Pinkie's new friend

We have spent the last week and a half frantically running around Denver on various errands and getting to visit friends.  Its been a lot of fun and we have definitely missed "home".  We will leave tomorrow to start the 12+ hour drive to Missouri to spend Christmas with my family.  We will be there for about a week and a half and then we will head to Houston to be with Matt's family for New Years.

As we returned to the RV this afternoon after running a few more errands and braving the huge Christmas shopping crowds, we found that Pinkie had gotten tired of being left alone and had made a new friend in the neighborhood bunny rabbit. 

Here she is with her new friend...

Ah... the joys of Colorado weather...

And the fun begins....  hopefully the weather will clear out for our drive on Sunday.

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM WEDNESDAY TO NOON
MST THURSDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A WINTER
WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM
WEDNESDAY TO NOON MST THURSDAY.

* TIMING...LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOWFALL WEDNESDAY EVENING THROUGH
  LATE THURSDAY MORNING.

* ACCUMULATION/WIND...SNOW TOTALS WILL RANGE FROM 3 TO 7 INCHES
  WITH THE HIGHER AMOUNTS ACROSS SOUTHERN AND WESTERN SECTIONS OF
  THE METRO AREA. NORTHEAST WINDS 10 TO 20 MPH WEDNESDAY EVENING
  WILL WEAKEN AFTER MIDNIGHT.

* IMPACTS...ROADS WILL LIKELY BECOME SLUSHY AND POSSIBLY SNOW
  COVERED OVERNIGHT. BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES MAY ALSO BECOME QUITE
  ICY. MOTORISTS SHOULD PREPARE THEIR VEHICLES BEFORE WEATHER AND
  ROAD CONDITIONS DETERIORATE WEDNESDAY EVENING.

64 Degrees in December???

Wow, we had 64 degrees and sun today here in Denver.  Matt and I wanted to run around in our flip flops!!!  We figured it has been about 3 months since we have seen weather that warm.  Another 60 degree day tomorrow!!!

We have spent the last week running lots of errands and enjoying being back in civilization.  Well, maybe I should define civilization to mean "different restaurants".  I think we've hit just about every restaurant that we can think of in the last week.  As I was cooking dinner tonight, I realized it was the first time I've cooked in the RV since before we left Haines in November. 

We had a great weekend staying in the mountains with Jayme & Andy.  We were both surprised that we had a touch of altitude sickness with a nasty little headache.  I guess when you spend the last 8 months at sea level, its easy to lose!  We enjoyed visiting their beautiful new home and trekking around in the new snowfall.  Too bad our skis are in Missouri in my car!!!  Guess we didn't think that one through!!!

We are still hoping to leave next Sunday to start the two day drive to Missouri for Christmas but they are forecasting a bit of snow so we will be keeping a watch on it.

Ahhh... Sunny Colorado

We left Wyoming about 7:20 this morning and arrived into our campground in Arvada about 12:15 this afternoon.  The drive started out with more of our favorite freezing fog and slick roads but after an hour and a half, it cleared up and we actually saw dry pavement and that big bright thing in the sky.  We had a pretty short day with less than 300 miles to finish off the drive. 

We arrived to sunny weather and temps in the 40's in Denver and thought we had crossed the equator and should put shorts on!!!  In all seriousness, it is really good to see the sun and have a bit of warmer weather. 

Also, for those of you who have been replying to the email that you receive on the blog postings, I just discovered that I have only been receiving those for about the last week (I had no idea anyone was repsonding that way).  So if you thought we were ignoring you, I am so sorry!!!  I think I have it all fixed now so that you can just reply in a normal email and we will receive your comments.  If anyone is interested in getting the emails instead of having to check the blog, just email me and I'll get you started.

Here is a photo of our overnight camping spot last night among the big rigs in a travel stop.  We actually look small here but notice all the frozen stuff all around...  The trailer has been complaining that she misses her daily shower and is now really dirty.

And the planning continues....

We are in full swing of planning our trip now with only a week to two weeks for departure.  We have spent the last couple of days over at the trailer finishing up some items. 

We have definitely figured out that nothing is easy when it comes to these things. 

