August 4-11, 2018 Fort Collins, Colorado

We are saying we are going to pack up and leave August 15 for parts west.

We had a great dinner with John and Mandy. Smoked ribs. Yum yum. Fun to see them. Sunset tonight from the bike path. 

I love this red barn over the lake off the bike path. The bus in front of the house, we are packing up!

A couple houses down the street they are setting up the main stage for West Fest a huge 3 day music festival. We can listen to music sitting in our own yard. But lots of people. The street is closed. We went out to dinner tonight. Afterwards we stopped at Nuance Chocolate. They start with the cacao beans, roast them and make the chocolate. They have single source chocolates, each type is made from a single crop in different countries. We had a flight and tried 6 different kinds. It was hard to tell the difference but John liked the Nicaraguan  and I liked the Madagascar. All very good chocolate. 

This cool vehicle is parked in the street by our house. It is for sale. No price on it. It is a 1973. New West Fest is going on now. 5 stages of music going all day and evening. There is a photo of the food court top and a young man riding a bull below.  

 

One of the stages tonight at West Fest. Our house is strategically located between two stages. We can hear two different kinds of music at once. The windows vibrate.  Last night I put these pieces in the kiln. I took our the two below this afternoon. I am working on making sun's rays through the trees.  

I also took our this guy out of the kiln today. What a bummer there is a bubble right where the deer's genitals are, ruins the piece. It is back in the kiln right now getting a leaf fused over the genitals. 

John and the young man next door, Brandon wrestled a queen sized mattress we had upstairs in the living room against the wall down the stairs and into the bus. Our old RV mattress is wearing out and cratered. This queen was on John's bed before I moved my king sized bed up here. It should be 100 times better than the old mattress. Crowds of people at New West Fest. It is a huge three day festival here in Fort Collins with 6 stages of music all weekend , food, vendors, kids rides. All free, funded by the Bohemian Foundation. Right in front of our house is the main stage. 

Kids rides. The old seal your child in a plastic bag until they are hypoxic ride. Most of the rest of the rides are blow up ones. Lots of bouncy and slide things. One of the golf carts done up as an RV. There is a contest for the best one at the show. 

Greetings from Colorado. The Snowy Range ski area has their boot weighted down with ski boots full of cement. The Blue Canyon Boys doing blue grass at the Old Town square stage and Blondie was at the main stage. 4 of the others stages had her on simulcast. We watched a simulcast. They were great!

Drat, the leaf I fused over the bubble missed the bubble. . .