Wednesday, June 30, 2010
30 June, 2010
We have a bunny that considers the area under our rose bush prime real estate. The little guy (or girl) is so comfortable with us that we can walk up and down our driveway with fazing it. (The rose bush is about one and a half feet from said driveway; it's a bold bunny.) I spotted the rabbit this afternoon and decided to make it my photo of the day. The bunny let me crouch close enough that I could've reached out and touched it.
29 June, 2010
Normality returns.
Sort of, at least. Tuesday was spent relaxing and trying to get caught up on the things we'd fallen behind on. I didn't remember my daily picture until the sun was nearly down - oops!
Anyhow, I thought I'd post yet another update on the sunflowers. We still haven't thinned them out. Hopefully we'll get around to that this week sometime.
Sort of, at least. Tuesday was spent relaxing and trying to get caught up on the things we'd fallen behind on. I didn't remember my daily picture until the sun was nearly down - oops!
Anyhow, I thought I'd post yet another update on the sunflowers. We still haven't thinned them out. Hopefully we'll get around to that this week sometime.
28 June, 2010 - Final Day of Sand Dunes Trip
We made our trip back home on Monday. The drive was actually shorter this time, which worked out well for all of us. We were all glad to get home, I think (and the dogs were very happy to have us home.)
After getting our luggage home and saying hey to the dogs, we headed back out for supper with my grandparents. As we were leaving, an awesome, oldie pickup truck pulled into the parking lot. After circling it for a bit, I decided to snap a photo of one of the headlights. It was an awesome little truck!
After getting our luggage home and saying hey to the dogs, we headed back out for supper with my grandparents. As we were leaving, an awesome, oldie pickup truck pulled into the parking lot. After circling it for a bit, I decided to snap a photo of one of the headlights. It was an awesome little truck!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
27 June, 2010 - Sand Dunes Trip
We started our day of sightseeing with a trip to Zapata Falls. The mosquitoes were determined to eat us alive and the large quantity of people made photography difficult, but we enjoyed the brief period of time we spent up there.
We then dropped by a Sand Dunes gift shop (not the visitor's center - an independent company) before hitting the Dunes again. This time, the picnic area was open, so we drove down there. Again, my grandparents opted out of getting out of the car (I guess they were enjoying the Sand Dunes from the air conditioned comfort of their vehicle).
The parking lot lead right out to Medano Creek, which was almost dry. I thought the contrast in scenery positively gorgeous.
We hiked all the way out to the "foothills" of the Dunes this time before turning back. Despite the heavy winds (and flying sand), we enjoyed it. Walking through the soft sand turned out to be excellent exercise. I cannot imagine hiking to the top of the dunes.
We then dropped by a Sand Dunes gift shop (not the visitor's center - an independent company) before hitting the Dunes again. This time, the picnic area was open, so we drove down there. Again, my grandparents opted out of getting out of the car (I guess they were enjoying the Sand Dunes from the air conditioned comfort of their vehicle).
The parking lot lead right out to Medano Creek, which was almost dry. I thought the contrast in scenery positively gorgeous.
We hiked all the way out to the "foothills" of the Dunes this time before turning back. Despite the heavy winds (and flying sand), we enjoyed it. Walking through the soft sand turned out to be excellent exercise. I cannot imagine hiking to the top of the dunes.
26 June, 2010 - Sand Dunes Trip
Saturday was our first visit to the Sand Dunes. We dropped by the visitor's center before hitting the actual dunes. Once we'd picked up some souvenirs, we headed to their picnic area. Unfortunately, a car accident had happened on that particular road, so we were forced to take a detour to one of their trails. My grandparents wanted to stay in the car (and watch us make the hike with their binoculars), so we headed out.
We made it as far as the sand before pausing for pictures. My grandma decided the night before that it would be hilarious to purchase sand buckets for us to "play with". And thus, after making the hike with them, we sat down in the sand with said buckets for a photo shoot.
Before the trip, Boom and I decided that it would be awesome to get some pictures of my contact juggling ball in the sand. And it was. Which made me happy.
