Visiting the Chapmans

While Lee and I were wandering about in Iowa we visited our long-time friends, Karen and George Chapman who now live in Mount Pleasant, Iowa.  They formerly lived in Silverton and were family friends for many years so it seemed like old home week to me to visit them in their new home.

Their new home is really a lovely old mansion, built in the 1800s.  It is so large it has two staircases
to the upper floor---one for VIPs and the other for the rest of us!

This is the front of the house.  In the tower at the top they have a Christmas tree each year.
What an amazing place it is and they seem to be enjoying Iowa a great deal.

George took me to the Old Thresher's Museum where they have what seemed like every known
steam engine-tractor-device as well as complete sets of Farmall and John Deere tractors plus
all sorts of other agricultural relics.  I plan to return for the Labor Day Steam Engine event
when they haul the steam machines out and fire them up.  What fun!!!

Chapman's took us on a tour of the area and to dinner at Bonapart's Retreat, a charming country
inn where I had the best pork chop ever!  Thanks again, Karen and George!

I managed to forget to take any pictures of our friends so I'll close with this nosy little Iowa squirrel!

Touring the East Coast of Iowa

A few days ago I flew to Des Moines, Iowa to meet my friend Lee, who is from Tucson.  We rented a car and began our tour of what she calls "The East Coast of Iowa", a/k/a the
Mississippi River Valley.

Our first order of business was to tour the Covered Bridges of Madison County.
Do you recall the movie with Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood or perhaps you
read the charming little book.  The bridges (six of them) were built between
1870 and 1884.  Several have been moved; all have been restored to a certain
extent.  All were in the beautiful eastern Iowa countryside surrounded by acres of
cornfields, small streams, and well-tended farms with great tall silos.

Imes Bridge 1870

Cedar, 1883

Our next adventure was to travel across the center of the state where our adventures began to Cedar Rapids where we went to see the Brucemoor Mansion and Grounds, a
large country estate from the early 20th Century.  It is on the National
Historic Register so imagine our surprise to find a display of large photographs of other buildings which are on the Register and right there on the top was the Town Hall of Silverton, Colorado!
(Doesn't seem quite right that I should have had to travel all the way to central
Iowa to learn that my own City Hall is included!)

Maple Tree on the Ground

Brucemoor Mansion, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Today we happily got to the river valley.  Even though the Mississppi is very low in water due to the extensive drought of her contributing geographical areas, the first glimpse of the river valley was stunning!

The fall leaves on the trees were also stunning....

...as we drove the Great River Road north to the border of Iowa.  The road wound up and down the bluffs along the river through an area that was spared the great scouring of the Ice Age.  As a result the topography was interesting with lots of hills and valleys.  Every now and then there would be a glimpse of the river and a set of locks, which are numerous.

Lock #15 and Dam

Next destination was the Effigy Mounds National Monument, which contains several hundred founds which date back up to 2500 years ago.  It is believed they were used as burial mounds for early native tribes as well as for ceremonial use.  We enjoyed a two-hour hike up the bluffs and through the forests to see a large bear-shaped mound which was 137 feet by 70 feet.  From the top of the bluffs the river views were marvelous...

Trail Up the Bluff

Lee Enjoying the View Along the Trail

River View from the Bluff

Penny and the Great River

Tonight we are on the Wisconsin side of the river, staying in a lovely country inn.  Tomorrow we plan to seek out several Lands End outlet stores in the area and then we'll return to the river valley and work our way south.  Our ultimate destination is Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, where we
will visit our good friends, Karen and George Chapman, before returning to Silverton and Tucson.

I love the colorful trees with all the reds...

Goodnight!

Traveling Home to Silverton

During the past week I enjoyed a whirlwind trip from Silverton to Boulder to Centennial (where Maggie, Travis and Finn live) to the Vail Valley to the Rifle Gap and Falls to Grand Junction to Delta (where I purchased apples to can pie filling---come see me!) to Montrose to Silverton!
Fall colors were abundant followed by the first snow.  I had such fun taking pictures so
please enjoy!



This was the first hint of fall in Silverton---frozen dewdrops on the clothesline!

                                          Next sign of fall?  My neighbors woodpile!

                                          Rifle Falls---quite spectacular!

                                          Underneath the falls, looking out....

                                           Looking through the Rifle Gap toward the Colorado River                        

                                          Red Mt. in its colorful glory...

