The New Wyoming Bean's

2011-01-30T14:49:00.000-08:00

If you look really close at the skyline you will see a bull moose and a cow moose spending the evening above the cabins grazing on whatever they can find to eat!! Becky was going down to let out the Noel's dogs while they were gone and came back to the cabin and said ""MOOSE"" and sure enough there they were!! They have to be really tough living under these conditions with knee deep snow!! And I think I have it tough in the yards with a foot of snow to trudge through!!

2011-01-30T14:45:00.000-08:00

This is the snow pile that Jim and Bonnie created plowing out the entrance to Becky's cabin!! Thanks guys hope you get the new tractor with the snow blower next year to make the work easier! We appreciated driving up to the entrance to spent the weekend doing nothing but chilling out and enjoying the scenery!!

2011-01-30T14:40:00.000-08:00

Took Becky and myself 2 hours to shovel into the cabin, up the 9 steps and into the front door!! pretty impressive Huh!!

2011-01-30T14:36:00.000-08:00

This is a photo out the kitchen window looking at the side deck!! Higher than the railing!! the other one is sneaking a peak from the front to the kitchen side to show the different contrast!!
Can't wait to shovel that pile!! Oh boy

2011-01-23T09:32:00.000-08:00

The Denver Bean Grandkids visited this weekend and boy was it kinda busy. With the usual cold and windy weather that comes in late January we found a few things in and out to do!! The most fun was the Rec Center swimming pool but no photo's of that!! Here the little one's wanted the red wagon out of the shed!! Yeah right as the snow is hard and packed!! Then they thought about the Sand Box!! Yeah right it is froze hard as a Rock!! Then after a trip to the Knit shop With Gramma Beck they had a chip/dip snack and started to learn the fine art of knitting with the Master Knitter Becky!! While Ally is a tad young yet the older Amber and Abby seem to enjoy it!! I hope they will continue with it in their lives as it appears they might enjoy it!!

2010-12-30T17:07:00.000-08:00

After I posted a photo this fall about the flowering crab and the fruit that it made Jeanne said the birds would love me for it this winter!! Hah the resident squirrel is loving them!! If you look closely in front of the red car in the branches he/she is munching down on them!! When I opened the door to get a closer photo off he/she went!!

This is an update to this blog to let everyone know the squirrel was back again today and he got every last apple from the tree. He is very active jumping from branch to branch.. They aren't very sturdy branches but I never seen him fall!!

amazing!!

2010-12-30T06:54:00.000-08:00

They fit!! and they work too.. They make strange noises compared to the old one's but if they get the clothes clean that is all that matters!!
Almost done with the room. Tonight I will get it finished!! Yeah

2010-12-26T17:35:00.000-08:00

Started the Laundry room!! Going to add a new washing machine and a dryer with new paint on the walls too!! here is a look at the empty place for the new one's waiting in the room ready to go to work for the next 20 years at least I hope..

2010-12-25T10:33:00.000-08:00

Alot of you guys didn't have a white xmas but this is the storm that dumped a foot of snow just before Christmas that gave us a very very white Xmas!! Ho Ho Ho!!!

Santa had a soft landing on our roof with the snow that is still left!

2010-12-25T10:29:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2010 at the Bean's residence on Eberhart St! -9 below with beautiful frost covering everything that it could cling too.. Even the radio antenna's on the cars were pretty white!!
Hope Santa was as good to you as he was to our family this year! Looking forward to the new year of 2011!! Fresh start and hopefully not as eventful as this year was for us!!

Merry xmas to you all

2010-12-19T12:56:00.000-08:00

They turned out brown and Juicy and they taste and smell great!! I'm impressed at the speed and the ease that this new grill has!! Oh boy what will I cook next?

2010-12-19T10:16:00.000-08:00

Ready to go on the grate!! In a little over an hour when they reach 180 degrees I will have smoked chickens!! Oh boy!!

2010-12-19T09:56:00.000-08:00

While I was hanging around True Value for the Hometown Holiday Hurrah I had time to look at everything in the store for 2 1/2 hours so I got the urge to buy a new grill/smoker so I bought this traeger one! I'm going to get it yucky with 2 chickens this afternoon so I hope it works as good as they say it does!!

2010-11-30T09:48:00.000-08:00

The interior of the mission and it's many attractions!!

2010-11-30T09:38:00.000-08:00

We went to 2 Missions where they have preserved the way they were many years earlier!

The ceiling and walls still have the original painting!

Notice the airplane in the brilliant blue sky to the left of the church steeple!

On the left of the church building is a bell in the tower with a rope leading to the anteroom to be used to celebrate or warn of danger!!

2010-11-30T09:31:00.000-08:00

These photo's are of the Alamo!

The long building which held most of the Mexicans and some Americans during the siege of 13 days.

This ancient Oak tree still lives inside the complex!

And of course the front view of the ALAMO!

2010-11-30T09:26:00.001-08:00

Some more photo's from our trip to Texas!!

These are from the Riverwalk not far from the Alamo.

Jeanne and Marcel watching the water.

