Colorado adventure #4324, Rabbit Ears Pass

Went on a little camping/snowmobile trip with G2 and the boys overnight this past Sat.  Rabbit Ears pass just south of Steamboat Springs, CO.  A three and a half-hour trip from our lovely home.

I joked this is how every trip starts out, taking apart or fixing a sled or two.

Maybe not every trip, this time Mark's pull-start failed so Aaron and Neil dismantled it.

We rode about 50 miles. The first half we rode meadows in thick set-up snow. FUN! and tiring. We could ride anywhere. It was awesome.  The last half was bumpy trail.  Boo.  Only way back.

After eating and drinking, we slept in campers in the parking lot.  I write it that quick cause I wasn't very peppy on return.  Did everything I could to stay up to 9:15.  

There's a fairly big snowmobile camping culture through-out Colorado.  They camp where they can, usually in campers.  A man and his teen son slept in the back of their pickup with no topper, just bags, they said it was cold.  got down to about 25 degrees. They are in the background of Chuck's picture.

OK, here's the players, I should say the riders:

Chuck, best quote,  after Mark told him filet mignon was 8.99 lb at Sunflower Market," I don't need to buy anything for 8.99 a pound that I am just gonna turn to shit"

Mark's quote...,  when a guy he didn't know walked into the parking lot after riding and asked where his beer was,

"Pretty sure it's at the liquor store, that's where I saw it last"

G2, after eating dinner,"Man that green chile made that burger, that was the best burger I've had in years." or "We should have been here Thursday.  We're two days late."

Aaron, after talking about sleds,  "Never again will I ever buy or ride a snowmobile without reverse again, heck I think Dee's gonna need a 800. "

Neil , "Was that ride manly enough for you Carol?, that was a pretty manly ride" 

He also told us about a Benny Hill song he heard when growing up in London,"Ernie the Fastest Milkman in the West",with the lyric, "he nearly swooned in her macaroons"since the dessert was macaroon cookies.

Carol, (that's me) "I'm beating up my kidneys on this bumpy trail and now I am going to go back and beat'em up with whiskey"(which I didn't cause I was so tired.)

Neil and I on the trail.  Finally got my blue bird day.

Mark just below the rabbit ears rock formation.  The ears are really mis-matched in size but at a distance they look the same size.  Neil rode up to the left just below the ears.  Chuck said there's no line between stupid and brave.  We all went around the back and rode up, parts were steep.

Chuck riding in a meadow towards Rocky Mtn National Park in the distance.  The snow was fabulous in the untracked meadows.

Leaving Sunday, down the pass  with the ears in the foreground.

Town of Kremmling. Old saw mill town I think. Jeez.

Green Mt Reservoir, very low water level.

 Outlet mall in Silverthorne.  Ugly.

Pine Beetle kill off I-70, double ugly.

Cat was so happy she rolled for joy when I arrived home.

I was so tired I haven't still come out of my funk.  Went to bed at 7 pm last night.  My arms and legs are still sore, for those of you who think snowmobiling is not tough, phooie. That, plus I am a wuss. You can disagree with me here:

ha ha you can't.

Have an awesome week, friends.  I'll try not to go four days without a post again.  swear.

weekend is here

And I am soooooooo happy

Mags colored some eggs this year.  I hard-boiled them.  I think two out of twelve got eaten. Atleast they were cheap.

Susan made a kick-ass rabbit cake for Survivor dessert last night.  I honestly think Russell is running the show now.  What a punk-ass troll.

My son is a great kid.  So when he wanted a three wolf moon shirt I handed him my credit card.  He hasn't taken it off for two days now, here's why .  Here's a cute video that you gotta see to understand.

hit this link: Three Wolf Moon

Went to an art day at a local middle school doing fabric installations like Christo and Jeanne Claude.  Why fuck up nature?

Also shot a Montessori school.  They had a better Mac than me, third graders.  

and a chef who runs a culinary school.  I guess he's eating the profits.

Gonna go home now.  Going snowmobiling tomorrow in Steamboat.  I will take photos since this is the last ride of the season. take care, C.

color my world or heck just crush my skull in

either way would be fine with moi.  The best reason to keep on living is that it is Thursday and that means Survivor and food and drink.  I've been limiting myself just to a beer or a glass or wine or two but tonight I just might have to break them rules.  From now on there are no rules.

