Fall

Fall is here in full force. The weather is perfect. The colors are stunning. And the cows seem to be everywhere.

I'm feeling the push to get outside and play, knowing that cold weather is in the near future. I've enjoyed a few bike rides and just love the crunch of fallen leaves under the tires.

Gulliver and I enjoy packing a picnic and eating lunch wherever our little hearts desire. Usually in the park and sometimes on the trail. Today we hiked the lower loop (he spent as much time pushing the Chariot as riding in it), threw lots and lots of rocks, ate cottage cheese from a stick (because I forgot to bring a fork -- doh!), moo'ed at the cows, and watched many bikers cruise right by us. Fall is a great season and Crested Butte is the perfect place to enjoy it!

Aunt Gail Comes to Visit

Aunt Gail came up from Amarillo last week to see us. She brought two miniature schnauzers -- Katie & Callie -- with her, which Gulliver really enjoyed. We spent lots of time playing at the park and just hanging around the house. Aunt Gail got to share in Gulliver's first word... "More!"

Couples Tournament (Plus 1)

The three of us ventured out to the golf course again this weekend for the Couples Tournament at our golf club. Never in a million years would I have thought it possible to play 18 holes of golf with a 22 month old kiddo. But Gulliver came through once again with his exceptional golf etiquette. It was a beautiful day and we all had a wonderful time. Gulliver gave lots of high fives and fist bumps throughout the day. Mom and dad even managed to take 1st Place (net).

Salida

I had planned to go to Denver this week to do some city stuff with Gulliver and to see friends.  But the two little boys we were going to stay with got sick, so we cancelled.

Since the plan was to stop along the way and meet a friend for lunch in Salida, we went ahead and did this part of the trip anyway. We met in the park, played on the playground, and had a picnic lunch. The theme of the day seemed to be "fire engines." Gulliver just loved driving the play fire engine on the playground (we don't have one of these in CB). We saw two different "real" fire engines drive by that afternoon.  We gave them the honk honk signal, and both times they complied.

Gulliver just loved my friend, April. He warmed up to her quickly and enjoyed showing her his rocks. He giggled with her constantly, and even crawled up on her lap for about 20 minutes and gave unsolicited kisses. She certainly has the mothering-touch!

September 11 Remembered

I remember when I saw the horror of Sep 11, 2001. I was on the road in Detroit, MI, working onsite at my client's ad agency. I walked in and saw TV's on that had never been on before. I saw the image of a plane crashing into the World Trade Center and couldn't image what type of crazy advertising campaign they were cooking up. Then I realized this was real. It was shocking and unfathomable.

Everyone was sent home that day.  We, of course, could only go back to our hotel, and so we all gathered together in one room, glued to the television, not really sure what to do. Several of my colleagues were from the New York office, which gave me an entirely different perspective on things.  They tried unsuccessfully to reach family and friends. No one could get a phone call through. It was such an unsettling feeling. I couldn't imagine being in their shoes.

Later that week, several of us got together and shared a coveted rental car home because we could not get flights home.  We drove back and forth from Chicago to Detroit for many weeks because it seemed safer than flying. And with the new security procedures, driving was faster than flying. Would things ever get back to the way they were?

Six months later, I was in New York and decided take a few hours out to visit ground zero. It was eerie. And just plain sad.

And now in 2011, life goes on. Gulliver will have no memory of September 11, just as I have no memory of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the assassination of JFK, or the Vietnam War. I can only hope that he will not experience anything remotely close to these events in his  lifetime.

But today -- for those who lost family and friends on that horrific day ten years ago -- today we remember.

Harvest

Today was the day. I harvested everything that was left in the garden. We've been teetering on freezing for the past week or so, although Mother Nature teases us with some nights only dropping to 50 degrees. Woke this morning to quite a few ice crystals, so I went ahead and pulled everything that was close to ready. As my mom always tells me, "Never risk more than you are willing to lose." And I decided I'm not willing to lose these lovely veggies I've nurtured over the past several months.

I'm not as good at taking photos of my garden as I am of Gulliver. But I did capture a few points in time...

June 22: Wow -- we have a LONG way to go!

August 3: The only thing we've harvested at this point is lettuce, strawberries, and a few radishes.  It's starting to look more promising, but will there really be enough time???

Then things really came together in August… We got quite a few radishes, spaced out at different times. I clipped parsley and cilantro anytime I needed some. Had lots of fresh, mixed green salads. Experimented with some basil which grew better than expected (everyone told me not to even bother because it is so sensitive). We enjoyed 4 beautiful heads of broccoli. Cauliflower and peppers failed miserably. Gulliver enjoyed a strawberry or two every two or three days. I picked two small heads of cabbage and made some delicious stuffed cabbage rolls.

September 10: This is what I salvaged today…. carrots, beets, radishes, onions, and the last of the broccoli.

It's not a ton of produce. But it's quality -- not quantity -- that counts. And I have to say, this food is delicious! I steamed some carrots for Gulliver and he gobbled them right up. He also loves the different soups I have made this summer experimenting with cabbage and cauliflower leaves. He wasn't crazy about my cream of broccoli soup, though, so that just leaves more for me. The carrot greens looked so fresh and delicious, I just didn't want to throw them out. So I headed to Google and found out carrot greens are somewhat controversial, as some claim they are toxic. But after finding enough reliable resources that say they are nutritious and good to eat (along with the knowledge that my carrots were grown with zero pesticides or fertilizer), I went ahead and made a pesto out of them which is delicious.

Mark grilled up some fresh carrots, beets, and onions (along with mushrooms that are not from our garden) this evening and we both really enjoyed them. Tasty and oh, so healthy.

My first Colorado garden. It's not easy growing things at 8,000 feet above sea level -- options are limited. But we gave it a try and had some good results. This season has definitely been a learning experience, and I will make some adjustments for next year in hopes of finding a mix that works for our family.

And now I'll close with some photos of my favorite little monkey...

 Storing trains in his new backpack; watching "Maisy" after bathtime

Loves golf; turns the handle to make Curious George pop out of the jack-in-the box

Books, books, books...

Looking mischievous as he climbs around on the kitchen chairs -- a new favorite activity

A Labor Day Drive

We decided to take a drive for Labor Day. I hadn't been by Blue Mesa since Mother's Day. I took photos at that time because the reservoir was drained down to almost nothing in preparation for high runoff following a big snow season. Amazing to see the difference between early-May and early September. The volume of water just baffles me….  

Blue Mesa Reservoir, May 8, 2011:

Blue Mesa Reservoir, Sep 5, 2011:

We continued on to Powderhorn and then up Slumgullion Pass, and back down to Lake City.  We stopped several times along the way to throw rocks in the creek, eat lunch, and let the dogs run. It was a stunningly beautiful day. Not many leaves have started changing colors yet, but it won't be long now.

Everybody had a good time. We had planned to stop in Lake City to get some ice cream, but by the time we got there, Gulliver looked like this:

So we decided to save ice cream for another day and just kept driving home.