A nice waterfall with a great sound to it.

And lastly a Duck found peace and quiet from the boats on a ledge of flowers!

2010-11-27T17:04:00.000-08:00

Don't worry it wasn't me jogging on the beach but that is the North view of the beach access we had to the Gulf Of Mexico! Jeanne and Marcel were going to swim on the last day of our vist to the island but they decided to wade in the surf and enjoy the morning!! It was a nice 2 mile walk from one side to the other with lots of beach left to explore!!

2010-11-27T16:42:00.000-08:00

Nobody seems to post "new" info on the blogger but I will continue too for a while!!

Becky and Myself recently went on vacation to Texas!! We Met Marcel and Jeanne and ventured to San Antonio because of the many attractions that were within the 'city'!! The Alamo, the riverwalk, the Tower of America's where you can soar to 750' above the city and we took in a pro basketball game between the Spurs and the Orlando Magic in the AT&T arena We also took in Sea World of San Antonio and I felt blessed as they do a tribute to the military 'veterans' of the services before every act! It was breathtaking to say the least! Stupid me decided to brave the surf with my eyeglasses on and 'hey they are still in the sand on the beach"..

Lots of good food and sights but we wanted more so we headed south to South Padre Island which is the southern most place without venturing into the country of Mexico..

After a 5 hour drive we arrived to see beaches and adventures without the crowds that you would encounter during the 'tourist' seasons!! It was a lot of fun and the water in the Gulf of Mexico was nice and warm! Lots of wave action as the wind was blowing but 'hey it was a southern breeze, warm and inviting to get into the ocean'..

This 'wierd photo' is what a Wind Drift looks like on the beach behind some seaweed!! Believe me the sand was blowing and you had to wash your face and hair when returning to our beach accessed Motel! Lot and lots of sea shells everyday as you can see in the photo!

2010-11-09T13:40:00.001-08:00

WINTER ARRIVED ON 11/09/10

It showed up with heavy wet snow that coated the Kale and the vehicles! Now all the residents of Laramie have to "relearn" how to drive in it!! AAgghh It isn't that bad but to most people it acts like a blizzard!

JB and Angie were real close on their guess of 11/8/10 for the first snow of 4" or more..

alas only 1 more trip over the hill (which was closed already today) and then vacation and hopefully the Laramie local job!!!

Just think no more reloading the road report to see IF and WHEN I can get to work..

Sucks getting old but sometimes there are a few Benefits to it.. Senority rules on my job!!

2010-11-01T12:26:00.000-07:00

NOVEMBER 1st 2010

I hate to beat a dead horse to death but here are a few photo's of the front flower bed with flowers and plants still alive and blooming! It makes me wonder if the calender is right!!

2010-10-30T09:45:00.000-07:00

What a difference a couple of days can make!!

Earlier this week it was WINDY and yucky out and yesterday and today it is just like early summer or late fall!! I got the cars washed yesterday and we have the sheets out on the line today. Boy it is a picture perfect day with the Cowboys playing the Aztecs of San Diego here in the Gem City of The Plains!!

got the rain gutters swept out of leaves and cottonwood branches so most of my outdoor chores are done till next year..

The Kale in the front flower bed is still going strong!! They say it will last way into the winter..
Amazing!!

2010-10-29T13:26:00.000-07:00

Wierd!!!
About 3 weeks ago I lost my Pontiac keys (aka the green car)!! I searched and searched every where and do you think I could find them!! I had no idea where they could be!! No keys!!

Alas as I was unloading groceries for a trip to the cabin this Halloween weekend when I looked down and there they were on the edge of the driveway next to the grass!! How weird is that as I looked there at least twice maybe more but I never saw them!!

Spooky!!

or was it just a senior moment!!

2010-10-28T13:59:00.000-07:00

WINTER IS HERE IN WYOMING!!!

Went out and played train rescue last night from 10pm till 7 this morning and believe me I know for sure that the Indian summer has changed to Winter!! Burrrr it was 17 degrees when I got home this morning.. Needless to say I removed the 'dead' flowers out of the flower boxes on the front porch and put them in the shed for the long long winter!!
Snow still on the highway right-of-ways on Sherman hill. The Snowy Range road is closed for the season as they got pounded with this last storm last weekend.
Oh boy I knew it would show up but I'm not 'hardened' up yet..
Need to wear more layers of clothing I guess!!

2010-10-23T10:25:00.000-07:00

October 23rd and it is raining outside.. No snow just rain.. What is going on with the weather patterns that we have gotten used too?? I'm not complaining just wondering when we are going to get the "big one"!!!
Went to Bonnie's cabin this morning for a cup of coffee and it just started to flurry up there. No snow on the ground at Albany but there is up above!!

Still have the 2 flower boxes with flowers in them and I'm going to cut some sweet pea flowers this afternoon.

There is suppose to be another storm move in Sunday and Monday so maybe the white stuff will show it's ugly head then.

Will keep you posted..

2010-10-16T09:07:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe it is October 16th here in Laramie!!! With it being UW's homecoming week and another top 10 team to compete against!