Yesterday I went skiing with G2 and an old friend Kevin Daugherty. We've known Kev for over twenty years but have not hung out with him for quite sometime mainly cause he lives on the east side of town and we're westsiders.   Not to get snobby.  He is a funny guy and there were no shortages of laughs on our trip to Loveland.  I have no photos however so you'll have to take my word for it.  I used to ski rather well.  I would say expert.  I have lost a lot of confidence, I skied okay but just intimidated by the thicker tracked up snow that you really have to push through, that previously I wouldn't even bother mentioning. Good conditions, good terrain, great company and the clientele the smaller ski area has a low douche bag ratio.  Now my face is a red from wind burn because I have an allergy to cold and that's the way it reacts. But it was good to get out.

While I am in a bad mood, I am just gonna say I am a little sick of this otter campaign the paper the has launched. Ya, an otter got out of his enclosure at the zoo a few weeks ago.  Sure I hope they find the otter alive but this shit drives me fucking batty after the first week er so, now they have posters.  I guess they are getting the word out there, that is good.

missing otter

I guess it's another case of sour grapes over all the animal portraits that have graced our front pages in the  last month or so.  Yes I love animals and they are "feel good" stories but there's nothing like beating a dead horse. Get the pun.  This is a newspaper, emphasis on news. Ok I'll go home and take my meds.  Carol

pig beating and politics

Hope you had a good Easter. Whether you celebrate the Easter bunny or the rising of JC or just a family gathering, it's all good. For me I always feel the renewal of life in the Spring.  The green popping up in the gardens, the late afternoon sun glowing well past seven, the sounds of baseball, the fucking aphids clustered on my indoor trees. I cannot wait till fifty degree nights and they will all be booted out the door.  That typically will not come until mid-late May.  Better hurry this year before the calm of Spring is overwhelmed by the grinding of my nerves.

Anyway yesterday I photographed a couple of pigs from a local community farm, penned by the highway for purposes of rooting up the soil (digging) and fertilization (shitting).  Last week they were beaten with metal posts from their pen, injuring both the pigs badly.  Then a few days ago the smaller pig was tied up and injured again.  It doesn't take a whole lot of intelligence to figure out moving the pigs out of sight of the highway might be the best solution.  I know who does shit like this?  You and I know there's evil folks among us and I suspect it some fucked up teens that think pig beating is funny.  Karma, karma, karma boys.  It's sure fire.

Well I cannot win.  I don't think this has anything to do with Karma, but the powers that be.  The good ole type. No matter what I shoot, how important it is, how good the frame is, my photos seem to make it either the size of a postage stamp down-page or black and white smallish. Admittedly, sometimes deservingly so.  I guess a photo of a furnace being hauled into a house trumps a homecoming of a National Guard unit. 

Don't mean to sound bitter, just telling you how I see it.

Conversations with my daughter Maggie (13)

M:  Mom, Did I get your nose?

Me: Yeah, sorry about that.

M:  That's ok I kinda like it.

Me:  That's kinda sweet.

M: Mom, What's a cunt?

Me (spitting out whatever I was eating/drinking), Let me think a minute how to answer............

Me: Well it's derogatory slang for a vagina,   I think it's also a name reserved only for females that commit moral atrocities, usually against other females.  Some think this is the vilest word in the English language.  Whatever you do, do not sling this word around carelessly, and NEVER in school.  (she doesn't cuss at all and would never in school anyhow, but by saying this I wanted to emphasize that ).  

Well I hope Karma is good to you, and remember don't sling vile words around unless you mean it and never in school...xxoo, C.

Subtle Butt, Two-Buck Chuck

.......see I am getting in to this poetry phase.

First off.  Subtle Butt.  You have no fucking clue do you?

KJ called me last night.  During the conversation she lost oxygen to her brain I am sure of it.  She was laughing so hard she couldn't breathe or talk.  I asked if I should call 911. She finally was able to tell me of a product she found in the Solutions Catalog.  She was browsing the through the catalog and she noticed a charcoal filter pad you put in underware that would mask the odors of ass gas.   It was called Subtle Butt, and this is a product shot from the catalog:

Anyhow she was so fascinated she ordered a package for her Dad's birthday.  Well, she said her Dad's responsible, at least in part, for her own constant build up of gas, and has his own problems.  We laughed cause it probably enhances the sound or the fart so it's not like you could be sitting a work and farting without attention, so not so subtle. Her only regret is she only ordered one package.  Anyway in the description of the product, it said it works fine with thongs, just so you know.

