San Carlos Part 3

End of November and the first week of December,  time to leave San Carlos......

It has been eventful and pretty busy around here although Jim is tired of reading. Unfortunately he has been real sick with a sinus infection for the last 3 weeks and that has curtailed our activity a lot. Then for several weeks before that the owners had a painter at the house repainting the interior woodwork so we had to hang around the house while he was here and hang around when he was supposed to be here but didn't show or was 4 hours late. Or worse, we'd go kayaking as he wasn't supposed to be here until 1pm and shows up at 10 am!

We go into Guaymas pretty much once a week for one reason or another, mostly for groceries. These pictures are of the open air market on Wednesdays and scenes around town and the stores. Guaymas town scenes 

We did discover a new taco restaurant (Takuchos) thanks to our friends Anne and Ron who were visiting for a week.

Anne and I went diving one day and had some great local dives. We had amazing encounters with a couple of huge Cortez angel fish. We got eye to eye and checked each other out for several minutes. This is unusual as they are normally shy and swim away very quickly. Here are some videos.: Diving videos

I'm going to a yoga class 3 mornings a week. I enjoy it so much. It is in a beautiful house right on the beach. The view certainly lends itself to a great practice. The yard is really lush right now and Victor, the gardener, has been working really hard on trimming the trees, especially a huge Ficus on the patio. Scenes around the house

And we have really loved going back to our church here. The pastor is new for us and has been here for a year. He is awesome and his sermons are so meaningful and down to earth. The new church is almost finished. Isn't it a wonderful problem that the church has grown so much that we need a bigger building? And it is paid for! Check out their website sancarloscommunitychurch.com

Halloween was fun this year. It is just as big here as in the States. The decorations in Walmart were great. On Halloween they have a costume parade. Our friend Rogelio and his family came over the Sunday before and we played on the beach and had carne asada. On Halloween we saw a lot of Trick or Treaters but instead of them coming to our house we drove around and gave out candy....much easier that way!

Then on the 1st and 2nd Mexicans celebrate the traditional Dia de Los Muertes, where they honor their dead loved ones. They either build shrines of their favorite things or decorate their graves in the cemeteries. It is a beautiful tradition. Halloween pictures

We also have a lot of “buzzards” that sleep in the palm trees on the beach. When they start flying around 100s gather and it is like a scene from the “Birds”! They are really sinister looking when they spread their wings and just sit there. They say it is to get warm but I think they just waiting for something. The Mexicans call them Zipilotes.

Now that the weather has cooled off we have been kayaking Kayaking in the bay and going for walks on the beach in the afternoons. Lucy absolutely loves the beach and has figured out that she can try and “herd” the birds. It is hysterical! She runs into a big flock of birds way out on a sandbar and then runs all around trying to get them to go where she thinks they need to be. Lucy at the beach . The seagulls tease her and fly just out of her reach!

We've also been kayaking with a bunch of our friends here. Last week we went off of the Beach Club beach. There was a HUGE bait ball (group of small bait fish) that covered at least ½ of the bay. The pelicans were going nuts, diving into the sea for fish. We had a great time and after we paddled thru a tunnel in the rocks we encountered several sea lions on the other side. Here are some videos: Kayaking off the Beach Club

Then the next week we went north of town and started off from Lalo Cove. We paddled past a beautiful rock formation called the 3 Marias. Then we went out for a late breakfast at El Mar. It takes so long to serve a big group that we spend more time talking and catching up then we did kayaking!

Lalo cove and the gang

Mexico is so fun this time of year. The flowers are blooming (especially the bougainvillaea) and everyone is getting ready for Christmas. The palm trees in San Carlos are painted white about 6' up the trunk (I think because of the bugs) and this year they wrapped everyone along the main boulevard with red ribbon so they look like candy canes. We also have a new fountain that has no water in it. But it is a nice backdrop for the Nativity scene.

San Carlos scenes

We put our sailboat, Abigail, up for sale about 6 weeks ago. We finalized the deal this week. (Dec 10th) She went to a young family who live in San Carlos and are looking forward to working on her and getting her back in the water.

We are heading home to Colorado with a stop in Phoenix to see family and friends before Christmas.

