We hosted Christmas Eve this year and had a wonderful time. Grandma spent some time with the Banks' and went to their church service. We attended midnight Mass as always. Christmas morning and day were relaxing and enjoyable. The kids slept in, we opened presents, and enjoyed the day. We always have biscotti and had monkey bread this year. In the evening we went to Stan and Bea's house for a Mexican Fiesta which was delicious and fun.

More pics.....

Christmas

We cut the tree again this year near the Rampart Range area but in a different area. I think next year we'll go back to the old area. The tree we chose is beautiful but big. Very tall and wide. It took the help of the Little Giant to get it decorated. Valerie and Eric drove down from North Dakota on the 19th and Grandma flew in on the 21st. Tyler and Meredith came home from Boulder. We all celebrated Val's birthday by going our for sushi (something she doesn't get in North Dakota). We also spent her birthday baking cookies and decorating the gingerbread house.

1st Ski Trip of the Season!

When I found out I didn't have to work on this past Friday or Monday Arn and I decided to head to Crested Butte. I, of course wanted to try out my new skis. They had gotten lots of new snow the previous week but we had been in a cold snap. The weatherman called for temps in the 20's. Another perk was the price of ski passes. The price was $59 but if you had another CO ski pass you got half price. Our Keystone 4 pk passes worked! We ate at the Avalanche Friday night, skiied Sat., took off Sun., went hot tubbing, used the steam room, and skied Monday morning before we headed back to Monument. It snowed like crazy all day Sunday so we took that day off so Arn could study for his upcoming pharmacy test and I could work on Christmas cards. We did take Maggie on a couple of 'blizzard' walks. We went to the Brown Lab Pub and Bakery a couple of times but they wouldn't let her go inside because it was too packed (normally they don't mind). Monday morning we got out early and had 19 inches of fresh powder. It wasn't very crowded so we found fresh powder all morning. I think I did ski the powder a little better with my new skis (True Luvs - K2). We did try another new restaurant in Mountaineer Square that we will go back to - Djangos. It is a small plate place and the food was great. We finally got to try Pork Belly! The chefs on Top Chef are always making it and we really liked it but want to try it again somewhere else for a comparison. It was nice enjoying the perks of retirement and working per diem. We would like to find some used cross country skis this yr. and I'd like to get Arn a pair of snowshoes but he isn't really receptive to the snow shoe idea. Back to scrambling to get ready for Christmas!

Greenland Open Space

In an effort to burn some of the calories we consumed on Thanksgiving we went hiking out on the Greenland Open Space yesterday. We walked for 4.89 miles on Kipps loop. Some of it was in trees and scrub oak but most of the area is out in the open. The views of Spruce Mt. and Palmer Lake are really nice. We did pass by the grave of Edward Thomas Kipps who passed away at the age of 28 in 1869. Of course I had to do some research to find more info about him and found out that he was a leather merchant. He was from London, England and evidently came to the area because of TB but passed away at a young age. His wife returned to England after he died. The area is beautiful and is surrounded by a wrought iron fence. Evidently this area on the treed ridge was the Palmer Lake cemetery at one time and there are more graves (8) to the east hidden in the scrub oak. Most of the graves were moved to the Monument Cemetery because of the location which was too far from Palmer Lake. We'll have to do some more exploring the next time we are up there. Maggie wasn't moving so well after the hike and needed to have an aspirin and rest. I think 4-5 mi. is her max for a hike these days. The top pic is looking out from the cemetery area out to Spruce Mt. and the ranch below it.

Thanksgiving 2009

We had a great Thanksgiving holiday this year. Our group consisted of 16 loved ones and we sure missed those that weren't able to attend (Val and Eric). Everything was delicious and we planned for plenty of leftovers. Pass The Pig was a hit this year because all ages could play and it didn't require any thinking or concentration. There was a lot of oinking going on around the table. Note Brian's pic in the group photo. Tyler and Mere had to return to Boulder on Friday because of their jobs. Meredith, Chris, Maren, and I hiked up to the reservoirs Friday AM before they left. It was fun spending time with everyone. Arn and I will be cutting the tree for Christmas this week and putting up decorations. Val and Eric arrive the 19th and Grandma arrives on the 21st. I really need to get going on my shopping!

