The Builder

I have a weekly date so to speak with my grandson. I babysit while his parents go to their small group. Sometimes S. is able to come too but sometimes he has meetings for our church that night. As long as I don’t have to drive on icy roads there and back I am a happy camper. In just two weeks time Maverick has gone from figuring out that his mega blocks (like Legos only bigger) fit together and can come apart to being able to sit there and build them up into a tower and search for the ones he wants to use next.

It also surprises me how it holds his attention. He sat there for a good twenty minutes building, first putting them together then taking them apart over and over again. I tried to get some pictures of him. He is not sure about the flash on my camera so he stares while waiting for it if he sees me get it out.  I asked him to smile once and he squinted up his eyes funny but I didn’t capture it.

He was in his jammies and wanted to play with the blocks rather than read books which is usually what he likes to do at bedtime.

We got to see our granddaughter build a tower out of blocks the other night on Skype. Just regular blocks but she stacked them to 7 or 8 high before they fell. These kiddos are growing up too fast!

Last look at the window boxes and pots

I took a few pictures to preserve the memory of our window boxes and pots this summer. They didn’t get pounded down to a pulp by hail for once, so they grew tall and lush thanks to the Miracle Grow. The only ones that are still around are the two that sit in front of the garage and can be pulled in to the garage at night.

I picked all the green tomatoes before the first big freeze a couple weeks ago and put them all in brown paper bags to ripen slowly in the garage. It’s working! Wednesday we had a homegrown tomato to eat on our tacos.

The wind has been ferocious the past few days a true sign of fall and winter. The wind even blew over a rather heavy park bench that has been sitting out in the backyard. Ugh!

Last Hike of the Season?

On Saturday we tried out another new trail in the Roosevelt National Forest near the Red Feather Lakes in northern Colorado. We had researched it on the Just trails website at http://www.justtrails.com/trails/mount-margaret/ and thought it looked promising. That website has been so helpful and is written by a young couple from Laramie. It has photos of what the trail heads look like and comments about how difficult the trail is and what to expect. Obviously it is only applicable to our particular region of the country but it is a great resource. You locate the vicinity you might like to hike and then click on the “pins” to get more information on the particular trails.

We located the Mount Margaret trail head and intended to just go a little ways to see how we liked the trail. We arrived after lunch and most people both hikers and horseback riders were on their way back having started out earlier. The parking lot was mostly full of cars as was a separate area for horse trailers.

We ended up going a couple miles in and back. We connected to a trail over to Lake Dowdy because we  wanted to see the lake. It would have taken another mile and a half to get to Mount Margaret and it was clouding up and starting to rain.

The trail was very easy but did go up and down following the terrain. There weren’t any rocks or boulders to climb over so it would even work with a jogging or big wheeled stroller.

We wondered if any of the aspens still had leaves and did see several groves of the golden leaves in more sheltered spots. Many leaves have already fallen and the wind and cold predicted for the next few days will probably strip the rest off.

After seeing the shore of Lake Dowdy we hurried our way back to the car and I did have to put on my rain jacket and S. put on his emergency poncho due to some light rain showers. The trail is nicely maintained and marked. The outhouse is new and clean and doesn’t smell. Yay!

We crossed one little bridge over a stream but otherwise the trail just meanders through the quiet still forest. There was only one other car left at the trail head when we got back in the late afternoon. Another enjoyable hike but maybe the last one as the season is changing. Our weather forecast is for highs in the 40's and lows in the 20's for the next few days.

This trail is not close to the High Park burn area from the fire this summer but on the drive up there you can see the northernmost part of the burn area off in the distance to the south. It will be an ugly scar for years.

Sweet Home Charlotte

I returned Saturday from a short trip to Charlotte, North Carolina, my first visit ever. What a contrast to where I live, here people have to plant and nurture every tree that grows because they do not naturally grow except along the river beds. In Charlotte forests thrive and must be cleared in order to build streets and neighborhoods. Trees line just about every street and boulevard and in the older neighborhoods form a beautiful canopy over the roads. There seem to be many broad leaf varieties and some pines. I noticed acorns and walnuts crunching underfoot in many of the parking lots with trees around. The large trees also make for some blind curves and difficulty reading street signs when driving around.

Charlotte has a beautiful skyline and wonderful amenities for its residents like a light rail line system into Uptown and opportunities for many outdoor and cultural activities as well as sporting events. It is attracting many young professionals as a banking center and there are many transplants here from other regions. Southern hospitality can still be noticed in the friendly and relaxed way that people interact. The local realtor couldn’t have been kinder in devoting her time to giving us a two day tour of the neighborhoods. The local servers chatted and answered questions about the cuisine. What a great place to live!

E #2 will be leaving Colorado this week to start her new career there. Here are some photos of the area with the last ones of her new home in a condo on the upper level looking out over the woods and pool. Photos include: the leaf canopy over a street, some homes in the historic area, Uptown skyscrapers with Em, welcome sign, whitewater center, her new office, and finally her new place.

Back to the Blog. Have a minute or two? Read this.

I am probably more of a realist than an optimist in general but we all do have hard, pessimistic thinking days/weeks sometimes and Ann Voskamp really hit the mark with this post I think.

Sometimes life just presses in on us; stresses at work, stresses within the family, unexpected twists in the road, not feeling up to the challenge whatever it is. Make a copy of this and re-read as necessary.

Go here to read a great post. I love the way she addresses it.
“Dear Self and me and you and us,”

http://www.aholyexperience.com/2012/09/dear-you-a-letter-for-the-hard-days/

Good stuff to remember especially if we are feeling like we aren't making much of a difference in the world.
Lou