Last Week Before Christmas

Since Charlie didn't get to see Santa at the Holly Jolly Jamboree, I took him to Nick's Garden Center where the Aurora Animal Shelter was hosting pet portraits with Santa. This was a really congenial Santa who was even letting dogs sit in his sleigh, but when Santa reached down to lift Charlie into the seat, Charlie just freaked and tried to run away. I think it was that big white fake beard that scared him. It was all I could do to get him to sit on my lap for this photo.

Bruce and I took Charlie on a hike to Castlewood Canyon State Park. There was still quite a bit of snow on the trails, but Charlie thought that made the hike that much more exciting (he seems to love snow). Luckily there wasn't much ice, or we all would have been sliding down the hills.

It's been a busy week for holiday club parties. Almost all of them involved a gift exchange. First up, was the Quilt Club. Since we meet in the morning, we turned it into a potluck brunch - great quiche and cinnamon rolls. I got kind of an odd gift at that one - a pack of post-it-notes. Not sure how that relates to quilting.

The next party was the Craft Club. Since they meet in the afternoon, the treats were cookies and candies. Each person was supposed to bring a white elephant craft (something you already own, but didn't finish). I got a set of 48 brush markers in that one - much more practical for me.

Then that evening, I went to the Baking Club party. Since it was a soup and salad potluck, I brought chicken sausage and sweet potato soup (one of my Hello Fresh meals - very tasty and easy to make). This time, I really hit the jackpot, because I got a gift bag full of kitchen utensils, some maple syrup, and some cranberry pepper jelly (the stuff you put on top of brie cheese). We also had a cookie exchange, so I brought home a couple dozen assorted cookies.

I went out to lunch this week with one of my St Louis friends who lives in the neighborhood. Both our daughters went to Nerinx together. We went to Cane's Chicken. It's nice to have a friend who likes simple fast food as much as I do. My Ladies Out to Lunch groups always want to go to expensive salad restaurants.

On Monday, I went on my first Senior Center outing to the ChristkindleMart in downtown Denver. It was nice, but not nearly as big as the one in Chicago. There was a stand called, "S'mores Haus" where you could purchase marshmallows to roast on the firepits in front of the stand. It would probably be a bit more impressive at night. I stuck with having a German pretzel and beer for lunch.

To celebrate the winter solstice, the Bike Club went on a nighttime ride to see the neighborhood Christmas lights. We had a fairly small group, because the Saturday before Christmas is a really busy time for people. We met just before the sun went down, and then rode around several streets, before coming back to our house for mulled wine and popcorn. 

Holly Jolly Jamboree

This weekend was the Holly Jolly Jamboree where Santa rides around the neighborhood in a horse and carriage collecting wish lists from kids. I volunteered to work the first station helping to take photos while kids sit on Santa's lap. I thought I'd grab a photo with Charlie before Santa showed up. I could have waited for Santa, because another person brought her goldendoodle, Walter, for a photo. Unfortunately, Charlie was on the naughty list that day. He was so excited by the horses and all the kids that I was afraid he'd knock Santa over, so I sent him home with Bruce.

I went to Walmart and bought an ugly sweater for the jamboree (Charlie is blocking the 2 pink llamas on the front of my sweater). When I went to Walmart, I was dumbfounded at all the "ugly" items you could buy to dress up for the season. I'm not sure if that red dress is supposed to represent Mrs Claus. It looks a little racy to me.

Earlier in the week, the Bike Club rode the perimeter trail around the neighborhood and then headed over to the Mexican restaurant for lunch. Our leader was in Cancun with his grandkids, so when I'm in charge, I usually like to shorten the ride and throw in a lunch stop, especially since there's still snow on the ground.

Since we had to ride our bikes back home, we all decided to order off the ala cart menu thinking the portions would be smaller. NOT! The one nice thing about Mexican restaurants - you sure get your money's worth.

