Sometimes You Just Need to Take a Drive

Sometimes you just need a change of scenery.  Looking at the same four walls every day can drain on anyone, even if they enjoy their home.  Lynn and I were running some errands today, and instead of going straight home, we took a circuitous route around Colorado National Monument, which we can see from our backyard.  Lynn decided she wants to live on a very small street named Wildwood Drive, which butts up to the park.  We feel SO fortunate to live in a place when you can hop into the car and within a few minutes, to a couple of hours, can be at so many places in the American West that are only dreams or trips of a lifetime to others.  We are blessed.

Helping The Library

When you're not working, there's a fair amount of down-time.
I took advantage of this today when Lynn and I went over to
the First Congregationalist Church to help set up the twice yearly
Friends of The Mesa County Libraries sale.  Books are sold for
either $1.00 or $2.00.  When we arrived at 9:00, much had already
been set up the night before.  However, Lynn was able to help
set up the children's section and I was able to bring lots of books
in from storage.  Almost all of the books were donated and we
probably could have held two sales with the amount of books
there wasn't room for.  I overheard that these leftover books might be
taken over to the Clifton branch for a sale there.  Because we helped
out and Lynn is a member of the Congregationalist Church, we were
able to put a couple of books aside that we were interested in.  The
biggest reward though, was being able to help out for a worthy cause!

Lousy Economy

How do I know that the economy is really lousy here?
I stopped by the nearby Dollar Tree store this afternoon
and it was packed!  I've been there in the past and was
just about the only person there.  Today, there must have
been 50 shoppers inside the store.  I had to actually wait
in line.  I think that dollar stores are great since one can
usually get a bargain.  However, if it's that busy, it's
saying something about the economy.

On The Road Again

Another year, another season on the Ice. It was sad to leave Lynn and Grand Junction, but it must be done. It's a job. New challenges are ahead. Even though I have the same position, a new contractor is in charge and I have one less person working with me than in past years. It will be an interesting season, but it's only five months, and I'm sure it will go by quickly.

Free Airshow

The Airshow at the Grand Junction Airport is scheduled for this weekend. The first time in four years. It's a bit pricey for us to attend, but we were out running errands today and decided to head over to the airport to watch the Blue Angels practicing for their show. It was really amazing! I hadn't been to any kind of airshow since I was in Junior High and that was at my brother-in-law's air force base up in Michigan. It always astonishes me how these planes can move so fast, stay up in the sky and do the tricks that they do. Again, just amazing!

Donating Blood

Donating blood is something I used to do frequently, starting when I was in college. However, it's been over a decade since I donated blood. Well, today I jumped back on the donating wagon and gave a pint. I did have ulterior motives though. Because I gave blood, Lynn and I will be able to go to the JUCO (Junior College) World Series that starts this weekend in Grand Junction, for free. Everyone that participates in the "Step Up To The Plate and Donate" program gets a free ticket. We would have gone to JUCO anyway, since we like baseball, and this is a prime time to enjoy it here, but being able to help others at the same time, makes it that much better!

Annular Solar Eclipse

It doesn't happen very often, but we witnessed a solar eclipse this evening.

We live a couple of hours north of where we could have witnessed "The

Ring of Fire" effect of a total eclipse, but it was fun nonetheless.  Lynn and

I took our pinhole'd paper out into the backyard and definitely saw the 

effects of the partial eclipse.  It did get noticeably darker for 7:30pm, but sadly

the lights didn't come on automatically and the birds didn't go to sleep!

I was tempted to drive the several hours south, but this satisfied my 

scientific geeky curiosity for the day...

Grand Valley Beer Festival

Today, we used the tickets I won from the television to attend the
Grand Valley Beer Festival,  being held at the University Center,
at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction.

Because it's only five blocks from our house, we were able to walk 

(and as a result, not have to worry about having had a few too many to 

drink).  Lynn nor I aren't very big drinkers, but when we do drink beer, 

we like to try local brews as well as beers from small breweries.  The 

Beer Festival was perfect for this as most, if not all of the 22 breweries 

I counted were from Colorado.  Each person received a small glass that

would be filled at each table you visited and you could try as many of 

the brands as you liked.  You could then vote on your favorite.  I only 

found a couple (I won't mention them) that I really didn't like at all.  

Lynn and I both agreed that the "Red Monkey's Butt" from local Suds 

Brothers Brewery in Fruita was our favorite.  We had a really good time, 

and definitely had our fill.  The venue was fun as well.  I hope it's a 

successful yearly event.

I Won Tickets!

