Second Annual Community
SpaghettiFeed
Spaghetti – Salad – Garlic Bread
Desserts & Soft Drinks Provided
Please Bring you own Bottle of Wine
Sunday, March 2
5:00 to 7:30 pm
Fire Station #2
$7.00 per adult, $4.00 per child
Maximum $20 per family
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Family Fun Night
Magic Show starring
“Nate the Great”
no Chris, this Nate is not my son.
Proceeds go to the Sunshine Fire Protection District
Malcom 1993 - 2008
We lost our beloved Malcom on the first of this month. She will be missed. She came to us when she was one, pregnant and full of love (8 lovely puppies). She have given the whole family nothing but love and attention. She was the alpha dog in the house. Milo misses her. He still waits for her at the top of the stairs at night. They use to "go to bed" with a treat, together, every night. Janice and I were with her when she took her last breath. It was one of the hardest things I have ever experienced.
Last weekend Jan and I went to Estes Park for a get-a-way weekend. Estes Park, Colorado is nestled in the Rocky Mountains, west of Loveland, Colorado just a short 30 miles north of our home. Even though it is winter, we found some fun things to do. We dined at the Estes Park Brewery and sampled several beers. My first visit to Estes Park was in the summer of 1959 for Boy Scout camp. On the north edge of the community is the famous Stanley Hotel. It is the hotel where Stephen King got the inspiration for his book, The Shining. It was the location for the filming of the TV show of the same name and the movie Dumb and Dumber. Even though I have visited the town for almost 50 years, other than when our band played there this last fall, I had never been inside the Stanley. We took the haunted ghost tour. We learned all of the stories about the Stanley's founders and all of it's famous guests. It was quite an experience. I encourage you to click on the link and go for a quick visit. Stanley Hotel
Have a great week. I'll try to capture a picture of my "snow drag" for my nest post.
Smiles,
David
August '83
I have been married to my beautiful wife for almost 25 years. She knows me well and it's pretty hard to pull off a surprise. Her birthday is coming up in a couple of days. It's a milestone and she doesn't want to make a big deal out of it. She knew I would want to do something. She planned a weekend for two next weekend in Estes Park, Colorado, just a few miles to the north of Sunshine, assuring that I would not throw a surprise Birthday party. We will be enjoying a quiet weekend together, away from friends and family.
I knew her friends and family would want to share their best wishes so I went ahead and planned something anyway. Several weeks ago I started planning a surprise party. Our Sunshine neighbors, Steve and Dee offered their house as a location for the event. We set the date for last night, January 26th, 7PM. (You understand I couldn't have shared this until today or it wouldn't be a surprise.) I sent out e-mail invitations and started making the arrangements. Several neighbors volunteered to help. We had to work very hard to keep it quiet for I knew if Jan found out about it she would not attend (She's really not a party pooper).
I casually mentioned that the band was going to have a drinks and a meeting on Saturday night, then dropped the subject. On Tuesday Dee called and invited Jan to join and to bring a Veggie plate. "Be there at 6:30 sharp" Dee told her. We figured it would be better if the guests arrived after we were settled in with a drink or two. All went as planned. We were all sitting around chatting when several neighbors showed up at 7:05. Our neighbor, Mary came in the front door and wished Jan a "Happy Birthday". Jan looked as surprised as I have ever seen her. Within a half an hour over 30 guests arrived. Wane and Hildegard were out of town so Hildegard baked one of her famous cakes (White cake with a fruit filling, covered in chocolate and dressed with strawberries). Mary baked a cheesecake and a carrot cake. Almost everyone brought a snack tray to share. Our two son's, Mike and Nathan joined us. There was plenty of wine, beer, soda pop and iced tea to go around. We sang "Happy Birthday" and engaged in friendly conversation. Before long 3 hours had passed and we all tired. It was a wonderful evening in Sunshine.
Remember as my old friend Texas Bix Bender said "If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around."
Smiles,
David
Rob's new Colorado Blue Spruce trees planted among his older Ponderosa Pine.
My neighbor, Rob, has a beautiful house just off Sunshine Canyon Drive. The view from his house is breathtaking. To the east you see Denver and the cities along the front range. At night, it is a sight to behold with the city lights stretching from north to south. To the west is the continental divide including the Sawtooth range and the Indian Peaks Wilderness area. The snow capped mountains are worth a photo opportunity any time of the year.
