when I was researching

things to do, I knew I wanted to go to Mount Evans.  Mount Evans Scenic Byway has the highest paved road in North America.  I was nervous but I wanted to see.  Guess what.  It doesn't open until Memorial Day weekend.  There was also a lake I wanted to see, Echo Lake.  It's on that route.  Guess what, I think it was closed too.  The fact they had gotten a lot of snow two weeks before we came probably didn't help matters.  I told Cosme we had time and I wanted to go and see how far we could get.  So we set off for Idaho Springs.  On the way I saw a sign for the Buffalo Bill Grave and Museum.  We stopped.  We actually didn't even make it into the museum.  We headed straight up to the grave and then into the gift shop.

I really liked this sign.

We bought a few things, including a pound of fudge (chocolate, chocolate/walnut, chocolate/pecan praline and peanut butter).  My favorite was the peanut butter.  We went out to take a few pictures and then got back on the road to Idaho Springs.  We turned left off the highway and started up the mountain.  One thing I must do in certain situations (driving up mountains and over water) is turn on the tunnel vision.  Nothing beside me exists.  I only see the road ahead of me.  In this case, I also found myself leaning towards the non-cliff side of the road... as if my weight would keep the car from falling off the mountain.  We were getting high, really high.  I still hadn't seen any signs leading us to Echo Lake.  At this point I started hearing noises from Cosme.  I really didn't need to hear any groans with some four-letter words sprinkled in, especially coming from him.  He's the daring, thrill seeking one of the two of us.  My hands and feet were already sweating and I was totally tense with my breathing getting louder and deeper.  I told him to feel my hands and grabbed his... THEY WERE POURING SWEAT.  At this point I knew I could NOT look away to see what was over there (or more like what wasn't over there).  I went into panic mode.  I had to turn around and get down from there.  I did the roughest but most cautious three-point-turn and escaped from that mountain.  There are no pictures.  There was going to be one but I just needed to leave.  I looked and 78 degrees had turned to 48 degrees.  I checked because I had to crack the window to dry my hands.  On the way down I started hearing sirens.  Police cars with an ambulance and fire truck were headed up the mountain.  I don't know what happened up there but I'm happy to say it didn't involve me.

We got back down to the highway and now had plenty of time to kill.  We decided to go to the Coors Brewery.  I don't drink beer and Cosme doesn't drink Coors.  We figured it would still be interesting.  We got there and took the tour.  It wasn't very interesting.  Here's the one picture I took.

I was expecting more of a "How It's Made" episode and it wasn't.  We did try the beer and Cosme actually found one he liked, Blue Moon Belgian White Ale.  I tried Killian's Irish Red and it tasted like beer.  I think the Blue Bell tour is more my style.

After the tour we stopped for lunch at Bob's Atomic Burger and then headed back to the hotel to rest before that night's concert.  After going to Bubba Gump's, we headed to the concert.  The concert was a lot of fun and we got back to the hotel around 1:00.

Other than falling asleep and heading to the airport the next day, that was it.  We had a lot of fun in Colorado.

so we kept driving

until we came to Cable's Pub & Grill in Estes Park.  We stopped for lunch.  I normally don't like to stop for food but Cosme doesn't handle being hungry as well as me.  I want to do what I came to do and eat when I'm done, especially if I'm out site seeing.  Food usually ruins it for me.  Feed me and I'm done.  Luckily, salad sounded good so I didn't eat anything heavy with my water.  After lunch we continued on until we finally made it to our destination, Rocky Mountain National Park.

Again, I pulled over at the first stop

and then the second.  Then I told myself I couldn't keep stopping... again.

I honestly don't know what these are.  Elk, maybe?  I don't know.  The sign up the road cautioned everyone to watch for big horn, but these aren't big horns.  Another sign warned everyone of bears, but these definitely aren't bears.  Some of them had antlers and they looked a little fuzzy. 

And then I kept driving up the mountain, getting closer and closer to the snowy parts.

And then, all of a sudden there it was, all deep on the side of the road.  Guess what.  I started to panic.  It's not that I was scared of the snow but I knew how high up the snow was and all that snow meant I knew I was REALLY high.  I'd never make it as a skier.

Luckily for me, the road was closed and we couldn't go any higher than this point.  No, it doesn't look snowy from here.  That's because all that greenery in front of me is WAAAAY down there.

We took this picture and then turned around.  We headed down towards Bear Lake.  Everything seemed normal until we got there.  Snow was everywhere.  I figured a path to the lake was cleared for walking but boy was I wrong.

Had I known I was going to walk on snow/ice/whatever, I probably wouldn't have worn canvas shoes.

Oh, I also probably would've left my camera and 24-70mm in the car.  Talk about cautious...  I don't know what I should've been more worried about, falling while holding my camera and lens or having a stroke from worrying about falling on my camera and lens.  So, most or all of these were taken with my phone.

