Preparing for Christmas

Our family (all ten of them) will arrive on December 23 and 24, so, for the past couple of weeks, Wayne and I have been busy preparing for their Christmas visit. Cooking, decorating, cleaning, shopping, and wrapping have been high on our "To Do" lists and there is little left to do but anticipate the joy.

Over the years, we have combined traditions from America and our heritages (Danish and British) with those we've designed ourselves to create a unique celebration that we all love.



Red and white Danish woven paper hearts surround the little Christmas tree - no room

for a big tree this year. I fill a heart with surprises for each grandchild.

 



 

The mantel holds my Santa collection.

A basket of British Christmas "Crackers" awaits Christmas day dinner. Everyone

at the table gets one filled with a joke, paper hat, small candies, and favors.

 

 This is a favorite from my collection of Christmas books.

We already have snow and expect to get more over the week-end. There will be sledding, snowshoeing, and a snowman.

Deer, elk, and other wildlife wander through our yard every day.

Elegant Sky

Estes Park has had some gorgeous sunsets and sunrises lately. This elegant photo was taken by Cindy O'Hara and posted on Facebook.

Hygge on a Snowy Day

Waking up to a foot of newly fallen snow means a "hygge" day for me. My sister introduced me to this Danish concept which, roughly translated, means cozy comfort. Those Danes know how to optimize a cold snowy day into a warm cozy experience and I'm following their lead. For me it means a hot beverage (coffee, tea, or chocolate), a good book, a fire in the fireplace, and flannel apparel. I have a movie and some knitting standing by.

 

 

Old Fall River Road

Wayne and I drove up Old Fall River Road in Rocky Mountain National Park yesterday - it was a perfect day for a mountain adventure. We stopped several times to explore and take photos of the wildflowers, clouds, animals, and scenery.

This is one of several marmots we saw.

Elephantheads

Asters

Willow Park Patrol Cabin built in 1923

Willow Park Creek

Paintbrush

Larkspur

Willow Park

Meadow full of wildflowers

Feather cloud

Alpine tundra

Alpine tundra

Feathery clouds

Tundra wildflowers

Chasm Falls

 

 

Lunch break on top of the world

Longing for Spring

 

Thursday morning

The weather for the Rotary Duck Race on May 6 was brilliant and I thought winter was behind us. Mother Nature can be fickle, however, and from Wednesday night through Friday afternoon, we had more than three feet of snow. Once it started snowing, it just wouldn't quit. Today has been sunny and the snow is rapidly melting. Our power stayed on throughout the storm but several neighborhoods in the area lost their electricity. The snow was heavy and wet, bending branches of our newly leafed out aspens to the ground. Fortunately, we lost only one large branch.

 

Back deck on Thursday afternoon

 

Back deck on Friday morning

 



The hummingbirds in the area were cold and confused. I kept my two feeders filled with
sugar water and they kept sucking it up. I had to brush the snow off every half hour.

 

Here are a couple of photos taken from our local newspaper.

A local barn collapsed under the weight of the snow.

If you look closely, you can see a power line worker (dressed in green) at the
top of the pole trying to restore power while a moose ambles through the snow below.

 

Make Way for Ducklings

 

 

 I've hung my vintage duck flag from our front porch in anticipation of the annual Estes Park Duck Race to be held a week from today on May 6. The committee has been meeting for months and beginning Monday I'll be spending every day at Duck Central entering duck adoption form information into our database. Everything is going relatively smoothly with only a few minor glitches along the way. After the dreadful weather on last year's race day, we're counting on a blue-sky, white-cloud day.

 

 

  Here are a few of the duck dedicated volunteers in front of Duck Central.

 

 

 

 We even had a few elk wander by to see what the duck race is all about.

Family Visit

My sister Carol, her daughter Lillian, and Lillian's son Sylas visited us for a few days last week. Sylas, who celebrated his first birthday while they were here, was the star of the show. He charmed and entertained us.



We were especially happy that my mom could enjoy her adorable and newest great grandson.

Quilting Inspiration From a Tiny Tropical Island



http://quiltersmuse.com/Pagtinabangay-book-review.html

Last week's Estes Valley Quilt Guild program was one of the best I've attended. Dana Jones presented Pagtinabangay: The Quilts & Quiltmakers of Caohagan Island. This is also the title of her book which details the story of Caohagan, a 13 acre - 600 inhabitant island in central Philippines. One hundred of its inhabitants, both women and men, create the colorful and distinctive quilts which are sold abroad. The profits from these quilt sales supply one third of the island community's revenue which has enabled the community to train three midwives and expand its school.

Pagtinabangay is a Visaya word which means working in cooperation for the good of all. The book is full of pictures and details about the Caohagan way of life and the importance of quiltmaking. I bought a copy and have been savoring it slowly. The quiltmakers use fabric manufactured in the Philippines. The colors and motifs are based on everyday island life (animals, fish, birds, flowers, trees, people, houses, and activities).

Below are photos I took of a few of the quilts Dana brought to her presentation.

They are copyrighted and used with permission.

A fish ready to be appliquéd.

I was thrilled to be able to purchase a small wall quilt and had difficulty choosing my favorite. I haven't yet decided where I'll hang it. Just looking at it makes me smile!

Lighthearted Incident in Estes Park



This little gift shop in downtown Estes Park, Colorado was the scene of an unusual
shopping experience for a bull elk. After nonchalantly wandering into the Water Wheel Gift Corner he spent 45 minutes browsing before being lured back out by police officers with apples. One of my friends wondered if he was buying things off the rack.

Click on the link below to view the video: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-J13pHACilg&feature=youtu.be

Sad Day

January 20, 2017  was a sad day for the United States of America with the inauguration of a man who has no respect for so many citizens in our country. I couldn't bear to watch it on television and wanted a day long diversion. So, Wayne and I left home at 8:30 a.m., joined friends for breakfast here in Estes then headed to Boulder for a bit of shopping, a movie, and an early dinner before driving back to the home of like-minded friends here in Estes and getting home about 8:30 p.m.

Today I've been watching the enormous crowds gathered in cities all over the world peacefully standing up for civil rights, women's rights, and honesty in our elected officials. Below is a Denver Post photo of an estimated 100,000 thousand marchers at Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado today. It's heartening to see the protests all over the world, knowing we are not alone in wanting decency and competency in our president.

Another Snowy Day

This is the beautiful winter scene outside my front door. It's hard to see the snow falling, but it continues to pile up. This doe kindly posed for a photo before she went on her way.

Estes Valley Quilt Guild has cancelled its meeting for this evening - a good call - so I'm making alternative plans which include: a pot of soup, cup of tea, a good book, and some hand quilting before the fireplace. It promises to be a cozy evening.

I just looked out the window to witness a car with two wheels in the snowy ditch alongside our road. Wayne tried to help but the driver will need a tow truck to get her car unstuck. This is a common winter sight on Ponderosa Avenue. The saga is playing out as I watch: the tow truck arrived, slid down the hill and bumped into the stuck car. The two drivers are standing beside the stuck vehicles trying to work out a plan. In the meantime, our road is blocked - luckily we don't have to go anyplace.

 

A second tow truck has just arrived. I hope they can sort this out.