Corn Drying Day!

Today was corn drying day with my antique corn dryer. I used my mother's and my grandmother's recipe and it does take all day. One gallon of corn is mixed with 1 cup sugar, 1 cup light cream, 1/4 cup salt and placed on the dryer which sits on the stove top. There is a reservoir which hold water and the corn dehydrates. We always have it on Thanksgiving and call it 'Indian Corn'. It can also be used for hiking or backpacking food. It keeps indefinitely in a jar in the pantry. We love it but there are many who don't. I think I'll fix another kind of corn too for those people. It's not much work at all and I feel like I am preserving history by doing it. I'm still doing prep work for Thanksgiving and need to make all of my pie crusts yet! I love this time of year...

Bernie and Marguerite came to Denver this past weekend and invited us to go to the Broncos/Steelers football game on Monday night. So many Steeler fans were in attendance! Arn and I rode the train into the stadium and met Bernie and Marg. It was such a fun time and we were thrilled the Steelers won! Go Steelers!

Howloween 2009

We still enjoy getting dressed up for Halloween! This year we went to the club again (last yr. we were M &M packages). The Monument Hill Band played again so there was lots of dancing. Obviously Arn went as Waldo and I was a bee keeper (Mere's costume from last year). The monk and the sexy nun are our friends Brad and Jane. On Sat we went up to Boulder to watch CU play Missouri. It was our first football game of the year. Tyler, Miranda, and Meredith came too. We had a nice day even tho the Buffs lost, had lunch at the Sun Mt. Cafe after the game, and got home in time to pass out candy (not one kid stopped by this yr.) Mere and Tyler both had to work(and dress up for work) Mere was a lobster and Tyler was an 80's rocker (Metal Head). I hope Tyler got a pic of himself.

A Quick Hike with Mere in Ute Valley Park

Meredith was home this past weekend and we
stopped by Ute Valley Park. I need to go back and
explore it a few more time. It's a city park in Co.
Sprgs. that I've been wanting to check out. It is a good
spot to hike when we have snow up in Monument and
it is warmer in the Springs.

Blue skies and frosty! Last weekend Monument was stuck in a low hanging cold cloud and everything was covered in frost. The temp got down to 18 degrees. Hopefully we get a few days of nice fall weather. Way to early...it was only Oct. 10th. It's supposed to be in the 70's this weekend.

Nick, Leeann, and Noah

Noah

Noah really liked Uncle. He now knows a new
game 'Rolling down the hill".

I can't seem to figure out how to post these pictures right side up - I'll keep trying.....

There's No Place Like Home

We recently made a trip east to Pa. and Ohio. We spent time with Arlene, visited Gram in Laurel Crest, and also spent time with Allison, John, Joe and Ben. Joe and Ben are so cute and are neat kids and we learned a lot of new info about fire trucks from Joe. The weather was nice enough one day to take a hike in Stackhouse Park which is very close to Arlene's house in Johnstown,Pa. It was great being able to see everyone.

From there we went to Pittsburgh and Duquesne's homecoming. Arn's frat (ZBT) put together a reunion and quite a few guys showed up. He hadn't seen some of them in over 35 years. They all relived there college days trying to remember the names of their favorite bars and such. Most of the bars were no longer standing and the frat house is no longer there. Everyone had a good time and vow to get together again in the next few years. Arn was voted 'guy who was most like he was in college'. After the reunion we stopped by Nick and Leann's house, spent the night, and finally met Noah. Noah is very cute too and it was great to get to know him.


Then on to Ohio...we did get to see lots of fall colors but I don't think they were at their peak. We spent a few nights with my mom and of course we hit New Reigel Ribs one night and brought home a few orders on the plane. We helped Mom with lots of projects and did some organizing with her. We also enjoyed the food she always makes and bakes. On the way back to Pittsburgh we stopped in Canton and saw CJ and Sherry who we haven't seen in years. We even went to the Geisen Haus (our first date)with the Dougans and Greg (also haven't seen him in years). It was nice to reconnnect with everybody. We returned to a cold snap and it was really cold when we got back to Colorado (18 degrees). The trees and everything were all frosty but things have warmed up and Arn golfed 3 days this past week.

