Oh no, she didn't! Oh yes, she did!

 Now into her 80's, Donnie hasn't not lost one iota of her zest for life!

The other day she informed me she'd found an activity that looked fun. Renting mountain bikes, taking them up a ski gondola and tearing down the mountain. To be quite honest, I found the whole idea frightening, but if Donnie was enthusiastic and eager, I needed to muster some courage and go along too.

Two days later, with a bit more research under our belts and some sanity reinstated, we decided that losing teeth or breaking a bone just before river boat cruise in August, was not ideal and we moved to Plan B.

Plan B was driving to Winter Park, riding the gondola to the top of the mountain and eating lunch. A bit of leftover courage meant we also agreed to ride the chair lift up and the luge down - what could go wrong!?

Actually it was a fabulous day and one I never would have done without the peer pressure of my 82 year friend, so even after 16 years, it's still with so much gratitude that I look across the street and see her house every day.

I had "Here fishy, fishy" for lunch. Mahi Mahi tacos with something spicy and bits of mango. And my belly said, Amen!

Donnie had this colorful, tasty arugula salad and her plate was clean by the end, so it's fair to say it was delicious too.

When we got to the top and saw bikers in full back/chest pads, elbow and knee guards plus full face helmets, we KNEW we'd made the right decision. OMG. Close call! I mean, they were basically launching themselves down that single track, weaving between the trees!

The Lodge at the top

Welcome! Are you vaccinated? (why not??!!) If not, then please, please wear a mask!

What's better than a ride to the top of a ski mountain in a gondola on a pretty day? Freakin' boatloads of colorful flowers everywhere at the top. Spectacular!

We found a couple of Adirondack chairs and spent some time relaxing, breathing in the air of the Rockies and admiring the view. Yes, I do forget how lucky we are to live on the periphery of this grandeur.  The haze is wildfire smoke but honestly, still pretty gorgeous and we didn't have breathing issues, so that's a win too!

And now for the finale... 

Despite meeting a young chap that was all bandages and Band-Aids from hip to calf and finding out he did it on this ride when he took a corner to fast and flew off the track - we got on the chairlift!

Wow. I had no idea these summer ski-slope activity mecca's were even a thing until today. Winter Park turned on free parking, cute village, music and adventure, reasonably priced food and even more reasonably priced souvenir and gear shops. We had a blast! 

Life Lesson from Donnie

Do everything, see everything, learn everything. 

Take every opportunity at least once.

Summer along the Front Range... Just as magical

 As one blossom peaks and wilts, another takes over in the garden. 

We've had ample rain and warm weather this year. Plants are growing like weeds and weeds are growing twice as fast. Most of my "garden maintenance" has involved pruning and pulling, this summer. Like any relationship, if you stop paying attention to it, the weeds will take the garden!

Who is going on vaca? This gal!

 Donnie and I are goin' traveling!

As I write this we are 6 weeks to departure. Both of us are mostly packed and it turns out we both spend part of the anticipation period shopping for little bits and pieces to take on vacation with us.  :-)

Meet the "American Song".

She'll be our vessel and our home for a week in August. A modern river boat with tons of glass to capture the views, this baby was put in the water just a year before COVID then sat idle for a good year. While she can take about 195 passengers, this cruise is COVID-friendly and capacity has been reduced to 2/3 of that.

Every room is large and sunny with a balcony. Every day is a new adventure on the Columbia and Snake rivers. 

It's a wine and food themed thing. Perfect for us! And the cherry on the cake... cookie hours at 10am and 2pm every. single. day.  Oh yes, my mouth is watering already.

The journey is a modern undertaking and lesson in history, following the footsteps of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the early 1800's.

Anywho, you know I'll document the journey and litter my posts with pictures. So tune in again between Aug 15-22 to follow along and live vicariously. 

This is surely an adventure I would never have taken if Donnie hadn't suggested it, so I'll end this post by saying it is GREAT to have friends who encourage new things, are easy to talk to and love to travel as much as I do. I'm a lucky gal!

A change of plans... new goals, new anticipations

I've been feeling a bit flat lately.  Is it the accumulation of buyer rejection and seller anxiety in what has to have been the most frenzied spring real estate market in decades? Is it 18 months of thinking, imagining and planning to hit the Himalayas in hiking boots, then canceling for the second year in a row because of COVID restrictions and risks? Is it running out of projects at the house... finally... and feeling like my ability to add value is wilting?  Maybe. And maybe it's all of the above. I do thrive on planning, anticipation, post-trip/project photography gazing... 

Anyhow, rather than continue to go "woe is me" and give you all the impression that I've forgotten just how lucky I am to live here, have a nice safe house, furry kids who are happy and healthy, partner who is more emotionally stable than I am and clients and work that I just love, I've decided to make use of the fact that I have ample opportunity to change or improve my situation, my mindset and change my plans for the future!

1. Pets and hobbies bring me great joy and a release from anxiety. We added a kitten (Little Rusty) to our family last year. This year, before the feline babies get to old and curmudgeonly, we are going to try and bring a new baby home. It's puppy time. Marley has been gone 2 years and I'm finally ready to open this guarded heart back up to a canine baby again.  As it turns out, golden retrievers are lots of people's first choice for emotional support and we are now on a waitlist, praying that Lola gets knocked up this summer! This is Lola and her BF, Sven. Could they be the parents of our new puppy? Time will tell. Be still my beating heart.

2. Travel. You know what, life is too short to lament that Europe, Asia, Africa and the South Pacific are all too tricky to navigate while Delta COVID takes hold. And so, Donnie and I have decided to embrace a more domestic adventure. Uh-huh, I mean branching out and going on a wine and food themed river boat cruise in August.  (More about this in another post.)

3. As you might know, I'm always seeking ways to connect myself to the planet more sustainably... eat responsibly, plant to reduce water use etc. etc. Chickens have been in my 10 year plan and I didn't think they'd fit into my life or yard before that, but as my soul craves more "nature" connections and I spend more time at home than anywhere else... I'm opening myself to new possibilities and that includes adopting chickens and adding a real farmhouse aspect to this here modern farmhouse.