Being locked out of one’s website is no fun. I’ve finally made it back in! I may or may not recap the last 18-months, but if I do, the posts will be retroactively dated.
Cheers!
Hail Again!
In the nearly 12 years I’ve been a resident of Colorado, we’ve never had any hail larger than something between pea and marble – mostly pea, at home. Denver and the plains are another story (you can read about last year’s hail storm here). That came to a end on Monday. Monday evening a storm came through that dropped hailstones the size of ping pong and golf balls. Of course, our cars were outside. Noah was able to throw a piece of foam on the top of my car to help deflect some of the hail. I stood in the garage and watched the hail fall, processing through every stage of grief during the onslaught. When the storm had passed, assessments and hailstone collection began. Our cars got dinged, but I know they won’t be totaled. Our camper survived, minus one hole in the AC shroud. Our roof has some questionable marks. Once again, I’m thankful for good insurance. The roof inspection has been scheduled, but we still need to call to take our cars to the catastrophe center that State Farm set-up in the next town over (some parts of that town got hit with baseball-size hail). When I moved to Colorado, I was warned about snow, blizzards, and the occasional tornado, but no one warned me about hail.
Here’s a picture of the some of the hail I collected in the front yard:
The end is here!
Hey guys! I did it! I FINALLY finished graduate school and completed my Master’s Degree! This has been a long and slow process! I’m so glad I did it but even happier that it’s done! To honor all of my hard work, we flew to Indiana to attend the ceremony. What an experience! I’m so happy we went! I couldn’t have done it without Noah and Logan supporting me the entire way! Of course, our trip couldn’t be simple, though. I had booked a mid-day direct flight from Denver to Indianapolis. However, Frontier decided instead to send us on a red-eye to Orland, Florida, where we then got to enjoy a FIVE HOUR layover! To make things worse, I ended up with some intestinal discomfort during the flight and subsequent stay at the airport. Nothing like adding pain onto extreme fatigue. Did I mention Noah and I worked a full day before our flight?! Thankfully, we had plenty of time to relax at our hotel before heading to the ceremony the following day. On the way home, Frontier’s pre-flight email instructed us to arrive at the airport three-hours ahead of our flight, so we did. Then we discovered that no one actually mans the check-in station until two-hours prior to departure. So we got to hang out at the head of the line for an hour. Good times! Travel woes aside, the experience of attending the graduation ceremony was worth it all!
Total Eclipse of the Sun!
One thing that’s always been on my bucket list is to see a total solar eclipse, complete with the coronal flares. I’ve seen pictures of this event online, but it never seems to occur in North America, let alone where I live! Growing up in California, I’ve seen more than my share of partial eclipses, but it’s not the same. Finally, there’s going to be a total solar eclipse in North America, in the States, and the direct path is only about three hours from my home! Decision made. Come hell, or high water, we would be there! I booked a campsite for the event about nine-months prior to eclipse. My sister, Gretna, who has always had the same bucket list item,flew in to join us.
We drove up to Wyoming ahead of the eclipse and stayed at a very nice KOA. I’ve never stayed at a KOA before because I’ve always heard they were cramped. Word of advice, get the deluxe site. We did. Worth it! We had a nice patio and decent separation between us and the neighbors. This KOA also bordered a small creek (complete with snakes and fish), had a pool, videos/books/games to borrow, and a store. If RV camping isn’t your thing, they also had cabins! Gretna and I had fun walking around and noting from where everyone had traveled. Because we knew, the majority were in town for the eclipse, just like us. There were visitors from all over the country and several who came down from Canada!
Since we came north early, we played tourist and traveled to some historic sights. If you know me, you know my penchant for all things American history related. Our first stop was Fort Phil Kearney. I had recently read the book The Heart of Everything that Is and the events that folded around this Fort were fresh in my mind. Of course, it’s also slightly disappointing when the buildings of a fort, or other historic site have faded into the past, and all that’s left is an outline of where they once stood. That’s how it is at Fort P.K. That didn’t distract from it’s charms and history, however. Following our visit to the Fort, we traveled to the nearby sites of the Fetterman Massacre and the Wagon Box Fight before returning back to camp to relax and head to bed early.
Up before the sun, we headed south to Casper to stake our claim at Fort Caspar. This is where we planned to watch the eclipse and visit another historical site. This fort had rebuilt or preserved many buildings and artifacts. So much history at this museum! It’s a must visit, in my opinion. Part of the Fort grounds included a park with a playground, which made it an idea spot of sun gazing (with specialty glasses, of course, which were purchased MONTHS ahead of the eclipse). With our early arrive, we procured optimal parking and a coveted picnic table. As for the eclipse itself, it was spectacular and breath taking. All of the watch-fors were accurate, too. As the light faded from the sky, the street lights came on. The birds went to roost. Mosquitoes came out to play. Our shadows changed texture. And when the sun was completely obscured, we were able to observe the corona without the dark glasses. I’m not sure there are words that can accurately describe just how amazing is that sight! Our God is awesome! If you ever have the chance to see a total solar eclipse in person – DO IT! You won’t regret it! In 2045 there will be another solar eclipse, this time with the path running through Colorado. Assuming we’re still here then, you can find us hanging out at our mountain property, avoiding the crowds, and enjoying the spectacular sight!