Have a great Christmas everyone.

Becky and Jim

San Carlos part 2

When last we left you we were headed over to our sail boat named Abigail to pump out the water in her bilges. Thank goodness for wet/dry shop vacs! As we have no batteries on board we would have had to pump all the water out manually. As it was we got over 40 gallons of water out of her which accumulated while in storage over the last 21/2 years Can you imagine how long that would have taken by hand...like in bailing?! And it was unbelievably hot and humid! We were literally dripping with sweat. UGH! When we went up on deck it felt like heaven, even though it was over 90 degrees.. We did part of her the 1^st day and came back the 2^nd day to finish. Then we had to wipe down all the woodwork with bleach water as we had powdery mildew on everything. I hope that keeps it at bay otherwise we'll have to get something nastier to get rid of it. While it sounds bad we were actually surprised at how good she looked after all this time. Especially the covers we made back then which were still in really good shape. Oh and it was hot and humid! We were literally dripping with sweat. UGH! Oops....I said that already. I'm telling you the cold ones we consumed when done sure tasted great.

We have a lot of work to do on her but are going to wait until November when it is cooler. Most of the work planned this season is bottom work....painting, etc. and we'll have at least a month to get it done before leaving in December. Here is a link to pictures of her. Check out how they move the boats around which involves a really big Caterpillar tractor and long trailer with arms that are operated hydraulically. They position the trailer under the boat, lift the arms and off they go. Interesting that the system and equipment was developed here which speaks to third world ingenuity Pictures of Abigail

We went out to dinner on our 5^th (that's right sports fans it's been an amazing five years) wedding anniversary to Blackie's.....one of the older restaurants in town. It was excellent as usual. The service was impeccable and the chocolate cake ( homemade with vanilla ice cream) was to die for. They have this complimentary after dinner drink that is like a Kahlua milkshake but better.....it's so great to be back where as much as things appear to change they remain the same.

We've started diving with Ocean Sports Dive Shop again which is one of the older shops in town. Jim helps out as a dive master which involves conducting the boat briefings, dive site briefings and making sure everyone aboard has a good time. Kinda like being the dive concierge. Anyone one who doesn't have a buddy to dive with or wants a guide is invited to dive with us. Other than that we get to play....... no more teaching. The water is very warm, 83-85 degrres at this time of year and the visibility is quite good. That will all begin to change in another month when the water temperature begins to drop which is not a bad thing (if your dressed for it) as in wet suits versus bathing suits. The shop has started doing 3 tank dives to the Island rather than the standard 2 tanks in one trip with Ernesto (the boat captain) cooking lunch between dives. This is a special treat cause he's not just cooking a lunch. We're talking homemade Mexican soul food like madre (that's mother for you gringos) used to make complete with sides like frijoles, salsas, tortillas con queso (cheese), and roasted chilies. We've been going out to the island of San Pedro which is about a 2 hour boat ride from San Carlos. It is probably best known for being one of the few places in the world where you can dive and interact with sea lions. They are so beautiful and graceful underwater.... and playful. They will swim up and nip at you like puppies. Pictures don't really tell the story so next time I'm going to take some video. We've also seen a ton of lobsters and eels and lots of colorful fish, Several divers even saw and photographed a seahorse this past week end. On our last dive on Sunday we saw a turtle! It swam a little way and then laid down on a rocky shelf and posed for pictures for about 5 minutes. Turtles are very rare here and it was an amazing finish to a great day of diving. Here is a link to the pictures of the boat and the turtle. Aboard the Ocean Spirit

We've seen some really nice sunsets lately, both from our balcony and on the beach. We took Lucy to the beach last week for the 1^st time. She was a riot. At first she was spooked by the waves but soon she really started to play in the water. The sunset that evening was SPECTACULAR! Here is a link to the pictures. Sunsets and the beach

In the last edition we mentioned JJ's. which is our favorite local place to go for street tacos. The owner JJ has been around town for a long time and is quite popular with the locals, especially the diving crowd. Here are pictures of his new place which is quite a step up from his prior location.  I don't know..... I kinda miss the dirt floors. He also sells Cuban cigars (which we couldn't tell from a Mexican cigar) and t-shirts, etc which are emblazoned with his favorite saying.....WHO CARES, among other things. Pictures of JJ's