On Thursday, I went to the Quilt Club holiday brunch. Like usual, there was tons of good food, especially the quiches. Then we played a few games and exchanged gifts. It's nice to just sit around chatting with friends once in a while, and not always worry about working on a project. We all joked about how many unfinished ones we've got going.

As if I don't have enough to do, I joined the Parker Senior Center. They have all kinds of activities like yoga, bridge, knitting, and even a low-priced lunch every day. But I really joined it for the field trips around Denver, Colorado Springs, and Breckenridge. The first Monday of every month are signups. I didn't really know what to expect, so I went a bit early. By the time I got there, I was #29 in line - they have a very organized system. Some people get there before the building is open, so they take a number and then go sit in their cars until it's time. (I went early, but not that early. Good grief, it was 30° out last Monday!) Luckily, I got on the list for the ChristkindlMart trip. It's a German Christmas market in downtown Denver which is not only a long drive from my house, but expensive to find parking. It's only costing me $10 for this trip - I figure that's a steal!

Happy Birthday, Janet

My "little" sister is 70 years old today... YIKES! I got her an anti-aging kit to celebrate, though I don't think she really needs it, because she still looks young to me.

Holiday Prep

The temperature got up to 60° today, so Charlie and I went outside and hung our Christmas lights. Charlie wasn't a whole lot of help, especially since it was around lunch time. Every year I struggle with how to put the lights up, mostly because of the opening between the railings going down the stairs. Last year I just ran the lights across the gap, but every time I wanted to go into the back yard, I had to duck under the wires - a little dangerous when there's 6" of snow on the steps. This time, I came up with the bright idea of running the lights under the steps. It worked brilliantly, plus it will add a little color to the porch underneath.

This has been a busy week. I took a Holiday Porch Pot class at the garden center. We started out with these tall pots full of potting soil and a huge bunch of evergreens. We had to stick them down into the soil in different ways to make the pot look really full (there was an instructor demonstrating how to do it). Then we got to "go shopping" for bows, berries, twigs, pinecones, etc to embellish our pots. 

I found a cute pair of old-fashioned wooden snowshoes to add to mine. I was going for the outdoor Colorado look. I think it turned out really nice and next year all I have to do is buy fresh greenery. Everything else can be reused.

Charlie had his last class in Pack Walking. Truthfully, I think he flunked the class. He's just too social, always wanting to play or jump up on the other dogs and their owners. But at least he isn't afraid of big dogs anymore. That big black dog in the background had the personality of a giant teddy bear, but he weighed over 100 pounds.

Courtney and I did some online painting. We were trying to practice painting shop windows - trickier than you think to paint food behind glass. Courtney isn't coming home for Thanksgiving this year. Instead, she and her college roommate are going to Denmark and having their Thanksgiving dinner in a medieval castle. It's probably a good time to travel overseas, because they don't celebrate Thanksgiving in Europe (fewer tourists).

Our clubhouse sponsored a Fashion Show and English Tea. It really was very nice with tiny tea sandwiches, macaroons, and scones with lemon curd. The only strange thing was that they didn't serve any tea. Instead, they gave us some kind of sparkling wine (that's it in the pink glasses). The clothes were very nice, but mostly all I wear these days are bike shirts and sweats.

I'm taking an online class in Fabric Books. That's actually my November topic for Something Old, Something New. The lessons are spread out over 30 days, so it's kind of fun to get up every morning and watch that day's video. So far all we've been doing is making the pages for our books by painting, staining, stamping, stenciling, and embroidering on muslin squares. The teacher is a bit more ambitious than I am, because she makes her own dyes by boiling pinecones and putting rusty nails in vinegar. I've just been watering down some acrylic paint - much easier.

We had a Social Committee meeting this week - our last one before the Holly Jolly Jamboree. That's where Santa and Mrs Claus ride around the neighborhood in a horse and carriage collecting letters to Santa from all the kids. It's mostly a giant photo op for all the parents - probably easier than standing in line at the mall, though nowadays I hear you have to make a reservation if you want to get your picture taken with a mall Santa.

