A Tale of Two Cities …

This last week Tobey decided to fly to Phoenix to surprise his mom for her birthday. It was a great plan and one that came off without a hitch. My mom only lives three houses away so she was in on the surprise. He flew from our little regional airport to the Mesa/Scottsdale airport and my mom and another neighbor picked him up. Ruthellen was definitely surprised when Tobey arrived on her doorstep because she was expecting a conference call from him.

They had a good week together. Tobey helped with some chores around the house, chauffeured to some appointments, and accompanied her to play Bingo and cards. Ruthellen even won bingo on her birthday! YAHOO!  Temperatures in Phoenix were a balmy 90 degrees and sunshine. Lucky them!

I, on the other hand, had a little different week. Beautiful weather in Colorado on Monday gave way to a front on Tuesday bringing freezing temperatures and snow! While my sweetheart was wearing shorts and flip-flops, I was bundled up shoveling 8 inches of snow! That wouldn’t have been so bad, but I was substitute teaching all week so I had no choice but to go out in the mess!

A snow storm swept through Northern Colorado, Wednesday, October 26, 2011. The storm caused massive tree damage in the area and left thousands of residents without power. Luckily, not me!

The sun returned on Thursday and Tobey returned on Friday. The streets are clear now and the snow is melting, but we have a big job ahead cleaning up broken tree limbs and raking the leaves once the snow is gone.

Tobey is not looking forward to any of it and is thinking we should become snowbirds. It is definitely something to consider!

Camp Cheerio

It’s really great when I can combine two of my favorite activities at one time, quilting and traveling. I got to do just that when I attended a quilting retreat at Camp Cheerio, a YMCA camp near Sparta, North Carolina.

I belong to an online forum and some of the women have organized a wonderful retreat at the YMCA camp for the last five years. This year I FINALLY got to go!  The big dilemma was whether to fly or drive. If I drove, I could pack my sewing machine, loads of fabrics and quilts to work on, and stop to see friends along the way. If I flew, I would be there the same day and not need to plan two plus weeks for the four day retreat.

After checking to see if I could redeem miles for my flight, the question was resolved. I would fly to Charlotte and carpool up to camp with three other quilters who were flying in for the event. Since my ticket only cost $10 (airline taxes), I checked one suitcase with my clothes and fabrics ($25 each way) and carried on a small bag with my sewing machine.

I arrived at the Denver airport and found out that my flight was oversold. Would I be willing to give up my seat and be rebooked on another flight? They were offering $250 credit and would put me on a non-stop flight that actually arrived before my connecting flight would get there. Seemed like a no-brainer to me! Once they got everyone checked in for the flight, they told me they were upping the offer to $300 and would give me a meal voucher to use in Charlotte when I arrived because I would have to wait the two hours for my checked bag to arrive. It still seemed like a good deal to me!

After arriving in Charlotte, I had a nice lunch (compliments of the airline) and waited for my bag to arrive. I met Marsha, one of the other women going to the retreat, and we took the shuttle to our hotel for the night. The third, Linda, arrived later that evening and we had a great time visiting. After breakfast, Fran, our fourth traveling companion came to the hotel and we loaded the rental car and were on our way to camp.

First stop, Mary Jo’s Fabrics in Gastonia, North Carolina.  http://maryjos.reachlocal.net/  It was a sensory delight – but not so good on my credit card. We spent almost two hours savoring the wide variety of fabrics and enjoyed the great prices. I had to remind myself that whatever I bought still had to fit into my suitcase! Linda, on the other hand, had her purchases shipped home! Next stop was Carolina Bar-B-Q in Statesville, NC. http://carolinabar-b-q.com/    The food was yummy and the people were so friendly! A nice little respite before heading on to camp.

We arrived at Camp Cheerio about 2:30 on Thursday afternoon and unloaded our sewing equipment at the Sloan Center. We had a wonderful room set up to accommodate 15 quilters, along with tables for cutting fabric, playing games, and snacks. 

The camp provided three fabulous meals a day – all we had to do was walk down to the dining hall. We all had our own rooms in another building with great internet access.

The camp is located near Roaring Gap, North Carolina in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Some of the gals said I would really notice the elevation – about 4000’. I had to remind them that I live at 4980’ so it was just like being at home.  The colors in North Carolina were JUST beginning to change while we were there. It was pretty, but I’m sure they will be fabulous by the end of the month. (another trip, maybe?)

I had a great time getting to know my online friends in person and get some sewing projects done, as well. I managed to get two quilt tops finished, and two others started. Jennifer taught us how to make these cute origami fabric boxes. 

I am anxious to see how they work making larger ones. We also played a fun dice game – Left, Right, Center. The prize – Fabric squares! I was NOT the winner, but had fun anyway. Theresa taught us a couple fun quilting techniques that I hope I can incorporate into a future quilt. So many ideas … so little time!

On our last night there we were treated to a beautiful sunset.  I had such a great time sewing until midnight or later, meeting new people, and making friendships that I hope last a lifetime! 

Fall Colors in Colorado

 

The leaves are turning in Colorado and putting on a beautiful display!

Tobey and I drove up to Rocky Mountain National Park about a week ago because it is one of my favorite places to view the changing seasons. My goal – drive up Old Fall River Road to the Alpine Visitors’ Center and back Trail Ridge Road with a brief stop at Moraine Park. We packed a picnic lunch and headed out. Needless to say, traffic was heavy on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon!

We stopped for lunch before we arrived at Alluvial Fan and noticed the signs on the road saying that Old Fall River Road was CLOSED! I was really bummed because it didn’t open until the end of July and here it was, the 2nd of October and already closed! Say it ain’t so!

We went on to Alluvial Fan and enjoyed sitting by the water for a while.   Tobey suggested I continue driving and “just see” if the road might be open … and it was! Yippee! I love this drive – a one way, one lane, switchback-filled eleven mile route through some of the most beautiful parts of the park. This is definitely not a road for anyone who is in a hurry!http://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/old_fall_river_road.htm

 The colors were just beginning to change as we headed up  the road.

 

 

 

The further we drove, the more colorful the trees were.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were about nine miles up the road when we noticed the snow nestled in above the aspen grove.

As we got closer and closer to timberline, the colors were starting to show shades of orange.

After a brief stop at the Alpine Visitors’ Center we headed back down Trail Ridge Road to Moraine Park and caught sight of this big elk grazing near the creek.

My day was complete – goals met!

Now as I listen to the wind rustling through the trees and see the leaves piling up on my deck and in the yard I can look back at my Rocky Mountain drive and not mind as much when I need to start raking!