I'm going to splash aerobics class 3 mornings a week while Jim swims laps off the beach. Both are a wonderful way to exercise and the atmosphere and views are much better than the inside of a gym. We don't have television (imagine that) but there's a nice library here with a great selection of books and jig-saw puzzles! So now I can borrow puzzles to my hearts content. The 1^st one I did was of Times Square at night (a lot of black and bright lights) and then this landscape by one of my favorite artists.....Charles Wysocki. I've done a lot of his puzzles over the years. I am truly a puzzle addict and have been in recovery for a number of years but our friend Sandy in Camp Verde and dear Milly at River Spruce have led me down that dark road again. My next puzzle is one of about 40 ornate Russian Easter eggs. After you finish it you are supposed to try and see which 2 are exactly alike! I'll let you know about that one on the next blog …..... Here is a link to some pictures and of the house Fun stuff

For those of you who want to know more about San Carlos and see other pictures from here, there is a weekly online newsletter, http://www.whatsupsancarlos.com. Check it out …....

In closing we leave you with the lyrics of singer song writer James Taylor, to his classic song about Mexico.....sing along with us;

Way down here, you need a reason to move. Feel a fool running your stateside games.
Lose your load, leave your mind behind, Baby James.
Woh, Mexico, it sounds so simple, I just got to go.
The sun's so hot I forgot to go home, guess I'll have to go now.

Vaya con Dios.....Jim and Becky

We made it down to San Carlos without any problems. The rain was pretty heavy north of Hermosillio due to tropical storm Odile. The washes were really full and raging but the highway was clear and by the time we cleared Hermosillio the worst of the rain was done. We got to the house and got everything unloaded and unpacked pretty quickly and went into town to have some tacos. Those of you who have been to San Carlos will love this.... JJ's has moved. He owns his own building now and has built a huge palapa and an enclosed dining room with a tiled floor and at least 30 tables! No liquor license yet so no beer with our tacos but they were still great! Marina Cantina has been sold and just reopened as Hammerheads. They do have beer so we had a welcome home beer there. Chino, who used to work for Ocean Sports is managing it. There are another couple of new restaurants in town, too....reviews to follow.

It is so great to be back. It has been over 2 years since we were here and while some things have changed, the town remains the same. We've seen some old friends around town and at the dive shop. Ernesto is still the captain of the Ocean Spirit along with shipmates Oscar, Edgar and his brother. Our good friend Abrahm is running Ocean Sports here.

After I sent out the short blog about being on our way here, we got an email from long time dive friends saying they were in town to dive this weekend. How cool is that! We had dinner and caught up on all the news and had a great time.

Then we spent a great Saturday visiting our Mexican friend Rogelio and his family. It was his wife Mirna's birthday and they invited us over to join the celebration. The family just kept coming...... we left about 9:30 and Rogelio said the party went on until after 1 am. Definitely past our bedtime. We had carne asada, grilled onions & chilies and all the fixings. OMG it was good. Some of you who have followed our older blogs will remember that Rogelio & Mirna came over to the house one year and taught us to prepare tamales. They are great cooks and I am learning a lot.

Yesterday we went over to the boatyard to visit Abigail. It is a good thing we did. After these last storms we had quite a lot of water in the bilges and are pulling her out into the workyard today so we can pump her out and clean up. While she's there we will get some prices on the bottom work and start to do a few things.

Here are some pictures of the view from our apartment and of the party.

Pictures of the house, the bay and friends

Mexico or Bust!

On our way to Mexico ......Hope to miss most of the rain from Odile. They are expecting more flash flooding in Phoenix as it is heading this way.

Our 1^st stop after leaving Estes Park was Golden to see the grandkids and pack up our kayak and dive gear. We spent a whole day with Ethan, (Jeremy’s son, who is 10) doing some shopping, going out to lunch and going to the new X-Men movie. A whole day of play. We really had fun!

Then we drove to Red River the 1^st night and stayed with Judy. Jim's sister Norma was there, too. This was the 1^st time the 3 of them have been together since Jim and I have been together. It was a hoot.

