tiny steps forward. You can't fight physics and gravity can be a bitch. Down I went, smack on the aisle floor of Kohls. Ouch. My knee hurt a little, my palm hurt a little, but my pride was seriously injured. A nice woman helped me to my feet. One of my coworkers tripped over her feet at work on Tuesday and fell in the hallway. I immediately thought of her and was glad I didn't fall at work. I prefer to fall in the company of complete strangers. That thought made me feel better. Later, on my ride home, I was traveling north on University. I heard a firetruck behind me. I signalled a right turn and moved to the shoulder. The red truck behind me did not notice the firetruck and moved ahead. Just as the firetruck got under the Highway 10 overpass, it honked it's ginormously loud horn scaring a little white car from the left lane over to the shoulder where it struck the red truck. Wow, that could have been me if I hadn't pulled over. I'm glad I am home safe and sound. If I had known this morning that I would witness two accidents too close for comfort and fall down on my hands and knees, I might have stayed in bed.

Tunnel of Fudge

The Offspring and I went to the Mill City Museum this summer. On display was a cake mix for the "Tunnel of Fudge" bundt cake. I told them this cake was a big hit in our family. We made this cake several times a year because it was so delicious. In the Mill City Museum they sold a cake mix for the "Tunnel of Fudge" but the cost was out of my price range. I offered to find a recipe and make it for a birthday. Earlier this month Offspring#2 turned 21 (can you believe it? Seems like just yesterday she was an owl-eyed infant!) So last week I made the tunnel of fudge cake. It's no wonder it tastes so good. First you cream almost 2 cups of butter with almost 2 cups of sugar and then you add another 2 cups of sugar. Here, I'll just let you read the ingredients for yourself:

Cake Ingredients: 1 3/4 cups sugar, 1 3/4 cups butter-softened, 6 eggs, 2 cups powdered sugar, 2 1/4 cups unbleached flour, 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa, 2 cups chopped walnuts

Glaze Ingredients: 3/4 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa, 4 to 6 teaspoons milk

Directions: heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 12-cup fluted tube cake pan or 10-inch tube pan. In large bowl combine sugar and butter; beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually add 2 cups powdered sugar; blend well. By hand, stir in flour and remaining cake ingredients until well blended. Spoon batter into greased and floured pan; spread evenly. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until top is set and edges are beginning to pull away from sides of pan. Cool upright in pan on wire rack 1 1/2 hours. Invert onto serving plate; cool at least 2 hours. In small bowl, combine all glaze ingredients, adding enough milk for desired drizzling consistency. Spoon over top of cake, allowing some to run down sides. Store tightly covered.

Was it good you ask? Ooooh, la, la. It was good. The cake magically creates a tunnel of fudge. One tiny slice is as filling as a full meal. The directions warn you not to scrimp on the walnuts or the tunnel of fudge won't form.

Sadness

I work in a building that offers many services including unemployment, WIC (food for women, infants and children), unemployment, jobs and training, emergency assistance, help with heating bills, low income legal advice, and mental health services. In the women's restrooms, someone put up fliers offering day and evening sessions for victims of domestic abuse. At the bottom of the flier are tear-off phone numbers where you can call to sign up for the sessions. Every day I see more and more phone numbers are torn off these fliers. That makes me really sad.

So Young, Brave and Handsome

I could not put it down. Those five words say it all because it's been a l o n g time since I read a book this good. I stayed up past my bedtime. It's rare for me to stay awake past 10 on a work night but I could not put it down. "So Brave, Young, and Handsome" by Leif Enger was sitting on a table near the entrance at the Northtown library for me on Friday evening. I wasn't in there to get a book. I have a big stack of books to read. I came to get a book on CD so I could have a story to pass the time on my drive to Northfield on Saturday. But there it was, a book by Leif Enger that I haven't read yet. So I snatched it up like the squirrels snatch my sunflower seeds out of my bird feeder. I started reading it on Sunday and finished it Monday night. Ooooh, and it was a good read. He's such a good writer. Oddly enough, the book starts out at a home on the Cannon River in Northfield, MN.