After the Dunes, we headed back to the RV to freshen up a bit (remove a few layers of sand and whatnot). At which point, we decided to visit a museum that my grandpa wanted to see. Unfortunately, the museum was already closed by the time we got to it. We took a drive through town and then headed back home, which is where we spotted this awesome train. I couldn't resist snapping some shots of it.
After playing ball with some neighbor boys and a supper of hot dogs, we bedded down for the night.
We made it as far as the sand before pausing for pictures. My grandma decided the night before that it would be hilarious to purchase sand buckets for us to "play with". And thus, after making the hike with them, we sat down in the sand with said buckets for a photo shoot.
Before the trip, Boom and I decided that it would be awesome to get some pictures of my contact juggling ball in the sand. And it was. Which made me happy.
After the Dunes, we headed back to the RV to freshen up a bit (remove a few layers of sand and whatnot). At which point, we decided to visit a museum that my grandpa wanted to see. Unfortunately, the museum was already closed by the time we got to it. We took a drive through town and then headed back home, which is where we spotted this awesome train. I couldn't resist snapping some shots of it.
After playing ball with some neighbor boys and a supper of hot dogs, we bedded down for the night.
25 June, 2010 - 1st day of Sand Dunes trip
We got going much later than we'd planned on Friday, but that didn't surprise us much, I don't think. My mom and I followed the RV in my Saturn, so that we had independent transportation (in the case that my grandma and grandpa didn't want to go places). Fortunately, we didn't have to use the Saturn while we were there.
Because we arrived later than planned, we decided to pass on grilling out for the evening and instead went into town and got Arby's (which was absolutely delicious for a person that hadn't eaten a full meal all day). Outside of the Arby's was an adorable run-down buckboard wagon. I couldn't resist photographing the little thing.
Its spokes made for a fabulous photo subject, but I took pictures of the entire thing.
After eating, we went back to the RV and just chilled for the evening. I spent a bit of time downloading some much needed programs (Like GIMP), so that I could have them on my laptop. I fiddled around with some of my pictures and made some wallpapers for the computer and then all of us went to bed.
Because we arrived later than planned, we decided to pass on grilling out for the evening and instead went into town and got Arby's (which was absolutely delicious for a person that hadn't eaten a full meal all day). Outside of the Arby's was an adorable run-down buckboard wagon. I couldn't resist photographing the little thing.
Its spokes made for a fabulous photo subject, but I took pictures of the entire thing.
After eating, we went back to the RV and just chilled for the evening. I spent a bit of time downloading some much needed programs (Like GIMP), so that I could have them on my laptop. I fiddled around with some of my pictures and made some wallpapers for the computer and then all of us went to bed.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
24 June, 2010
Spent the day preparing for taking off on our trip tomorrow. We loaded the RV down with some of our supplies and intend to bring the rest over tomorrow. I will not be posting while away, but intend to back-post once I've returned.
See you all on Tuesday!
(The emblem on my grandparents' RV.)
See you all on Tuesday!
(The emblem on my grandparents' RV.)
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
23 June, 2010
Exciting news - my laptop came in today! My mom and I picked it up from my grandparents' house this afternoon. When I finished my supper, I set about getting the laptop fired up. After going through the initial set up process, I fiddled around a bit. Windows 7 is only a bit different than XP on the surface, but something tells me that it will get a bit more complex when I get deeper.
For now, I can't connect to the internet, but I'll be trying that out the next time I have a chance.
For now, I can't connect to the internet, but I'll be trying that out the next time I have a chance.
22 June, 2010
This adorable flower is a species of Celosia. I hadn't heard of the flower until yesterday, when we ran into it at the Wal-Mart gardening center. I'd been intending to find some new flowers to replace a succulent that I planted last year (the poor succulent didn't survive the winter), so this was a pleasant surprise. Celosia is an annual, so it won't come back next year, but I intend to fully enjoy it this summer.