                                           Red Mts. #1, 2, 3

                                            A rainbow in the distance...

                                           New snow today as I came home from Ouray.

                                           It was so utterly beautiful...

                                           You can see why I love living here...

Fall is truly here.  Colored leaves, chilly mornings, new snow on the peaks...a feast
for the eyes for sure.  Signing off for now.........

Opera in Santa Fe

For the past two opera seasons, the Metropolitan Opera Compamny in New York has broadcast their season's repertoire of operas in real time to selected movie theatres around the country, including the theatre complex in Durango.  My friend Becky has become an opera fan so this summer I had the inspiration that it was time for her to see live opera.

We are fortunate to be in reach of Opera Santa Fe, an amazing company who draws talent from around the planet and has a beautiful outdoor theatre seating 2,128 people.  So, tickets were purchased, hotel reservations made, and off we went.

The drive to Santa Fe is beautiful, through the Abique Canyon where Georgia O'Keefe had her Ghost Ranch, as well as through parts of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.  We enjoyed New Mexico's new Folkart Museum that is part of Museums on the Hill, a complex of several marvelous museums as well as part of a day on the Plaza, the original center of the city dating to Spanish beginnings.

Having filled our little picnic cooler with tasty treats and beverages for a tailgate party, we went to the opera grounds early enough to hear one of the pre-opera lectures which I have long wanted to do.  It was a delight and gave us advance insight about the finer points of the rather weak but typical opera plot.

Dining in the parking lot is always a hoot---our next door neighbors had an elaborate setup of spaghetti pot ice bucket for their "bubbly", table and cloth, lots of bowls and trays and baskets, and a small grill on which they appeared to be preparing hot dogs!

Our menu included sesame crackers and chipotle hummus, chilled yellow beet salad with arugula, curried turkey salad, fruit compote and biscochitos. (Thank you, Whole Foods and the La Fonda Bakery!)

The opera was delightful.  We saw "The Pearl Fishers", an opera written by Bizet when he was very young (24) and didn't know he was supposed to follow the rules of Parisian Opera.  It was performed 18 times in his lifetime (right after he wrote it) and then no more---poor guy.

Lovely, "hummable" music; altogether a great production for Becky's first live performance.

Returning home the next day we had an added bonus:  we spotted a large black bear in an open area in northern New Mexico.  We stared at each other for awhile...I could just hear him in a growly voice saying, "What are you two old gals staring at anyway?" (Too bad I didn't have my camera.)

Looking forward to Santa Fe 2013!

Canoe Trip on the Green River

It was an ADVENTURE for me to join friends Tish and Elena on a five-day canoe trip on the Green River in Utah.  Since I had very little previous canoe paddling experience this was a big "What if I can't?" plunge!!
The three of us met in Moab, Utah for an overnight and met the outfitter and the rest of the group of 20 the following morning.  Visiting, breakfast, packing our dry bags (we brought our own tents and sleeping gear), and the assignment of paddling partners started the day and soon we were rattling off in the back-country vans to where we put in the Green at, where else?  Green River, Utah!

Tish, her daughter Elena, and Penny, ready to go!

I was very fortunate to be chosen as a paddle partner by Marlene, a lovely grandmother from Chicago who has paddled (kayaks and canoes) all over the planet and is a real pro.  Was she ever a patient teacher!!!


Marlene enjoying a quiet float

We had such a good time---from quietly paddling along not feeling the need to chat to talking about our grandchildren and our travel experiences.

Marlene showing me how to tie-down the gear in our canoe

  The river was low, because of the dry season, so we had to paddle nearly all of the sixty scenic miles through Labyrinth Canyon.  "How many paddle strokes might that be?", Travis asked when I was relating tales of our trip.  The water was slightly cool so when we got too hot in the canoe we could just stop and have a dip in the river---clothes and all.  That would keep us cool for a while in the 100-105 degree heat.

Taking a cooling dip in the muddy Green

We also had water blasters so we could squirt (shoot?) each other while on the river, which was great silly but cooling fun for twenty adults plus three guides.  It was such a wet sport that I have no photos but if you'd care to come to Silverton I'll let you "play" with my blaster!