Here is some of the Autumn color at the Eberhart residence.. Remember it is October and it should be yellow/brown and sometimes white with snow!!

2010-10-11T15:11:00.000-07:00

GETTING READY FOR WINTER!!!

Last night on the way home from work it rained/sleeted hard on Sherman Hill! So today I "winterizer" the Eberhart residence.. I moved all but 2 flower boxes (they still hadn't froze even though it got to 30 deg last night with a heavy frost on the windshields) and I blew out the water hoses and put them away in the shed..

We have been using the wood stove burning "rail tops" as it gets chilly when the sun sets here in the High desert plains of Laramie..

Got the windshield snow blade and scrapers in the vehicles so all we need is for old man winter to rear it's ugly head and last till FOREVER!!

Leaves on the trees have all but fell off with still a whole bunch of "hanger's on" waiting for me to put the mulching mower away for the winter!! The flowering crab apple tree leaves still haven''t fell off so they must not of felt the effects of the cold but when it does the leaves curl up and fall off rather late in the fall season..

All we can do now is hunker down and pray for spring!!

But we have REX in the garage ready to 'rock & roll'..

2010-09-28T13:58:00.000-07:00

With record heat here in Laramie today it appears this might be overkill showing the firewood at the Eberhart residence buy hey OLD MAN WINTER will show up!!

2010-09-28T13:45:00.000-07:00

The boys of Autumn! aka the hunting camp men!!

Went up this last weekend and made a "unannounced visit while the men and boys were setting up "elk/deer camp"

2010-09-24T18:03:00.000-07:00

Hummingbird Moth makes it last visit to the flowers before winter!!

2010-09-20T15:16:00.000-07:00

Medicine Bow peaks to the North and it is our future with the trees that are still left alive..

2010-09-20T15:09:00.000-07:00

Way to go
ABBY you can head for a car in about 9 years NOW..

2010-09-20T15:02:00.001-07:00

2010-09-20T14:58:00.001-07:00

This is how they atack the beetle killed trees.. I only have a chainsaw and REX..

ATTACK OF THE DEAD BEETLE TREES..

2010-09-20T14:48:00.000-07:00

Fall, The cabin at ALBANY..

2010-09-20T14:37:00.000-07:00

went up and spent a couple of days at the cabin this weekend after a long week at work and HEY the seasons are changing.. These are a few shots of the French creek drainage looking west towards Saratoga and Encampment! A couple looking at the 500 road looking east towards Rob Roy resouvior many miles to the east on the Mullen creek drainage!

2010-09-04T12:03:00.000-07:00

ROCK CRAWLER!!

While we were target practicing at the gravel pit we watched a jeep that was highly modified climb the steep slope by us!! He has some cast Iron b***s to do that in a jeep!! I wouldn't take REX or a 4wheeler up there myself!!

2010-09-04T11:58:00.000-07:00

My Son maybe younger but I can still out shoot Him!!

Target practice at the gravel pit!! 100 or so rounds of 22 shells in the

pistol but I still hit the bullseye more than he did!! Got the targets for PROOF too!!

2010-09-04T11:57:00.001-07:00

ROAD CLOSED!! Do you think!!!

2010-09-04T11:51:00.000-07:00

Labor Day Vacation!

Been up at the cabin for 3 days with JB visiting and helping me cut trees/firewood!

Had a great birthday with a "rex" ride and seeing some moose and a deer! Great food and

football/baseball too!!

2010-08-23T10:15:00.000-07:00

I went up to the cabin on Friday and spent a quiet night after sealing the deck with stain/sealer.. Here is a photo of the moon shining through the upper front window of the cabin!! Sorry the time on the clock that Jeanne got us is not the actual time as it was only 9pm almost bedtime in the mountains!!

2010-08-23T10:08:00.000-07:00

Decided I needed to get up to the cabin to cut down the "red" trees that are everywhere this weekend so here is a couple of photo's to prove that Jim, Bonnie, Becky and myself with the great help of "REX" and "BIG BLUE" the tractor!! My thanks to all for their help in cleaning up the cabin site.. Still more work to do but hey there is next weekend and OH BOY a week of vacation to get after it again!!

Pretty sore and out of shape but as they say ' no pain no gain'

2010-08-19T11:46:00.000-07:00

Here is the front Hedge from a wide view to the small Hide hole that the flower is in the backside to a hungry bee munching on the nector! While only 4 individual plants it sure puts out the flowers every year! enjoy!!

2010-08-19T11:11:00.000-07:00

The backyard has the blue and light purple flowers blooming that the Hummingbird "moths" and the "birds" both love but I like the Tiger Lilies my self so here is a close of a flower and then the next photo is of the "mystery" veggie that came with the sunflowers and low and behold it is a Zuccini! It has taken a beating with the rain and light hail but we might salvage enough to make a loaf of bread!! Last but not least is everyones favorite the dandilion which everyone can grow!! Just to show the dilligence of the front flower hedge here is a close up of the Potentela peeking through the fence seeking a bee to keep it going!! Boy do those yellow flowers draw the bees!! While summer is almost over it is nice to see what we have to "view".. Hope you enjoy them as much I we do!!

