Category: colorado
Sunrise
I saw this yesterday morning before heading to Abbe Ranch to scribe for the judge at the horse trial.
June Rainbow
Zinnias
I am a little embarrassed by these zinnias. I thought, when I grabbed the annual pack, that I was picking up marigolds. My gardening is all about the tried-and-true, survives even in Colorado. I hope the deer don’t like zinnias.
Gate
When we moved here, there was a small pen with privacy fencing for the previous owner’s dog, and a few strands of barb wire around what we now call the horse field. We had a larger dog pen built the first month we were here in December 1992. We didn’t get around to building the barn until the summer of 1996, and fenced a little over two acres for the horse field in October 1996. In September of 2000, we fenced another two acres for what we still call the new field, and also fenced an adjacent area to replace our previous dog run. The dog run shared a fence line with the new field.
About five minutes are the dog run and new field were finished, I realized we should have put a gate between the new field and the dog run, but could never convince Jack that it was a good idea. When I learned that Lily and Lightning were coming to live with us, I told Jack I wanted to put a gate in so I could take the dogs out to the new field to play fetch without having to put dogs on leads to get them there safely.
On our way to the restaurant Sunday, Jack spotted a place that sells Preifert gates. Preifert gates are lightweight and recommended for use around horses. Yesterday morning I called and asked the owner if he had anyone who could install a gate for me. The young man he recommended came by a few hours later to check things out, and then came back this morning and installed our new gate. I am very pleased. It only took nine years. (The four-foot gate to the horse field is to the left in this photo, and the new gate is the one on the right.)
Brunch
Jack and I had been wanting to go out to eat to celebrate my birthday, but we were having schedule conflicts. (Our birthdays and anniversary all take place between June 3 and June 13, which seemed like a good idea at the time, but makes it difficult to schedule three separate celebrations.) While I was researching what was available in Monument, the town to north of us, I came across the Mozaic Restaurant, and remembered seeing it on the side of the road going toward Palmer Lake.
I don’t normally do buffets, because it seems like too much food, but I do like brunch occasionally. Jack doesn’t like brunch, because he sees no point in getting up in the morning on a weekend unless he is going to play golf. However, since it was my birthday, he agreed to brunch this morning.
The Mozaic has a fabulous view of the Front Range, looking south toward Cheyenne Mountain. On the opposite side the hill slopes up to the Santa Fe trail and the red rock formations which common to the Palmer Divide area.
The dining room took full advantage of the view and had what our server called a water feature. I would have called it a fountain, myself.
The food lives up to the setting, and there was, of course, too much of it. It had both breakfast and luncheon items, including sliced prime rib, Belgian waffles, and cooked to order omelettes. I had a hard time deciding what I liked best, though the salmon frittata and cheeze blintz were both very good. The bison short ribs were also excellent. Jack made a strategic error and got an omelette. This left him too full to try much from the luncheon selections. Poor Jack.
Chives
I love chives. I love the way they look, and I love the fact that they are apparently indestructible, even in Colorado. They are cheerful volunteers, but I don’t find them as invasive as mint.
Springtime in Colorado
Hummingbird
Thunderbirds
The Thunderbirds were flying over the Air Force Academy for the graduation ceremonies this afternoon. As I brought Lily and Lightning home from the groomers, I saw lots of people getting ready to watch from businesses, decks, parking lots and side roads. (People no longer try to watch from the freeway shoulders, fortunately.) Since we live in the valley due north of the Academy, I saw part of the show from our deck.
I pushed my kit lens about as far as it would go for this one. This wasn’t one of the years when they flew over our valley so low that one could practically read the numbers on the fusilage. Probably just as well: Lody (the thunder phobic Collie) thinks the Thunderbirds live up to their name and was worried enough as it was. It took the poor girl an hour after the flyover to stop panting and pacing.