Did we have a summer?

I cannot believe that I am sitting here this morning in front of a fireplace that is on and I am actually cold. This is the first summer that I have not been suffering from heat exhaustion.
I love this and I just can't imagine having to go back to the heat and humidity in Texas. All good things must come to an end.
It is raining here now and the temps are in the 50's. Last night it went down to the 40's and you could tell it.
Just wanted to drop by and let you know that there is a heaven and I am sitting in it here...

Somewhere in Time

Took a trip to Gunnison

We had been wanting to go the the Black Canyon of  the Gunnison for some time and yesterday was the day we went.
The trip took us over Slumgullian Pass about 12,000 feet! Sherri did OK for a while until we hit some of the curves without guard rails and then she was working the brakes in the back seat.
She sat behind me with Kris at her side and did real well over the worst part of the trip.
We saw many beautiful things along the way and  then stopped in Gunnison to have lunch. We found a Mexican food Restaurant that I will have to recommend to any of you that might wonder through that town. If it was plopped down in the middle of Texas it would fit right in with our Tex-Mex style of food

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Leaving Gunnison we traveled a short way down 50 until we came to the drop offs into the canyon...where Sherri had me turn around and head back to the road home.

On the way back to Creede we stopped several times to take pictures of the Gunnison River and some of the canyons it had dug out over time. All in all it was a great trip...

Somewhere in Time

A night at the Bingo Hall

Joe and Sue instructed on how to play...but did not tell us how to win

Kris had a ball and soon the whole crowd was pulling for him to win.

Our neighbors across the street invited us to the Elks Bingo Night. It is located in the Mine Museum on the north side of town.
Monday night was the night and we got ready for the big event. We arrived early so we could get some seats up front next to the caller. Joe and Sue were across from us and instructed us on what we were suppose to do...seeing as how we had never played bingo like this.
It was real interesting how they played the game by mixing up the way you could win on your card and the paper cards they sold us for 25 cents were used for all kinds of configurations.
We had a great time and Kris had a ball. He came so close to winning several times. Many of the folks there started pulling for him to win! It never happened and nether Sherri, Sue, Joe or myself even came close to bringing home the money!
We will be returning next Monday for sure and try to take home the prize...

Somewhere in Time

Never get enough of the view

Yes, I am sitting here looking out the front windshield just admiring the beautiful view we have of the mountains. I just can't get enough of taking in the majesty of these mountains.
Sherri and I just sit on the patio for hours watching the eagles pass over and the wildlife wonder around on the mountain slops. You never have anything like this back at the lake in Texas.
We will have to return to Texas and the 100 degree + weather before long. I really dread that due to the fact that hot weather wears me down.
I have a yard to mow when I get back...and it must be to my waste by now! Then there is all the chores around the barn that will need to be done.
Sorry for being so depressed but it is weighing heavy on my mind now that I sit here gazing out at the mountains and the 67 degree day...here...

Somewhere in Time

Heading to Alamosa

Today we are headed to Alamosa to pick up supplies from Wally World.
Not much else to report except we have had some awesome days here with the rain holding off. Sitting outside and visiting with neighbors has been really nice.
I guess I'll close out here for this day and just let you know that we are really enjoying the scenery here...the weather and the fact that we can get away from the Texas heat!
I'll have something to write about tomorrow when we get back from our shopping here...

Somewhere in Time

Chilling

Yes we were just chilling all day today. Chilling...the temp here was in the 30's this morning with overcast skies and wind coming down off the mountains. We started to sit outside for a bit but the cold was just too much.
I laughed when I thought about our family back in Texas enduring the 106 degree weather there. There is no way I would go back and stay another summer there. I wont say ever but I know as long as I am able to get away from there I will.
We sat inside all day and watched the rain clouds come and go and the temps finally got up to 60 degrees. I ventured outside to get some things straightened up in the Jeep and then came back inside.
Tomorrow will be more of the same...seeing as how the weather will be about the same. I had planned on taking the boat out this week but we will just have to wait and see.
Not much else going on here...unless the weather clears enough for us to head back up the mountain to pan for gems...

Somewhere in Time

Weather clears

All it takes is for the weather to clear and we head out on our adventures.
Our first adventure was to go to the Great Sand Dunes outside of Alamosa. Well as you can see by the time we got there the weather was not clear and the storms blew in.

We had hoped that we would have time to go down to the dunes before the weather got too bad.

We got this close and then a bolt of lighting split the sky which immediately was followed by a clap of thunder that would have startled a deaf person.

We did not get to walk on the dunes but we did enjoy the visitors center. There was so much information on the dunes and how they were formed.

I got to take Sherri and Kris to the falls at Clear Creek.

Kris and I got to do a little panning for gems in the river. We found some real interesting stones but no Gold

And last but not least I got some fishing in. I caught my limit at Brown Lakes and finished the day off a happy camper

All and all the good Lord provided us some time to enjoy the mountains and streams here...