2010-08-19T10:58:00.000-07:00

Here is a close up of the Sunflower with a Bee "feeding" on it and then the next photo is a wide shot of the 3 plants that we planted next to the front window to "smile" at us in the morning!! A close up of the "Kale" and the sweet peas that are slow to bloom in front of the wagon wheel and then the wide shot of the front flower bed with the petuna's and the pansies "smiling" at us every day! They smell good too!

Here are some more photo's of the "garden" of flowers here at the Eberhart household!

2010-08-19T10:51:00.001-07:00

Been a while since I posted so here are some summer time flowers for you to enjoy! We filled the planter boxes with flowers and boy did the early summer wind have fun wrecking havoc on them but the Moss roses did well! This lonely Potentalia flower refuses to be denied a bloom as it crawls through the holes of the front fence every year and blooms a yellow flower for the bees to enjoy!

2010-05-23T15:33:00.000-07:00

My wife Becky with the help of friend Adriene got together and decided to order "us" a Beer Brewing kit to make home brew beer!! I need to go to the cabin and get some good ole "well" water to make the first batch here soon and see what the results will be in 3-4 weeks! As you can see there are lots of "parts" and "stuff" to use so all I need now is an assistant to help as it needs some time sensitive care when I start the process!! When Becky gets off her detail I will "attemt" to brew my first batch!! Stay tuned for the brewing and the results!!

Oh Boy I hope it works out and it is "reaaaaallllyyy Good"

2010-05-17T14:12:00.000-07:00

Tinkerbell showed up with her fairy dust! Nice red shoes!!

Ever heard of looking for your marbles? Here Gramma Beck and Nora are at Great Gran's sorting them and puting them back in the jar by colors! Not sure what to make of it with multi colors but hey it kept her busy!! Thanks Gran for letting your great granddaughter touch your marbles! We appreciate it!

2010-05-03T16:58:00.000-07:00

Here I am with my "girls"!! with these 2 checking out the diving pool it was a good thing we got them float vest and swim goggles because these girls hopefully will be competing in the olympics in the near future!!

2010-05-03T16:48:00.000-07:00

Here are some photo's of Gramma Beck's and Gramps visit with the kiddo's to Casa Bonita in Denver during my visit to see Becky's new home away from home this weekend!

Angie the kid's beautiful Mom!

Gramma Beck with Abigail!

Dad with Ally!

The whole gang watching the cliff divers dive off the "rocks"!! Not shown is photo's of the 'star wars" light sabers that we got the girls! and I only thought 'boys' played with swords? I have a lot to learn I guess?

2010-04-24T10:11:00.000-07:00

Here is the seat and the flower boxes uncovered from the snow!

This one I left covered to get the moisture out of the snow!

Wet soggy mess on the road with all the moisture in that heavy wet snow!

REX needs a bath and he deserves it with all the work he did! If I had to shovel that snow I would be down for a week with a bad back!! Thanks REX great job!!

REX to the rescue!!

2010-04-24T08:31:00.001-07:00

This the neighbor's house across the steet from us.

Note the bench seat on the right side is almost covered up.

All 4 sides of the house looked like this..

At least it is a 4wd!

Here is the bench and the flower planters totally covered up with snow!

More springtime photo's!

2010-04-24T08:26:00.000-07:00

So much for springtime in Laramie!!

We got about 6-8 inches of heavy wet snow last night and winds over 40mph which made for a winter like scene here at home!

2010-04-21T12:46:00.000-07:00

Here are some spring time photos of the back yard and hopefully the flower beds and the Lilac and trees will start to show more color in the weeks to come. Sorry no garden pictures this year as it won't happen because I have a shiny new fishing license and conservation stamp in my wallet that is going to take up a lot of my time this summer!! Safeways still sells produce!!

Backyard in the spring of 2010!!

2010-04-21T12:36:00.000-07:00

Here is some spring time flowers that always pop up early and last until winter!! The pontentella hedge sure took a beating with the heavy wind blown snow this past winter that I hope is now over! I mowed the grass short to allow the rains/snow to get to the roots to help in the fight with the high water bills that seem to be getting higher and higher every year!!

SpringTime in Laramie I hope!!

2010-03-25T12:58:00.000-07:00

Oh No another post with no photo's!

Some times photos don't convey the real reason for blogs!

It has been a interesting month to say the least!

Let me explain!

My wife/partner has decided to take a job in Denver/Golden for 4 months and a real good friend has taken a job far away from Laramie to be nearer her familly ( good luck Adriene) I will miss you!!
So with all the turn around going on I can only wish upon myself a quiet spring at the cabin and the spring fishing at Rob Roy that it might bring!!

Some time change is good if it is expected and these were so the results are positive in every way!!

While it will be a challenge to keep up the home front I will truely miss both and I only hope that it will bring a new awaking to those who doubt their abilities!!

Congrats to Becky Sue and Adriene Holcolm you are appreciated and will be missed by me!!

