Hannah's First Birthday-August 11, 2013

Several days of planning went into just a few minutes of cake and fun today. Hannah turned one. She did not care for the Happy Birthday song but she loved the cake and the toys. It goes without saying she enjoyed playing with the paper and boxes after the party was over. Don't all kids like that? So, please allow me to share a couple of pictures.

Adult cake and baby cake. Adult cake was chocolate.

Baby cake was vanilla. Both were two layers.

 

Hannah's Phantom of the Opera look. She almost had purple eye shadow.

 

This is a Leap Frog learning table. She absolutely loves this.

It was recommended to us. Now I recommend it to any of you

who need a toddler gift. It will be countless hours of learning and fun.

Thank you, Mary K, for the recommendation!!

 

The last person left standing was Hannah. We were completely exhausted. She kept playing. Everyone will sleep good tonight! We're so glad these birthdays only roll around once a year. We

are too old for any more often than that. Happy 1st Birthday, Miss Hannah.

 

 

 

 

 

Fort Collins Horse-August 9, 2013

We finished our birthday shopping yesterday. At one of the shopping centers there was a big fiberglass statue of a horse. Many cities have tributes to certain animals. I have posted a number of them on this blog. However, from what we have seen thus far this is a singular horse. The sign that named the artist said it was a tribute to the city of Fort Collins meeting the west. I'm not sure what that means. Fort Collins is a college town trying very hard to mimic Boulder. They do not consider themselves to be residents of the west. So, I am not sure how that horse ended up in Fort Collins, but nevertheless it is an attractive piece of art.

Those are Aspen trees with golden leaves. The flowers are Columbines

which is the state flower, to the best of my knowledge. It really is an attractive horse.

 

It appears we are finally going to see the sun today. It has been gloomy and damp most of this week. We are hoping for a really pretty day for Hannah's first birthday celebration on Sunday afternoon.

 

 



Estes Park, CO-August 6, 2013

We took the day off today to celebrate our 37th anniversary. We drove to Estes Park which from here is a very long drive. From our previous home in Loveland it was a quick trip. The weather was great and traffic was light going to Estes Park. Coming back to Loveland the traffic was quite heavy. It was really crowded there and road construction made it a nightmare. But, it was a day away from it all. Our anniversary gift was a herd of Bighorn Sheep climbing on the rocks in the canyon. It is only the second time we have ever seen them. They are there everyday but the trick is to be there at the perfect time. Today we were lucky. Please bear with me while I share quite a few pictures.

They blend beautifully with the rocks they traverse. They were quite a

distance up the side of the mountain.

 

A little closer.

 

A young male and possibly one of his offspring.

 

This one appeared to be the leader of the herd. Still he is very young for such a job.

 

Adorable little baby.

 

Back on the road through the Big Thompson Canyon

The Big Thompson River

 

The river runs right through town. This bronze statue

was at a rest area. The cowboy is emptying water out of his boot.

 

 

At several spots throughout the city you can sit beside the water and relax.

 

 

Pretty butterfly having his lunch

 

 

The flowers everywhere in town were stunning.

 

What a nice day. We are so glad we had the opportunity to see Estes Park again. We have always liked to go there, but seldom find the time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Correction-August 5, 2013

This weekend, after the storm was long gone, I heard two local weather reporters say things that sent my brain into a tail spin. One said a lenticular cloud is not called that anymore. She gave a name I could not pronounce and could not find anywhere on the internet. The second reporter said green clouds mean hail, not a tornado. All those years of studying and listening just went down the drain. I am now officially obsolete and outdated. It's not a great feeling. I suppose I should slink into a cave and lick my wounds. Ouch. Therefore, I stand corrected on previous posts about the storm. I don't know why weather terminology should have to change, but I guess it has. I won't look at the sky today. Perhaps blue is no longer blue!! Have a great day.

I was right-August 3, 2013

I was right about the cloud containing some nasty weather. But it turned south from Cheyenne and came back over us. We could hear the tornado sirens. The wind was very strong, then it let up and turned cool. We stood in awe taking pictures until lightning started. A tornado did hit south of us. There was an immense amount of crop damage east of us. We could really smell hail damaged onions. We had just looked at those crops this morning as we drove around. One gigantic carrot field was so pretty I almost took a picture. I should have. There is nothing left of it now. So sad.

A huge wall cloud that passed us headed south. It did contain a tornado.

 

Note the split in the clouds had a green tint to it. That is 100% assurance a

tornado is within that cloud.

 

The dark cloud hanging down looks like a funnel. Perhaps it was.

But to the left of it is a scrawny cloud that goes to the ground. That's the tornado.

It touched down on Hwy 34 and Rd 83 in Greeley. No one was hurt as far as I know.

 

Then it was all gone and we got a glimpse of this nice sunset.

It is wonderfully cool tonight. All is well.

 

 

 

 

 

I'm at it again!-August 3, 2013

I realize this is a travel blog but I do so enjoy watching the weather and cloud formations. That comes from 14 years of being a weather spotter for the National Weather Service and Rocky Mountain Weather Services. Then on the coast I volunteered for a National weather spotter organization called CoCoRahs for short, that was based out of CSU in Fort Collins, CO. So, weather has been a hobby and great interest of mine for a long time. Therefore, on an afternoon when we know really bad weather is headed our way, my eyes are to the sky. We have been warned about large hail, high winds and possible tornadoes. We pray for rain only.

This beauty of a thunderhead is parked over Cheyenne, WY as I type this.

It could possibly be over the state line into Nebraska but the bulk of the storm

is in the Cheyenne area. This cloud is at least 50,000 feet in height. It is full of wind

and probably water. We have stood outside and watched it grow as our wind here increased dramatically. The humidity is so thick it appears that we are covered in fog. I suspect that for the first time since we got here the forecasters may be correct. Somebody is going to get something very ugly.

I PRAY I AM WRONG.

 

I zoomed in so you could see the lenticular on top. That's the wispy thin lens shaped cloud on top.

That means high winds aloft and increased the turbulence within the thunderhead. I struggle

to think that something so beautiful can be so harmful.

 

I hope your day is going well, that you have beautiful weather and Sunday will bring you a day of peace and rest.

 

Swetsville Zoo-August 2, 2013

Jerry, Hannah and I went to the Swetsville Zoo this morning. It was perfect weather for an outdoor walk. Let me explain a little about this zoo. It is not a zoo with live animals but rather a huge variety of animals made out of old tractor, motorcycle and car parts. This was a passion of Bill Swet and his family. This zoo is not new. We took Derrick there when he was little. Mr. Swet was quite a talent in his younger years. It appears he is no longer making new animals. Sadly, Mr. Swet's son passed away recently. Still the zoo remains open with no admission fee. Even though Hannah is young she still enjoyed the creatures.

A rocket at the entrance.

 

Hannah talking to a mother turtle.

 

A hatching baby dinosaur

 

A real hodge podge of animals.

 

A cow and her baby calf. She even has a bell around her neck.

 

Hannah under the shade of a gigantic spider. The castle in the background is not open.

 

Truer words have never been spoken. "Work's never done".

 

What a fun morning we had. Hannah enjoyed the ride in her stroller. We enjoyed the walk and the fresh air. It brought back memories because Derrick was just bonkers about dinosaurs when we took him to this zoo number of years ago. Hannah was absolutely perfect and we all loved our morning together.  

 

I almost forgot this picture.

 

We are not sure what the creature is, but Hannah was enthralled with it.