You Capture Thursday

So as we traveled, we stopped at one of my favorite spots to eat. It's a truck stop/restaurant and the food is really, really good. And to my amazement, the restaurant just became even better. There was no cigarette smoke in that restaurant at all. That's right! Smoke free! I loved it. The only thing I didn't like about it before was that the truckers seemed to like to relax by watching one of their 7 or 8 television sets and smoking like chimneys. Whew! And now it's better but I won't be hanging out there any more than I ever have. Why? Alas, Mr. Right is a smoker.

The good news though, was that as I perused the buffet, I spotted my photo assignment for this week. Out to the car I went for my camera and here is my first reflection picture:



And then late one night in Colorado Springs as we watched TV, I spotted my second reflection picture:



Join the picture party at http://www.ishouldbefoldinglaundry.com/2009/03/you-capture-week-five.html and while you're at it, check out lots of really great reflection shots.

The Changing Face Of Pikes Peak

We've all heard of Pikes Peak. It served as a beacon to settlers and gold miners alike.

I can see why it was a beacon because of its beauty, size and majesty. And its image changes constantly. Here is just a sampling of pictures taken of Pikes Peak from my son's deck.

Here it is shrouded in low clouds.


Hours later, it's a beautiful day:

The next day clouds are moving in:

And now a snowstorm starts to cover the peaks of the mountains;

And that's how the incredible view is here. It's constantly changing and constantly beautiful.

How lucky my son and his wife are to have this home with this view!

The Great Houdini

One of the best things about visiting my kids' houses is that I can learn so much so easily. All the things that they've experimented with and practiced and honed to a fine skill, they pass right on to me.

Firstborn Army Guy has been helping me with my camera and that's great! It's so much easier than reading those boring manuals. And now he's taught us about a must-have product.

Just for a little background, I'll describe Mr. Right opening a bottle of wine with our corkscrew. He positions it on top and then turns it...and turns it...and turns it. After turning it some more he starts to turn it the other way. Back and forth..back and forth until my wrists are sore from watching him. I'll admit that a big part of the problem is that the corkscrew is kind of different from the norm and he just doesn't seem to understand how it works. And as I watch, I have mixed emotions. First, I wonder how he's making it so difficult and second I'm ecstatic that I don't have to be the one doing it. Whew!

So the first night we were here Firstborn Army Guy opened a bottle of wine in about 2 1/2 seconds. I wasn't watching, but Mr. Right was. The next night Firstborn Army Guy opened another bottle of wine (don't ask me who's drinking all that wine either) in about 2 1/2 seconds again. This time I saw it too. Mr. Right jumped up and started asking how in the heck he did it. Here's the answer: The Houdini Lever Corkscrew.

Isn't it cute?!! That little round thing on the right is the foil cutter so it's a very complete package.

Then here's how the corkscrew works. First you clamp the Houdini around the neck of the bottle. Then when you pull the lever back it corkscrews the cork and then pull the lever forward and it removes it. Just like that! Presto! The great Houdini does it again.

And where did he get it? From his sister as a Christmas present and he insists that it's one of the BEST presents he's ever gotten.

Travelogue

We're here but the traveling is part of the fun and I want to share and remember that part. Since I bragged that I was carrying my D40X with me (along with my desktop - lol), I thought I should post some pictures that I was able to capture.

First though, here's the conversation that kept replaying over and over during our trip. Me: Could you slow down a little bit when I'm trying to get a picture? Him: I'm NOT going to slam on the brakes! Me: I didn't want you to SLAM on the brakes. I just want you to slow down a little bit. It's hard to take a picture when we're going 80 mph. Him: 85

Over and over. But I still got some pictures. We went through about a 70 mile stretch in the middle of Nebraska where we saw field after field of cranes. It must have been part of their migration back North. Some areas would have a few and some would have what looked like hundreds or maybe even thousands.

The first pictures looked like this and we couldn't really figure out what kind of birds we were seeing:
Then I started being more prepared as we sped up to them and got some like this:

Finally, the pictures were almost clear enough to figure out that they were cranes:

Then we got these shots which I loved because as I travel across our vast prairies, I constantly think of those courageous pioneers who risked everything to start a new life out West. I think of their slow, painstaking progress and all the hardships they endured from wondering where they would find their next water to wishing there were a doctor in the area. What amazing and brave spirits these people must have had.


We drove past all kinds of energy technology, from the very new windmills located right next door to the oil wells and not at all far from the old wind mills which used wind energy to pump water.

We saw graphic evidence that difficulties don't always befall just middle class drivers with old vehicles when we passed this Hummer limousine with the right front wheel jacked up so someone could change the tire. The only thing we didn't see was someone actually changing the tire.

And I was able to catch a picture of these members of a herd of about 50 longhorns. Really, look closely and you'll see the long horns.

And we saw this sign and I wondered where in Colorado Colorful was. Just for a minute ....... but I did and I accidentally told Mr. Right and he laughed pretty hard.

Then we saw the mountains around Denver, the Denver skyline and Mile High Stadium or what used to be called Mile High Stadium and is now Invesco Field.