Made the long trip to Phoenix and stayed with Melanie and got to spend time with grandsons Jack and Harvey. By then Norma got back to Phoenix and we stayed with her for a couple of days.

While out running errands we stopped to have lunch at Chino Bandido which was featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. (Chino Bandido on DDD video) We've talked about eating there every time we come to Phoenix and this time we were finally in the “neighborhood”. It is in a little strip mall. As the name suggests it is a fusion of Mexican and Chinese food with some Jamaican thrown in. Really great food. Check out their menu at chinobandido.com.

It's been 100'+ here and Lucy has been really uncomfortable. We knew Mexico will be almost as hot for at least a month plus playing in the sand and salt water so we got a hot weather hair cut for Lucy. Now she looks like a Catawhoula except without the tail. Pictures of our trip to Phoenix 

Part 3: August

Estes Park

In July our summer plans for Cotopaxi took a right turn. Wendye & Shelley (owners of River Spruce in Estes Park, CO where we spent the winter) called us to tell us that Wendye's brother had passed away. They needed us to come and work for August so they could go to Wisconsin to the family cabin at the lake where he had lived and take care of it and his estate. This would be a good trial run for our time there next summer. (Last April they offered us a permanent position, working 3 months on and 3 months off, starting in Jan 2015) River Spruce webpage

River Spruce is a lot different in the summer than covered with snow in the winter! The river is bubbling right along and the flowers fill the window boxes and the flower beds alongside the cabins. It is really beautiful. The fishing is great and everybody has a campfire. We met many wonderful people and ate a lot of s'mores. Out of 8 cabins we only had 3 nights vacant all month so we were busy. Thank goodness we don't have to clean rooms. Jim did a lot of painting and staining, I made 2 pans of coffee cake every morning and answered a lot of phone calls and emails …. and washed lots of towels! Since we're going to be here a lot, we decided to buy an electric smoker. We really had fun with it and did chicken, a beef roast and even some cheese! The brand is “Smokin-it” and is just fantastic. Smokin-it webpage

We had a black bear swim across the river one morning and then never saw him again. Lots of deer and the elk started coming around before we left. River Spruce pictures

We miss being there already but are looking forward to being in San Carlos, Mexico for the next 3 months. 

Part 2: July

Right after the 4^th of July Jim and Ryan went on another hike along the Rainbow Trail Rainbow Trail webpage and up into the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness to Bushnell Lakes. Bushnell Lakes webpage. They did not make it all the way as it is as steep and difficult as advertised. But an amazing hike and views Hiking pictures

Then we went on a road trip to Red River, NM. Jim's sister Judy and her husband Gil remodeled an old building there into a gorgeous retirement home in this beautiful area. Red River webpage

On the way south we stopped at our favorite pottery store Azul Pottery, Azul Pottery webpage. It is actually a factory and you can tour it. Their pottery is really unique. We got them a house warming present and headed south through the San Luis valley. We were tempted to stop at the Great Sand Dunes National Park, but the weather was all thunder and lightning and hail and rain! Pretty incredible driving through that valley with mountains on both sides and all that fury all around us.

Their house is amazing! We got the tour and had a great visit, even had some time to do some off-roading. Gil bought a jeep and we got to have some fun. Pretty tame by our standards but we've got to ease them in gently!

House Pictures: Judy and Gil's new old house

Jeep Pictures: Off roading in Red River

We took a day trip into Taos and toured the Kit Carson home and museum. Kit Carson museum webpage

I never realized what an important part he played in opening up the West. He ran away from his apprenticeship in Missouri at the age of 16 and came to Taos in 1826. And his story goes on from there........ Timeline of Kit Carson's career  and his biography Kit Carson Then we went to Out Back Pizza for lunch...... amazing wood fired pizza in a unique setting. Taos pictures

Allie Jane came to visit us for a few days and we had a blast in the pool and fishing. Allie pictures

Then we had a special day driving to Guffy and going to the wolf sanctuary at the Rocky Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary. Wolf Sanctuary webpage. You will not believe the pictures! Wolf pictures

Mark's first wolf rescue was Cheyenne, at 3 weeks old. She is known as the healing wolf. Her story is quite incredible. Cheyenne.