2010-03-12T14:03:00.000-08:00

CABIN!

Sorry I forgot to take my camera to the cabin when Pa and I visited it today. Just an update on the snow conditions up there though it is muddy with windy conditions. Snow depth is about 2 feet on the level without figuring in the wind blown drifts! On the deck of Becky's cabin is about 1-2 feet on the south facing front with 5 foot piles on the north side of the deck where the snow slides off the roof onto the deck!

I would say off the record that this is an average snow year but hey March is the snowiest month of the year so who knows??

Hopefully I can get up there early this spring and cut down the 4 trees that are dead around the cabin.. I plan to use the winch on REX to snake them down out of harms way of the cabin this spring early!! I need the firewood btw!!

Hopefully some spring photo's here in the near future!

I am anxious to see how the "baby" trees we planted last year are doing?

2010-03-11T09:21:00.000-08:00

SPRINGTIME!!!

Not quite yet here in the high country of Wyoming but I wanted to let everyone know that today I saw my first Robin of the year!! Trouble of it is, it is snowing and blowing with a real nasty windchill factor outside!! We did have 3 or 4 days in which the temperature reached high enough to melt some snow.. Trouble now is it is mudsville on the road and the "lakes" around the drainage holes are huge!!

Oh well at least Mother Nature thinks spring is near so that is definitely a good sign for things to come!!

Pa and myself are headed to the cabin tomorrow to put the shower faucet back together so I will hopefully get some updated photos on how the snow levels are at Albany.

Think SPRING as we have had enough winter!!

2010-01-26T13:17:00.000-08:00

These photo's show the old 4 foot ramps that my Dad made for the 'blue trailer' to haul around the 350 that John is fixing for us to use this summer .. the other photo shows the car hauler in the street with a new set of ramps on the front deck to haul REX to the hills with when we need it!! I have been wanting to use the hauler and ramps for sometime now and I can't wait to use them here soon!!

2010-01-26T13:12:00.000-08:00

I decided to move my car hauler from the "so called alley" to the street so I can use it this winter to transport REX to the cabin if I want too!! The city plows the street west of us but could care less about the access to the alley so I used REX to make a hole to move the trailer to the street! Lots of snow to come but I'm ready for It!! Bring it on!!

2010-01-15T12:20:00.000-08:00

HEAT WAVE!!

After I got a new battery for Becky's car it started to warm up!! I now have the numbers for my 04 truck batteries in case another cold spell shows up so I can stop that one!! Ha..Ha!!.. Well it might work twice!

No kidding it has been nice here and in Cheyenne/Rawlins/Green River as I visit all of them quite regularly here lately..

Here is photo to warm the spirits.. enjoy the intensity of one grandkid and the fear in one and the sheer enjoyment in the other as it lifts my spirits everytime I look at it!!

Gotta love being young again..

2010-01-08T13:54:00.000-08:00

ENOUGH ALREADY!!!

Yesterday (1/7/10) when I drove home at 4 am from work the temperature was -30 on my trucks thermometer!! It warmed up to a balmy -7 during the day.. This morning (1/8/10) it was -22 below and it has warmed up to a toasty 7 above!! My truck failed to start this morning so enough is enough!!

The weather guessers are saying -5 tonight which is warmer but it is already 35 above in Cheyenne where I will be driving to at 1am this morning to go to work!!

I sure hope it breaks soon as a new battery is ordered for the Caddy as it failed to start when Becky was at work!!

Our cruise wasn't long enough! Argggg

2010-01-04T12:54:00.000-08:00

More photos of the winter fun we had at the cabin! The sled proved to be a challenge as both the "tube and the sled" went out of the plowed tracks to deep snow!! Only "owwie" was to Abby who decided to slide into the back of the four-wheeler when it came to a stop and her face hit the trailer hitch! A nice black eye and a new nick name for her "shiner" is all the damage that was done other than a few tears!! She was a trooper and got right back on after Gramma Beck provided some first aid and some kisses!!

Hot chocolate was needed after the day but boy it was sure fun!!

2010-01-04T12:48:00.000-08:00

The Denver Beans decided to spend a night at the cabin in the winter to "play" in the snow! Boy did we ever.. Thanks to Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Jim who let us use their 4wheeler and innertube which provided some fun "laps" around the field!!

2009-12-30T09:23:00.000-08:00

Becky is in Boise visiting the kids/grandkids this week and she called and said it snowed up there last night! She said the neighbor's were out shoveling the "snow" wearing shorts like they have never seen snow before! We'll here in the "high country" of Wyoming we have snow to shovel/blow or push around believe me!!
Hurry home Becky I miss you but I bet you don't miss this white stuff we have had here since late September!!

2009-12-06T11:32:00.000-08:00

Coco Cay!!
Once on shore you get to visit the "hawkers" selling their wares to the visiters! The sign is where the "tenders" pick you up or take you back to the ship. Once there you can walk to the far side of the island and find this view of sandy beaches and deck chairs with "people" in them!!