And then we came to Bear Lake.  How was I supposed to take a picture of the lake when it's all iced over?  This situation had "accident" written all over it so hat was my signal to leave.

I took this picture on our way back to the car.  Don't get me wrong, it was very pretty and I really wanted to walk around in it but I just wasn't prepared.

You don't say.  

We got back to the car to head back to Denver.  We first had to stop in Estes Park at McDonalds.  I needed a Coke (which was the first one I'd had, thank you).  We took another route back to the hotel, the less scenic route, going through Longmont and then south on Interstate 25.  This seemed faster and a straight shot... until we got closer to Denver and stuck in stop-and-go traffic.  Apparently, everyone was headed into town for the weekend.

We made it back to the hotel and plopped.  We were too tired to walk a block over to get food.  Room service, it was.  Room service with water.  Did I mention the ridiculous amounts of Pepsi on this trip?  Pepsi on the plane, Pepsi in the vending machines, Pepsi with room service...

That was the end of day 1.

we kind of got

a late start on Friday because our car wouldn't be available until 11:00.  So at 11:00, we went down to the hotel lobby to get our car.  I reserved a compact but they gave us a free upgrade into a small SUV.  Anyway, the girl printed out directions for us, letting us know the scenic route was through Boulder.  And off we went towards Boulder.  We stopped on the highway at a scenic overlook for a picture.

We passed through Boulder and made it to Roosevelt National Forest.

It was really hard not to stop at every pull-over.  I think I might have at first but realized we'd never get anywhere if I kept that up.

We came across a historical site, Saint Malo, but didn't know what it was.  We tried to visit but the gates were closed.  I was able to pull in and get a couple of pictures.  Here's one from the driveway.

And one from the highway

 I looked it up when we got home and saw that it's an old chapel but there was a retreat center in the back of the property that burned down in 2011.  I guess that's why it's closed.  I believe the newer retreat area must have been a total loss but the chapel was untouched.


We kept driving and came to this lake.  I can't remember what it was but there was a walking trail going around it.  We thought it'd be better if we kept going.

At this point we were both getting hungry and in my case, VERY thirsty.  We didn't do as all the tips suggested and take bottled water with us up in the high altitudes.  I was so anxious to get out there that I forgot. 

I think this is a good stopping point for today.  I'll finish with day 1 tomorrow.

On a side note, I've resized and saved all the images for the web.  I don't normally do it but decided to since there were so many.  I hope they look okay.

we made it back

from Denver and we had a blast.  We didn't land until almost 9pm Thursday night so we took a cab to the hotel and rented a car the next morning.  We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Downtown at the Convention Center.  It was a block over from the 16th Street Mall.  It reminded me a little of one of the Town Centers you'd see over here and Bourbon Street.  Not that there were drunks hanging out everywhere but it was basically pedestrian with shops, restaurants and things... a really good place to go if your hotel is a block over and you want something quick to eat.  Oh, across the street from the hotel is Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.  We didn't know what we wanted on Saturday night and didn't have time to walk around deciding so we went there and had some shrimp.  I know it's a chain but we'd never eaten at one before.  They have all sorts of shrimp: boiled shrimp, steamed shrimp, shrimp kabobs... (You see where I'm going with this, right?  Insert drum and hi-hat.)  So we had all three of those things and really liked it.

Over the next few days, I took pictures of different views from our hotel room.

To the left was town and mountains.
(Friday morning)

 (Friday night)

(Saturday night with a lacrosse game at Sports Authority Stadium)

Anyway, when not looking off into the horizon, but down and zooming in a little, there was the convention center.  There's a big blue bear statue.  I read about it online as being one of the things to go see.  I was good with this.

The view to the right wasn't picture worthy.  It would have been of downtown but not at a great angle but Saturday night I did see this bar all lit up.

I'll end it there.  Tomorrow I'll show you what we did the next morning.

you know how I've

mentioned what a worrywart I am?  And how anxiety should be my middle name?  Well, I've been taking a few steps to make my stomach better for when it does hit.  I started taking my acidophilus again... yesterday and I've started eating more yogurt, two bowls to be exact... yesterday.  Although I should be drinking a bottle of water right now with my yogurt for breakfast, I decided to have a Coke and a toaster strudel.  I'm sure I'll regret it in a couple of hours but right now I have a sinus headache and needed something good to wash down my Zyrtec.

