Thank my higher power its FRIDAY

Love is finding your English Bulldog after being missing for three weeks.  Ugly Mofo, almost so ugly he's cute. His name is Rocky.

This little girl accidently let him out in a blinding snow storm.  Told ya, kids are a liability.

I met this artist driving around for a feature.  His name is Tom Henderson and he's selling off his statues cause he's not making money painting interiors and exteriors..his statue of Jesus playing baseball got little response,  He thought both sides of the spectrum would be upset.  He has a huge rooster made of wire I'd like.

This was a business portrait I shot Tuesday.  I like it even though she looks crazed, it's crazed in a good way. It's earr-illy crazed.  

Yesterday's up-slope on Ute Pass

Okay I stopped about here at a stop sign.   the cop was at the red dot.  I then creeped up and through the stop sign very slowly cause it was slick.   And you guessed it, the bitch pulled me over and gave me a ticket.  She said I never stopped cause she could see through the hedge.

The stop sign is where the gray dot is.   My car initially stopped where the circle is.  I think I'll fight it cause I am INNOCENT.

Cool rear view scene downtown today.

Had a great time at our thanksgiving dinner last night I took some photos but they're on another camera so I'll post later with an update on that.  I know you can't wait.

Going out for Margaritas with my friend Sharon who had a birthday last week but she was sick, so we didn't celebrate......so adios. 

Today is.....

Thanksgiving.  At least for dinner.  I am excited already.

This is a snap I took looking down Ute pass taking G2 up to get his car from the repair shop.  It was way prettier but at the point I could pull over safely I had to settle for this.

The biggest district in the city felt the need to have a two hour delay.  It was pretty slick out, and it is only school.

When I was a kid growing up, first in Lake Placid, NY, then Wayland, NY, there was NEVER a delay.  You either had a snow day or not, and it took a blizzard or substantial snow to get one.  And we had to walk up hill both ways, in five feet of snow.

Let the games begin

     Well, not really games.  Not at all games.  But I thought I might get your attention.  Like my girlfriend today sent me an email and in the subject line she put "penis".  She thought it would get my attention and it did.  We went out last night with some old friends from an exercise class.  One of the girls had a photo of her sometimes boyfriend's penis on her cell phone.  I guess he sent it along with a photo of his bicep.  Anyway I don't know where I am going with this except to say....... nothing, I will say nothing.
     I think my mac is dead.  As in DEAD.  I am if nothing, distraught. Maybe the thought of the penis killed it.  Shudder.
   

yikes

My work week wasn't particularly hard it was just long.   There were a few highlights.  I met this free spirit over at the Manitou skate park Thursday while out driving about looking for feature art.  Anyway, her name was Morgan and she was a breath of fresh air.  She kinda reminded me of me thirty years ago.  She goes to school and makes her own hula hoops to sell, she wants to go to bluegrass festivals.  I've been to my share of festivals and there's always a ton of hippie hula hoopers there.  She'd have a good time.  She also made photo buttons for people at dog parks of them and their dogs, cool idea.  I made photo buttons when I was in college.  

She wanted me to try the hoop and I wish I would of but I've never had luck with making one work.  It always ended up around the bottom of my ankles and one or two spins.  She said it was all in the hips.  Maybe I'll secretly buy one and figure it out.  (insert laugh track here)

I also went to a event center grand opening at UCCS.  Amongst all the cheerleaders and regent leaders was Clyde, the mountain lion mascot.  I think he was all agitated cause of the noise and being pushed around in the cage.  His ears were all down, and if he would of gotten out he might have had him a little student body snack.

Next time you want someone to get lost you could tell them to go pound rice instead of sand.  At least this would be productive.  That's what I found out Sat. when I went to a Japanese New Year celebration.  Hundreds of participants pounded sticky rice with a mallet.  Then the rice was rolled or sprinkled with various ingredients and enjoyed by the pounders.

This was a sidewalk chalk illo I found while leaving the rice event.

 "Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that. "  I hear you, MLK

It seems I have gotten a bit dull and serious.  Since I cannot let that happen, I will leave you with some fail  funnies.

Nothing like a family portrait at grand dad's funeral....fail

Have bike will travel... with livestock.

a hhhaaaahhhaaa

Feel sorry for the guy they didn't give him two seats, how'd the cart make it around?

This is troubling.

look like miss-shaped midgets.

This can't go out of fashion soon enough for me.

Now that's a facade.

