Bush 43

So after being a Debbie Downer in my last post, I thought I would update again and tell you about the great day we had the day after Christmas. We loaded up the car and headed to Dallas to George W. Bush’s Library and Museum.

And it did not disappoint.

I had the idea to make this post because it was such a fun day but when I looked through my pics, I realized I didn’t take very many. I don’t know what was wrong with me. It was a teensy bit crowded and sometimes that makes it hard to take pics of just what you want..without lots of other people ‘ruining’ the pic. I really regret not taking pics of a single one of Laura’s beautiful gowns. Trust me..stunning! She is such a classy lady though, she could wear a feed sack and make it look like couture.

One of the big reasons I wanted to go at Christmas was because of the special displays during the holiday. This is the tree filled with ornaments that hung in the White House… I’m thinking 2002. The year the theme was ‘home for the holidays’. The tree was beautiful.

A little snippet up close.

 

Mt Vernon. I took at pic of that one because we’ve visited that one, so it felt a bit more familiar than the other homes. They were all beautiful.

I especially loved this quote. Sadly the America that so many people have fought and died for seems to be slipping away. This line of thinking is unheard of in today’s White House. (stepping down from soap box now)

There is a walk through replica of the oval office. It was packed with people (walking around the edges of the room is allowed) so it was impossible to get a good pic. So this is all I got…

See what I mean.

They had a photographer taking pics of people sitting at the desk. My girl and her boyfriend got pics together there. So I’ve got that. : )

The ceiling.

We had a great day. It was beautiful out that day and we enjoyed our visit. Highly recommend it if you visit Big D. : )

And now for something completely different. This is the girl opening her Christmas presents. Christmas before last I made ‘hot dog’ pillowcases for several of her friends, but just made one for her from scraps I already had in my sewing box. It was cute but it wasn’t something I picked just for her. And I kinda felt like I owed her one since I did it for everybody she knows. So I found some cute and happy kitty fabric and made this for her. Since she’s a teen and sleeps like…A LOT…I was able to make this right under her nose without her being aware of it. : ) It was a fun surprise for her.

Have a great day, y’all. : )

The summer vacation that almost wasn’t.

So this year we kept looking at the calendar and shrugging. What do you want to do? I dunno. Where do you want to go? I dunno. 

And then finally we just said well, are we or aren’t we? And then we quickly made some reservations at an extended stay hotel in Colorado Springs one weekend and headed out the very next. I think that is a record even for us. And we planned our first Disney trip in something like three weeks. So yeah…

So Saturday the 27th of July, we headed out. Made the trip in a day. Not that bad. This year we are driving a new car (a CRV) and last year we had van troubles in Amarillo (window mechanism broke and window wouldn’t stay up, so we lost about an hour while hubs ran the van over to the dealer to get the window dealie fixed). Thankfully no such problems this year and we made it there uneventfully. Yay.

So Sunday we got up and ‘hit it’, but it was a little tricky..it was foggy and rainy. I was so happy for the Springs because I know they need rain so badly to keep the threat of fires down, but a bummer for us since we were only going to be there four days. So we made the best of things and changed what little plans we had and went to Cave of the Winds first thing. Y’all, it was so foggy, it was nuts. We weren’t sure where to walk after we parked the car because we couldn’t see that far ahead…and we’ve been there before.

This was our ‘view’ over a little overlook porch in the gift shop. Is this all a dream..did we accidentally go to the Smokies? Crazy, I tell ya.

Getting in the last text before going underground.

After the cave, we went into Manitou Springs and found some lunch. I had researched before we left, so I had an idea in mind. We ate at the Stagecoach Inn and it was a super cute place to have lunch.

And yummy. I had a bison burger. And it was good. : ) After lunch it was still raining, so we piddled around in the Penny Arcade for a little while before continuing on with our day. {the arcade was super fun for nerds, I on the other hand, went to a nearby shop}

The weather was still gloom and doom so we went to the Air Force Academy. And walked around outside. {I don’t think we thought that one through very well.} I have been going to the AFA since I was very young  but never realized there was a Catholic, Jewish and one other (Hindu maybe?) chapel below the Protestant one up top. So we checked them all out. Interesting.

And on the way back to the car, a warning came over the loud speaker to seek cover because of the weather. Rain was a frequent theme all week. : /

Monday morning we rode the Cog Railway up Pikes Peak. The weather held out for us thankfully. It was still pretty chilly at the bottom so that meant it was downright COLD at the top. {it averages 30 degrees cooler at the top than the base} Before we knew it, it was time to go back down the mountain. Such pretty views from the cog and from the top. I was so thankful the weather held out for us so we could see.

Stinkin’ gorgeous!

By the time we came off the mountain, we were starving. So we got some lunch and went to Seven Falls. I’ve gone to there since I was three years old. It is chipmunk INSANITY! So many and so cute. And so bold.