The Burgh as seen from Mt. Washington and a night at The Geisen Haus

1st ZBT Reunion at Duquesne

Sonny, Kevin, Swanee, Bernie, Rick, Ed, Arn, Mike,Timmie, and Joe
A few more guys were there the previous night but we don't have those pics.


Arlene, Joe (3), and Ben (2)


Hiking in Stackhouse Park with the Messinas

First snowfall of the season.

It snowed today! It snowed off and on all day and the high tomorrow is supposed to be 49 degrees. I would have posted a pic but I had to work today. We're huddling by the fireplace tonight - not ready for winter yet.

Finally made it to the top.

 
We finally made it to the top of Mt. Herman, a 9,063 ft. mountain that we look at every day. We drove up Mt. Herman Rd. (scary, the road is falling away) to Trail 716. It was a nice hike up but we didn't start til around noon and clouds and rain were coming over the mts. Hope to do it again on a clearer day.

Aspen yellows!

The leaves are starting to change! We drove over Cottonwood Pass to Crested Butte yesterday and the golds are starting to appear. On the way home we stopped at the Global Cafe in Buena Vista for a great meal. They even had live music (songs from the 20's and 30's), which was really enjoyable.

The Clark's finally come to Colorado!

The Clark's came to Colorado for a short visit right before Labor Day. The guys golfed at Woodmoor while Sarah and I hiked up to the Palmer Lake Reservoirs. We did drive up to the summit of Pikes Peak (a first for all of us). I had been up there once before 25 yrs. ago (pregnant with Val at the time). The drive was pretty scary on the way up but it was beautiful at the top. On the way home we did a drive thru the Garden of the Gods. Todd and Sarah celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary in Aug. as we did also in Sept. Sure hope they don't wait another 25 years before they visit again.

More berries!

Elderberries are ripe now and Meredith has been harvesting them in Boulder. She found a big bush right outside her old apt. Nobody knows what they are so she picked 6 quarts. She's going to make jam to sell at a friend's bazaar this fall. She's also going to make me an Elderberry Birthday Pie.

The Butte

Crested Butte with the Sassanos

We spent a few days in Crested Butte last week with Ron and Merry. This was the only wildlife we saw while there. We walked along the trail close to town (used as the cross country trail in the winter) and went on the Rustler's Gulch Hike. Unfortunatly the wildflowers were gone and the leaves hadn't changed yet but it was still beautiful. We found Lost Lake while driving for awhile over Kebler Pass. We'll be going back in a week or so and maybe there will be more color.

Chokecherry Time

I talked to Valerie yesterday and she was out picking chokecherries to make jelly. North Dakota's ripen earlier that ours, I guess. Meredith and I made jelly last year. The chokecherries around here are not ripe yet (1-2 wks yet to go). I hope to get some before the bears get them all this yr. Question - Do we all eventually become like our mothers??

Seven Bridges with some of the Banks family!

I've been wanting to get Mason and Catie Bea up to the Seven Bridges area in Cheyenne Canyon before school starts so we went yesterday (8/12). The weather was beautiful and we had lots of fun. Stacy, Mason, Catie Bea, and I took off hiking around 11 AM, stopped along the way and ate lunch and the kids played in the water at every bridge. Mason spent most of his time in the water. Cate enjoyed hiking and playing with Maggie. Maggie was really tired from all of the fun.

Matt and Tiffany's Visit

Matt and Tiffany, our nephew and his girlfriend (from Arlington,

Va. )came to visit us last weekend (8/8). We took them on the Spruce Mountain hike which is a 5 mile loop north of Palmer Lake. It goes up on the top of a mesa and does a loop. We stopped at O'Malley's after the hike for some Blue Moon and chicken wings. It was great to see Matt and finally meet Tiffany. Meredith was home from her class in Nederland, Co. so she came along before she left to go backpacking near Crested Butte.