They are totally off the grid up on the top of this mountain Map. Everything is solar powered. He has 12 wolves now and is building runs for 12 more. He is rescuing them from another sanctuary whose owner's health is failing. You have to make an appointment as he only takes 1 small group at a time. He is always looking for volunteers, especially to lead the tours so he can work with the wolves. You can park your RV and work for a month or longer if you like ….... we are considering it for next May.

We are off to work at River Spruce in Estes Park for the month of August. Sad to leave our beautiful yard on the banks of the Arkansas River and all our friends there........ Pictures of our site at Cotopaxi See you in part 3........

Part 1 of our summer: June

We have been really, really busy this summer...besides me working in the office at the KOA and Jim fishing, I dug out my beads and stones and have been making earrings and jewelry again. I have it for sale in the store at the campground and on Fridays at the Farmer's Market in Cotopaxi.

Then we did all of this in June (PART 1) and July (PART 2)!

We survived Memorial Day and then left for Sacramento to visit our daughterAvey and for our oldest grandson, Isaiah's high school graduation. Elena, Avey's new baby, is our youngest.

We had a wonderful visit. Isaiah is going on to Junior College and playing football in Merced, CA.

Graduation pictures

Holden and Bella (his younger brother and sister) have grown up so much in the last few years. Avey has a great new apartment in Sacramento and we helped her do some unpacking. Jim got to set up the crib. We didn't get to visit with Albert much as he was working crazy long hours but we really came to cuddle Elena anyway. She is such a happy baby! She smiles and talks to you all the time. Pictures of Elena

We've settled into the summer routine. Jim fished the Arkansas River until the run off got too extreme. We've had record flows through the canyon this summer and it is just now becoming fish-able again. So he's spent a lot of time at DeWeese Reservoir, fly fishing for small mouth bass. They are such good eating! We love cooking them for fish tacos. DeWeese reservoir

And we've had lots of opportunities to explore and do some really fun things:

One of Jim's favorite places to fish is Grape Creek. It drains out of DeWeese Reservoir and is pretty remote. Lots of hiking to get there. He took Ryan (our foreign exchange worker from Jamaica) and it was his first experience hiking and getting “back to nature”. Jim caught lots of fish and they both had a great time....Ryan was the official photographer. Grape Creek pictures

On the way back they stopped at a historic site … Beckwith Ranch Beckwith Ranch

We spent a delightful afternoon driving to Cripple Creek and touring the jail museum. I wanted to tour a museum of one of the famous “Houses” in the Red Light District but it didn't appeal to Jim so the jail it was. It was fascinating and the pictorial history was excellent. Jail Museum webpage Cripple Creek has had quite a colorful history over the years. Cripple Creek history There is still an operating gold mine there, CCV gold mining co but now it is more well known for gambling just like Central City and Black Hawk. Then we drove around and looked at the beautifully restored historic homes. Cripple Creek pictures

June 25^th we went to a free concert in Westcliffe. The Wototo Children's Choir was performing. They were an energetic and smiling bunch of kids, so happy that Jesus was working in their lives! They were dressed in native attire and sang and danced. They also shared their stories of what their life was like before they were adopted. It was an incredible night. Their story is amazing. They are representatives of a group of orphans that have been rescued in Uganda. They become part of families in special villages and are raised to be leaders in their chosen fields so that they in turn can rebuild their country. In addition the program runs Baby Watoto, Project Gulu and Living Hope, a program for abandoned women who create beautiful jewelry and embroidered goods.

Here is a link to their site: Watoto webpage. And here is a link to a couple of videos of the concert and pictures of the kids. Watoto Children's Choir I hope after reading about their story and hearing them sing you will be as inspired as we were. There are so many ways we can all help and become more aware of the plight of orphans in Africa.

And we finally got to do some off-roading. We had to wait until almost the end of June because the snow pack was so deep. We went west and north and west to the ghost town of St Elmo. All of the old buildings are privately owned and are pretty well maintained. Of course you can only experience them from the streets as they are all posted. St Elmo webpage.