The only drawback is that his house is just yards off of the main road. Rob has tried to minimize the noise and light pollution by planting a couple of lines of evergreen trees. These trees have given him privacy from the noisy vehicles as they pass by. They have worked very well.
Last fall, Rob planted a new row of 5' to 6' Colorado Blue Spruce trees at the entrance of his driveway. I admire them every time I pass by his house. Two weeks before Christmas, I noticed one tree missing.
I saw Rob in the post office last week. I asked him about the missing tree. I thought someone had run into it, being it was so close to the road. Rob told me that some one had cut it down, thinking it might make a very nice Christmas tree. It must have been a new comer from California.
"Always take a good look at what you're about to eat. It's not so important to know what it is, but it's critical to know what it was."
Smiles,
David
I was standing at the front window of the store a couple of days ago conversing with a customer. We both look up and commented on the beautiful sunset. So I quickly ran to the back and grabbed my camera.
We have had some nasty weather.....short snow storms that lead to icy roads. On the way home the other night there were 6 accidents. The worst was a lady and her two daughters in a ditch in the canyon. They got out safely and the car was not damaged to badly. As I turned to drive down the road, I spotted a lone figure in my headlights. I recognized our mayor, Chris, so I stopped. He was out for his evening walk. 12 degrees, dark and snowy and he is taking his evening walk. I thought that is why they made treadmills. Chris and I chatted for just a moment. As I started to drive off, he left me with this thought. "Marriage is a wonderful institution, at least for those who like to be institutionalized".
The good Lord left us with a wonderful Christmas gift last evening. For those who noticed, the planet Mars rose with the full moon. It was quite a sight. I snapped this picture. It does not even come close to the beauty that was experienced nor is the detail there to see Mars.....I guess you had to be there.
Milo and I pass on our warmest Christmas greetings.
David
Sunday morning sunrise on our front yard
Milo and I took our walk on a very cold (7 degrees) morning. As we returned home the sun crept above the horizon. There was a layer of fog covering the plains below. The clouds were breaking around us as yesterday storm moved east. Milo told me to hurry home and grab the camera. It was a great photo opportunity. I agreed.
We ran into the girls later in the morning. The were gathering for a hike down the Highline road. They all had on their snow shoes and very, very warm clothing. It looked like they were ready for an exciting morning.
I ordered a Christmas present for my FIL from Vicky. I can't say what it is because my FIL has been know to read my journal. I know it will be great. Go check out Vicky's site.
Work is going well. I forgot how much I enjoy working retail. The map store is open 10-6 so I am not working any 12 hour days.
The band played for Janice's Christmas party last Friday night. It was a lot of fun. It's easy to play for a group when people start dancing on the third song.
I hope everybody is enjoying the holiday season. Milo says "Woof, Woof", meaning Merry Christmas to all.
Best wishes to all,
David
Snow Rainbow at 7:15 in the morning
For the first time in my life, this morning I saw a snow rainbow. We often have times when it snows in the mountains and the sky is clear over the plains. With the sun rising in the clear, eastern sky, the light shines on the falling snow in the mountains. The result is a rainbow created by the light reflecting on the ice crystals in the snow. I just had to share.
The holidays were very enjoyable. Janice had the week off. While I was working on Saturday, she drug out the indoor Christmas decorations and dressed the house in holiday fair. We had Thanksgiving dinner at Janice's cousin's house. This is an annual event that has been going on for many, many years. Her cousin, Richard, is a Mason. He serves as a speaker at funerals when a fellow Mason passes on. He is asked to represent that organization several times a week. Richard told us that he is notified of the funerals by the secretary and very seldom hears from the head of the group. Last week the secretary was out of town and the head of the local organization had to call and notify him of a funeral. Richard was not available to take the call, which required him to place a return call. When he called, a very surprised woman answered the phone. She said her husband's caller ID did not say "Richard"....it said "Someone died". They had a good chuckle over that one.
Sunday morning we took a walk. We met up with some of the neighborhood girls.
Have a good week.
God bless you all.
David
