Some Pictures

May 30, 2014May 1, 2021 ~ Wanderlets ~ Leave a comment

I had my one week follow up yesterday after the Mohs surgery and thought my stitches and bandaging would be removed so that I could go back out into the world. However, the stitches are the dissolving kind and after checking and cleaning the wound, several layers of sinus smashing bandages were put back on for another week. That is the routine with a graft as there has to be pressure on it for two weeks. After reading every medical study on the internet that I could find and fretting about it all week I did get assurance from the doctor that I didn’t have any of the risk factors for the cancer to metastasize. All this over a spot so small that you would have had to search and search my face to find it.
I meant to post these pictures on Sunday that I called decrepit to match my mood that day. Someone left our gate open and Molly got out. An angel lady picked her up and drove around Manitou for over an hour until Steve spotted her with Molly looking out the window. The lady and her husband own a local coffee shop and we will have to go there often and drink a lot of coffee as just a tiny repayment for keeping Molly safe.
When we walk to a certain part of town we often just go behind the avenue to avoid the crowds on the sidewalk and to give Molly a chance to do her thing first. The backs of the buildings are sure a contradiction from the decorated fronts but actually more interesting in a way.

Many of the shops have metal siding in the back. I wonder what is being drained into the creek from those outlets hanging out of a window. The next picture is this same one but enhanced with the 30 day trial of Topaz Labs software that I’ve been experimenting with.

People who like to draw and paint could have a field day by doing some of these affects to their photos.

Why would anyone build right up to a creek? All of the north side of Manitou Avenue is like this and these are the shops that were flooded more than once last year.

A few of the shops have a bridge across the creek and I imagine that was the case here at one time.

Following is a picture of our front porch during one of the hard rains last year that caused flooding down the hill.

Topaz Labs creative affects applied.

One Step Forward And One Step Backward

May 28, 2014May 1, 2021 ~ Wanderlets ~ Leave a comment

This decision whether to sell or rent our house or not do anything and have Steve try and get a leave of absence is the hardest I have ever had to make and be able to stick to. I go back and forth – back and forth.

Whether we sell, rent, or stay makes a huge difference on what to do with our stuff. And there are so many possibilities of what to do with every item. Because we are going on the cruise and then possibly straight into the RV, we have more deciding factors:

Trash
Goodwill
Storage (what to store depends on renting or selling house)
Sell (garage sale pile and Craigslist for big things)
Goes in RV
Take on S. Pacific trip
Separate packing for daughter (in case the boat sinks)
Give to nieces
Leave in extra bedroom at mother’s house

Changing my mind up to 3 times a day doesn’t help either. For instance, the very first thing I did after packing a box for my daughter was to take some glasses off of a top shelf in the kitchen to clean up for a niece. So I cleaned these glasses and set them on the counter to wrap up. Oh, but now they look so pretty and how can I get rid of them (even though they have been used maybe once in 10 years)?

So then I realize these glasses and our family room view would make a good picture to experiment with some new trial photography software. Playing around with these types of projects always takes my mind off of the “what to do” thoughts. (After sitting out for three days, the glasses are back on their shelf).

This past weekend I boxed up all our Europe travel books and put them in my car to trade in at a used book store. But this morning I received a travel update from some friends who are RVing in Europe and that got me to thinking. Do I really want to get rid of the books? We really didn’t stay over there long enough in 2011. Okay, today it is on! We sell the house and keep the books. Tomorrow??

And Steve and I talk about how he does have a good job with great benefits and should show some loyalty to the company. But all this past week Steve really does want to sell because under the new ownership of his company there has been higher production targets implemented and he is feeling the stress. A little off topic but this morning I looked up the CEO’s salary and discovered he makes $7,281.91 more PER HOUR than Steve. That fact sure helps with loyalty not being a factor.

On top of that, the South Pacific trip planning is not going to be cut and dry. Way too many choices. The one decision that has been made is that we are also going to New Zealand. But how long to stay in Australia and then New Zealand and how to get back to the U.S. is up in the air. Both of us detest flying with a passion and we have figured out how to do this trip where we never get on a plane, period. A few prices have to drop for that to happen though. And I didn’t mention this before, but we have a second free cruise for two on the books. The catch is that we have to book by June 26th and take the cruise before the end of January. The one we are looking at (Hawaii) has a pretty big impact on how we do the South Pacific so we are under the gun to make some decisions.

All of these are dumb problems to have though. I could be living in Pakistan or Sudan or Syria or, or, or, or?

Photo Contest Prize

May 23, 2014March 12, 2017 ~ Wanderlets ~ 2 Comments

Charles Rockey, otherwise known as Rockey in the Colorado Springs area is our most well known and loved artist. His paintings have a fairy tale quality about them and many are of scenes in Manitou Springs. In the past, Rockey held a gallery about every 10 years to give people a chance to see and purchase his original paintings. The final one was in 2001 and he will have no more. Now at the age of about 81, he no longer sells his paintings, instead his children will inherit them.

Here is Rockey seated outside the day after one of the floods. Many of the townspeople helped move his belongings outside that were in danger of getting wet. I heard, but don’t know if it’s true, that he lost some of his art.

You can see a lot of his paintings mounted on the walls in the Cliff House Inn and Restaurant just a few doors up from his studio. The Cliff House has a comfy verandah in front for dining or just to enjoy a drink.

That brings me to the prize I received for the photo contest. Not a painting but the next best thing: One of Rockey’s signed prints:

This is Laurie at the Chamber of Commerce holding up the print. The scene is: The Meeting of Ruxton and Fountain Creek as viewed from the bridge right next to he Mate Factor Café. And coincidentally, on Sunday (before I found out I won the contest or knew what the prize would be) Steve, Molly Dog, and I were walking downtown and I happened to take a picture of the creek from the same bridge:

And just as I finished taking the picture a nice couple walked up to us because of Molly and handed us a sample package of Sticky Sheets. These are large 23”x35” sheets to be used for pet hair and lint removal from large areas.

The Sticky Sheet company is located in wonderful Colorado and if you have a pet that sheds you might want to check out www.stickysheets.com I formerly used masking tape to remove lint but now having such a large sheet is so much easier. Even Whoopi Goldberg said these sheets were a “must have.”

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