Tivoli Fest ... Elk Horn, Iowa

Danish Windmill - Centerpiece of Elk Horn, Iowa

Tivoli Fest is the high point of the year for the tiny Danish community of Elk Horn, Iowa. Wayne and I were there on Saturday for his 55th high school class reunion. In addition to the evening reunion, highlights for us included visiting with many of Wayne's family members and eating Danish open-faced sandwiches at the Town Hall. 

Lunch at the Town Hall where the sandwiches are works of art.

Serving Medisterpølse and Æbleskiver at the Fire Station

Handy Dandy Car Sewing Kit

Sewing while on a road trip (passenger not driver, of course) is a great way to pass the time and miles. Here is my perfect way to keep sewing supplies at the ready. It's a small suction cup mounted caddie attached to the passenger side window. Originally intended for the shower, it's the perfect size and shape to hold thread, pins, needle threader, needles, beeswax, scissors, needle puller, thimble, etc. Why didn't I think of this before now?

Breakfast Buffet for Elk

Except for a few sheltered patches, the snow is gone, melted and washed away by an overnight rain. A herd of elk cows arrived bright and early this morning for a breakfast buffet in our yard which is full of tasty green vegetation. Most of the cows are heavily pregnant and due to give birth during late May and early June. Here is a link to Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation for more information on this handsome animal.

If you look closely you can see these elk are wearing radio collars for tracking purposes.

Mother's Day Estes Park Style

Little hummer hunkered down on the feeder on Mother's Day

Mother Nature decided we needed some snow on Mother's Day and not just a wee bit of snow. It's hard to determine the exact total but our driveway has between 2.5 and 3 FEET and it's still coming down. The trees and bushes are heavily laden. The elk, deer, and birds are bewildered and struggling to find food. Three hummingbirds camped out on our feeders all day yesterday. I brushed the snow off the feeders every couple of hours. They are back this morning - I wonder where they spent the night.

Wayne searching in vain for a newspaper

We were able to get out in our Explorer to take Mom for a delicious Mother's Day buffet at The Other Side Restaurant. After eating we stopped to see the great horned owl family nesting on the cliff above the library parking lot. I talked to my children and grandchildren - it was a lovely day.

Wayne and I with Mom for a Mother's Day buffet

The scene from our front porch this morning

As I type this I'm happy to report a few shadows and the attempted appearance of the sun. 

EP Duck Race - Big Success

Duck Race Mascot, Quiltin' T. Canvasback, enjoys the festive atmosphere.

We had a beautiful blue-sky, white-cloud day for the 26th annual Estes Park Duck Race on Saturday. Selling 5300 duck adoption forms means that over $100,000 will be returned to the sixty-two participating charities and organizations.

The day began at Nicky's Steakhouse, site of the duck launching, with a delicious breakfast buffet for the duck race volunteer workers. Our "Big Duck" (aka Thor Homme) thanked a host of people for their contributions of time, money, and services. Once breakfast was over, we all got to work.

Breakfast at Nicky's

Thor "Big Duck" Homme

Behind the scenes we spend a frantic morning entering last minute ticket information.

Riverside Ramblers

Last minute duck sales are brisk.

Thor and Wayne (Duck Wrangler) confer before the ducks are launched.

Frank Lancaster pulls the cord to launch the ducks.

And they're off ...

Corporate ducks at Riverside Plaza

Members of the "Duck Dippers Union" scoop up the ducks as they swim to the finish line.

Hopeful winners check the prize boards.

People crowd around the prize boards at Riverside Plaza (the duck stops here) where the winners' names are posted. All the names of prize winners can be seen here on the official EP Duck Race website.