You know, a lot of people have anxiety when it comes to flying.  So do I but it goes beyond that.  I get anxious just thinking about going on a trip.  I get anxious when I think about being gone and what if anxiety hits.  I get anxious when I think about things not going right at home or while away.  I get anxious going to the airport.  I get anxious getting ready to go to the airport.  Don't put me in a window seat, I'll feel trapped and anxious and breakdown in panic right there.  I speak from experience.  I've got it bad.  I hate feeling like that and I hate how irritated everyone around me feels when I get like that.  I don't do it on purpose.  Most times, I'm better if left alone.  If you think I'm in the middle of being anxious, it's best to leave me alone.  I probably won't use my phone either.  I try to sit there and calm myself down but I know it's going to happen.  So, that's why I have tried to make things a little easier on my stomach, except for this morning's breakfast.  Oh, and our plane leaves this evening.  If everything goes as scheduled, I'll be 30 minutes into my flight to Denver at this time tonight.  Did I mention that one of the places I want to go tomorrow is the highest paved road in North America?  It's making me a little anxious.

I might end up eating some yogurt in a little bit.  I have one issue with yogurt.  I don't like it.  Once at McDonalds, Eric wanted the fruit and yogurt so I tried some of his.  I actually liked that yogurt so I started trying some until I found some that tastes just like theirs.  It's Dannon Light & Fit Vanilla.  I buy the big containers of it.  Oh, another thing I don't like about yogurt is the texture.  I solved that problem too.  I scoop some out into a bowl and then stir in some Honey Nut Cherrios.  It's good and so far, the only way I enjoy yogurt.  I had Cosme try some last night and he agreed that it's pretty good.

Although, it does look a little nasty different.  But let's get it straight, it's still yogurt so I don't eat more than a baby bowl can hold.

Now I'm off to finish packing and getting ready for Denver.  So, do whatever it is you do (pray, wish me luck, send good thoughts and positive energy) for us and my anxiety to make it back from Denver okay.  Actually, if you'd rather my anxiety not come along and maybe just go away for good, I'm totally cool with that.

for a few years

I've been wanting to see This is Elvis, a movie/documentary that I remember was always on HBO when I was a kid.  I spent the summers with my grandparents (who had HBO) and I watched it every time I saw it was on.  I was a fan.  I spent a lot of time with my grandparents and I always went through my grandmother's records and played Elvis.  There were a lot of those days when my grandfather was at work or outside and I'd be in the den playing records and dancing while my grandmother cleaned house.  When I hear this song I always think of my grandmother stopping what she was doing and walking around the corner into the den to dance with me.  (I'm sure I've mentioned that before.)



Anyway, back to This is Elvis.  I've had it on my Netflix queue for a LONG time.  I've never gotten it because of new releases being bumped up to the number 1 spot.  Last year or so I asked for it to be put in my Christmas stocking.  I didn't get it.  Last night I went into the bedroom to iron some shirts and guess what was on Encore.  This is Elvis!  What sucks is, I caught the last 12 minutes of it.  What didn't suck is that I saw it was coming on later and dvr'd it.  You know what else is weird?  Yesterday was my grandmother's birthday.

So, when I decided to have some hot tea this morning, I thought it was only fitting to grab my Elvis mug that Lauren gave me.

i obviously had one thing on

my mind yesterday, going by the pictures I've posted.  The theme for yesterday's photo challenge was sunrise/sunset so I guess I had my reasons.  I took this picture last night with my camera right after I submitted the one on Instagram with my phone.

Today's theme is "need".  Wow.  Where do I start with that one?  I could start with the grocery store or a mop or a money tree would be pretty nice too.  I think it might be a little easier for "what I don't need".  Oh well.  One thing I need to do, well, now needed was to get a few things off my memory card.  You can see a few of those things HERE.  A few things I left out were these

I loved watching the ducks take off and run across the water.  Look at the guy on the far left.  I was totally amused.

These were taken a while back when we drove out to Brazos Bend State Park, pretty close to sunset.  We weren't halfway around the trail when it started to get a little dark.  Well, considering there were alligators right there, it was dark enough.  We turned around and headed back to the car.  This alligator was headed away from the bank and back out into the water.  Going through my pictures the song that stuck in my head was "Goodnight Sweetheart, Goodnight".  In the middle of this, Mom sends me a link with a man singing that to get his puppies to sleep.  How weird is that?!?

On that note, I'm off like an alligator with grass on his head.

i feel well

rested.  I'm in a spring cleaning type of mood, sort of.  It comes and goes.  I guess I'm in the mood to be busy and see results.  I don't know, maybe it's just a good mood or maybe it's my allergy medicine.  Maybe it's because we're going away for a few days and I always seem to want things in order before I leave.

Our U-verse box went out yesterday.  No problem.  They came today and replaced it. 

Also this morning, I went for a walk.  Our street was the first street in the subdivision and it's grown A LOT in the last few years.  Instead of making my usual loops around the main part of the neighborhood, I decided to walk to the back and check it out.  I turned around when I ran out of sidewalk. 

Other than that, this weekend we celebrated a birthday and Mother's Day. 

