Gram Casciato's cheesecake...Yum!

Tyler asked for a cheesecake for his birthday instead of cake. I hadn't made Grandma Casciato's cheesecake recipe in years. It is so easy and so good. We didn't even put anything on top!

Building a Bocci Court

The guys are busy building a bocce court. Arn has been talking about this for years and it is finally happening! We finally agreed on a spot that was pretty level and it will be done soon. Can't wait to throw the first paulino!

Happy Birthday Tyler!

Tyler is 24 today! Happy Birthday! Just returned from a shopping trip to get some golf shoes and a golf glove. Lunch out and now to the golf course to try out the shoes!

Busy, Busy!

Not much time to post lately or do anything to post about.....Working more, getting ready for the beach, building a bocci court, doing the quilt guild newsletter, caring for a chameleon, and much more.... The GI Lab moved to a new location and of course we all helped in the move. The Infusion Lab will move in early Sept. and I'll get to help with that when I get back from vacation. Tyler and Mere have also moved out of there apt. in Boulder and all the stuff is in the garage.

So anyway, I wish I had a beignet from the farmer's market in Monument! They are absolutely the best and are my new fav thing.

What's a dovecote?

Meredith and I happened upon this replica of a medieval dovecote which is a building to house doves. It is beautiful and near a nice hiking area. It is a memorial to this particular family's son who passed away a few years ago. The flowers were beautiful and they invite you to explore and go inside of the little building.


A dovecote or dovecot (Scots: Doocot) is a building intended to house pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be square or circular free-standing structures or built into the end of a house or barn. They generally contain pigeonholes for the birds to nest.Pigeons and doves were an important food source historically in Western Europe and were kept for their eggs, flesh, and dung^. In Scotland the tradition is continued in modern urban areas.

A recent local Hike!

Last week Arn and I went on a 3 hr. hike. We started with the familiar walk up to the Palmer Lake Reservoirs but went past them and on up Rampart Range Rd. After getting to the top we took a left turn and headed down into Limbaugh Canyon. We met a couple groups of hikers and got their take on the routes they use. After reaching the bottom of the canyon we continued on to the right and instead of heading left to the forest service cabin (and the nearby house with the dovekoot and red phone booth) we turned right on the HZ trail (cut by mt. bikers to avoid neighborhoods). There were a few switch backs and after a couple of miles we reached the area north of Monument Rock. We had left a second car there and I was sure hoping we ended up near that spot. I think we did about 7 mi. I doubt if we do the trail that way again because the HZ wasn't that scenic most of the time. The pic here is looking out at Ben Lomond Mt. with on of my fav houses in the foreground. Next time I think I'd do an out and back up in Limbaugh or take Trail # 715 from off of Mt. Herman Rd. and leave a car at the cabin parking area.

Lots of Moosen!

While driving to WinterPark for the circus last Saturday we passed a sign that showed a moose crossing for the next several miles. I had never noticed it before and thought I'd better get the camera ready. Immediately we saw people pulled over and down below the road we saw a mother moose and 2 calves. What a surprise! The calves are in the upper pic up on the right near the trees.

The Circus Came to Town!!

Last Saturday we took off to Winterpark to see the Zoppe Family Circus. Arn and I had seen it before but this time Meredith, Tyler, and Miranda went with us. The flowers around the village were beautiful. The circus is old fashioned and run by and Italian family and has traditions back to the 1800's. I don't remember how I originally found them but I love it. It's very simple, 1 ring, and the main performer is a clown named Nino. All they have are some dogs, a horse, and a minature pony. All of the family perform from the grandmother to baby Julian (7th generation). They travel around the US and do festivals, etc. They even go back to Italy. If you get the chance, go see them. It is entertaining and so simple and nostalgic.

'A stranger is a friend you haven't met yet.'

We've recently started staying at B &B's. Our first was in Frisco which was kind of a lodge with breakfast deal (nice and all homemade breakfast). We decided to try it again on our recent road trip. I guess it's part of my being frugal also since you get the room with a great gourmet breakfast for about 100 bucks. You just don't get to decide what you have for breakfast - it's whatever the host makes... Anyway, we stayed at the Wander Inn in Spearfish, SD. We'd been to the town before and really like it. Spearfish Canyon is beautiful with waterfalls and hikes. The town has cute shops and many places to eat. Last yr. the Stadium was recommended by some friends here in Monument so we went and tried the fried beef tips. Yes, I said fried beef tips. Beef is very popular in SD/ND and this is a frequent menu item. Chunks of beef deep fried and dipped in a sauce. Yum, but a few go a long way. We had seen an Irish pub last time so we went there this year for a drink. (Everything was within walking distance from the B&B). Back to the B&B...it was owned by a lady named Ginger, who makes you feel at home. She was a gardener, winemaker, big game hunter, chef, and artist. Her gardens were beautiful and all fenced due to the deer. A stream ran by the back of her property where her ducks (which she raised from eggs) played in the water. It was a little sensory overload because there were lots of things to look at throughout the gardens (lawn deco, birdhouses, etc.). Waking up gave me a weird feeling like I was in someone's house that I didn't know (which I was). There was another couple there from Az ( we learned about some places to go because they are from the general area) and we enjoyed a great breakfast on Ginger's covered deck outside. I think we will try the B & B thing again.....

Custer,SD and Custer State Park

On our road trip to Dickinson we stopped to check out this town and state park. The town was great and we had lunch at Baker's Bakery (loved it), took the wild life loop, saw a few buffalo, and drove thru the Needles area. We didn't have time to hike in the Needles area but want to go back and check it out again. The various lodges were all beautiful with lots of various ways to stay. Nothing was available (future post on The Wander Inn in Spearfish, SD coming) so the place is pretty popular.




I think next time we'd skip the wildlife loop and head to the Needles area. We saw enough pronghorn on the drive thru Wyoming and have a herd of buffalo near our house in Monument. It's really a beautiful area and I'm sure we'll return.