Here are a few things that we have finally gotten accomplished:

• When we bought the trailer, it had a king sized bed installed in it.  We decided that we didn't need a king and wanted some of the space back so our plan was to remove the king bed and replace it with our queen.  Matt and Ted spent a day cutting down the plywood frame to accomodate the smaller mattress and we now have a king sized mattress in our basement.  After all the construction, Matt measured the opening from the wall to the dresser to discover that our normal queen sized bed would not fit, it was too long.  Well, the search then began for a queen short to fit.  We finally found one yesterday and proceeded to struggle the thing into the trailer, only to find out that he didn't quite cut enough off the end of it.  So one more thing to do before we leave is to fire up the generator and attack the bed frame again with a saw.
• Matt finished installing the inverter so that we could run 110 volt appliance off of the 4 new batteries that we installed.  Took a couple of days to take apart all the compartments under the trailer to have it wired up right.
• We found plastic tubs for the storage place under the bedroom.  It took the two of us in Wal-Mart armed with a tape measure and a map on graph paper to accomplish the task.  Needless to say, Sunday at Wal-Mart probably not our best idea.
• The storage box up top and the racks are all installed.  The wind surfers and kite boarding equipment now have a home.  Now if we can just find homes for the mountain bikes.

Below are a couple of pictures from the inside and outside of the RV.

Here is a picture from the front of the trailer.  The first slideout you see is the bedroom and the second is the dining table and couch area in the living area.

This is taken from the back of the trailer.  We loved the large rear window.  You can see the kitchen slide out from this angle. 

This is a picture from the bedroom area viewing the back living area and the kitchen.  It took us quite a while to finally find a model that had a really good kitchen in it.  I guess Matt will be expecting me to cook a lot now!!!

This is a picture taken from the back of the RV and looking at the living/dining slide out.

This is of the bedroom in the front of the trailer.  This was taken with the king bed in it so we actually have a bit more room now.  Great closet across the entire front of the RV.

I'll update in the next couple of days with our preliminary itinerary.

The start of the next adventure...

Well as Matt finishes the final miles of a very long trip to Colfax, California (and back) to pick up our RV after an exhaustive (and exhausting) search for the right model. Below is a picture he sent to me as he began the trip back.

Lookout Alaska here we come.... More trip details to follow as we continue to map out our route of 20,000+ miles.

I wanted to share a couple more pictures of Matt and I from the snow storm last week. These are in front of our house on Thursday. Most of Denver was shut down on Thursday as it was still snowing after receiving about 2 feet of snow.
We were a bit stir crazy from working at home (1 day for Matt and 2 days for me) so we decided to take a stroll around the neighborhood. We could definitely tell it was an early season (wet) snow as we had to step around floating ice bergs in all the water.
It finally stopped snowing on Thursday evening and we were able to return to work on Friday without too much trouble on the drive in.

Our first official Snow Storm

Well, we are officially in the middle of our first major snowstorm here in Denver.

This first picture is from about 11am this morning - We had about 8 inches of snow on the back porch.

This was taken about 1:30 this afternoon - I'd say about a foot of snow.

We always enjoy watching Matt's flamingo as it weathers the storm - As of 1:30 this afternoon he was still doing pretty good - Just a little snow covered.

Well, I'd say this evening, he is getting a bit chilly (especially the rear end_. This was taken about 4:30 this evening - I'd guess about 14 inches now.

The forecast is still calling for another 3 - 6 inches tonight and another 2 to 4 inches tomorrow until the storm warning is done at 6pm tomorrow.

We'll keep you updated on the plight of the poor flamingo...

Happy 4th of July

Hope everyone had a great 4th of July. We had a great long weekend up at the condo.

We had two fantastic nights of fireworks over beautiful Lake Dillon.

On Friday night, we enjoyed a short hike to the marina in Dillon and watched the great show over the amphitheatre. It was a bit crazy and we parked way on the edge of downtown Dillon. Matt planned to try his hand at photographing the fireworks so we choose a quiet bench to watch the display.

On Saturday night, we watched the fireworks that were from the marina in Frisco. As we were driving from the condo to Frisco, we spotted the scenic overlook on I-70 overlooking the lake. We saw a couple of spots and made the U turn at the Frisco exit. We arrived at the overlook about 7pm and found one of the last spots where we could back the truck up and enjoy our dinner of wine & cheese on the tailgate. Have I mentioned that we thought we would be rained out as it rained and was very windy for several hours in the afternoon. Needless to say, after the rain, it was very chilly and by the start of the fireworks at 9:30, we would be bundled up in multiple fleeces, winter hats and several blankets. We had a great view across the lake to the fireworks.