Post eclipse – Casper, WY is about three hours north of Denver. We, like everyone else, headed home shortly after the end of totality. I would have preferred to stay another night and come back the next day, but work commitments and my sister’s flight disagreed with that objective. So we hung out with two-million other drivers and shuffled our way south for THIRTEEN HOURS!! Of course we planned ahead and anticipated this. 1) We brought extra fuel with us so no need to stop for gas, 2) we had the camper so access to food and bathrooms was no problem, and 3) we had ways to manage our time. Electronics, books, knitting, you name it. I even managed to finish a scarf whilst we poked our way south. Hindsight, would’ve told work to suck it and taking another day off. As it was, I called in late. Another hindsight thought was of an alternate route that was more out of the way but probably quicker. Alas, even with the worse traffic in the history of cars, WORTH IT. I would do it all again in a heartbeat!
The following picture is a panorama I took during totality. There are so many pictures from this trip. If you’re so inclined, you can sort through them all here.
Baseball, Balloons, and Theater!
More from June… Logan’s baseball season started. This year he moved up to softpitch, from t-ball. His team is the Cubs (the only times you’ll find me rooting for a team other than the Dodgers is when it’s based on Logan’s little league team. We went to Frederick in Flight for the first time, which is a hot air balloon launch at a town about 20 minutes north of us. They had some pretty cool balloons – one looked like spider pig, another Humpty Dumpty! Super fun! This month we also went to the theater to see a performance of A Curious Incident of a Dog in the Nighttime. We doubled with a friend of mine from work, and her boyfriend. The play is based on a book of the same title and features a young man with autism. If you haven’t yet, I highly recommend you read the book. And if they play comes to a town near you, be sure you grab some tickets! Dani, my friend, and I posed with some props from the play. They sum us up pretty accurately, I think.
Happy Place
One perk of working at a school is summer breaks. These breaks provide ample opportunity to camp. This past week we visited my happy place: Steamboat Lake. If I could afford it, I would buy property up here in Route County. This is God’s country. Seriously gorgeous! This trip, we were joined by some friends, which always adds to the fun. We were also able to take our canoe out on the lake! The weather was hot enough for the kids to enjoy the swim beach, too. I also had opportunities to play around with my camera features (now if only I could memorize how to take cool pictures).
Memorial Day Camping!
We love to camp (or glamp as we traded tent camping for a camper)! Colorado has so many options and what better way is there to spend a holiday weekend? This year, we went to Eleven Mile State Park. The weather was a bit chilly and damp at times, but we had an electric site and could enjoy the amenities of heat, light, and indoor cooking! We have camped at this park multiple times. The fishing is good and the rangers put on great programs for kids. Logan was sworn in as a Junior Ranger (again). In fact, he was the only one at the ceremony! The lady who ran the education programs was amazing and really knew her stuff!
Good news, bad news
Well friends, I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that State Farm declared my car totaled, with repair costs bumping against $12,000! It was close. For my car to not be considered a total loss, the repair estimate needed to be under $11,000. Sigh…
But now for the good news! After much consideration of weighing the pros and cons of keeping or relinquishing my Kia, we decided to let State Farm have it and purchase a new car for me. Say hello to my new 2017 Nissan Rogue!
Mother’s Day Camping
Normally, Mother’s Day weather is the crap here in Colorado. Last year is actually snowed. Thankfully, this year the weather was hot (80s) and sunny! So, I decided to start a new trend – Mother’s Day camping! This year we didn’t go too far but stayed at a small campground in Larimer county on a little reservoir. No fishing or boating allowed as the water ebbs and flows constantly throughout the day, based on water needs in town. But it still makes for a pretty view. Plus, we saw a family of geese and evidence of elk (although none of them came for a visit).
Hail!
May 8th was a dark day. literally. The skies were black and angry over Denver. And then the clouds opened up and dumped not just rain, but hail. Large chunks of it – golf ball sized in fact. The hailstorm lasted for 30-40 minutes whilst I stood inside with my colleagues commiserating over the fate of our vehicles. At one point, hail started crashing through the ceiling of one of the buildings and several coworkers ran over to the building where I was taking refuge with a large gymnastics mat overhead. Finally, the storm subsided with a foot of hail piled up on the ground. We all trudged through the sloppy, wet, ice piles and made our way to our battered vehicles. My car came out better than some – no shattered windows. However, damage was evident everywhere! Dents galore, broken vents, shattered brake lights, and one of my wipers fell off as I drove home. My poor car is only four-years-old. I’m thankful for good insurance and hopeful my car won’t be declared a total loss.