Rocky Mountain High

"Rocky Mountain High." What do those words make you think of? John Denver's singing perhaps? I used to think about John Denver when I heard those words but now I think of how I feel when I get above 12 or 13 thousand feet. I get altitude sickness. I feel dizzy. My nose bleeds. My head hurts. My nasal passages swell. I feel a weight on my shoulders. My lungs feel like I'm trying to breathe through a straw. I'm not getting enough oxygen. And I feel incredibly thirsty. I can drink and drink and still not have enough to drink. My throat and skin are dry. I'm just not myself. I can take Aleve for the headache but I still have a Rocky Mountain High. Here is a photo of an alluvial fan in Rocky Mountain National Park. In the 1980's, a dam failed above the spot where I took the photo. A lake emptied and came down tearing this valley. Boulders the size of cars and larger were carried down by the flood and fanned out at this spot. It's terrifying to see the destruction. Campers were killed. The water eventually made it's way down to Estes Park and flooding the town.

Undaunted Courage

Last winter I took a community education course on the Oregon Trail. We learned about our country's greatest military expedition lead by Meriwether Lewis and George Clark. The story is fascinating. Thomas Jefferson, one of my favorite presidents, had great foresight in sending this group of men outside of the country to explore the Louisiana Purchase, map it, catalog the flora and fauna, study the Native American tribes, and make peace with them. I will never know what they went through because just about all of earth has been explored, documented, and mapped already. Can you imagine being the first to see a grizzly bear or a sand-hill crane or a redwood tree? Lewis and Clark got to see all of this. Stephen Ambrose writes about their journey in excruciating detail which is why it took me a little over 6 months to read this book. Golly, the journey west was painfully long. I almost felt like I was pushing the boat against the current of the Missouri River myself. It's not that the book was boring, only tedious in detail. I brought it with me to Colorado and was determined to finish it out there. And I did. I sat on the porch with my chair pointed toward Long's Peak (btw-Long's Peak is featured on the Colorado quarter) and read in one sitting all the way from the Nez Pierce in Washington all the way to Philadelphia. Reading the return journey was a lot easier. The book features Meriwether - a complicated guy if there ever was one. He was a genius in some respects and inept in others. He favored equality among the races yet misogynistic. He wouldn't give Sacajawea an ounce of credit even though she saved his sorry a$$ more than once. Clark, on the other hand, did recognize that Sacajawea was a lifesaver on the mission but insisted that his black slave not be compensated like everyone else on the journey and not be set free. Together they managed to make a success of their mission. I recommend this book if you have the time and the interest in the Corp of Discovery.