We spent Sunday photographing some columbines near Rainbow Lake in Frisco. I just got a new macro lens to help me photography photos up close (& personal). Here is one unsuspecting model.



Here are some awesome fireworks photos:

Here is a link to more of Matt's photos....

Blizzard of 2009

I wanted to share a few pictures from the backyard of the aftermath of the blizzard of 09!!!


This is how we opened the backdoor this morning... A foot of actual snow and a couple of feet of drifted snow on the back patio.


















The snow fall was gorgeous (and much needed). Notice the beautiful blue skies that we had just one day after the storm where we could not see across the street.























Poor flamingo... We are guessing a massive amount of snow must of fell from the room on him!!























The start of the shoveling... Yep... Had to start from inside the house as we could not get out the back door.

Still shoveling.... Making some progress....



















Wow... This is heavy snow...























I'm watching you!!!!






















Back on Top of the World...
Or at least on top of the snow pile....

Update...

Wow, its been forever since I've posted here. Lots going on and very busy with work and play!! We've been skiing a couple of times at Loveland and are planning on going Sunday so that I can take a lesson and Matt can try out some new skis.

We have spent a wonderful Thanksgiving in our new mountain condo with Matt's family. We purchased our new condo in October and have been steadily working on it and getting it ready for family visit on Thanksgiving.

Below are a couple of links to some photos of our wonderful new home... We love it!!!

Photos
Link to rental Site

You say its your Birthday.... Or at least it was...

I've finally gotten around to posting some great pictures from our Memorial day visit from Ted, Beth & Annie. We had a great time trekking around Denver (of course the obligatory visit to REI). Everyone arrived on Thursday evening and we spent a quiet evening at home resting up for the big weekend ahead.

Here is a link to the full album on our Picasa site...

Friday started out with some shopping (Sorry Ted!!). We dropped Annie off at "The Yarn Store" and she had a blast shopping (of course, I had to buy a couple items for scrapbooking also). Ted, Beth and I headed off to Wal-Mart and Payless for some shopping before we picked Annie back up to head downtown. After a great lunch at Protos pizza (complete with Anchoivies for Annie & Beth), we headed over to REI for a marathon shopping spree (sorry Matt). Everyone was quite tired so we headed home for a bit of rest before going to a great dinner at The Fort in Morrison to celebrate Ted's birthday.

This picture is with his "buffalo" hat!!

On Saturday morning, we climbed in the car and headed South to Canon City for a ride on the Royal Gorge Train. We were treated to beautiful sunny weather as we watched the breathtaking scenery go past.

Here, Ted & Beth relax and enjoy the views....

Annie enjoying the peaceful views...

We drove back to Colorado Springs on and stayed near the Garden of the Gods. We woke on Sunday morning to catch the 8am Pikes Peak train to the summit of Pikes Peak.

Here Annie & Ted wave through the thin COLD air....

First Kayak Trip... at 20 degrees... Brrr....

We headed out to the Colorado River & Glenwood Springs for the first kayak/camping trip of the year. We got a bit more than we bargained for in the drive out. It was the worst winter drive of the year (as you can see from the following pictures).

Nothing like getting to the river with a kayak full of snow.....

Given the cold temperatures, we decided that Saturday was best spent lounging in the hot springs in Glenwood (and acquiring some nice sunburns even at 50 degrees outside temperature). We retired back to a wonderful camping spot in Coffee Pot and out came the potato gun. Needless to say, the guys had countless hours of fun watching potatoes hurl themselves way into the air and against the rock outcroppings...

This is our new tent.... Well, actually a condo... quite a step up from our little two person backpacking tent... boy was it nice.... but with the temperatures dipping into the 20's on Saturday night, it was a bit chillier than our old tent. Also, we discovered that our wonderful huge two person sleeping bag was not rated into the 20's and we were cold!!

We all spent Saturday night huddled around the fire (yep... thats me with the blankie all wrapped around me...)


Ryan, Jodi, Bob, Jane & Matt did finally make it out on the River on Sunday for a great paddle from Grizzly Creek to Two Rivers. This shot is as they were coming into the take out at Two Rivers....
There are lots more pictures from the weekend out on our Picasa site....
Go Here..... http://picasaweb.google.com/ARShetzer/200805ColoradoCamping

Bald Eagles...