After many snapshots of these cute little guys, we headed up the gazillion {224} stairs to the top of the waterfall.

And then it rained. And we huddled under an umbrella and waited for it to pass. Thankfully it did. And then we came down. Crazy.

And then we went to Helen Hunt Falls…another one I’ve been visiting since before I can remember. Smaller…and free.

They have hummingbirds. LOTS of them.

I spent a good amount of time trying to take pics of them. They are crazy zippy…zooming all over the place. So fun to watch.

And then we stopped by Garden of the Gods and walked around. Something else I’ve been doing since I was 3. : ) It was a nice walk.

And then Tuesday, we took a day trip to Denver. I will start this by saying NEVER AGAIN. Traffic is horrid there. I’m glad went. We had a nice day, but I don’t desire to go back. And I could smack myself for ever thinking I would like to take an entire vacation in that crazy city. Just too hectic. But we did enjoy our day. : ) Just not the traffic.

We stopped by the state capitol. This was a major disappointment to us and we didn’t waste any time moving on. First off, the dome is being remodeled, so it was covered. And very dark inside. And secondly, there just isn’t all that much history to tell about inside. I guess I’m spoiled by Texas’ rich and varied history and this just left us a little flat. We decided to take the guided tour, but it was just painful. The girl was so sweet but she had a very VERY heavy Spanish accent it was was almost impossible to make out what she was saying. And when we could…yawn. So we bugged out of there after about 5 minutes of the tour.

Stained glass is sort of a ‘thing’ in the capitol, but this picture was almost funny to us. It really reminded us of something that would be on the Haunted Mansion at Disney. Doesn’t it? {be honest} I’m not meaning to offend anyone, but our entire time there was less than stellar.

Stopped by a Catholic church. Very pretty architecture. Was so wishing we could have gone inside. But no.

Kinda neat, even though I’m not Catholic.

And they have a statue and everything…

Then we went to the Molly Brown House. It’s the home of the famous “Molly Brown”, a survivor of the Titanic. It was an interesting tour. We learned a lot about Mrs. Brown, including that she wasn’t named Molly, but Margaret. No one knows where the name Molly came from. But what a lady. And what a rich history the house has. Was a really neat tour. (no pics allowed inside though)

And THEN we went to Wings Over the Rockies, which is an air and space museum. And we all thought it was PRETTY COOL. And the biggest reason was because they have an X-Wing fighter on display (a scaled replica from Star Wars…and signed by all the stars…squeee!)

It was a huge hangar filled with so much history. So much to see! We were all geeking out.

And then Wednesday, we went to the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center in Divide. We visited this place after a tip from a friend and it did not disappoint. It was amazing! This is a sanctuary for wolves and foxes and also provides an educational opportunity there and out in the community. These were magnificent animals that are being cared for in such a great way. They have very LARGE enclosures, but our guide called them by name up to the fence to talk about them and feed them raw meat while she discussed them as we toured. Some of their stories aren’t for the faint of heart, but the staff there was very mindful of children without sugar coating their plight.

It was kind of funny..when the tour started, they all just started howling spontaneously which really surprised our guide. But we loved it! And then at the end, she led us in group howl to try to entice them to howl back. They finally did and it was incredible. My daughter loves wolves, and now I think I do too.

I noticed we were close to the Florissant Fossil Beds when we were at the wolf place, so we drove on further and spent a little bit of time there. I had packed a lunch for us that day since I knew we were going to be pressed for time and I didn’t want us wasting time figuring out meals, so we ate our lunch in the car, but it was comfortable and a yummy meal. After lunch, we hit the trails and saw the fossilized trees etc. A pretty walk but we didn’t stay long.

It was so pretty out there! : )

And then we went to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. This will be my family’s second visit, but I visited several times as a kid and have been enjoying this zoo since I was 3. Love love love!

They  have quite an impressive herd of giraffes and I love visiting them. And they love to eat from your hands so they love you visiting them too. : ) She fed a giraffe, but it was so fast, I missed the shot. I was so bummed!

The views even from the zoo are lovely!

After visiting the zoo, we also did this.

 

There go my peeps…

Stairs, stairs, stairs…

The views from the top are amazing.

And that concludes our trip. We ate dinner(at Famous Daves…I loved it even though I couldn’t eat bbq. We actually ate there twice while we were there. YUM). We packed up our stuff and hit the bed, knowing we would drive the whole way home the next day. We were sitting on the couch in the hotel room (we stayed in a Residence Inn…love!) and all I could think about was not being ready to go home yet. We discussed staying another day and driving home on Friday. I almost jumped at it, but I knew the hubs wanted that extra day to rest from all the driving before he had to return to work. And I couldn’t really do that to him. So I agreed with our original plan and we headed home Thursday. It was a full, fast trip and we loved it. I so wish we could live there…I never tire of her beauty and long for it during the rest of the year until we can (hopefully) meet again.