We continued on out of town on the road to Tin cup, Tin Cup 4X4 road,  another ghost town where people actually live. Tin Cup web page. The worst part of the road was right when you were leaving town! Unfortunately, the shelf road over the top was snowed close with a huge snow slide so we had to turn around and go back down the way we'd come. Really amazing scenery! St Elmo & Tin Cup Pass pictures

There is quit an extensive Amish community in the Westcliffe area. They bring their baked goods to the Farmer's Market every week. So when we saw that they were having an auction to benefit their school, we decided to go and see if there was anything we could not pass up and/or fit in the motorhome. They had lots of quilts and pies and old tractors and furniture but the only thing I saw was a beautiful handmade basket. We didn't want to stay around all day to bid on the basket so we settled for a coffee cake instead and headed home. We heard that the quilts went for a lot so I'm sure the basket did too. Amish auction pictures. Continued in Part 2 ................

Cozumel Dive Trip

As promised here is the long overdue blog and pictures from our trip to Cozumel in April.

The whole adventure started back in January when we realized we had 2 weeks banked from our timeshare that had to used by June. The challenge was finding a resort that wasn’t all-inclusive and was a great diving destination. We finally settled on Cozumel after much searching.

Then we made a list of friends who are divers to invite and the 1st ones we called  took us up on it. Then the hard part ….. finding a flight. We didn’t know that most flights from Denver to Cozumel go through Chicago, Charlotte or Atlanta? And anything reasonably priced was an overnight flight?! We finally found a flight through Dallas which allowed us stay at Jim’s sister overnight.

Cozumel was incredible…. white sand beaches, great tacos ( Jim is a taco connoisseur or is that monster ) and amazing diving. We hooked up with a company called Pro Dive at our resort (which was beautiful) and had a super experience …… great prices, outstanding customer service, very knowledgeable dive masters and awesome diving! (Fellow divers, read our review on trip advisor

LINK http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g150809-d1637329-r204957471-Pro_Dive_Mexico-Cozumel_Yucatan_Peninsula.html)

Cozumel is part of the second largest barrier reef system in the world. (LINK http://www.scuba-diving-cozumel.com/cozumel-coral-reefs.htm)  Lots of turtles, sharks, swim throughs and Cenotes. Cenotes are unique to the Yucatan and are actual caves that have been flooded by fresh water. They form miles and miles of underwater passages in the middle of the jungle. The water is crystal clear and it’s like being in an underground cave with stalagmites, stalactites, and caverns. You are diving completely in the dark with only a flashlight to guide you through the caves. And of course you go with a cave certified dive master.........

(LINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cenote)

PIX cozumel scenes

https://plus.google.com/photos/112814756363158658621/albums/6031961595607896337?authkey=CJzMtcrDr_zTrwE

Pix Dive videos

https://plus.google.com/photos/112814756363158658621/albums/6031916161679856161?authkey=CMzDzqK4qebKXA

PIX Dive pictures

https://plus.google.com/photos/112814756363158658621/albums/6026380301222437601?authkey=CPuolbearoePmAE

These pictures were taken by Fisheye Photography. We did the tourist thing and bought the dvd of pictures of us on our dive and they included these amazing shots of the caves we were in and above ground, too

Pix Cenotes above ground

https://plus.google.com/photos/112814756363158658621/albums/6032953936615373009?authkey=COy3-qenp9LrLg

Pix cave creatures

https://plus.google.com/photos/112814756363158658621/albums/6033065967623042337?authkey=CIL8-LfBk_DD9wE

Pix of the Cenotes https://plus.google.com/photos/112814756363158658621/albums/6033080474967049969?authkey=CJ_svrrisdGFzQE

Pix our dive in the cenotes

https://plus.google.com/photos/112814756363158658621/albums/6033097894921298817?authkey=CJCIvqain_a1Mw

We had an incredible time and hope to return next spring for a month and dive the sites we did not have time for and explore more of the island. We also want to visit Merida on the Yucatan and see Chichen Itza and other Mayan ruins in the area.

SPRINGTIME ADVENTURES

SPRINGTIME ADVENTURES

Unbelievably it has only been 3 months since we left Estes Park and we are so behind in our blog. We’ve had quite a time since leaving Estes the end of February. We loved working there and will be back in 2015.