Monday, June 21, 2010
21 June, 2010
My now weekly update on the progress of our little sunflower garden:
They're doing much better than they did last year (silly bunnies). We will very likely thin them out in the neAR future, since their stalks and heads will get nice and big if they have more space to grow.
My mom has promised our neighboring kids one of the sunflower heads if they'll be extra careful and not throw their balls into our garden. They seem extremely excited at the prospect and have been quite cautious when playing in their front yard.
Since these are Mammoth Sunflowers, their seeds are edible (raw or roasted, but I really don't recommend the former). We generally use ours to feed the birds, but I might see if we can roast some this year, just for the fun of it.
They're doing much better than they did last year (silly bunnies). We will very likely thin them out in the neAR future, since their stalks and heads will get nice and big if they have more space to grow.
My mom has promised our neighboring kids one of the sunflower heads if they'll be extra careful and not throw their balls into our garden. They seem extremely excited at the prospect and have been quite cautious when playing in their front yard.
Since these are Mammoth Sunflowers, their seeds are edible (raw or roasted, but I really don't recommend the former). We generally use ours to feed the birds, but I might see if we can roast some this year, just for the fun of it.
20 June, 2010 - Father's Day
As is traditional for our family, we joined my grandparents for Father's Day dinner. My grandpa grilled steaks and hot dogs, my mom, grandma, sisters and I put together the rest of the meal, and we brought a pie (Coconut Cream pie from Village Inn - one of my favorites!). After supper, presents and cleaning up, one of my uncles called to talk to my grandpa and grandma. My sisters and I took the opportunity to sneak outside with their soccer ball and kick it around a bit. (We also got to see the butterfly garden we gave my grandmother last year and were thrilled that it's doing splendidly!)
Right now, a wildfire is blazing in the south (right by the Sand Dunes, in fact). It has been kept under control, but allowed to burn due to its benefits. It has crept far enough north that the Springs is now starting to see some of its smoke. And thus, our mountains were extremely hazy last night. Things are looking a bit better today, but I can still feel the smoke (a.k.a. allergies). We're just hoping that they can keep the blaze under control.
Enough rambling, though. Let's move on to photos.
This is one of the decorations at the front of my grandparents' house. I love the rustic feel of this adorable little wheel.
I know that CoolBreeze took a similar picture for her blog, but I wanted to post this photo anyway. Besides the fact that the flag was back-lit beautifully by the setting sun, this shot allows you to see the haze over the mountains.
Right now, a wildfire is blazing in the south (right by the Sand Dunes, in fact). It has been kept under control, but allowed to burn due to its benefits. It has crept far enough north that the Springs is now starting to see some of its smoke. And thus, our mountains were extremely hazy last night. Things are looking a bit better today, but I can still feel the smoke (a.k.a. allergies). We're just hoping that they can keep the blaze under control.
Enough rambling, though. Let's move on to photos.
This is one of the decorations at the front of my grandparents' house. I love the rustic feel of this adorable little wheel.
I know that CoolBreeze took a similar picture for her blog, but I wanted to post this photo anyway. Besides the fact that the flag was back-lit beautifully by the setting sun, this shot allows you to see the haze over the mountains.
19 June, 2010
It was an extremely lazy day for me. I spent time on the computer, played with my dog, lounged with the same dog in the shade, practiced contact juggling a bit, wrote a letter to a friend, watched a movie in the evening... Literally spent my day doing next to nothing. (Which is kinda silly, given that I have a trip I need to be getting ready for.) However, it was a very nice break. A good time to just unwind. Chill out.
This photo was an attempt at using natural framing. I have seen it used several times and accidentally managed it myself (see the Air Force Graduation pics for an example), but never intentionally given it a go. I'm not wholly satisfied with it, but I'd be thrilled to hear your opinions.
This photo was an attempt at using natural framing. I have seen it used several times and accidentally managed it myself (see the Air Force Graduation pics for an example), but never intentionally given it a go. I'm not wholly satisfied with it, but I'd be thrilled to hear your opinions.
