03.31.09

Another snow.

We awoke Monday to some wonderfully large snowflakes. I captured the tree in our front yard. Well, it's pretty sad when I take a picture and forget that I've taken it! I was taking a photo of the new pair of bluebirds today and while I was checking out the photos I came across this picture that I had actually taken before going to school yesterday.

Maybe it had something to do with the "smell" at school.  We all noticed an odor in the air - something like a nail salon.  Not too long after school got going we had to move all the students to the gym and cafeteria.  Yes, all 600 of them.  District and building folks assessed the situation.  There was some work done on the floors during break and the epoxy was emitting a non-toxic odor...it was just very strong.  We ended up doing an early dismissal.  Within two hours we had the majority of students home.  Our leadership team did an amazing job.  It was an interesting day back from spring break!

Anyway, I liked the photo so I decided to go ahead and use it today.

03.30.09

Pricey printing.

Well, I got my new printer set up this weekend. When we were looking at which printer to purchase, we saw that the ink cartridges were expensive. And now I know why...they glow! The cartridges are chipped. I'm not exactly sure what that means just yet, but it makes them glow when inserted properly.

I decided to take the photo without the flash for a better "effect."

03.29.09

Plant.
I was originally going to take a photo of the shells I have in a jar...but while l was looking at the jar, the plant caught my eye. It's not a special plant, I just thought it looked cool with the blue sky in the background.

03.28.09

The meltdown begins.

This is the view from one of upstairs rooms - looking toward north Castle Rock and across the Red Hawk Ridge Golf Course.  Our snow from this last week is beginning to melt...I hope it goes slow so all the moisture can get soaked up by our plants.  We added a lot of trees, shrubs and plants to the backyard in October, so I'm sure they are enjoying the water.  We're anxious to see everything leafed out.

Bluebird Update:  Well, last week I posted a photo of the bluebird pair.  Since the Thursday snowstorm, they have both been MIA.  I'm sure where they are, but I'm hopeful they are still nearby.  We did acquire two mourning doves after the storm.  Not sure if they are the same pair from last year, but we've had two hang-out in the backyard and scrub oak the last couple of summers.

03.27.09

Drifts.

What a shock...the weathermen didn't know what they were talking about!  They managed to get one thing right - it was going to snow!  As for the 16-22 inches we were supposed to get here in Castle Rock, not so much.  I would say we were lucky if we even got a foot.  Here's one of the drifts on our back deck.

03.26.09

Let it snow!

I was VERY excited to see the snow and moisture...we REALLY need it! I was disappointed that there was a snow day...when I'm on spring break! The snow here in Castle Rock began around 9:00 and is still falling. We had some pretty high winds this afternoon so there are some good sized drifts. I'm guessing we've had between 9-12 inches. I'm anxious to see if we actually get the rest of our 16-22 that they originally forcasted...not holding my breath. As of now, it looks like DCSD will be having school tomorrow - bummer for them. ;o)

At least Chad got to use his snow blower once, actually twice, this year.

03.25.09

Road Trip.

Well, it's not exactly a diving destination, but our trip to Fort Collins was a lot of fun. Chad and I both went to college in Fort Collins - he graduated from CSU and I ended up graduating from UNC. We hadn't been back since graduating so we made the venture north.

Our first stop - Odell's Brewery for one of our favorites - Easy Street. Nothing really beats an Easy Street with a lemon on a hot, summer day. We purchased their sampler and had the chance to try a few new beers.

After Odell's we were off to our old neighborhood. We drove along the north side of campus and were a little surprised to see how trashy some of the places looked. The old SAE house was actually boarded up - not sure what happened there. We were on the look-out for a place we used to eat, the Teriyaki Wok. Back in college we loved it - didn't taste too bad and it was cheap. We were disappointed...until we rounded the corner of Elizabeth & Shields...and there it was...Teriyaki Wok II!! We discovered a sub shop in our old BW3 building, so that was a little disappointing.

We continued on to our old town homes. (Chad and I were actually neighbors - that's where we met.) Their upkeep over the last decade seems to have been lacking. We didn't hang out too long...didn't want to scare anyone with "stalking" behavior.

Getting back to Teriyaki Wok...we weren't brave enough to try it, so we went to another one of our favorites - B&B Pickle Barrel...and it was great! I loved how they still store their cheese in stacks, on small plates, covered with Saran wrap. The pickles were still spicy and the beer was still cold.

Our final destination was the New Belguim Brewery. It was MUCH more crowded than Odell's...especially for 3:00 on a Wednesday afternoon - and it wasn't all college kids. We enjoyed our four samplers and purchased a few items...we had to get some new schwag for our new bar.

And that brought our trip down memory lane to an end. It was a lot of fun...maybe we'll have to do it again in another 13 years.