Estes Park pictures:

Sledding in Estes Park

Animal life and the damage from last falls horrific floods

We headed to Arizona with the intention of spending a week or so visiting friends and family and then heading down to San Carlos, MX. However, the timing didn’t work out for a place to stay in Mexico so we decided to just hang out in Arizona. Ended up spending six weeks….where’s the time go….even more amazing when we realized it had been two years since we’d been back that way. Time does truly fly when you’re having fun.  

Along the way we stopped to visit with friends Jim and Bren at their homestead outside of Window Rock, AZ. This is reservation country which most everyone is somewhat familiar with if only thru the movies and pictures.of places with names like Monument Valley, Canyon De Chelley, Chaco Canyon and so on. While there’s the raw, natural beauty of the land ( pictured  in our previous blogs ) visiting the reservation (REZ for short) can be like a step back in time. Culturally it’s akin to visiting a foreign country in customs, food and traditions. We experienced the difference in food thanks to Jim who suggested we try the Sunday breakfast bunch at the Quality Inn in Window Rock. Along with the usual fare like eggs, bacon and hash browns there were mutton ribs,  fry bread and blue corn mush….yummm…. we had seconds!  

Heading south our next stop was at Camp Verde,AZ. to visit  with long time friends Jim and Sandi and John and Wendy (new friends of ours from the experience at Amazon) who happened to be staying in the area. We went jeeping up in the Bradshaw Mountains to Crown King and on to Prescott over the Senator Highway. Visited the historical Palace Saloon on Whiskey Row in Prescott and just enjoyed time spent kicking back with friends old and new.

Jeeping pictures

We also hooked up with our friends from Buffalo, WY., Jimmy and Nadine who winter in Queen Valley, AZ. We had a great time out in the desert riding on Rzrs ( high octane quad runners ) and Jim is hooked! We’d have one by now if we could figure out how to tow it and still keep the Jeep.

Razr running in the desert

Next stop was Phoenix,AZ. where we were so busy  Becky had to keep track of everything on a calendar! Time spent visiting with many, many old friends….Jim lived in the area for 20 + years….working at daughter Melanie’s house doing yard work and enjoying grandsons Jack and Harvey (our newest grandson), visiting with Jim’s big sister Norma Jean ( yes she looks like Marilyn) the time seemed to fly by, Pictures of Harvey and Jack

Since going to Mexico this spring didn’t work out, we decided to go diving at the Blue Hole in Santa Rosa, New Mexico with our friends Jim and Brenda. We all needed to get wet and check out our dive gear as we were going to Cozumel the end of April. It was dry suits and a very unique form of “shore diving” at altitude. They introduced us to their friend Sarah who is into diving and most all things outdoors ( a very cool young spirit ).

Blue Hole ......diving

Leaving  New Mexico we headed north to Cotopaxi, CO. to start our summer job on the Arkansas River. It was still freezing at night and we had a snowstorm on the 14th of April. It is wonderful to be back here and we are looking forward to a fun summer April showers?   

We  spent Easter in Denver  with kids and grandkids and managed to sneak in a side trip to visit with Wendy and Shelley at River Spruce. You’ll recall that we worked there this past winter during the months of January and February and loved the experience. They’ve since offered us a more permanent position so it looks like we’ll be there three months on and three months off year round starting with our return in January. This is very exciting for us since it means we’ll have a place to call home after years of living on the road. Plus Wendy and Shelly are the absolute best and home will be adjacent to one of the most beautiful places on earth….Rocky Mountain National Park….how cool is that!  While there we helped them stack sandbags along the banks of the Big Thompson River which flows thru their property. The community is very concerned about flooding associated with spring runoff especially after the horrific flooding they experienced last fall. Please say a little prayer, cross fingers and toes….anything in hopes the area is spared further damage and do make plans to come visit us.  

We flew to Cozumel to go diving on April 25th and spent a week there. More on that in the next edition so please stay tuned….

Returning to Cotopaxi for Mother’s Day weekend we were greeted by 8 inches of very wet snow which began falling Sunday night accompanied by below freezing temps.  Forecast calls for weekend temps. in the 80’s. Seems like one extreme to another but that’s springtime in the Rockies. The hummingbirds are eating or is it drinking a feeder full everyday and the trees are beginning to bloom.  Mother's Day snow

We are ready for winter to be over and welcome in spring time. Many thanks to all our wonderful friends…. old and new…. along with our family….seven amazing children and a whopping twelve beautiful grandchildren….and counting.  