I don't usually watch the noon news and on that rare occasion that I do,
it isn't KREX Channel 5. Nothing against them, but it's just not something
we watch. However, today was different. I was sitting in the kitchen,
checking email when I saw a story about the Grand Valley Beer Festival.
It caught my attention, because it was supporting Colorado Mesa University's
Maverick Club...and, we like good beer!   Anyway, the tv station was giving
tickets away to the event for commenting on their Facebook site.  I already
belong to their site, so I commented.  And you know what?  I won tickets!
This wouldn't be something we would normally go to since it was $25 per
person to attend.  But to attend for free?  Yes, I can afford that!

Baseball is Coming!

After several weeks of speculation, it was confirmed
that Grand Junction will be getting a minor league
baseball team! The team formerly known as the Casper
Ghosts will leave Wyoming and make their new home in
Grand Junction. A member of the Pioneer League, which
is classified as a Rookie League, the team will be part
of the Colorado Rockies organization and will play a
short season, starting this June. Most of these players
are right out of college or high school but some of them
will make it to the big leagues eventually. The team will
start its existence as the Rockies, but then a fan vote will
take place to give it a more unique, local name. It will
be a lot of fun to watch them play games at Suplizio
Field, as Grand Junction has been waiting to get a pro
team for a long time now.

The Big Peach

Photo by Christopher Tomlinson
New York City is known as "The Big Apple". Maybe Grand Junction should
now be known as "The Big Peach". Grower Robert Helmer is holding a peach
that was recently harvested in the Grand Valley that weighs a whopping
1.5 pounds! The size of a softball, he can barely hold it in his hands.
The average peach bought in grocery stores weighs just .5 pounds so, this
is a pretty big one! However, it fell just short of the record, as a peach once
harvested in Michigan grew to 1.6 pounds. Maybe next year...

My Neighbors are Number 1

For the last six weeks, the Grand Junction Tigers high school football
team has been practicing. Very long practices. I know this because
the high school is adjacent to our house and they are on the field all the
time. At least it seems like it. Now it appears that all their hard work
in the hot weather is paying off and they are ranked Number 1 in the
State of Colorado for 5A football teams. This is a big deal because rarely,

if ever, are teams from the Western Slope ranked Number 1. I hope they

continue to play well!

Like a Virgin

Grand Junction Regional Airport is served by six major

airlines. However, Virgin America is not one of them.

Well, not until today that is. Apparently a Virgin America

flight, traveling from San Francisco to New York with

117 people aboard had to make an emergency landing

very early this morning in Grand Junction after one

of its two engines failed. There weren't any injuries

and everyone was placed in hotels and fed before getting

back on a replacement plane this afternoon. I'm pretty

sure that Virgin America won't be adding GJT to it's

small list of North American airports served anytime in

the near future, so this was kind of a treat to see this

plane in our vicinity.

No Fortune in My Cookie!

I went out to dinner last night with Leslie and Gina and at the
end of the meal, we were given three fortune cookies. Gina
pointed out that the decision was made for us, whose cookie
was whose since the waitress placed one in front of each of us.

But...my cookie contained NO FORTUNE!

How will I know which direction my life will take?

What are my lucky numbers?

I don't know how I will cope without these answers. This is the
second time in my life this has happened to me. What does
this mean!?!?

Free Day at The Gardens

For a small city, we are fortunate to have a very nice botanical garden.
The first Sunday of every month is "Free Day" at the Western Colorado
Botanical Gardens and I took advantage of the pleasant sunny morning
to get some last minute vegetation into my five senses before heading
down to the Ice. There, I won't see greenery of any kind, so I figured
I needed to soak in as much as possible. If the WCBG were only a
desert botanical garden, it would be more than worth the visit. My
favorite part of the entire facility is their large cactus garden. The
pathway meanders through some of my favorite plants. This is how
I wished my yard would look! As I said though, the gardens are so
much more. There is a Butterfly House, a rain forest, Japanese and
Grass gardens. Also, a Western Heritage and Children's Garden. All
of this in a cozy, seventy acre spot near the Colorado River. What's
amazing is fifteen years ago, this was all a junk yard. A salvage
yard once covered this entire area, but the land was acquired by the
city in efforts to make the riverfront a more beautiful place. I think
they were successful!

Peace and Quiet

I went to the library this morning and had to go shopping at
a couple of stores in the area. Something was different. Things
were surprisingly quiet. It wasn't an extreme case of the flu
keeping everyone at home, although it definitely was an event
that caused the quiet. Today was the first day of school for
District 51 in the Grand Valley. I was almost giddy! No
screaming, no running, no tantrums. Can you tell that I don't
have any children? LOL.