Friday, June 18, 2010
18 June, 2010
Two days ago, when I was cleaning my car, my dog was forced to stay in the basement and behave herself. As such, she wound up spending most of her day sleeping. By the time I headed to bed, she was extremely hyper. She's one of those dogs that requires a large amount of stimulation daily to keep her calm (and to keep her loving owner sane). Today, I pulled out one of her project toys. (Project Toy: A toy the requires the dog to "think" if they want to get it to dispense tasty treats.) This particular project toy is from Busy Buddy and is called the Tug-a-Jug. This is the third summer we've had this toy (which we discovered through All Breed Rescue and Training) and she still loves it. This is the only project toy that has lasted so long without suffering an incredible amount of damage.
Originally, about a sixth of the toy was filled with treats, but, with practiced motions, she soon dispensed and consumed all of the tasty morsels. You wouldn't catch her complaining, though - it makes a good chew toy also!
Anyways, to make a long story short (Too late!), I captured a couple of photos when she wasn't rapidly tossing the toy around. The first one is a little more artistic, I think, but the second gives you a better idea of what the "rope" on the toy looks like.
Originally, about a sixth of the toy was filled with treats, but, with practiced motions, she soon dispensed and consumed all of the tasty morsels. You wouldn't catch her complaining, though - it makes a good chew toy also!
Anyways, to make a long story short (Too late!), I captured a couple of photos when she wasn't rapidly tossing the toy around. The first one is a little more artistic, I think, but the second gives you a better idea of what the "rope" on the toy looks like.
17 June, 2010
After lunch and some errands, we dropped by my grandparents' house to say hey and see how they were doing. My grandpa had his technologically savvy friend over, so us girls sat in their parlor and chatted. For some reason, their cat -Watson- was particularly glad to see me. He kept asking me for attention and even attempted to claw on my back at one point. Eventually, when I refused to give him the love that he was looking for, he moseyed on up to me, sat down next to my legs and proceeded to lean on them. I guess he was determined to get his way.
I spent my evening forcing the image editing version of a Plot Bunny out of my head. A friend requested a graphic and this idea popped into my head. Not what he requested, but it wouldn't leave me alone. So, with the hopes of getting rid of it, I pieced it together. It took a grand bit of fiddling, but turned out well in the end (I think).
(The full sized version)
It still needs text, but that can be saved for later.
I spent my evening forcing the image editing version of a Plot Bunny out of my head. A friend requested a graphic and this idea popped into my head. Not what he requested, but it wouldn't leave me alone. So, with the hopes of getting rid of it, I pieced it together. It took a grand bit of fiddling, but turned out well in the end (I think).
(The full sized version)
It still needs text, but that can be saved for later.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
16 June, 2010
August 2009: the last time the interior of my car got a nice, deep cleaning. My mom and I will be following our grandparents to the sand dunes in it next weekend. And thus, I decided it was time to tidy it up a bit.
Before:
After:
Why pay for an expensive detailing job when you can do it yourself?
Before:
After:
Why pay for an expensive detailing job when you can do it yourself?
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
15 June, 2010
We hit Bath and Body Works today to pick up some shampoo and other miscellaneous, smelly-good items. The mascot for their current sale is a big ole rubber duck. It was just begging to be photographed. (I had to do a bit of waiting before the area behind the duck was clear. Naturally, I had to pick a display to photograph. Random people would have taken away from the subject, though.)
Monday, June 14, 2010
Sunday, June 13, 2010
13 June, 2010
The family and I went to see the second Iron Man this evening. We didn't like it quite as much as the first, but enjoyed ourselves none the less.
(Pardon the glare.)
(Pardon the glare.)
Saturday, June 12, 2010
12 June, 2010
We took a Saturday hike along the Pulpit Rock trail today. CoolBreeze gave her new hiking boots a test run and I made sure my new compass and water bottle accompanied me. It was a very misty and cool day today, but that made the trail rather peaceful. Our cameras proved trustworthy sidekicks once more, as there was plenty to photograph.