.”As I walk, As I walk,

The universe is walking with me.”  

           - from the Navajo Rain Dance ceremony                                                                          

                                                     

Until next time….many blessings….Jim and Becky

Happy New Year

Well, here we are at our new gig in Estes Park, CO, kinda amazed at what's transpired in such a short period of time. They say," time flies when your having fun", and we can certainly attest to that. Hard to believe that just a little over three weeks ago we were in Kansas finishing up at Amazon and headed back to Colorado for the holidays. We had a wonderful time beginning the moment we arrived in Golden with shopping, wrapping presents and last minute cookie baking which has become a tradition with our grand daughters. Sugar cookies and gingerbread men by the dozens....    

Christmas morning was chaos but so much fun....Grand daughter Allie got a pogo stick (remember those fellow boomers?) and no..... Grandpa didn't give it a try. Jim's youngest and very prego daughter Avey and her boyfriend flew in Christmas day from California and we had a wonderful visit. Christmas Day pictures

We had a chance to get to get to know her beau Albert, who is a pretty quiet guy until you get him talking about football. Sadly he is a Raider fan! We told him no black & silver colors or Raider football logo was allowed in Colorado and offered to buy him something in Bronco orange which he politely declined. As luck would have it the Broncos & Raiders were playing 
the day after they left and yes (thankfully) Denver kicked butt! 

The day after Christmas was spent enjoying left overs followed by a stroll after dark in downtown Golden to check out the lights. We  celebrated the occasion with a cup of gourmet hot chocolate made with steamed milk, Ghiradelli chocolate, whipped cream and sprinkles, yummmm ....great fun. Golden after dark  

The following day began with a drive into the mountains west of Denver so Albert could see real mountains and snow (he's never been out of California). We made it to the top of Berthoud Pass which is over 10,000' and thankfully it was pretty clear so the views were good in all directions.  Mountain drive

We arrived back in Denver in time for lunch at the Atomic Cowboy. This restaurant was featured on Triple D ( Diner's, Drive-In's and Dives on the Food Channel) (http://www.atomiccowboy.net/)  and is actually 2 restaurants in 1....Sulley's Pizza (home of the 27" manhole cover sized pizza and the Denver Biscuit Co where everything is served on a HUGE baked from scratch biscuits. Becky had grits and shrimp (OMG delicious!), Jim had pulled pork and fried onion rings on a biscuit and the kids played it safe  by splitting 
a small pizza. All in all a day to remember.... Atomic Cowboy pix

Both of our grand daughters are active in sports and before leaving we got to watch Allie's last "indoor soccer" game which was for the championship. The game is played on an astro turf hockey rink-style field with Plexiglas walls, (imagine hockey played with a ball instead of a puck.... it's that fast) They finished second but hey, at the age of seven it's not so much about winning or losing but all about having fun. Truth be known it's questionable who had more fun.... the kids playing or the parents and grandparents watching. Sure wish we could bottle up some of that energy....LOL. 

We packed up and left for Estes Park on Sunday and have settled in nicely. Located at 7,700'+/- the town of Estes Park is the eastern gateway into Rocky Mountain National Park. It is a beautiful place surrounded by majestic mountains and incredible views. The resort we are managing is aptly named River Spruce. Located on the spruce covered banks of the Big 
Thompson River it's advertised as a place where one comes to relax, renew and restore. Stand by for more on that and the area to come. Becky celebrated her (let's see was that 29 or 39 and holding) birthday on the 11th which was made even more special by a visit from our kids Alisha and Jeremy along with grand children Ethan and Allie. They all went sledding in RMNP with grandpa who found the experience a bit chilling....LOL. (Pictures of River Spruce) 

In closing we pray that all of your hopes and dreams come true in the New Year. Thank you for being our friend for friend's are like blessings. The more we treat them like blessings the more friends we'll be blessed with and we feel truly blessed. Vaya con Dios....Becky and Jim