I am finally finished with the case of Two-Buck Chuck that Denise and Noel got me during their Trader Joe's run to Santa Fe.( Not counting the three bottles of white that I won't drink, but I'll serve to some drunkin' guest.)  I thought every variety of red they bought was fabulous that's why I resemble this motivational poster:

 Yeah and I ain't no bag lady either, mainly due to a string of good luck lately. So I am off to the liquor store for first time in a very long while.  I'll probably have to spend big money too, like $6.99 for yellow tail Shiraz, maybe I'll splurge on the Lindemann's.  That's living big.    Cheers, C.

Is it over yet?

...and the answer is yes, Carol you can go home but only after you fulfill your blog obligation.


 I am still snickering about last night's Survivor.  Not so much the show, which was good, as was the wonderful dinner, but about afterwards.  We were watching a PBS profile of another neighbor that is a CC English professor and a author/poet, ok I'll tell you his name....... Dave Mason, not this Dave Mason, who played with Traffic in the "60'-70's and you may remember, "Feeling Alright"and "We just Disagree", that is if yer OLD, OLD and grumpy like moi.   He wrote a book about the Ludlow Massacre, which I am not gonna get into now but your welcome to click on the name for a link.  Anyway it's one of those historical events that Colorado still bleeds over.  The government may very well want to forget all about it since the ever powerful government and the big money that controlled it now, and then, killed innocent miners and their families. ( I know, I wasn't gonna get into it. ) Dave mentioned in the interview that the book was all written in poetry form.  So Denise starts laughing cause she's trying to envision a book of rhyming words about a horrific slaughter.
I started laughing because of what Denise was thinking.  Then I reminded her about prose, the non rhyming verse poetry. Anyway I could have, and have laughed the entire day and so here goes a few lines about Ludlow by me.


The innocents in tents, the approaching National Guard,
Meager wages, in the coal mines, they strike,
The bully government their reputation marred,
They staged their gun battle at first light.


I can't get too cheesy with the rhymes, cause you know, people died.


OK now a haiku:


Power to gun down,
The women and children hid
Bullets through the tents


I am not making light of the history.  Just writing poetry.  The rhyming kind,or haiku kind.




Here's a funny haiku I scoped out on List of the Day:
It was on a list of bathroom wall art.

Okay not to change the subject but I've seen this photo before and when I was searching for the haiku, I laughed nearly as hard as last night, so here it is.   A major WTF.

I know what a range of emotions I have put you through so far.


Today I worked my ass off.  Here's a sampling of a piece of my ass off.

Oh to be a young hippie flying a kite once again.


And I won't forget the Green Car Convoy:

This is an electric car, goes 25 mph top speed and fits 4.  It's a large golf cart basically and cannot be driven on the road.  There were also Prius and the like.
I know I am such a rock star photog.


Well I cannot bore you any more.  Have a good weekend and lets connect soon  C.

Survivor Thursday

Well I still got the lazys but I managed to get out of bed and drag myself to work and show a little ambition.  A little.

This I shot for "The Best Of the Springs, this sassy cool-cat won "best barber".  The fact of the matter is she has her own beer chiller and 36 inch flat screen in her "man cave"station.  No wonder she won.  Hey I might start having her do my hair.

Anyway after meeting her I was energized, so I went to wacky Manitou and found this bagpiper walking around playing for tips.

He said he's only been playing a year and knows 10 songs already. Nothing worse that a fledgling bagpiper, except any bagpiper when you have a hangover.  The Manitou police told him he couldn't have a tip jar out.  Hard assess.  He reminded me of Dwight of The Office.

These gum machines caught my eye at the Arcade.  Sweet.  Literally.

Tonight is Survivor night and I'm going over to Cyn's.  I am looking forward to venturing out of the house and having a few drinks with the neighborhood gang. I'll report back .  C.

Pictureless Wednesday

Got an extra twenty minutes?  Didn't think so.  Either did I, but it didn't keep me from watching this entire video yesterday and I'm glad I did.

