Spring Snow

 

Spring Snow April 2007

I thought I would stop in with a couple of reminders of some upcoming events in Sunshine.  This Thursday, April 26th will be a meeting of Team Sunshine.  Team Sunshine is a group organized to support the Sunshine Fire Protection District.  Some of the items on the Team Sunshine agenda are assisting the fire department on incidents (traffic, food and water, etc.), educating the community on fire mitigation, maintaining the fire house and equipment, organizing community block leaders and gathering information for a community directory.  The meeting will be held at 7PM at Abbey's house.  We just might join in on birthday wishes for Rey and our fire chief, Steve.

The annual Flap Jack Fling is on the calendar for Sunday, June the 3rd, 9AM to 11 AM.  There will be a community meeting beginning around 10AM.  I'm sure there will be a volleyball game after the breakfast.

May looks like a busy month for me.  I will be in Kansas City for a work conference on May 11th.  One of our Scouts will be honored with his Eagle Scout court of honor on May 12th, I'll be off for a short, personal vacation May 16th to May 22nd (North Carolina) and on May 23, my wife is taking me to see Celtic Woman at Red Rocks.

Later entry:  John and Eleanor will be hosting FAC (Friday Afternoon Club) this week.  Please BYOB and some food to share.

We are receiving a late spring snow storm today.  Ahhhh, spring time in the Rockies!

Be Safe!

David

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Jody's alarm

Spring break is over and things in Sunshine have returned to normal.  It's been a cold and snowy winter.  Many of our Sunshine neighbors, like others all over the country, head south over the break seeking warmer weather.  Often, the whole family heads out, leaving the pets home.  To protect the the furniture and to feed the pets, most of our neighbors bring in someone to "house sit".

House sitting can be an interesting situation.  When Steve and Julie leave, their two dogs (Maui and Plato) head off for the neighbors and don't return until they see Steve and Julie again.  The neighbors just love it!  My son, Nate, did some house sitting for some neighbors just to keep the dog from chewing up the furniture.  Many of the pets have some peculiar habits as our friend Jody found out.

Jody was house sitting for one of our neighbors who own a cat.  The cat is fun loving and very affectionate.  It is so affectionate that Jody had to lock it out of the bedroom so she could get some sleep.  If left in the bedroom it would purr and claw Jody, so Jody decided to leave it in the living room over night. The cat, being nocturnal, evidently decided to protect the house from any invading night-time creatures.  About 3AM the cat evidently jumped off the couch and landed on the TV remote control, which had been left on the floor.  As chance would have it, the TV turned on and the volume was up just loud enough to wake Jody.  Thinking someone had broken into the house, Jody reached over to the night stand, picked up the phone and dialed 911.  The 911 operator dispatched the sheriff, who was 1/2 hour away.  She also paged the 1st responders of the local fire department, who were only minutes away.  It's a heck of a way to meet the neighbors.

Some other notes:  Team Sunshine will be meeting on April 26th at Abby's house and the Flap Jack Fling will be held on June the 3rd.  More details to follow.

The latest pictures of the rebuild of SFPD station #1:

 

 

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Spring Skiing

 

A few years ago - Copper Mountain

Milo and I took our evening walk to retire the colors (take the flag down).  It was a beautiful evening with the feeling of spring in the air.  The birds are singing their songs and the snow is melting.  There is still snow that fell the 18th of December on the ground. I had to tell Milo about my love of Spring skiing.

I have been skiing for over forty years.  When I was younger I would brave the nastiest winter weather just to gently slide down the side of the mountain, carve nice turns and otherwise feel like I was flying.  Falling as I tried to unload off the chair lift was common place.  I seemed to get on the chair behind a beginner who lost all sense of balance when the boots were attached to the skis.  If you have ever watched a Warren Miller ski movie, you know what "you want your skis, go get em'" means.  Beginners always fall when they first try to unload (and so do the people behind them).  The binding throw and the skis come off.  The skis then get thrown out of the way.  If you want them, you go get them.

  As I have grown older, spring skiing has become the most favorite thing in life for me.  The wind is no longer trying to blow me off the chair lift.  The sun is high in the sky and the rays are warm.  The lift lines are shorter and there are fewer people trying to run me over.  I have been know to tote some wine, cheese and rolls in my back pack and look for a nice quiet cat trail.  Finding some sun, lean my skis against my poles and enjoying the company of my best friend, I would lay back and enjoy all of my surroundings.  One never knows when a cute blonde will ski by!