White Water Rafting

One day in Colorado my friend and I went white water rafting with her son. He has his own raft. He's preparing for a 16 day trip rafting down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon next summer. He likes to get practice in whenever he can. We wanted to shuttle our vehicles. I suggested my friend ride with her son and spend some mother/son time. The Colorado river is on the other side of the mountains and we had a 3 hour drive ahead. I rode with Harley. Harley is part chocolate lab and part German shorthair. We spent 6 hours in the car together and she sat by me during the four hours in the raft. Basically she was my dog for the day. We got along well. Harley thinks she's human. She doesn't like to be treated like a dog. Petting is barely tolerable unless you rub her chest. Don't talk to her like she is a dog - she doesn't like that. Don't throw things and expect her to get all excited because she won't. She's a human dog. Even when riding in the car, she sits on the seat and looks out the window as if she is a human. She likes the highest peaks. Once you're on lower (more boring) ground, she curls up on the seat and sleeps. When I stopped for a rest stop, I just had to ask her to wait. She sat waiting with the windows wide open. I really enjoyed having a dog for the day. We drove to a public landing upriver from the small town of Radium, Colorado. We unloaded the boat and the supplies. We had to move the truck to the pull-out spot. I was voted the person to drive the Nissan manual 5-speed truck to the next spot. I got in and the truck wouldn't start. I tried many times. I moved the seat as forward as it could go and the truck still wouldn't start. Sometimes if you don't have the clutch pushed in all the way the vehicle won't start. So I stretched my left leg as far as it would go, pointed my toe, and sat on the edge of the seat. The truck started. I had the map of where to park the truck so I took off down the gravel mountain roads. Each gear shift was an exercise of left leg lengthening. We rolled though the town of Radium. I saw a collection of about 6 houses and that was the extent of that town. We went up another mountain pass and I came upon the spot where we were supposed to pull out. I made a right turn and the driveway to the campsite immediately hair pinned to the right again. I couldn't turn and stretch my leg at the same time. I decided I would just keep the same gear and roll down this hill. That worked. By the time I parked that truck, my heart was pounding in my chest. If shuttling the vehicles was this scary, how was I going to live through the rafting? We headed back and my friend's son had finished pumping air into the raft and loading the boat. I saw the water in the river moving by really fast. It looked a little scary. Then I saw other groups getting ready to raft. Some groups had toddlers going on the trip. Well, that was encouraging. If a two year old can do it, surely I can do it too. We got in the raft. My place was in the front with Harley. My friend's son had two oars and he sat in the middle rowing forward. My friend sat in the far back. I zipped up my life jacket and pulled the straps tight. We were on our way. I was told that if I fell out, I should not try and stand up. Standing up in the river would be very dangerous. The best thing to do is to float on my back with my feet up out of the water and try to move toward shore. We were moving fast. We saw a train track on the right. We were in a flat area between mountains. Soon we came to a gorge. The rock faces of the mountain were close on both sides. The water got deeper and the river got narrower. Rocks were pointing out of the water. Harley got up and positioned herself between my calves and the cooler I was sitting on. She wedged herself in tight, moving my legs where she wanted them to be. We went over some rapids. I couldn't feel the rocks we went over but suddenly my knees were a lot closer to my ears than they were a minute ago. Then we went down. Water splashed up. The raft has drainage holes where the sides and the floor come together. Water splashed into the boat through those drainage holes. Suddenly the front of the boat was up again and the back was down. Then the front was down and the back was up. Woo Hoo! This was fun! I was wet. Harley was wet too. I saw a big rock coming up. All of a sudden we turned directions and I was looking up river at what we just passed through. I heard my friend scream. She just got soaked. I think her son wanted her to get