A sampling of the scenery:
(Yes, more Yucca flowers. I was making an attempt at an artistic angle. I got close, I think...)
A sampling of the scenery:
(Yes, more Yucca flowers. I was making an attempt at an artistic angle. I got close, I think...)
11 June, 2010
The first torrential downpour of the year rolled in! (At least, I think so. We had some heavy rain last weekend, but it didn't last long at all.) We had three heavy showers, all of which ended in hail.
The storms didn't prevent us from making it to Fargo's for my graduation celebration with my family, though. After dinner, we went to my grandparents' house and had some cake, watched our Il Divo and Celtic Thunder DVDs. And I helped my grandpa get my laptop ordered.
That's right, I'm getting a laptop as a graduation present! I'm quite thrilled and extremely grateful to my grandparents. I'm sure to post pictures of it when it comes in.
The storms didn't prevent us from making it to Fargo's for my graduation celebration with my family, though. After dinner, we went to my grandparents' house and had some cake, watched our Il Divo and Celtic Thunder DVDs. And I helped my grandpa get my laptop ordered.
That's right, I'm getting a laptop as a graduation present! I'm quite thrilled and extremely grateful to my grandparents. I'm sure to post pictures of it when it comes in.
10 June, 2010
The day started off rather eventfully with my mother getting stuck in our bathroom! Our door knob has been a problem child for years now and this is not the first time that this has happened. Fortunately, my grandfather was able to rescue my mom and we were able to move on with our day.
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
9 June, 2010
My REI purchase:
I've been needing a new water bottle for a while now and wanting this compass since November. Since we're taking a trip to the Sand Dunes at the end of this month, I thought it was about time I picked 'em up.
I've been needing a new water bottle for a while now and wanting this compass since November. Since we're taking a trip to the Sand Dunes at the end of this month, I thought it was about time I picked 'em up.
8 June, 2010
More green! Our rose bush has already grown and lost two flowers. We now have an abundance of buds!
Sunday, June 06, 2010
6 June, 2010
Today was a pretty relaxed day. I accidentally slept in by an hour (I should know by now that turning the alarm off and then snuggling back down is a very bad idea), which started my day off a bit late. However, I had next to nothing to accomplish, so there was no cause for concern. Among other things, I got a letter written, went through my usual Howrse routine, practiced contact juggling in the backyard and photographed my sister's bunny!
This is Tigger. He's a five year old (I think) tortoiseshell Holland Lop. He's getting up there in years, but is still a feisty little fellow. And does not care for holding still long enough for photos!
This is Tigger. He's a five year old (I think) tortoiseshell Holland Lop. He's getting up there in years, but is still a feisty little fellow. And does not care for holding still long enough for photos!
Saturday, June 05, 2010
5 June, 2010
We went to a sheep shearing demonstration at Rock Ledge Ranch today. On top of that, we explored the exhibits and took a hike through their grounds.
Some handspun, wool yarn.
An ant on a yucca flower.
Some scrub oak and a bit of the beautiful Colorado sky.
An Indian Paintbrush plant (one of my favorites).
Some handspun, wool yarn.
An ant on a yucca flower.
Some scrub oak and a bit of the beautiful Colorado sky.
An Indian Paintbrush plant (one of my favorites).
4 June, 2010
Okay, I'll be honest here - I have no clue what this plant is. It's growing in the exact place we planted our Sweet Williams last year, but is spreading like a weed. Winter weather rolled in before we got our Sweet Williams established, so we have no idea what they would have looked like. However, all the research I've done indicates that this is not an invasion of Sweet William plants. Which has led us to believe that it might be a weed. Though, I can't deny, we don't know for sure. We're gonna seek the help of someone well-versed in plant types, since it's nothing like any weed we've ever seen, but doesn't appear to be something we've planted. (We don't want to kill what could potentially be a pretty plant, but we don't want to intentionally grow weeds in our planters either.)
Thursday, June 03, 2010
3 June, 2010
For the first time in a year, we supped at Panera. I love how their lights look like traditional table lamps suspended upside down.
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
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