Hope you all stay out of trouble,ya hear.  C.

Brisket, paint techniques, and more

I know can I be a little more precise with my titles.......NO.  But let's get to the brisket first......

This was a very small piece of brisket according to my husband G2.  The rub he made was a combination of paprika,cumin,sugar,salt,pepper,thyme,cumin and cayenne pepper.  I have made a similar rub and the recipes are all over the web.  Be very generous when you rub it down.  Anyway it was on the smoker for about 6 hours, I turned it up to 250 degrees and kept it on the smoker for 3 more hours.  We have a pellet smoker called a Treager.  If you don't have a smoker you can use a grill and turn it as low as it will go and put wood chips off to the side and set the meat on indirect heat. ( Honestly though, if you like smoked meat go out and get yourself one for your upcoming birthday.)  Then I placed it in foil and apple juice in the oven for a few hours on 300 degrees.

It was pull-apart tender with a great flavor. I served it on a roll with Stubbs BBQ sauce,but really the flavor was so good the sauce is optional.  Made about 8 good sized sammies.

Next.................

My daughter wanted her bedroom redone last year, she was sick of the lavender and girly colors and she picked a mocha and beige color scheme.  We picked out sheers to go over her blinds.  The pattern was lilies or some flowery design.  I made a template out of mylar from the curtain design and put four of the flowers on each side of the window for a custom touch.

Ok enough of  my cooking and design tips, here's some photos I took today while out and about for the paper.

I really didn't meet this guy since he blew by me at an intersection doing 30 mph, but i like the frame.

I stopped and met this lady after I saw her pull into the 7-11.  She lives in her truck with her dog Precious Ann.  She told me how the Manitou police held her down as the Humane Society took her other dog, ill with cancer, and gave her a ticket for animal abuse.  She said the dog was to get his leg amputated and the cancer only had effected his leg but they took the dog and put him to sleep.  She was crying her eyes out.  I felt so bad.  She said the incident left her with a dead dog and  a court date.

 She said she dumpster dives and I could have anything I wanted that was on her truck.

She said Precious Ann is a red tick heeler that came out blue???? This dog must of pissed for a full 5 minutes after it got out of the truck.  Wish I could help but something tells me there's more to the story.  Good luck.

When we used to use film cameras,we shot off a few frames to make sure the film was advancing and sometimes this would make for some good art, we called leader art.  Well gone are the days of film so this is my digital leader art from yesterday just checking exposure I suppose.

Ok, let's check on the cat..........

Whoops, she looks pretty mad, never mind, she must of smelled the blue-red tick heeler on me.

Have a good one.  C.

Calling out to Carol

Today I had off and I had the nerve to take a 2 hour nap.  Boy that felt good and If I didn't have to pick up my son from school and get the house in some order I still may be sleeping.


Anyway, during my slumber I some how got this old Stan Ridgway song stuck in my head.  If your not familiar with the name his most recognized work maybe from when he was with, The Wall Of Voodoo, their big hit was Mexican Radio,
I wish I was in Tiajuana
Eating barbequed iguana
I'd take requests on the telephone
I'm on a wavelength far from home........

That's not the song, just so you know.  The name of the song is "Calling Out to Carol", about a girl maybe a prostitute, that lives in Colorado Springs.  I don't care what it's about really cause it has my name's in it and the town I live in and Stan Ridgway maybe wrote it about me, I am not gonna confirm or deny but here's the song:
calling out to Carol   or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHRVVczdRCI


I know the coincidences are prodigious and other long words.




phone call from my friend KJ yesterday: I'll skip the hello and blah blah blah part,


her:  You know how you like to say "fuck a bunch of that"
me:  Yeah
her:  I love that.  I say that to myself at times and I think of you.
me: really? cool, yeah I've been known to come up with some sayings for exasperation
her: Fuckabunch of that, I love that
me: me too.


I cannot take credit for making this up.  I just say it from time to time, honestly. I got it from our friend Coakley that also came up with the term "cockbinder".  I am not sure what this means just that it sounds like it hurts.  Anyway that's all I got for you.  Keep the home fires burning, C.
ps Fuck a bunch of that.

Road Trip

 

The sun rose in the rearview as we merged onto I-70 about 6 am

Bubba scraped his window for a better view.

Going through the tunnel into Glenwood Canyon is still exciting enough to wake sleeping kids even though they are now teens.

Ascending up on Grand Mesa.  The valley all carved out from the once mighty Colorado River, now mostly claimed by California water rights.