About four o'clock each afternoon we would beach our canoes, unpack all the gear (each of our two-person canoes carried a pro-rata share of the group gear, including 150 gallons of water!), pitch our tents and then relax until the three-person crew called us for wine and appetizers.  What an easy way to camp!!
The food was amazing---first night after cold shrimp and various munchies with our wine we had grilled salmon, barbequed ribs, green beans, rice pilaf, and brownies!!!  My favorite breakfast was the day we enjoyed Huevos Rancheros with piles of bacon...or maybe it was the blueberry pancake day...they came with more blueberries and syrup, scrambled eggs with chives, pineapple chunks, bacon, and orange wedges.

Canoes pulled up for the night

Guides preparing dinner on their "canoe" tables

One of the great parts of the day was bathing in the river after making camp.  The routine was to get into your swim suit and head into the muddy river (North Dakotans:  think the muddy Missouri!) with your bar of bio-degradable soap.  Now you need to know that the combination of water heavily laden with silt and soap that doesn't hurt the environment does not really cleanse!  However, it felt good to have someone scrub your back (I think the silt worked as a scrubbing abrasive!) and for me, washing my hair was the best.  Of course, when it dried it felt rather sticky but it didn't matter at all for I never saw a mirror for five days!

Bathing in the Green after a very warm day

Our guide Heather---she doesn't even look silty!  See how muddy the river looks?

A folk group from Chicago, a couple, known as "Small Potatoes" joined our trip and entertained in the evening, which was great fun.  Rich and Jacquie were a great addition to the trip.

Small Potatoes entertaining after dinner

When we were en route we would string out along the canyon walls of the river.  That way we could

Marlene catching a few winks before paddling one morning

sometimes catch a bit of current for floating so our arms and shoulders could rest and we could enjoy the great read cliffs and beautiful scenery.
 

The red rock cliffs were stunning

The end of the day on the river---totally serene

 Our final day on the river was a Sunday.  That morning we lashed our twelve canoes together and enjoyed an inspirational time, with music and singing as we floated on the elusive bit of current, as well as some spoken bits.  It was a memorable way to end the river trip.

Tish, looking relaxed

Music on the river

Jim, guide, preparing to recite Robert Service

Elena, catching some rays (or was it winks?)

By the end of the trip I had a new understanding of some of Lewis and Clark's struggles as they worked their way west.  We needed to tow or push our canoes over the gravel in a few spots where the water was too shallow to float us and I managed to fall in a hole while doing so---something of a surprise!  Our final paddle was across the Green to the take-out at Mineral Bottoms, which is west of Moab. We all heaved to and hauled the canoes up the bank, sorted the gear, and were ready to load the shuttles when they arrived.

Canoes, ready to load...

Paddles collected...



It took a lot of gear for 23 people!



Final Shot---Marlene and Penny on the Green

It was an adventure for me---something of a physical challenge which is always a good thing.
Thanks Centennial Canoe for offering such a great trip!

House-Painting in Silverton

Greetings from, apparently, a mostly-in-the-winter blogger!  When looking at Maggie's blog today (great

kid's puppet theatre reporting, by the way!), I saw that it has been three months since I posted.  In that time I have been to Russia, the Dakotas, Denver, and fishing!  So there you have it...

So, on to the news at hand.  Most of you are aware that I painted a good deal of my house last summer (one posting even showed me high on a scaffolding in the front painting the didely little Victorian shingles) so this summer there remained the third story peaks, where I am much to timid to venture.

Lucky me!  With the help of a friend I met Alex, who lives just around the corner from me.  He is a very skilled painter and a mountain/rock climber.  Wouldn't you know he uses is rock-climbing gear (harness,

ropes, etc.) to walk up steep roofs to paint?  He is speeding along and agreed to a few pictures so you'd see how it works.

 

Here is Alex painting the high brown trim.  When he spotted me with my camera he grinned and

shouted, "Look, no hands!" (Notice the harness

around his waist.) 

If you care to enlarge this, you'll see he's hooked up
to a rope that runs over the roof and is tied to
one of the new fenceposts on the south side of the yard.  The post is set in concrete so will easily hold a falling adult painter!

I think this is so amazing---he just walks happily up and down the steep roof, painting as he goes.  Both hands are free to work, which is so much better than leaning from and gripping a ladder with one nervous hand.

Here is the old homestead (especially for the benefit of Suzie and Travis!).  Sky is blue,

grass is green, paint is on, things are good at 912 Greene.

Note:  I am leaving August 7th to take a canoe trip on the Green River in Utah.  When I come

           home I promise a post with amazing river pictures---I have a new water blaster that

          holds a quart of water.  I should be able to make lots of friends with that!   PDM