It makes me incredibly sad that Manitou Springs has experienced a significant flood since we visited. I know I don’t live in Colorado but I’ve visited it more than most people and it makes me sad that my “state away from home” is experiencing so much right now.

it’s the heat

I think I’ve mentioned it before…it’s never good when my kid comes to my bed at 1:30 am and does the ‘holler whisper’ to let me know there is a problem.

And last night was not an exception.

Mom!

What?

I gecko just fell from my ceiling.

Where did it land? (I’m thinking…her head…her bed…)

A gecko just fell from my ceiling.

I heard that…WHERE DID IT LAND?  (what part of where did it land could you not understand, kid?)

Oh, on the floor.

Oh. Go back to bed. It’s fine. It will not bother you…go to sleep.

I heard a rather loud THUD a few minutes later and knew what had happened. It involved a text book….RIP little gecko. : /

Hubs went in this morning to move the book and take our dearly departed little friend to his final resting place.

Dear Summer,

I am officially sick of you. I am so tired of hot weather. And insects and lizards. And not being able to go outside lest a mosquito bite put me in the hospital (or worse)…I’m talking to YOU, West Nile Virus. I am so tired of not being able to enjoy being outside, or inside for that matter. Going on vacation just ruined me for the rest of our summer, because the weather was just so nice. I want to move. Thanks Colorado for being so dad-gum perfect in the summer.

Signed…Burned Out in Texas

RMNP…day one

The biggest reason we went to Estes Park was to go into Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP). But the funny thing is, we’d read a little bit online, but we didn’t have a clear picture of what we were going to do once we got there. Basically we were flying be the seat of our pants.
So that picture you saw in my last post of my hubby sitting at the table…that’s pretty much a daily scene. Looking at the map or the magazine or the guide book and plotting our next day/move. And believe it or not, it worked out pretty well for us.

I know I have been to RMNP, but I was very young. So this was all new stuff to me. I love going places I’ve already been, but experiencing something new is exciting for all of us.

I can’t say enough amazing things about the park. It’s stunning. It’s got it’s own weather and it’s own vibe all the way around. And the people in the park are so friendly to each other. It’s like we all stand there looking at those mountains and realize we’re all a tiny part of something very big. And it changes us. Even if just for a second.

Enjoy the pics…and the narration. Ha, I can’t help myself. : )
We encountered a bit of a bummer on what I call our ‘high’ day..the day we drove past the timberline into the tundra. There was haze in the air from wildfires elsewhere. (no idea where..not in RMNP)  Anyhoo…made the scenery very dull. But after many years of vacationing in various mountains, you get what you get…weather there is it’s own thing. So on this day, we got haze. : /

We used to be driving on those roads….waaay down there!

Cuteness. : ) There were chipmunks all over the place and we had so much fun watching them.

allrightythen. {gulp}

It was a wee bit windy..or a lot…and a wee bit chilly…or a lot. : )

We late lunch at the Alpine Visitor’s Center…and it was UP THERE.

And you should be so proud of me…I got a veggie sandwich on whole wheat bread..but it tasted awful…so I had brought {emergency} food and ate from the trunk of the van. I wasn’t going to eat unhealthy stuff. Even there. Ok..I did eat that bag of bbq chips…and they were so good. But I got some other things to make a healthy meal from the van. And notice that bag of chips…very puffy stuff. This kind of altitude does weird things. Science in action. : )

More elk.

Evidently they draw a crowd.

At one time there were two ranches owned by the same family. The land was turned over to the park system with the stipulation that the oldest ranch would remain intact as a museum. The newer ranch, with slightly newer buildings etc, was demolished to return the field to it’s natural splendor. The ranch that is only alive in pictures was called The Never Summer Ranch…clever name. And back in the day, way back when, people would spend money to go there and enjoy the weather and pretend to be a cowboy on a dude ranch.

Site of the newer ranch. A gorgeous meadow area.

And this is the museum. It has volunteer docents from the parks service acting as guides and telling about all the buildings on the ranch and the family that made it all work. All I can say is they were very hardy individuals. The eldest lady of the family continued to come and spend her summers there way on into the later parts of her life. Amazing and hard working.


I can’t imagine these sorts of homes in the middle of summer…much less the middle of winter. This was almost like a little town. The husband did a mail order course and got a degree in taxidermy and would mount things that their guests killed. Just a fascinating life.

Check out that elevation. Woot.

Yes, it was cold when we were in the tundra. Every time we stepped out of the van it was colder than the time before. Very cold and very windy. We did not spent much time taking pics before hopping back in the car. Brrrr.

It was gorgeous in a barren sort of way. Amazing how it was a whole different eco system at every elevation.

We pretty much did the high road scenic drive in its entirity. And it took us the better part of a day. But we were taking our time. By the end, we were glad to head ‘down’ into Estes as the altitude was beginning to give hubs and I a bit of a headache.

That was Monday.  Stay tuned for Tuesday and Wednesday. : )