The deer have been using our front yard like a salad bar, which is weird because the yards on our side of the street are still covered in snow (you can see how there's hardly any snow on the other side of the street). Maybe the snow makes the vegetation taste fresher, though the deer will be in for a shock in our yard, because there's mostly rock and dead perennials underneath our snow.

And no week would be complete without a bike ride, even if it's a short one. Luckily the snow has melted off all the trails.

Happy Birthday, Lincoln!

Lincoln is 9 years old today - his last year of single digits. Lincoln is the sweetest, most talented boy, but one thing he loves to do is ride his dirt bike. When I was in KC, I told him he needed to teach me how to be fearless, so I could go out on my eBike more often. I doubt I'll ever be brave enough to jump over hills like Lincoln does though. 

Digging Out

After 3 days of continuous snowfall, we ended up with over 2 ft of snow. In our front yard, you can't see the bushes, because they are totally buried. Poor Bruce had to shovel the drive 3 times, but at least he got to use his new snow shovel along with his traditional snow blower. The snow shovel rolls along blowing the snow away. The best thing is you don't have to heft the shovel over your shoulder. It's not very wide, but it's great for sidewalks and porches.

Charlie absolutely loves the snow. This photo was taken on the first day. By the third day, I had to put him in a snowsuit, because he kept getting buried when he jumped into the snow drifts. With all that fur, the snow just sticks to him until he looks like a little snowman.

Happy Halloween

Who knew that we'd get our first snow the day before Halloween???

Just 3 days ago, I was biking on the Platte River Trail wearing shorts and a light jacket.

Oh well. After all that biking this fall, I could use a break. Happy Halloween!

Bucket List Bike Rides

There are 2 bike rides I've been wanting to complete before the snow sets in for the winter. The first was a ride on the Cherry Creek Trail to Castlewood Canyon State Park. I've tried twice before, but it's a LONG ride down there (26 miles round trip). I finally made it the entire way a couple days after I got back from St Louis. Maybe that Ted Drewes Cardinals' Sin gave me the energy boost I needed.

Funnily enough, a few days later. Bruce and I took Charlie hiking in this same park. I really don't know which activity is more strenuous - biking there or hiking through there. Both activities just about killed me... but the views were gorgeous.

My 2nd bucket list bike trek was to ride the Platte River Trail all the way downtown to Confluence Park. I've ridden the Cherry Creek Trail downtown, but I haven't done it via the Platte Trail. Since the weather is still fairly warm and dry, 9 of us from the bike club made the ride. Again, this was a really long ride (26 miles RT), but the trail is totally flat - an anomaly in Colorado. 

Bruce and I went out riding one day on our eBikes. He wanted to see where the Piney Creek Trail went. We ended up at a strip mall along the trail and bought Jimmy John's sandwiches to take home for lunch. I was glad I was riding my eBike, because it's uphill most of the way home.

I discovered a new coffee shop on the Cherry Creek Trail - Dutch Bros Coffee. Our bike club doesn't like stopping there, because their outdoor tables are in the sun. But since I went out on a coolish day, I didn't mind stopping to do some sketching. I got myself one of their seasonal specials - a cookie butter latte. OMG, was that delicious! I think the trainee made mine, because it was drenched in caramel sauce.

In other news, I took a calligraphy class at the Parker Arts Center. The lady who taught the class uses her skills to address envelopes and certificates for the governor - $3.50 each! At those prices, maybe I should take up calligraphy as a part-time job. Can you imagine how much money you'd make addressing Christmas cards or wedding invitations???

We had our social committee zoom meeting this week. There is only one activity left on this year's calendar - the Holly Jolly Jamboree, which basically means Santa and Mrs Claus ride through the neighborhood in a horse-drawn carriage. I suggested we switch to a convertible next year, because the horse is VERY slow. The guy in the corner (Mark) said he knew a place we could rent a live reindeer for photo ops, which is all most parents care about nowadays. We'll see what happens next year. For now, my job is to make sure the horse doesn't bite the kids or step on their feet when their parents are taking photos.