Matt has been enjoying his time off and has been looking to practice his photography skills (for our Alaska trip). He has been going for hikes out at Barr Lake State Park near us in Denver.

He took this wonderful photo of a Bald Eagle two days ago and I just wanted to share it with you. This park is known for its bald eagles so click the link above for more information on their nesting. Its amazing to have these wonderful birds so close to us.

Waiting for the sun to rise...

Just a quick post to catch up & share a few photos that we took last weekend up in Rocky Mountain National Park during our Photography class.

We left Friday night and headed up to Estes Park to begin our Photography class with Glenn Randall. Glenn is a fantastic landscape photographer here in Colorado, check out his site here. A couple of years ago, we took a summer class from Glenn and really enjoyed it so we decided to try his winter class.

We started out in the classroom on Friday night and enjoyed Glenn's lecture and his slideshows. On Saturday morning, we woke before 5am to get ready for the first morning's sunrise shoot. Nothing like walking up a snow covered trail in the dark to make you a bit cold & chilly. Of course when we got to the top to enjoy the view of the the sunrise on the peak over Bear Lake, it was so windy that it felt like we were being sandblasted with ice. Hallett Peak was obscured by the windy conditions so we scrambled around to look for something else to photograph at first light (didn't want to waste that 45 minute hike uphill in the dark!!).

We spent Saturday afternoon in a combination of resting and back in the classroom and planned our sunset shoot back in the park. We elected to have a very nice stroll to our sunset location and it was a good thing because the clouds rolled in and there really wasn't too much to shoot but we had a great time visiting with Glenn and our fellow classmates.

We woke early again on Sunday morning for our sunrise shoot. The class had elected to make a drive up Trail Ridge Road to Many Parks Curve for our morning location. It was great to hop out of the car and set up the camera and not have to hike in the dark. The sky was clear and we were able to get some good shots. Needless to say, by the time it was time to head back to Denver, we were pretty tired. We definitely prefer the sunset shoots to the sunrise ones.

Matt is all bundled up waiting for the sun to rise on Sunday morning...

This is a photo that I took of Mt. Ipsilon on Sunday morning. Nothing great, but I do love the warm glow of sunrise...

Catching up...

Boy have I been a terrible blogger since getting home. I promise to get better!!!

As I'm sure you've guessed, we are settling back into "normal life" (whatever that may be). I'm working like crazy and Matt has been busy working on the house. We decided that we are so tired of carpet in our bathrooms (yes, I know YUCK!!), so he is working on installing slate tiles in them. He has our guest bathroom all ready for the tiles to be installed, just waiting on picking up the tile and the saw. It will look wonderful when he is all done. I'll share before & after pictures when we are done with it. Then its on to the master bathroom where we plan a bit more extensive remodeling. We want to take out this huge garden tub and install a jetted tub and of course the new slate flooring. Needless to say, that one will take a bit longer.

I'm so enjoying being back home to my "paper" scrapbooking and I haven't done a digital layout since I got home. I forgot how much I enjoyed working with all the paper & embellishments. Of course, Matt loved not hearing me "bang" and scare him to death so we still have the rule that I have to warn him before "banging".

This is a layout that I did of one of my favorite pictures from the wedding. For those of you there, you will remember a very WET misty night. We had just finished having some pictures taken outside and were walking back in. It took both of us to hold up my dress out of the wet mucky ground. Needless to say, Jason did a great job of capturing this moment of us giggling like crazy as we attempted to keep the white dress out of the mud.



Credits:
Jason Smith Photography
DCWV Papers
Misc Embellishments (ribbon, flowers, ribbon slide, brads)

There are dinosaurs in Colorado!!

I finally got a chance to get all the photos uploaded to Picasa from the week of our family visit. There are some great ones of the little one with Dinosaurs!!

This first one was taken near the visitor center at Dinosaur Ridge.

Where are the dinosaurs???? Lets just say that Dinosaur footprint fossils were not all that exciting!!

Look at my dinosaur!!
Taken at the Denver Musueum of Nature & Science (note the large dinosaur bones in the background)

Boy, Dad is in trouble... Already on a motorcycle - Taken at Dave & Busters