Fail Better

Lynn began her journey, headed south today. Since she has to use all
of her flight legs or her whole ticket will be voided, she left via Grand
Junction Regional Airport on a 55 minute flight to Denver. I, on the
other hand, drove to DIA to meet her at the other end. I get to spend
more time with her and she has a car while at orientation. This plan
usually works well, especially if I leave a couple hours before her flight
and am able to meet her when she comes out of the airport.

Ah. Not so fast. The key word here is "usually".

The folks at the Colorado Department of Transportation have never been
on top of my "A" List. Over ten years ago, while driving the twisting and
turning Route 36 between Estes Park and Lyons every day on a 100 mile
a day commute, I wondered why there weren't reflectors in the middle
of the road. Every other state seems to use these. This is a major U.S.
Highway after all. However, in Colorado, even the interstates don't use
them. I wrote to the Colorado Department of Transportation (yes,
I'm one of those people...a trait I inherited from my father, who liked to
effectively bitch at people who are slackers) and asked them...why? To
my surprise, I received a response. They told me the snow plows would
remove/scrape them off in the winter. WHAT? They don't have snow
in Indiana? Illinois? Minnesota? I could go on and on listing the states
that A) Have reflectors on their highways and B) Have snow! To this day,
I find this response, and CDOT, to be LAME!

This brings me back to today. I was warned by a friend that there have
been backups on eastbound Interstate 70 between the Eisenhower Tunnel
(actually the Eisenhower–Johnson Memorial Tunnel and the eastbound
tunnel is the Johnson Tunnel...most people don't know that) and Denver.
Gotcha...Thanks Susie! So I left home at 1:30. Now, I've been known, at
least by myself, to have made this trip in 3:45. Yes, I sped, but this was a
while ago, and I figure the statute of limitations has passed on my speeding
crime. Anyway, I figure that 4:30 should be plenty of time. Again, thinking
logically gets me in trouble every time.

Smooth sailing...I even stop in Edwards for ten minutes. I cross Vail Pass.
A little rain, but no traffic. Copper, Frisco, Silverthorne....oops....a sign
over the highway...20 minute metering at the tunnel...Whaaaattt!!!!
A LOOOONNNGGGG traffic jam miles from the tunnel. I figure, ok...if
this will help traffic on the east side, then I'm all for it. A seemingly long
long wait later, I'm going through the tunnel. Smooth sailing. And then,
brake lights. Lots and lots of them. This is nothing new. I expected a
delay, but nothing like this. Remember, this is not the city. Any city.
There are probably no more than 100 people within a mile of the highway
anywhere near Interstate 70 in this part of the state. I'm now averaging
5-10 miles per hour! And that's when I'm moving.

Eventually, I make it to Denver and the airport. 6:30 later! Almost twice as
long as it should have taken!

I can understand why CDOT meters people going into the tunnel. They don't
want people to get trapped in the tunnel if there is an accident, fire, etc. and
making sure it's clear is their way to ensure this. Bravo for them...However...
Get off the stick and figure something out about the eastbound situation.
The biggest problem (ok, the BIGGEST problem is that people in general are
not as bright as we'd like to think they are...including drivers on the highways),
is that there are only two lanes on most of the route. Honestly, there are a few
places (the Georgetown area comes to mind) where the mountains are just too
close to the road and they can't make it three lanes. Most miles of the highway
however, have enough room for three lanes each way. Do it. Spend some of
the money from the gas taxes and DO IT. I don't know where the money is
going and haven't been able to figure that out for years. Obviously not on
the repair of our roads. When traveling, Colorado's roads are always the worst.
Oh, by the way, during the entire stretch, there wasn't any construction or
any accidents. Can't use that excuse for the backup, CDOT.

So Colorado Department of Transportation...in the words of Samuel Becket...
"FAIL BETTER"

The Wieinermobile!

I am a very lucky person. At least three times in my life,
I have seen the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile! Today, it was
stopped at the local Safeway and Lynn and I went with Leslie
and Gina to go Hail the Conquering Wiener! We managed to
get some cool stickers, and of course a Wiener Whistle and
some other fun stuff. However, when I mentioned that back
in 1995 I got to sit behind the wheel of the Wienermobile, the
Hotdogger (one of two people that ride with each Wienermobile)
told me that that was "against the rules!". Uh, ok.
Anyway, we enjoyed our view, listened to children scream,
had our photos taken and then were on our way. Grand Junction
seems to be a pretty popular spot for the Wienermobile to stop,
so I'm sure we'll see it again soon!

It's Official

There are just as many people who don't like the new name
that like it, but as of today, Mesa State College is now called
Colorado Mesa University. Wouldn't have been my first choice,
but there it is.

Home Again

It was a great trip, but now we're home! We saw some fantastic
sites, had a great visit with family and friends, met some fun

and interesting new people, and Lynn got to commune with
6000 other knitters!