Plastic bag is a very insightful video by FutureStates, but I'll shut up about it and let you watch it.  (again click on Plastic bag above to play.)

Yesterday it was about 80 degrees.  I am not kidding, we broke a record.  Not a vinyl record, but that sounds like fun.  Then I decided to go on a walk in the Garden of Gods after a very uneventful day of work.  That's when the wind gusted up to forty or fifty MPH.  That was pleasant. Now I know how Dorothy felt.

I have been the biggest  droopy-eyed sausage couch whore lately.  Click here for your funny mean name, best aimed at some unlikable  co-worker and not for yourself, but to be honest I have been so lazy since I got home from the Denver weekend. I deserve whatever is hurled at me, even if its from me.  I am so unmotivated. help.

Answer me this.  What to fuck is wrong with some kids today?  I am talking about those twats in Mass.  that taunted that girl so bad she hung herself rather than take anymore of their meanness.  I wonder what it takes to  raise brats like that.

Well I gotta get practicing my finger-picking, yeah, on my guitar wiseass.  Like I said, I've been a dull person lately and predictable and lazy.  Cheerio.

hmmmmm.......another annoying Monday

Hey sports fans, race fans, or whatever kind of fans,what gives?

Saturday night at the Russel's was worthy of mention.  It was a party for four guys that turned 50 either this  past weekend or in John's case today, Happy Birthday John.  Anyway there was also a woman there that turned 44 on Saturday and she was a riot.  I sure hope someone sends me some of the pictures with her wearing depends in various places and with the toilet lid light she was wearing on her cleavage.  So it was the birthday folks, some of their significant other's, and the fantastic neighbors, that we are included among, at this momentous event.  Thanks for the good time.  G2 managed to get out of bed and go snowmobiling Sunday 7:30 AM.  I was tempted but apparently more tempted by sleeping in.  It felt good to be home, in my own bed with my cat making all sorts of racket when I didn't arise at her beck and call.


 Sunday I had the laziest day ever...it felt so good.  The most I worked was making the beds, putting a few loads of laundry through and using my thumb to depress the TV remote.


The Annoying Part.

Okay after thinking, not deeply but clearly, I'll bite my tongue on this a bit.  The web is a far reaching source of information, good and bad, and it can come back and bite you and me.  I'll just say I am annoyed at people who have no sense of the term humble.  Inflated ego.   That said, I am also annoyed at work for telling me to go ahead and send those robotics photos when they had no intention of ever running them.  Yeah, they didn't tell me to shoot them.  My idea.  So they had the option to use them if they have space or not. Understood.  I am still annoyed.
 'Nuff said.

Don't be sad.  I am not.  I'm a realist, plus I'm humble.

Robotics overload and pants on the ground

Where was I?.....that's a good question.  Where do I begin?, another question., How ta fuck are ya?.  I know it's not polite to drop a f-bomb right off the bat, but I have been surrounded by high school robotics kids, hundreds of them, plus their teacher's, mom's, dad's, mentors and I've been on my very best behavior and I need the release.  Two days straight, oh, they are all nice enough ..ok I feel better. But let me start at the beginning, which would be Thursday morning with a drive to Denver, about an hour plus north to the Museum of Natural History.

The Body Worlds Exhibit came back around town.  I guess it's a little different concentrating on the heart this time.  The tickets were pricey but I thought, this is our Spring break.  Anyway, first we walked around a gem exhibit. If not for the preschoolers running underfoot and screaming I would have really enjoyed this.  OK, what do preschoolers need to know about minerals and gems?  They can't even fucking read the little notes on them.  I know they are starting to learn.  I get it.  Just wish people would control their toddlers, is that too much to ask?

After that we went in to the IMAX show called Hubble, yeah, about the Hubble telescope.  This was awesome.  It said it would answer life's questions like what's beyond the edge of the universe? and what's the meaning of life?, these questions were not answered.  I would definitely let you in on information  if I found out that.

  It did show real footage of the repair work done on the telescope by astronauts this past Spring.  It was pretty amazing.  Then it showed images of stars and galaxies trillions of light years away that the updated telescope was able to see.  It even showed what the stars in Orion's belt looked like.  It said it went to the edge of the Universe but I think they were just saying the stars and such were farther away than they've ever seen.