St Louis/KC

So, a few days before I left for St Louis, I led the bike club on a loop around the Highline Canal and Platte River Trails. Actually, all the eBikers passed me by, and I let them get ahead because they were kicking up so much dust (it hasn't rained here in ages and part of this trail is crushed gravel). The joke was on them, however, because they missed the turnoff on the trail back to the cars and ended up riding down Broadway Blvd with all the traffic.

So, a few days later, I boarded a plane to St Louis - usually a nightmare, but this time there were fewer people on the plane so the middle seat next to me was empty. I think all the hurricanes were keeping people home. A couple of my teacher friends picked me up and we went to lunch and, of course, Ted Drewes. I found out that the real owner, Ted Drewes, Jr, died just a couple months ago. At his memorial service, they had a floral arrangement in the shape of an upside-down concrete. Ted Drewes was 96 when he died, so I guess eating frozen custard your whole life doesn't clog your arteries. 

This time when I went to St Louis, I decided to tryout the Moonrise Hotel in the Delmar Loop. This is an 8-story "boutique" hotel created by Joe Edwards (who spearheaded most of the renovation in the Loop). This building used to be an old funeral parlor, but it's been totally renovated and expanded into really nice rooms. There is a rooftop deck on the top with the world's largest manmade moon (everything inside is space-themed). This part of town was considered an extremely sketchy area about 20 years ago, but the whole street has been renovated.

I met my referee friend, Fred, at Magic Mini-Golf across the street. It looks like I'm playing golf with Santa on vacation in Hawaii. Fred has started letting his beard grow out each year, so he can dress up as Santa for the robotics kids at the December tournaments. You've got to admit, he sure looks like Santa.

I don't think I've played mini-golf, since we went to Cool Crest back in the 70's. All of the holes had a Delmar Loop theme (this one honored Chuck Berry and the Blueberry Hill restaurant). It was a little hard to play, because the courses were about 5 inches off the floor (and you weren't supposed to stand on the bases). I ended up winning by 2 points, though.

The next day I took Amtrak to Washington, MO to see a friend from SLUH, but I totally forgot to take a picture. I continued onto Lee's Summit the next day where I met my sisters for lunch - HiBoys tenderloins and onion rings... YUM! (Notice the big junk food theme that seems to be going on here???).

The next day we all went to the Pumpkin Patch. Pumpkin patches are not my favorite thing, because there usually isn't much for the older people to do (and you still have to pay full price). But I'll admit, those Oreo Cookie mini-donuts we got from the food truck were delicious.

They had a petting zoo at this pumpkin patch with some fairly unique animals. Violet is feeding a camel here. The first time she tried to feed him, she screamed and dropped the spoon with the food. It didn't bother the camel, because his neck was so long, he could just reach down to the ground.

They had an "axe-throwing" booth, which was really a bunch of Velcro volleyballs thrown against a large target. Violet is on the volleyball team, so she usually hit the bulls-eye, though I got close several times (I also hit it over the top of the target, so I can't brag too much). Lincoln is standing just behind me wearing his dirt bike goggles. 

They had a scary ghoul in the gift shop. The cashier kept trying to fiddle with it (I thought maybe it was supposed to moan or something like the ones at Home Depot). On the way out of the store, she finally got it working and the thing rose up 8 ft tall, shrieking all the way. We almost knocked over some of their displays, because it scared us so bad.

So, Janet and I left the kids to their fun (and their parents) and headed off to the Smoke Brewing Co.  Janet and I ordered the beer flights to go with our barbeque lunch. They were very tasty, and a good stress-reliever after spending the day with 4 kids.

And where was Bruce when I was having all this fun? Back home working on a house project, of course!