Probably would not be a good road to get caught by an avalanche.

One of the two cats at Thunder Mountain Lodge. Bailey.

G2 unloaded the sleds at the cabin.

This wasn't from this trip but Neil sent it and I liked it.  Chuck and G2 on Rabbit Ears.

Just a little snow there, G2 is up to his armpits.

Part of the group at Grand Mesa.  (I am in the purple) The snow was good, although old.  Hey snow, I know the feeling.

Electric Mountain Lodge was the home of fiery propane explosion, March 2005.  Every year for 16 years, we were there the last Sat. in March during Spring break.  Every year except 2005 when we changed our plans.  The snow wasn't good and we tried a different place, Flat Tops. I can't tell you how freaking scary that is.  Three kids lost their lives in the explosion. They were in the pool room, where we most likely would have been.  They rebuilt the lodge.

  We had some pitchers of beer and a sandwich and watched Minnesota disseminate the Cowboys.  Mark said it looked like our waitress had been rode hard and put away wet.  She was really nice,just very thin.

Dean had a good time before,during and after the ride Sunday.  He is one of the premier riders of the group. Notice the guac,cocktail sauce, and other tid-bits on his shirt.

Hey, life is good, no reason to impress anyone, was just us.

This was a ramp at Electric Mountain, the new owners are extreme jumpers and wanna make it a camp for free-stylers.  None of us snow-dogs would qualify for leaving the ground to this degree.

Coakley.  In the snow.  At the bottom of a hill.  Hey it's no Pucker Butt Hill but it looks steep.

Sweet Mags in the Thunder Mountain Lodge.

Bubba stuffin' his face in the Lodge.

Started to snow when we were leaving.  Good, they need snow.

The road out.

A wintery day. Monday, MLK Day

I am glad I wasn't driving during the winter-like conditions.

Storm King Mountain west of Glenwood Springs on I-70.  This is where 14 firefighters lost their lives a few years ago click here for more about the tragedy.

We passed our friends on the way out of the canyon.

The following are ski areas on the way down I-70 and through rt. 9 south:

This is Beaver Creek.  It is a high dollar resort that has near vertical slopes up top.  The lift ticket here is about $100/day.  It has a base of exclusive homes.  G2 says it's worth every dime and I should check it out, he'll buy.

This is the famous Vail, Colorado.  It's also about $100 bucks to ski here.  It is massive and can really handle a crowd due to the famous back bowls of Vail .

This is also Vail.  Once we parked here and one of my friend's zipper of his snow pants had fabric stuck in it and I tried removing it with my teeth and this guy walked by and by the look on his face you could tell he didn't think I was doing what I just said.  Don't tell anyone. Funny.

This is the notorious Vail Pass.  It closes a lot due to adverse weather. Wasn't too bad Monday.

This is Copper Mountain.  One of my favorites.  They got it all built up now though.

The pine beetles have really damaged trees between Frisco and Breckenridge. Whole ridges of trees have been taken out.

This is Peak 7,8, 9 of Breckenridge.  They need snow here.

The town of Breckendridge had no snow piles as they usually do.  Next week is the snow sculpture competition I hope to shoot.

These three 14'ers are Bross, Lincoln and Democrat, I climbed a few of these when I was a young pup.

This is Mt. Quandry to the right.

Alma Co, a pough dunk mountain shit hole town.  I used to have friends who lived here but the girl cheated her way out of the relationship so I haven't seen her, or the town in years.

This is the backside of Fairplay.  This town is the model for the cartoon South Park.

We passed another friend who was heading home from Rabbit Ears.

Went to Grand Mesa for some snowmobiling and relaxing.  Did 35 miles Sat. including kids.  Sue's tired out old 550 seized.  It had over 6000 miles on it.  Watched some football in the lodge.  Saturday night, we were in bed by 9 pm due to our early drive start time of 4 AM.  Sunday, we drove over to Electric Mountain Lodge, about 70 miles in total.  After the ride, we watched San Diego get beat, which warmed my heart.  Yay, their kicker missed 3 field goals.  I can't imagine he'll kick again.  Bummer.  We ate brats and  played Catch Phrase later on.  Steve could not get that game down.  Okay, he had been drinking, but he was dumber than a box of rocks.  Honestly, he kept pressing the wrong button.  I know he's a smart guy.  Things I forgot to bring: guitar and poker chips.  Things I forgot in the cabin: cutting board.