2009-12-06T11:15:00.000-08:00

THE MAJESTY OF THE SEAS!
This is the ship that we sailed on to the Bahama's, Coco Cay, and KeyWest Fl.. In these photo's you can see her anchored out for our visit to Coco Cay!! If you look at the door that is opened on the upper left corner above the top and 1 porthole to the left that was our stateroom! The middle photo is how it looks in her full view and the right photo shows the anchor being dropped to keep the ship stationary so the "tender" could ferry us to and from shore at Coco Cay!! She has 14 decks above water and is 888 feet long! She has everthing you would ever need (a floating city)!! If you love to eat this is the ticket!! They cater to your every need. The evening entertainment was first class too!! It was a great vacation!! By the way it was 89 degrees while we were there and the water was about 75 degrees!!

2009-11-24T08:25:00.000-08:00

IT'S OFFICIAL!!
Rex is the name of the Polaris sidebyside. I picked up the 'Prestige" plate today!
Thanks Becky..

2009-11-15T12:28:00.000-08:00

2Storms in 2 days and this is the result!! If you zoom in on the ruler in the snow on the picnic table it shows 9" inches!! As the other photo shows the 2 'soldiers' resting after doing their duties getting the snow moved and moving us when when went to visit Granny and Pa!! Becky wanted to learn how to plow so plow we did this morning!!
She is learning the little things like backing up into the garage with her Caddy in there.. There also is the trick of lifting up and lowering the plow at the same time as you are pushing snow!!

It isn't as easy as it sounds but with a long winter ahead of us it will give us lots of practice.. By spring she will be a pro or the Caddy will need to go visit the autobody doctors!!

Winter is here!!

2009-11-11T10:39:00.000-08:00

VETERANS DAY 2009
Another year has come and gone since my last veterans day post!! Still at "war" so we must stand by our troops who are in harms way now and our veterans that have served in past wars!! Thanks to all of my family members for their service and I only hope that the conflicts we have now will end soon.

May we always remember those who have served and those who "gave all"

2009-11-09T15:45:00.000-08:00

SUNSET!!

Looking out the backyard these photos's are a sign of how low the sun sets in the south compared to how it sets during the summer when the sun is a little bit further north!!

this is at 4:30 in the afternoon so I can't imagine with the time change what it will be like on Dec 21st!!

2009-11-01T11:39:00.000-08:00

Got these photo's from the Denver Bean's! Halloween in the big city for these 3 little ghoulies!! Hope they got lots of "loot" from the nice people in Aurora!! Happy Halloween!!

2009-10-30T06:31:00.000-07:00

REX TO THE RESCUE!!!

Yesterday right after Becky got home from work she came in the house and said the mail truck was stuck at the end of the block! I was dressed in sweat pants and my low merrill shoes but I put on my hat, coat and gloves to check it out!! Sure enough even with cable chains this "low rider" truck was stuck!!

I debated on whether to use the new truck or Rex but it was a quick decision to use Rex instead of risking wrecking the truck again!! So off I went to get Rex out of the garage..

I used the plow to make 2 passes in front of the truck but deciding that wasn't going to help I dropped the plow in the road and reeled out the winch cable to "tug" it out!!

No problem other than it was fridgid cold with the wind blowing, but hey as they say, "the mail must get delivered"!!

Becky and myself then attatched the plow and made a quick plow job in front of the mail boxes left on his route!!

2009-10-29T08:49:00.000-07:00

Winter time Update!!

Well the first "big" snow storm is upon us and I was all ready to tackle the plowing with REX but the little bitty "flu" bug put a halt to that for a couple of days..

When I got home Monday night I was feeling kinda poorly and then came tuesday and WHAM it hit!!

Today is thursday and I was able to eat a lite breakfast and drink some water/diet sprite zero so there is some improvement..

I was able to use REX to plow and it sure is a treat to be out of the snow inside the cab pushing 6 feet wide of one foot deep wet snow with no problems at all!!

I will need to get some "edge" markers for the grass and the wood timber sides of the drive as it is still hard to see where the edges are when the snow is deep but other that that no problems..

Now I am waiting to see if they are gonna get the roads open to Cheyenne so I can tough out this trip!!

Wish me luck. Hopefully a few photo's in the coming blogs

2009-10-10T10:20:00.000-07:00

Winter 2009 is here!! I got my truck back from the "truck repair" doctors just in time to see it snow 5-6 inches of wet heavy snow with lots of moisture in it!! The picnic table in the backyard along with the fence railings/shed shows the amount of snow we received, and the other 2 is of me moving/plowing snow with Rex on it's maiden voyage!! It takes a little bit of remembering whether to use in/out buttons on the winch control to raise/lower the plow but it is still a lot easier than the hand raised lever on the old 350!! It moves a lot of snow in a wide path compared to the old plow!! It looks like it might be a long wet/snowy winter so at least I am ready!!

2009-10-09T16:25:00.000-07:00

Because I was to embarrased to show the "damaged" photo's here are the repaired photo's!! They did a fine job as far as I can tell and the "panels" on the doors were all replaced because of the poor factory paint/finish job!! Kudo's to GM Auto Center here in Laramie for doing the repairs as they did a timely and good job!! Maybe the faith in GM will return!!