Now I'm off to take care of the photography end of things.

i've been missing,

I know.  I've had stuff going on.  Nothing major, just stuff.  Today I'm going on a not-so-great night's sleep so I'm not moving very fast.  I really need to do housework but the weather's gotten really bad and now I'd like to just lie around.  Although, it's also put me in the mood to scan old pictures.  I have a tub of my grandfathers old pictures and I'd like to get them scanned and passed on to his sister.  So, since I have housework and spring cleaning and napping at the top of my to-do list, I decided I'd start scanning. 

Here's a picture of my great-grandparents.

Here's a picture of me with my great-grandmother.

I could go on but I really better stop.  Besides, all this thinking is making me sleepier.

meet

Maggie.  She's our new Boxer/Australian Shepherd mix.  She is SO sweet.

She's learning to fetch her toy

and sit.

We brought her inside on a leash to introduce her to the cats.  Lucille thought Maggie was a monster.  Strat wanted to let Maggie know this is his house and he can be a monster.  After that we took her back outside and let her run around and play until we wore her out.

Then she heard something in the tree.

 
Then she decided it wasn't worth it.

Coming soon: a thunderstorm.  This could be interesting.

i tried a new

recipe.  It's oatmeal made in a slow cooker.  First of all, I'm picky about my oatmeal.  I know what I like.  I like it plain with lots of sugar and cinnamon and NO milk.  I don't like it soupy, but more of a mashed potato consistency.  That said, I tried this oatmeal recipe.  I know Cosme likes his a little different from mine and figured if this recipe weren't great for me, he'd probably like it.  It's apples, cinnamon, brown sugar and oatmeal.  Sounds great (minus the apples).  I added it all to the pot last night and turned it on low.  Never having used steel oats before, I looked them up.  It looked like the ratio of oats to water was 1:3.5, NOT 1:2 like the recipe called for.  I'd already added all the ingredients and was not supposed to stir it.  So I added more water and nothing else.  Anyway, this morning the oatmeal was done.  I used 7 cups of water instead of the called for 4 cups, that part was perfect.  I didn't like it though.  It was not my favorite.  It needed more cinnamon and sugar and really needed salt.  On the plus side, I used a slow cooker liner so when it cools down a little, all I need to do is tie up the bag, lift it out and throw it all in the trash.  Yuck.

I already know it's going to be a long day.  I'm so sleepy and ready for bed... and it's 6:00 in the morning.

This picture is from a couple of nights ago, when there was some meteor shower.  I had a lawn chair out in the driveway with blankets, a coke and my camera.  I didn't see anything out of the ordinary so I took a picture of the moon.  The more I look at it though, the sleepier it's making me.  Maybe I'll be better once the sun comes up.  Until then, I need something other than slow-cooked oatmeal.

i have quite a few things

I should be doing right now.  This isn't at the top of that list but it just seems easier.  I need to figure out a few things with some photo stuff I've started messing with, I need to make a grocery list, I need to dry my hair, I REALLY need to get up and get a fork for this hot dog (which I totally should have given second thought to the hot dog), I need to scan some stuff, I need to read some stuff, I need to edit some stuff...  On the plus side, I've already made an appointment with the eye doctor and gotten the recycling bags out.

I took this picture last weekend on the bridge over on Rusk at Bagby in downtown Houston.  It's kind of fitting because as much as I don't need to be parked right here doing this, I do need to be parked right here doing other things.

Speaking of Rusk and Bagby, a few days after I took this picture, a man was found dead under the bridge.

I really need to add "quit typing" to my to-do list.

my windshield wipers

quit on me.  My inspection sticker was almost up and since I have to go to the dealer for that, I put off the wipers as long as possible.  (The dealer is out of my way and I try to make as few trips as possible.)  I had an appointment scheduled and it was raining that morning so I had to reschedule.  I went yesterday and they diagnosed the problem.  It was the switch.  They didn't have the part and it was scheduled to rain today and tomorrow so they found a loaner for me.  I walked out and had to laugh.  They really know how to ruin it all for me.  All my "I love not having a car payment" and "my car is perfect for me" was on hold when I stepped outside and saw the SUV they had for me.  They do realize that's going to drive me nuts, right?  Of course.  It's a little one and is perfect for me... just like my car.  Oh, but then there's that whole car payment issue that I LOVE not having.  Oh well, one day I'll need a new car.  When I do, it'll be this one.

Here it is.

One thing that bothers me is the whole ECO thing.  The car turns off or goes into a standby mode when I come to a stop and starts back up when I let my foot off the brake.  It's weird and I don't like it.  I feel like I'm not in control.  I'm also not fond of the gear shift.  It's digital-ish and I'm having a hard time adjusting.  And what's with the tea cup?  I don't get that.

Maybe they'll be over that phase and will have gone back to normal when I get my silver one...