After that we went through the BodyWorlds exhibit.  Using preserved cadavers, some using plastic along with real bones and tendons, the inside of the body was shown in various positions.  Athletes striking a pose typically.  Like this:

Nothing was left to the imagination. After ten of these, I loss my interest for the other twenty er so.  They also had cabinets full of various body parts, healthy, diseased, fat and such. You name the organ they had a case full of them.  We all felt the same, it was interesting however, redundant. It was very Euro art,  billions made off of donated cadavers.  They took this one off the tour, I guess there were too many complaints:

Thanks Gunther Von Hagen, this is real informative art.  I am sure the school kids would have gotten a kick out of it.

Ok after that we came out to my car and the battery was DEAD.   I thought the same thing, bad karma for swearing under my breath all day at little kids.  However, I have these really long jumper cables and a nice guy in a pickup gave us a jump.  When we got back to our hotel I discovered I hit the parking light switch when I wiped down the dash.

Ok the rest of the trip went like this: got up, went to robotics,walked to eat out at lunch, more robotics than went back to the hotel, walked to go eat dinner, back to the hotel to watch Discovery Channel, like shipwreck salvage and Bermuta Triangle mysteries. Went to bed about ten and did that over.  There was no bar in the hotel to go hang out with plus we were staying in the same place as the team and teachers and really didn't want to get an undeserved reputation...we should have gotten a hold of Denver friends but we didn't cause we didn't know what to expect.

Bub's team wore bright green shirts and hats, on left.  Their team name was 2945 BANG!.  The robots were controlled by joy sticks and computers.  The whole idea was to score goals by the robots pushing or kicking the balls into the goals.

I know you're dying to see what my son looked like.  That's him walking on the left, on to the playing field. A couple girls on the team knitted them all hats.  I thought they were CUTE.  The team ended up in the quarterfinals, then the semis and ended up in 7th place out of 42 teams way to go BANG.

OK this is what I don't get.  Can this fashion folly go away PLEASE?

You know what I am talking about.  Jeans belted way low with sagging crotch, typically boxers hanging out at top.  And to think they actually think this looks good?   I know that's what they were saying about my generation, about what?  bellbottoms? mall hair?  More on my cut-line faux-pas on photos I sent to the paper, tomorrow.  Sorry I was long-winded.  Off to John Russel's 50th b-day party.  So there should be good stories on that as well.   XXO,  C.

Where's Spring?

Today I woke to 6 inches of the heavy-wet tree-killing kinda snow you get in the Spring when your supposed to be enjoying 50-60 degree weather. ugh.  I know we need the moisture.  Thats the catch phrase out here in Colorado when anyone goes to complain about rain or snow.

Excuse me my coffee's done.  I'll be back.


Ok. I know a little late for the first cup, however I have not had half and half for three or so days and since I didn't have to go to work this morning, I graced Safeway with my unkept presence.  (I did put on pants today.)  I am feeling a little smug after using a dollar off cat food coupon meant for the higher price fancy feast elegant entrees. Take that Safeway and Fancy Feast.  Speaking of the cat, she's lounging somewhere because she's as sick of the snow as I am and has now designated herself a literal fair weather cat.  She's such a lazy bitch, not really a bitch cause that's a dog.  But while I was shoveling snow and she was watching me from her warm perch on the back of a chair, if she could, I bet she'd be filing her nails.  Good thing I got coffee.

American Idol-
  Wow such a contrast in talent last night. My favorites are still the hippie girl Crystal, the rocker hippie, Casey, the alt rocker, Lew, fresh faced kid, I forget his name, and the toothy big-noter, Shibon.  Anyway some of the others I actually felt sorry for they just tanked.

I read another book I'd like to mention, Gap Creek by Robert Morgan.

Yeah I know I usually don't go for Oprah's picks but this was given to me by a friend to read on my NY trip and I gotta say it was a great traveling companion.  The story focuses on Julie, one of five children growing up in the poor Appalachian region of southwestern North Carolina.  Tragedy after tragedy ensues (why Oprah picked it) and these tough as nails folks just persevere. The girl works like an ox for her family.  Matter of fact, I think she was her family's ox. The real journey begins after Julie gets married and leaves home to Gap Creek. You name it, fire, flood, starvation and a cantankerous mother-in-law are all part of their lives.  I was always hoping for these people to catch a break.  Anyway the author speaks from the heart in a gritty, poetic way.  It's a page burner and took me a round-trip plane ride to finish it off.  Good Read.

