November 13-30, 2014 Fort Collins, Colorado

  I am so far behind. It is not as much fun to blog when we are staying in one place. All the pictures end up being of the same place. I will try to catch up.

The aftermath of the snow and cold weather was all this ice. This is along the Poudre River from the bike path.It was very pretty, I guess. Too cold tho, it was below zero and freezing most of the week.

We went to the annual Thanksgiving Extravaganza at the Bellvue Grange. It is the 4oth, they have been having it since 1974. Kevin began having it when he was in college the weekend before Thanksgiving so all the college buddies could have a dinner before all heading home for the holidays. There are photos on the walls from all the previous Extravaganzas. It was a fun time and a great dinner.

Kevin Murray in the orange baseball cap and his wife Suzanne beside John are our hosts. Colin in the stocking cap is his son. John and I after a wonderful turkey dinner.

On Thanksgiving day we drove to Denver and had dinner with my cousins, who I used to spend every Thanksgiving with before John spirited me away in the motor home.  Morgan, Todd and Steve Fink having a manly talk about the turkey. Jerry-my brother, Chris and John eyeing the desserts.

 

A beautiful Thanksgiving spread with family. Jerry, Morgan, John, Chris, Terry, Mark, Justin and Reed. A nice shot of John and I sort of dressed up!

I was not idle during the cold snap, played in the studio and produced the Tiger Lilies and Aspen grove.

November 9-12 2014 Fort Collins and Denver, Colorado

The last warm day of fall we went for a walk along the river. It was in the 70’s, we wore shorts.

Some willows with their fall leaves and some willows and grass are still green.

 

Fall scene by the diversion dam on the Poudre River. John on the porch watching sunset.

 

Sunset and the front house, which we will move into if we ever get tired of traveling in the RV.

 

The rudest shock in the world is waking up snow and subfreezing temperatures on Monday. I drove to Denver on Tuesday so sit at the glass show. Sat in the green house with  the glass with temperatures in the single digits outside. The roads were so bad that I spent the night in Denver. I have not driven in snow for the last 5 years. Wednesday I woke up to this in Denver, 3 more inches of snow on my car and the roads were like a skating rink, I slid through a couple stop signs. But made it back up to Fort Collins ok. Tonight the low is supposed to be –14 degrees!!

I another turn of events John needs to get another dental implant and the first appointment is for Dec 4. We are going to get stuck here like the Donner party!

November 3-8, 2014 Denver, Colorado

 

I stripped the basil again. I just did it a month ago and they bounced back huge. A before and after of one of the 6 plants. They  made 3 quarts of pesto.

We brought the bus back from Denver from it’s fluids and filter changes. Had to leave it in storage,we are dying to get back in it and go on the road. As soon as I heal.  I made these two iris trays for the show in my big kiln that we just got hooked up in the garage.

 

Set up for the show was yesterday. Here is my little corner in the gift mart.  Stopped by my house, the maple in front is changing nicely. Getting ready to put it up for sale. I don’t think that John is going to kick me out anytime soon and if we get tired of traveling in the bus we will move into John’s house in Fort Collins.

 

The entry into the Glass at the Gardens show has my iris piece in it! We met Martha, Leslie and Mickie in Denver and went downtown to the ski mart at the convention center. Here is Leslie and Martha with the Blue Bear looking into the window of the convention center.

 

Apres-ski zone. Martha, Leslie, Mickie and Suep trying out the tims machines that stimulate muscles, like a  massage at the ski mart.

Leslie and Martha on the snow bikes at the ski mart.

We stopped at Rosemont western wear that is a historic store in Denver. They had some lovely embroidered western shirts. I loved this one with the rockets and atomic energy on the collar. We also stopped in the newly remodeled Union Station. It is now the transportation hub for Denver, train, bus,  and light rail. John, Martha, Mickie and Leslie in one of the bars in the station.

 

The newly remodeled station inside and out. Looks very good. I did well in the show, a first place for my Roots piece and a third for my Leaf Peeper piece.

Me with my masterpieces and ribbons.

 

Me doing a live demo of warm glass at the show. Warm glass is kiln formed, or less that 2000 degrees, hot is above 2000 like blown glass or torch worked. Cold is stained glass windows , sandblasting and  mosaics. I am making barrettes and huddling next to the warm kiln since is is freezing in the green house.  Here are some barrettes that just finished firing in the kiln, left front are some that are cooled off and right front are some that have not fired yet.

October 30-Nov 2, 2014 Denver and Fort Collins, Colorado

The big day arrived, I had my sinus surgery. It was outpatient surgery in Denver. I could have had it up here in Fort Collins, but my health insurance has been in Denver so long, all my doctors are down there, plus I worked there and still have friends there.

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The back of the brochure for the sinus surgery information they gave me at my last appointment. Love the vintage photo, perhaps I will learn to cook or get one of those cute makeup compacts to view my new nose it! Here I am preop.They gave me this nice foil looking hat to wear in surgery.

 

Gerhart my brother brought me down his birthday mask to wear in surgery. He, Reed my cousin and friend Katy came down to see me in preop and be  designated hand wringers during the surgery. Mostly I think it was to keep John company and go out to lunch with him. My surgery, not including the recovery room was 2 and a half hours. I survived. Here I am at home icing my nose.

 

I was very uncomfortable, but it was not as bad as I had anticipated. Mostly I laid on the couch and moaned with ice on my face. I am a terrible patient. My darling husband waited on me hand and foot, but he wore head phones so he did not have to listen to me moaning. Here I am the next morning. The newer surgery methods are less trauma , there are no bruises and not much external swelling. Enough swelling so that I could only manage this much smile. And the second day, still look kind of the same and felt a bit better.

 

Better yet I was able to take an outing. John escorted me around the block for a nice fall walk. He got a break from his Florence Nightingale duties and met friends Karen, Jimjim and Bill for dinner at the Rio-a favorite local Mexican restaurant. I walked the few blocks, said hello and went back home to bed. It would have been fun to visit with them.  Nice day of the dead decoration above them.

I hacked back our basils that have been traveling with us to only a leaf on each branch a month ago. They have rebounded to be even bigger in a month. Nice. Here is the last morning shot of me I will post, they all look the same to me.  I am a little stir crazy, I did not have a good night-my body is rebelling from laying around propped up and my neck, back, buns,  jaw, teeth, hair hurt and I could not sleep. But the nose feels a little better in the morning.  I  am tired of being sick and of course am not healing as fast as I think I should.  We would both love to back on the road in the bus.