as wet as I was because we quickly turned around again. I watched for rocks. I tried to predict what course he would take. After a while I was reading the river fairly well. The river went past the gorge and into a flatter area. The water got quiet and shallow again. Harley laid down. The scenery was so gorgeous I cannot describe the beauty. A quartet of common Mergansers floated near the shore. I admired the female Merganser's coppery head with my binoculars. We went past a beaver dam on the right. The railroad went into a tunnel and came out again a few minutes later. The sky had puffy white clouds and the temperature was about 80. Another gorge was coming up ahead. Harley positioned herself between my legs and the cooler again. This was Harley's fifth trip down the river. She knew what to expect. If Harley got nervous, it was time for me to be nervous too. More rocks were pointing out of the river. Sometimes the waves curled back toward us. We went up. We went down. We tilted to the right. We tilted to the left. Rafting is so much fun! I put my hands up in the air like people do on a roller coaster. Wooo Hoooo! Other rafters were screaming too. The water calmed down again. Another rafter pulling up to shore told us that the kids in kayaks kept flipping over. They had rescued the kayak kids 3 times already. Now he said it would be out turn to save the kayak kids. He said the kayakers had promised to get out of the river at Radium. And he pointed to their hat over in the weeds. We rescued the hat from the weeds and gave it to the kayak kids. They looked pretty scared. As they paddled toward us one guy said, "Go to the left side of the raft." They came on the right side of the raft so I don't think they had much experience in making the kayak go in the direction they wanted. They didn't need any rescuing from us. After the next gorge, we came upon a natural hot spring. Other people were soaking in this rocky hot tub. We pulled over and joined them. The water was warm but not quite as warm as a hot tub. We soaked for a while and watched people jump off the cliffs into the water. One guy did a very impressive back flip. The water in the Colorado is very cold and he quickly got back into the hot spring. Soon we passed the town of Radium. Up to now the river was very crowded but we had only been rafting for about 90 minutes so I was glad our trip wasn't over yet. After Radium, we saw only a couple rafts. We had the river almost exclusively to ourselves. Some anglers stood in waders in the shallow parts of the white water. I think it would be impossible to stand upright in water much higher than your knees. The river would knock you over. We stopped to eat our lunch on an island. My friend makes the best sandwiches out of sesame bagels, Swiss cheese, mustard, peppers, onions, green beans, broccoli, and carrots. We headed downstream again. After Radium the rapids are fewer and farther apart. My friend's son had a lot of rowing to do. I would have offered to row but I wasn't sure I could handle any rapids. The sun was beating down on us. I was glad I was wearing my visor and long sleeved shirt. We saw more ducks, a robin, ravens, tree swallows, and cliff swallows. We passed through more mountain gorges and saw a couple more railroad tunnels. At one point we saw a huge dust cloud ahead. A grader, perched on a railroad car, was grading the gravel on the sides of the track. Just like a snow plow, the grader pulled the blade ahead. After one more set of thrilling rapids it was time to pull out of the water. We unloaded the boat. The water was icy cold and made my legs numb which felt great because the rest of me was really hot. I carried one of the 5 foot by 18 inch side boards up the river bank. The sun was on my back. I said, "Look, my shadow makes me look like an angel." "Or a totem pole," was my reply. We loaded up the truck and let the air out of the raft. All three of us piled on the raft to push the air out of the valves. We got it rolled up and all 4 of us climbed into the truck. We drove through Radium again and picked up my car. My dog and I got in the car and followed the truck back to town. We bought cold drinks before driving the 3 hours back to Estes Park. We were exhausted. We got back about 8 p.m. Although we thought we should be hungry, none of us were. Those sandwiches we ate at lunch were magically filling. I felt so lucky to have this opportunity to go rafting. I know a lot of people who say they've always wanted to do it but haven't yet. My advice? Don't wait too long!