 

Ah.....Spring!

My favorite Ski area is Vail, Colorado.  It has some of the best power skiing in it's back bowls.

 

Game Creek Bowl...Vail

 

And then there is shopping in Vail village.  You can't see them but there are many places to enjoy apre'ski in the village.

Dan, David and Phil....3 brothers....top of the gondola ...Vail - Spring 197?

OK, Now that I'm feeling better about life, I had a pretty good scare this last week.  I was having chest pains again.  After my last "event" I wasn't about to sit back and wonder when I was going to have another "event".  Last Thursday I went in for a treadmill stress test.  I had my follow-up visit today.  The doctor is very happy with the results.  I don't usually talk about my health but I know there were some prayers being said in my behalf.  Prayers do work!  Thank you to all that prayed.

For those following the progress on the fire house, here's the latest picture.

 

S

FPD station #1 rebuild

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Warmer Days to Come

 

Sawtooth Mountain, west of Sunshine. Bring your fly rod!

Now that the weather is moderating and the wind isn't blowing as hard, Milo and I can return to our extended morning walks.  It won't be long until the bears awake from their long winters nap.  I'm sure they will be hungry.  The birds are making sure we know Spring is just around the corner.  They are filling the air with many tunes.  This morning Bob stopped the school bus and threw Milo and Malcom a treat.  The sun was just peaking over the horizon giving us a glorious sunrise.  As we passed the school house, I paused to salute the American flag.  Looking up I saw a jet leaving it's con-trail against the blue sky.  It was extremely high, flying from the west to the east.  I imagine a San Francisco to New York flight.

It was about 4 1/2 years ago that my life changed.  I was throwing horseshoes with one of the neighbors when I felt the pressure.  It was as if someone put their thumb in the middle of my chest and game me a gentle push.  I paused for a moment and then sat down.  The pressure went away.  It happened a few day later while watching TV with my son Nathan.  The next day I went to the hospital to have it checked out.  They were happy to see me!  When I was released following my "procedure"  I began to view each morning with new meaning.  I have always been one to look on the brighter side of life, but now each day brings greater joy.  I hope it continues.

The firehouse (station #1) is coming along nicely.  They are starting to work on the roofing and the siding.  I'll post another picture again soon.

Personal future plans include a trip to North Carolina in May to visit my close friend Chris and hopefully, a week later, tickets to see Celtic Woman at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado.

Be of good cheer, hug you family members and smile.

David

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Morning Walk with Milo

Milo and I enjoyed our morning walk in the cool mountain air.  The sky was clear.  Milo bounced down the driveway.  We could finally get to the flag pole without walking on ice and snow.  My dog is so funny...he sits at attention while I raise the flag.  I reminded Milo that the spaghetti feed is this Sunday....he wagged his tail.  I also told him about the eclipse of the moon that will be happening Saturday night.  It begins early and will be about half over by the time the moon rises here in Colorado.  The folks in the British Isles (if the sky is clear) will enjoy the experience, as will our friends on the east coast of the US.

The re-build of our fire station #1 is coming along well. Here's a couple of pictures.

 

And as a reminder of the fire last year:

 

Taken the morning after the fire.

The fire

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Spaghetti Feed

 

Spaghetti, salad, garlic bread, dessert & soft drinks *BYOB*

When: Sunday, March 4th

4:30 to 7:00 Food service

6:30 to 8:00 Free Bingo with fun prizes

 

Where: Firestation #2

Cost: $5 per adult, $3 per child under 12, maximum $20 per family

 

Please carpool and park on the north side of the road only.

Hosted by Team Sunshine

"Building Stronger Community in the Sunshine Fire Protection District"

 

Sunshine Fire Protection District Station #2

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Busy Weekend at the Firehouse

 

Sunshine Fire Protection District Station #1

It was a very busy weekend at the firehouse (Station #1).  The walls and the rafters went up on Friday.  This building will house one fire truck.  The other three trucks /engines will be housed in station #2.  This building will also hold a meeting / training room.  Believe it or not, we used to keep 3 fire trucks in the same footprint.  It was a tight squeeze.

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