Somewhere in Time  

We have plenty of rain here

Yes, once again it rained here. Sherri and I sat inside until the rain stopped and then ventured outside to load the clothes in the Jeep. We decided to go to the laundry mat today and get all the clothes washed. Seeing the weather was going to keep us indoors we chose to be indoors at the laundry and get that behind us.
We spent several hours getting that done and when we returned Sherri did some cleaning around the house.
We have to stop and think every once in a while...we are not on vacation. This is where we are living for now and we have time to do all the things that we need to do and still have time for site seeing.
Not to bore you with a nothing day I will tell  you we put on a crock pot roast and then watched TV the remainder of the day.
We are hoping for blue skies so we can head off to the Rio Grande reservoir to see what that area looks like. I am sure the rain will stop...

Somewhere in Time

Put up our screened room...without the screen

I forgot to mention that Elvis and I did a duet in Durango at the Serious BBQ restaurant

Being that we are here in Creede during the monsoon season we have not been able to sit out long in the evening. Every day about 6:30 we have a rain come through that forces us all indoors. During the earlier part of the day we have no shade so once again back inside until the sun goes down some.
We decided to put up our outdoor screen room to keep the noon sun off and the evening rains from putting us back in the MH. All the permanent residence here have the heavy duty...mounted in concrete patio covers that hold up well in a wind storm. Ours is not heavy duty and it is not mounted in concrete so we have to tie it off to the fence and picnic table. I know...how red neck is that! It may look red neck but it sure is nice when it rains.
I mentioned we did not put up the screen. We have little or no flies here...but a few mosquitoes do come around every once in a while. Not enough to warrant putting up the screened walls on the cover. Without the walls we still get the cool breeze during the day. Back in Texas we would have to have the screen to keep from being carried away by the bugs!
There is a rock hound show down town today and we are planning on going to it. Well I am torn between it and a fishing trip. Decisions decisions. Maybe we can do both...if the fish aren't biting then we always have the rocks to look at.
We have another month and one week here. I really dread heading back to Texas! We have to go back for my doctor appointments and that new great grand baby is due in October. After all that is done we will have to plan out our winter destination...

Somewhere in Time

Trip to Durango Co

Before we turned in last night we were sitting on the patio having some cold beverages and talking about a trip to Durango Colorado. Sherri and I had been there with our good friends Mike and Leslie John and Bridget several years ago and really enjoyed the visit there. Rodney and Becky have never been there so we decided to get up early in the morning and head over Wolf Creek Pass and see what we could discover in Durango.
Morning came and off we went on our 2 1/2 hour journey over the mountains. The weather was perfect and we had an uneventful trip...other than some of the gasp Sherri let out when we took the big curve on the pass that begins the trip down the western side of the mountain. I was thinking about that country and western song about the trucker who was going down the pass and lost his breaks! Don't know the artist or the name of the song but it did come to mind when I was going down.
We had a great time in Durango. Found our favorite place to eat there...Serious BBQ. This is a small chain here in this part of Colorado. Some fellows out of Texas came up here and opened up a BBQ place that served good ol Texas BBQ. I will have to say that outside of Texas this BBQ is the best I have eaten. If you are ever in Durango be sure to look this place up and try it out.

We posed on the deck over looking the river that runs behind the restaurant

We then went over to the train museum and spent some time looking at all the memorabilia of an age gone by. Old trains fascinate me. As a small boy in Childress Texas I remember hearing the locomotives coming into town blowing their steam whistles...such an eerie sound late at night.

Kris was taking the engine out of the museum on a journey up the mountains

The Durango Silverton train is something to see but I will tell you this it is very expensive to take a trip on. When we were here last it was $85.00 pp to take the trip...now it is $134.00 to go. That was OK we did not want to take the trip anyway. We did find a Jeep trail that goes across the mountains to Silverton from the Rio Grande reservoir. I don't think Sherri will be taking that one either.
We returned home and the trip back was as fascinating as the trip going. I had never been up the west bound slop of Wolf Creek so this was an adventure for me. We did stop at the top and get some pictures of the divide. Durango was in the 90's when we got there so we really enjoyed the 58 degree temps on the summit when we arrived. The last time we were in front of this sign was 38 years ago. Well it wasn't this sign at that time but it was in this location.

38 years ago we stood here and had a picture, much like this taken

Down the mountain we went and through the...New to us...tunnels to South Fork where we turned north up the Silver Thread Highway to Creede.

What a wonderful day it was...full of memories here...

Somewhere in Time

It's the weekend and time to kick back

When you live like this you realize that you don't have to rush and do something every day. We will be here another month and a half so we have plenty of time to do all we want to and rest on the busy weekends.
We have chores around the MH that we need to do. So that is what we will do this weekend. while the folks that have the day off from work rush to the streams and lakes and plow down the Jeep trails in their ATV's.
It is so nice to have time to kick back read a book or just rearrange the bays in the MH.
That is what we will be doing today...

Somewhere in Time