The Rock Inn

While in Estes Park, we went to the Rock Inn twice. One night we had dinner there while a man and a woman played the fiddle in blue grass style. The woman stood on a mat and stomped her feet to the music. I ordered chickpea stew. It was delicious!!!! I was determined to make it when I got home. I found a recipe and tried it. My chickpea stew was even more delicious! Here it is if you want to try it.

Ingredients: 1/4 cup olive oil, one cup onion cut into 1-inch squares with layers separated, 1 TB minced garlic, 1 TB dried oregano, 4 cups chickpeas-drained and rinsed, 16 ounces canned crushed Italian plum tomatoes with juice, 1-10 ounce bag fresh spinach-washed and with stems removed, 2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

Directions: Heat oil in a sauce pan. Add onions and garlic. Saute over medium high heat until onion turns translucent. Add oregano, chickpeas and tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the spinach and saute until the spinach just starts to wilt. Remove from heat, add salt, pepper and parsley and stir until well blended.

Rocky Mountain delicious!!! Don't scrimp and use dried parsley. I think the fresh parsley is a key ingredient.

Driving Mountain Roads

I love to drive. New roads are my favorite. New mountain roads are a joy to drive on. I love going up and down hills. Switchbacks? Love 'em. Hairpin curves? Love 'em too. The roads through Rocky Mountain National Park were fun to drive on. Estes Park is seven plus thousand feet above sea level. The Trail Ridge road through the park is the highest mountain pass road and tops out over 12 -almost 13 thousand feet above sea level. As we drove we saw a sign that said we were 2 miles above sea level. Later we saw another sign that said we were 3 miles above sea level. The Toyota Yaris was a fun car to drive and handled the mountains well. My only complaint was the seat belt. The belt crossed over my larynx and felt like it was choking me. Sometimes I put the belt behind my back because it was so uncomfortable. If I was wearing a sweater or a jacket, I could tuck the belt below some fabric and be comfortable. Without extra layers the seat belt was a problem. Here is a photo I took out the driver's window as I drove up the mountain trail road. The mountain trail is a special road because it's not paved and goes only one way - up. When you start out at the park entrance, we were in meadows and Ponderosa pine forests with big fluffy trees, wide straight streams, and tall grass. As you go up the meadows and tall grasses disappear. Pines dominate the hills with quaking aspen poking out in yellow here and there. The streams move faster, curve more, and have rocks poking out of the water.Higher up the aspen disappear and the streams flow really fast and wiggle back and forth like snakes. This photo was taken at almost the end of the tree line. You can see these trees are alpine - slower growing, darker in color, and sparse. Eventually the trees get only a few feet tall and grow only in the protection of rock formations. Some shrubby trees had needles only on the protected side of the branches and trunks. Ahead are the tundra hills and some patches of snow. To the left is a cliff. There are trees on the cliff but it is very steep. The switchbacks on this road were especially fun. You can't see around the corner. As you drive you notice huge ruts in the roads on the corners. I tried to drive on top of the ruts but you gotta keep going and keep turning. My Toyota never bottomed out and I was surprised because I took that mountain trail road twice. There is no room to pass on this approximately 8 mile road. There were a couple pull off areas where cars could park. One one switchback curve I saw a woman standing in the road. I thought, "Seriously? This is where you want to be standing?" What I didn't see is that she was standing and watching two men change a tire on a yellow jeep. What an unfortunate place to get a flat! The other park roads (Road number 34 and road number 36 were wider, paved, and had two-way traffic. But they were fun too. I took those road a half dozen times at least. What I could not understand is all the bicycles on that road. There are no bike lanes. I would often have to wait behind a bicycle until the traffic cleared and I could get past them safely. Now, tell me, who would want to bicycle up the highest mountain road on the state of Colorado? These people are crazy? I can't think of worse conditions to bicycle! Coming back down would be fun but not biking up. I could see getting a ride to the top and then biking down but these people were biking up the mountain on a narrow road, often in the rain. All the bikers wore those Lycra biking outfits and helmets. Most of them had very good muscle definition in their calves. Sometimes I envied the motorcyclists going up and down the mountain but not once did I envy a bicyclist.

Wildlife Encounters in Colorado or Why I Screamed

We saw lots of wildlife in Colorado. Rocky Mountain National Park has many herds of elk. Sometimes the elk sit near the roads. All the tourists pull over to the side to take pictures. There are signs posted warning us not to approach wildlife but some people get out of their cars and walk among the elk with their cameras. The elk looked sleek and strong this time of year. I hear they're not always this pretty. But the elk isn't why I screamed. We saw two moose on the other side of the continental divide where the water drains into the Colorado River. The moose were standing in a small stream munching away. I love seeing moose. I bought a stained glass depiction of a moose head to hang in the window in honor of this sighting. The moose isn't why I screamed. When we stopped to walk on the tundra trail, high above the tree line, I didn't think there would be any animals up this high and in this desolate place. I was wrong. The tundra was teeming with life. White and black butterflies flitted about. I couldn't believe how many of these butterflies were up there. The butterflies were reckless. They would fly across the path and crash into my legs. We saw grasshoppers and chipmunk like creatures. A roly-poly brown creature that looked like a woodchuck was busy on the tundra. He turned out to be a marmot. I was told that when you hike in the tundra, marmots will follow you. If you stop to urinate, they will hurry to lick up the urine because they crave the salt. I was advised that if I had to stop and pee on the tundra, it's best to pee on a rock. If you pee on plants, the marmots will eat the plants to get the salt and damage the plants. The marmot wasn't why I screamed. Actually I didn't REALLY scream. I didn't have enough breath in my lungs to let our a real horror-flick scream. My scream came out more like a scared moan. I was sitting on the deck of the cabin in a lawn chair. I was trying to overcome my altitude sickness by swallowing Aleve and drinking lots of water. I had the Estes Park newspaper in my lap and my red stainless steel water container in my hand. A hummingbird flew by. I thought it was a ruby throated hummingbird but something wasn't quite right. The throat wasn't ruby, more of a red. And the head looked different. Turns out it was a broad tailed hummingbird common in alpine areas. This hummingbird flew back again to check out my red jug and see if it was edible. It flew and hovered right in my face. I am talking RIGHT in my face. We were seeing eye to eye. That bird was way inside my personal bubble. And it stayed hovering there. That is when I semi-screamed. The hummingbird's long beak was just inches from my nose. You might think I'm a woos to scream because of a hummingbird. Don't judge me until you've had a hummingbird beak hover inches from your nose too.