2009-10-07T08:58:00.000-07:00

These photo's of the shed are out of order but here they are anyway! The first should have been me looking at the outside and then the mess that is inside!! I couldn't get anything either out or in unless something was moved around so it was my chore today to "rearrange" things!! The below blog shows the finished look!! While it still might look "messy" at least I can get in and get out without a lot of hassle!!

2009-10-07T08:55:00.000-07:00

This is what the side of the house and the shed looks like after I "rearranged" things a little bit!

2009-10-05T06:43:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Mom!!

Today would have been my Mom's 80th birthday.. She was born on this day in 1929.
There are few days that go by that I don't think about her or do something that she taught me to do and or that she taught me not to do!!

I miss you Mom, Happy birthday!!

Love your son Lance David

2009-09-30T12:10:00.000-07:00

With the daylight getting less and less with the oncoming winter season I felt a little extra light on REX might help when we plow snow before Becky goes to work in the morning!! These driving lights aren't installed or hooked up yet but I put in a call to John B and he said he would help me out with it!! Seems like everything I have touched or tried to do lately has resulted in a total disaster!! I will update you when the work is completed!! Stay tuned for updates!!

John showed up and he did a professional job of installing and wiring my lights!! Thanks John!!

2009-09-30T12:02:00.000-07:00

Here Is REX with a full set of ATV tire chains on with the snowplow hooked up and ready to plow some snow!! I had made some homemade chains for the 350 which didn't fit near as nice as these "store bought" ones do!! LET IT SNOW!!

2009-09-30T11:57:00.000-07:00

The trees in both the front and back have turned colors as you can see.. The wind blew hard early this morning and a lot of leaves fell to the ground so this must mean winter is near!! The weather guessers are saying rain turning to snow by tomorrow night!! As you can see in the blog above this one Becky, myself and REX are ready!! Let it snow!!

2009-09-29T17:42:00.000-07:00

REX IS HOME!!

I got Rex back from the Polaris Doctors and his checkup was A-O.K. Photo's tomorrow on some new additions!!

Stay tuned!!

2009-09-27T12:16:00.000-07:00

Well it is almost October and the weather hasn't been too bad!! A few cold snaps with some rain/snow but not enough to close the interstate 80 between Laramie and Cheyenne!! Ah Haw!! but today it is closed due to multiple accidents!! What is it going to be like this winter?? One can only wonder!!!..

O.K. I must confess the new 2004 Chevy got its body reshaped by an Aspen tree here recently with it being my "stupid" decision to use a worn/defective snatch strap .. Sorry no photos's as it is bad enough to remember it once. When the diesel pulled on the tree to pull it into the field it was too much for the strap that had been tied into a knot several years ago.. Moral of the story is it too much power or should I have replace the used and unworthy equipment while using high horsepower!!

With the new "side-by-side"(which will be called by the name of "Rex" from now on) needed a service call to change the oil and it's 25 hours servicing, I am without a 4 wheel drive vehicle at my disposal for the first time in a long long time!!

As a side note getting back to I-80 It might be a long long hard winter!!

Wish me well on my commute to Cheyenne to work this winter as it might be an adventure!!

2009-09-18T14:37:00.000-07:00

HOUSE CRITTERS!!!

I decided to blow out the sprinklers today with an approaching cold front coming our way and when I opened the control boxes in the front and rear I found my old buddy that was there last year.. The salamander!! He/she is 2 years old now and there wasn't a bug or spider-web anywhere!! Way to go little buddy!! I seen a couple of grasshoppers so I slightly smashed them and boy he gobbled them down whole while I was opening the valves!! In the back box I found a tiny green frog that I had seen earlier in the spring.. He was good and fat and again no bugs in that box either!! Outside house pets make good sprinkler box cleaners!!

2009-09-14T14:05:00.000-07:00

SNAKES!!!

Anyone who knows me knows that there are only 2 good snakes.. One in the zoo and a dead one and I'm not sure about the zoo!!

This monster had the guts to try and slither into "my" garage without me knowing it!! Ha Ha!! It is now in the catagory of a dead snake!!

I HATE SNAKES!!

Now I'm on the look out for more so if you hear a scream it is only me finding one that needs to be put filed under dead snake!!

2009-09-13T14:13:00.000-07:00

It has been a long long time since the driveway was "void" of firewood!! Finally after a long summer of hauling it down and a long fall getting it split and stacked it is finally FINISHED!! yeah!!
My thanks to Bonnie and Jim for the use of their splitter as it sure took the really hard work out of it!!

2009-09-08T13:19:00.000-07:00

The New and the Old!!

I tend to keep 'things' till they are no longer useful!! But in this case I splurged and bought a 12' car hauler!! Some might say "only a 12'er" but it fits my needs just fine, hauling the Ranger and whatever wood I want to haul home!! With electric brakes ( my first both of us Becky and I) have hauled a "load" and it pulls really nice with my diesel truck!! Am I spoiled or what? The old blue trailer that my Dad built me for my old old 300 Honda with a snow plow is exactly 4' 1/2" wide to accomadate the 4' plow that I used on the my "new 350" for years!! Sure is handy when I need it though!!