So we saw a lot and I captured a lot with my camera but I was pretty vexed about the things I didn't get so I made a little list. I didn't capture the beautiful horses running down a lane, or the herd of little burros, or the two dogs standing on a trailer with no sides while the pickup truck drove about 30 mph on a parallel side road (those dogs looked so HAPPY!), and I missed the wooly looking large animals about the size of a horse that Mr. Right thinks I made up, and I was unable to get a picture of the camel in the field of cows. I also missed the silhouette of a cowboy and his horse out in the middle of nowhere.

So now that I've made a list, everything's recorded either pictorially or with my list so I'll remember a lot about this trip out west unlike lots of other trips that I've forgotten the high points of. And there's another good reason to have a blog.

We're Going To Colorado

Today we're enroute to Waverly, Nebraska and then on to Colorado Springs. Our oldest daughter lives in Waverly (close to Lincoln) with her husband and three wonderful children. So we'll stop there first. It's almost exactly halfway.

But the real impetus for this trip? Our son, Firstborn Army Guy, the older by 10 minutes of our identical twin Army guys returned from his third tour in Iraq in February and we haven't even seen him yet. Now we'll get to visit with him and his wife and their three wonderful children. Aren't we the luckiest?

I don't know how often I'll be posting so please bear with me. But I will say Colorado Springs is very scenic and I'll be traveling heavy with my D40X and my desktop computer! (Don't laugh, I'm 62)

Here's my computer and montior safely strapped into their car seats:




And you won't believe the view from Firstborn Army Guy's deck. Wow! And what a great looking family he has! And how handsome he is! So please, stay tuned.

Note: This was a previously written post. We're already in Colorado Springs but it took awhile to get this relic connected to the internet. Maybe I really am ready for a laptop. lol

What's Going On at Arby's?

Arby's has a sandwich that I really love. It's their beef 'n cheddar. I've always thought it was the perfect combination of tender roast beef, cheese sauce, a delicious red sauce and an onion roll. Yum YUM!! Mr. Right is not a big fan of Arby's so when I'm alone, I'll often take advantage of the opportunity to pick up lunch there.

About a week and a half ago, I was in a town about a half hour from here. I got out of my appointment, famished! and spotted an Arby's right away. I pulled up to the drive thru, ordered two beef 'n cheddars (don't judge..I walk about 9 miles a day) and was surprised at how much they cost. But no worry. After I left, I eagerly dug in and was disappointed. It wasn't the right combination at all. Too much bun, too much beef and not enough red sauce. I cast my memory back as far as it would go to the menu and wondered if the sizes that were indicated might be the sizes of the sandwich and not the sizes of the meals. Hmmmm I wish I'd been more observant.

So yesterday, I got off work early, famished! and stopped at another Arby's about a half hour in a different direction from my house. And I looked at the menu very closely this time and sure enough, it looked like there were sizes. So I ordered one small meal and pulled forward.

The people ahead of me seemed to take a long time but what's new in a drive thru? Eventually they left and as I pulled up I heard the window person call out to the people behind her to cancel the last order. I waited what seemed like a long time and finally the window lady approached with my order and she said, "we had a mistake so we're giving you a larger one".

WHAT!!!!?? What are the odds? Here I was looking forward to the perfectly proportioned beef 'n cheddar and they were gifting me with a LARGER one. I know I didn't seem very grateful as they expected but I just wasn't. I wanted my little, perfectly proportioned beef n' cheddar.

So now twice in a row I've been disappointed at Arby's. Will I go back? Probably. But when I do, I'll look at the menu very carefully to see what's changed and I'll hope that no one does me any special favors.

All Because Of Heller

Because Beth’s Photo Capture Tuesday introduces me to lots of different blogs, I happened on this one last week.

As I read back in some posts at that site, I learned that a 9-year-old boy had died unexpectedly and suddenly just a little over a year ago. This story touched my heart. When I read that Heller’s family was asking that people do little acts of kindness in his memory, I vowed that I would do one that very day.

And I did. And the person I did it for will never know that I did it. But, I felt that it was a tribute to Heller and that God would know that because of Heller something nice was done for someone. And here’s how it might work. Had I not done my kindness, it would have been a great inconvenience to my customer. Perhaps she would have been in a very unpleasant mood for perhaps a couple of days. Her unhappy face may have been reflected in the faces of her family because, as we all know, “when mom ain’t happy, nobody’s happy”. Lol I think not doing that little kindness could potentially have trickled down to lots of different people. Truly, who knows how far the ripple effect could have reached.

Conversely, when we do these things that promote harmony and good feelings I think there’s a trickle up effect. And if we all did these things all the time, what a wonderful world it would be.

I’m still thinking about Heller all the time. I can picture a 9-year-old boy. I have two sons and 9 grandsons. I can picture a personality and the sunshine that his mom said he captured. And I vow that there will be lots of acts of kindness in Heller’s memory.

I muse about why such a terrible tragedy had to befall this family and why Heller’s time here on earth was so short. And I wonder, was Heller’s mission on earth to make the world a better place? Because who knows how far the ripples of our kindnesses (all done because of him) could travel. I think the possibilities are endless.

If you can, take a minute and visit Heller's site, . That is truly where his memory and and his family’s kindness goals take place. Maybe we can all work together to help fulfill what might well have been Heller’s mission - to change the world into a better place.