Where We Stayed In Estes Park

Estes Park is about a 2 hour drive northwest of Denver. We arrived in the afternoon and went to the school where her son is the wilderness department head at an experiential-based high school. He took us to his cabin on the other side of town. He lives a few hundred feet from the Rocky Mountain National Park. He has a manly cabin that made both of us jealous of the simplicity and the charm. We both would be happy to downsize our lives and live in a small place like this. The cabin has one bedroom, a bathroom with a shower, a small kitchen, and a small sitting room with a fireplace. He has a small deck and a shed in the back. From the picture window we could see Long's Peak - a landmark mountain in this area. My friend's son was nice enough to let us use his cabin. He stayed with a friend during our trip. Can you believe his hospitality? Move out and let his Mom and her friend take over his house? Would you do that for your Mom? I doubt many people would. I slept in the front room on a futon. Futons are more comfortable for my back than my own bed. While I lay on the futon, I looked out the window. I could see Long's Peak, a full moon, and a tree. I slept for a while. When I woke again, I could see Long's Peak, Orion's belt, and a tree. When I woke the third time I could see Long's Peak, peach colored clouds in a pale blue sky, and a tree. When I woke for the final time, I could see Long's Peak, orange clouds, and a tree. We sure had nice digs on our trip!

Estes Park, Colorado

My friend and I went to visit her son in Estes Park, Colorado. We flew to Denver and rented a car. We had arranged for an economy car. She drives a Prius and I drive a Civic so an economy car seemed to be a good choice. This is the third car I have rented this year and I gotta say, those rental car employees really push you to spend more money. This one in Denver was a pro. First he asks where we are going. Then he says at that altitude, they recommend a 4 wheel drive and a 6 cylinder vehicle.

"No," I say. "We want an economy car."

He leads us out to the lot and points disdainfully at a Toyota Yaris. We look. It's true that the car is about one third shorter than you would expect. I ask for a four door. He says they don't have that. He then says, smiling and nodding his head up and down, for only $28 we can get a Camry. He is a handsome guy and he has a fabulous smile. I find myself becoming mesmerized. My friend figures this means $28 per day which sounds cheaper than our economy car price. She sounds interested. He continues to smile and nod his head yes. I ask, "That is $28 more, right?"

He says, "No, not $28 more per day, $28 for the entire time."

"No," I repeat. "We want an economy car."

Then he asks if we want the basic insurance or the recommended insurance. I tell him we have insurance and don't need anymore. "Really?" he asks, "How much is your deductible?"

He is still smiling and nodding his handsome head up and down, physically showing me how to agree to spend more money. He's so handsome I can't remember the name of my car insurance company much less my deductible. I shake my head to break the spell. "We don't need more insurance."

Eventually he gives up on us and gives us the keys to the car. Throughout the entire trip as this little Toyota Yaris climbs up mountain roads and traverses the Trail Ridge Road (highest mountain pass in the state) without any trouble, I think about this rental car salesman who said this car didn't have enough power for the elevation. What a bunch of baloney.

Somebody Stole My Canary!!

I just got back from Colorado today. I walked in the house and heard nothing. I went in the kitchen. No Canary!! Somebody stole my canary!!!

Then I remembered I asked Offspring #2 to care for my canary in my absense.

Gosh, I miss my little canary. I wouldn't think a bird would add such as presence to the house.

Anyway, I had a great trip. More to follow.

Pre-Vacation Rituals

Things I do before I leave: soak up the garden really well in case it's dry while I'm gone. Water all the plants. Package my medicine in little tinfoil packages and stick them in my backpack. Roll up my clothing into long logs and stick them in my smaller suitcase so I can carry it on the plane and avoid the $15 fee. Make sure I have a book to read and a fresh ball of yarn for knitting on the plane. Take the extra cards out of my wallet (library, gift cards, etc). Take out the trash and the compost before I leave so the house smells good when I return. I'm leaving for Estes Park, Colorado with a friend. We're visiting her son who is a highly trained outdoor educator. He has a raft. He's taking us whitewater rafting. So if the raft tips and we spill into the rapids, who do you think he will save first? Me? Not likely, more like his Mom. Lets hope they get in a big fight before we head downriver so he saves me first. Rocky Mountains, here I come!