Happy Monday

Well, well, not a bad weekend.  Just not an exciting one.  The kids and I holed-up in the house Friday night while it was wintery out. Didn't warm up Sat., but the sun came out, but we didn't.  Thats a lie.  I actually went to Safeway in my pajamas. Yeah I know, I always say, nothing says I give-up like wearing sweatpants to an event.  Well nothing says, I don't give a shit like going to the store with pajama pants on.  It was in fact, necessary.  A scramble to get an i-tunes gift card for a party Bryce went to.  Anyway don't cha love the gift card at the grocery store convenience?

Went over to the Jones' for a very nice dinner with neighbors that evening. Wonderful wine and food. Played a little guitar and met Chris' friend's kid and her boyfriend. Maybe was her husband, well forgive me, I didn't take notes.

Mags and I wildly cleaned the upstairs of our house Sun., the reward was a bowl of French Onion soup from LaBaguette.  I can confidently say this is the BEST french onion I have ever had. OMG, the best.  We licked our bowls clean.  She even ate my bread crumbs off the table.  If you live here or plan on visiting get a hold of me and I'll give you directions.

West Colorado Ave, location is my favorite.  Remember, the west side is the best side.

After eating this soup I went home and took a three, yes, a three hour nap.  Now I wonder if Mags called ahead and asked for a sedative for mine?

Speaking of Mags, I checked her facebook page, part of the deal.  Under favorite movies: Bad Santa, under religion: atheist.  No agnostic, she just cut right to an unbeliever.  I get the Bad Santa ("Want some sandwiches? God damn it kid what are you fuckin with me?", How do you not love that movie?).  She is a good person and that's what counts, isn't it? 

I only have to work two days this week and then I am gonna have me a little Spring break.  Just going up to Denver to to see Bubba's BEST robotics competition.  In the off-time we will go to the Museum of Natural History to see the Body Works exhibition, (click to see what's up.)  I'll add more before I go.......C.

Bitchslap and sadness

Yesterday I went on an assignment to photograph a guy who was hit by a car when he was returning from a convenience store with a friend,who was also hit.  It was a hit and run with the cops saying there's little or nothing that can be done to find the driver with no witnesses.  The guys had been drinking, and reportedly not in a crosswalk.  They cannot work and have a stack of bills as a consequence on no health insurance. I do have some pitty, however, I lost some of that sympathy when I  entered the house and the cigarette smoke was so thick I could  hardly see the squalor.  In his defense, both of his legs were broken during the accident. No excuse.  That's where the bitchslap comes in.

Hence the after work shower.

Earlier I was at the zoo for a new gate opening.  I also went on the chairlift ride to see if I could get some overheads for a co-worker who is doing illustrations that use a technique to make the elements in photos look like they are toys.  I tried a few.

Anyway I think a more severe angle would have helped.

Today I hit the road early to get some weather features.  Not many were out in the sleet and snow.  Ended up with a few inches of snow, the streets stayed wet most of the day, but I am sure they iced up quick at night.  Hello Spring, get here quick!, like tomorrow.

They even cancelled school.  I was happy about that because I was wondering, "how to hell am I going to get two kids to two different schools at the same time?".  School cancelled , so no problem.  G2 left very early to go snowmobiling up north of Glenwood Springs, the Flattops.  I felt like a sailor's wife watching as his ship sailed into stormy seas.  He probably did drive into some snow but nothing he couldn't handle.

Sometimes I am on an assignment and I feel like breaking down and crying like a baby.  Today I did when I went on an assignment to photograph a husband and wife who lost their 10 year old son, his Grandparents and Aunt, last March in a car accident .  They were crying and talking all about his likes and their hopes and now he's gone and they still can't look past it.  I'd be the same.  I could never get over that loss.

I was so upset I couldn't even get a good composition. Donations of guitars have been made to the school and also an arts scholarship in his name, so his memory will live on. RIP Christopher.

Please enjoy your family and friends this weekend. Give 'em lots of hugs too.