Rough Week?

Just had to share this, it is too cute! 

Have you ever felt like this at the end of the week?  Good news, God is always there to pick you up and dust you off and encourage you on your journey for the next week.  You are never alone!

I Choose

Amen!  A good positive thought for the day from http://www.facebook.com/#!/PositiveInspirationalQuotes!

Spring is coming!

Well today is a wonderful Spring day in the rockies!  People are out raking in their yard.  The temperature is in the 50's and although there is some wind out there, no heavy coat is needed!

Another sign of Spring is watching wild life around.  This year we have totally gotten hooked on watching the eagles in Decorah Iowa.  If you have not gone to the site, you are missing a blessing.

Last night mama eagle laid her 3rd egg. It has been fun watching them, Mom and Dad, and how they interact, and you feel like you are right there.  This site is run by donations, and it is well worth it to contribute if you are so inclined. 

You can view the site at http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles.  Warning, you will soon become hooked as we have.  The eagles mate for life.  It has been so enlightening to watch them interact, take turns on the nest, and care for eachother.  Each time before Mom laid an egg, Dad brought her something to eat before hand, making sure she had strength for the task.
Now that the nest is full it will be fun to watch the eggs hatch, and chicks grow, and fledge on their own.  Last year they put a monitoring devise on one of the fledglings and they have monitored D1's travels all year long.  This is quite a project!  The dedication by Bob Anderson the exective director of the Raptor Resource Project is amazing!  He runs the feed from Mr. and Mrs. Holthaus' garage that is near the cottonwood tree the eagles are in. Bob is always busy showing us amazing shots of the eagles, and the surrounding country.   The Raptor Resource Project also has links to other nests that they have scattered across the country.  Owls, Hawks and other Eagles.  We like the Decorah site the best as the view is fantastic and images are so clear.  However it is fun to watch the progress of the other sites as well.


Many things have been written about the projects, and others are busy capturing pictures for all of us to enjoy.  I hope you go to these links, they are wonderful as well.

Looks like Spring is trying it's best to come in. Tulips are coming up, and other flowers as well have started peeking through and the lilacs are budding. The neighbor tilled up his garden, and ours will not be far behind.  We will still have some snow and rain soon, but as long as there are days like today with the front door open to enjoy we are happy!

Hugs, Ma and Pa

Words of Wisdom

I read a quote today that so spoke to me and I thought I would share it with you!

"We can't solve the world's problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." - Albert Einstein

Here is a man that we all agree was amazing, but he did not let problems control him, and fret over them, He moved on!

Good words to live by!

That's my tip for Tuesday!

Doll Cake

Our girls never cease to amaze us.  Our youngest Sherry is always doing something for her friends and loved ones.  Even though she has very little to give and share, she does what she can, and here is what she shared today.

She made this darling cake for one of the kids on her block!

Sherry has never had any formal training in cake decorating, but her cakes keep getting better and better, and we think this one is special!

Made by a very special lady with a heart of gold.

We are proud of you Sherry!

10K Victory

Julie raced again today.  It was her first 10k.

Finished in 1:16!!! Best time ever!  Way to go Julie Kay!  We love you and are so very proud of you girl!  You have come a long way from last spring, and we know that you can do anything you set you mind to. Can't wait to see what you will do next!

Micah our son in law raced with her and was just ahead of her at 1:04.  So proud of them both!
Hugs, Ma and Pa



Nucla Trip, with all it's beauty.

Had a few days off over the weekend, and so we got to go home to Nucla and see Mama, my sister Barbie and hubby Larry were also there from Farmington, so it was a great time.
Ayngel and Ed and kids also live in Nucla. Ayngel is our niece, who is a busy author about to finish her second book, and has many award winning squidoo articles.

Heading there (100 miles away) is always a treat.... so many beautiful things to see as we go along.  This year has been a "dry" year as far as snowfall, not nearly what we need yet, but for what we do get we are thankful.

So, as we headed up over 9 mile hill, and through Unaweep Canyon we could see there was a slight dusting of snow on the tops of the mountains, and the fields still had snow on it, so we did not get to see deer and elk herds there.  But it was beautiful.  The dusting of snow just brought out the cliffs and all the beauty.  There were rock climbers out at the beginning of Unaweep, (this will give you detail ) they are there rain or shine, enjoying the sport. We went past Driggs Mansion, and it is still partially standing under Thimble Rock and still very beautiful. Looked a lot like the picture in this link.  The link is from another blogger in years past, however the correct story is the wife came to the mansion, but in 6 months wanted to leave as she was so isolated. 

Here is a picture of it right after it was built between 1914-1918.

Our favorite water fall was still silent, and full of ice, all though with a few more days of the 40's and 50's that we have had it will be running.

Here is a few Springs back... isn't it beautiful?

Then we come to Gateway.  If you have not heard about Gateway and what has happened to it, it has become quite a place, called Gateway Canyon Resort .  It is beautiful as you can see.  In these pictures you can see the canyons around there and the farm land around as well.  Our son-in-law Micah was on the first building crew that helped build it, and he enjoyed it alot.  They are now adding to it.  Looks like more guest space or perhaps help lodging.  If you are a fan of antique cars it boasts of one that cannot be beat. We love it. 

Here is a picture we took of the scenery from the parking lot in a past visit.

After leaving Gateway which is about half way home, we headed into the beautiful red canyons that seem to stretch up to the sky forever. As we wind in and out of the canyons I wonder what stories they have to tell. We go past many mines that once were busy with Uranium, and past Urivan, nothing is left of the city that was there... my Mama used to play in a band in the the dance hall there, past the petroglyphs, and the flume and onto Mama's house.  I will share these places with you later, so you can see how special they are as well.

It was such a great visit.  It made me realize that it had been way too long between our "Nucla Breaks".  Again I realized how blessed I am to have found my family and be a part of their lives.  See my ealier post, "A Tale of 2 Mothers", for that story.

Did not see any deer until we were on our way home, 1/2 mile from our house, a 2 point buck, headed into a farmers field! That's Colorado for you!

Hope you all had a blessed Valentines!  My honey took me to Red Lobster and I was spoiled rotten!

Hugs xxx