2009-09-08T10:32:00.000-07:00

BECKY CRUISING!!!

with a big smile on her face too!! Both her and my Daughter in Law Angie both felt really comfortable enough to go cruising up the mountain on some "trips"!! I love It!!

2009-09-08T10:25:00.000-07:00

It didn't take much to get the little ones (Abby, Ally and big Sister Amber) with the great help of Gramma Beck to put some miles on that cute machine with the big flag on the back ( to aid in parents and grandparents to see where they are)!!! Oh the smiles and the thrills!!

can"t wait till Tyler and Nora get up and get to put on the required kid size helmets we make them use to zoom around the 1/8 mile race track!!

Sorry Bonnie and everyone else up there but we might have created a monster!!

2009-09-08T10:20:00.000-07:00

The Ranger will double as a "play toy" and "work horse" as I ordered it with an 4000# electric winch and a 5 foot snow plow to use in the winter time here in town!! The steel cab with doors and a tip out windshield should really help out on the need to wear my new insulated bib coveralls that I used on the old 350 that nephew John B is gonna hopefully get fixed up and back in service for a second "toy" at the cabin..

2009-09-08T10:04:00.000-07:00

LOADED UP!!!

My new "toys" that I bought are loaded up and heading to the cabin at Albany for the labor day weekend!! With 0.1 on the odometer on Ranger and the new 90 sportsman 4 wheeler in the front of the trailer we were gonna put some miles/hours on them both!! And we did just that! I came home today and there was 18.9 hours and 200+ miles on the ranger and who knows what was on the little machine as it doesn't have a speedometer or odometer on it!! By the way the little machine is "throttled" down to a max of 15 mph with a top speed of 30 mph if I let it run that way!! No need to do that as the 15 mph is plenty fast enough to run the "Albany 1000"!!!!

2009-09-02T14:14:00.000-07:00

Becky took these photo's above Cinnabar park on a road we nicknamed the "yeah haw" road!! At one time we cussed the clear cuts but now they will have the only surviving pine trees when this beetle epidemic is over and done with!! The Snowy Range peaks are in the distance!

2009-09-02T14:05:00.000-07:00

This series of photo's shows the wood that I split today and the old stumps from last year that still need to be split and what we have already cut, split, moved and stacked at various places at the house!! I am not sure where this pile on the driveway will wind up maybe on the west side for "reserve"!!

2009-09-02T13:59:00.000-07:00

On a recent drive above the cabin towards Lake Owen I took these photos which show the devastation of the beetle kill in the mountains which is our backyard!! The caboose is at Lake Owen on the old railroad that we called "The Coalmont Local" branch which originated at Laramie and ended at Coalmont which is south of Walden Colorado. A distance of 98 miles!!

Notice the haze in the photo overlooking Albany below and the Centennial Valley in the distance from the fires in California..

2009-09-02T06:32:00.000-07:00

As you can see in this series of photo's that Becky took, Jim and Bonnie ordered some roadbase gravel for the drive into their cabin and Jim was smoothing it out. They say there are 2 seasons up there, mud and no mud so hopefully this will help them this fall and winter. The tractor that they have sure gets a lot of work and the Bean's sure appreciate being able to get to our cabin when we get the urge to in the winter.

Thanks Bonnie and Jim we appreciate all the work that you do up there..

2009-09-02T06:22:00.000-07:00

2 places 2 different types of weather!!

While I was recovering from the sore toe I went to the cabin to rest up. When I was able to wear a shoe with a toe on it it was time to get to work on the wood pile again.. Only while we were up at the cabin in relative nice weather ( it rained for a while is all) it was a different story in town!! The sunflower at least survived the severe beating of the hail that totally destroyed the vegetables growing in the backyard garden!! The large green pepper now has ugly black holes punched thru it and the leaves and flowers of the vine plants are gone!!

More wood to get split today but with Labor day just around the corner and the Denver Bean's coming up to enjoy the last weekend of the fall it should be fun and hopefully relaxing with good weather I hope!!

2009-08-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

OLD ENOUGH TO KNOW BETTER!!

You would think I would be old enough to wear boots when handling firewood wouldn't you!! Evidently not!! I was wearing my old wore out wool slippers when a piece of wood slipped out of my hands and landed right on the big toe!! It was a lousy night sleep with the throbbing and even the covers on the bed felt like a ton of weight on it!! Walking is slow today and the only footware so far today is sandals with the toes open.. Can't wait till I go to work and have to wear my work boots!

2009-08-26T18:16:00.000-07:00

When My grandkids visited us on their summer vacation Gramma Becky took the kids to the store to buy "flowers" for the house.. Tyler picked the sunflowers and Nora chose the peppers and the tomatoe!! Both are doing good but with the short season here in Laramie who knows which will make it to maturity first!! Thanks kiddo's for the memories of your choices!!

2009-08-26T18:05:00.000-07:00

I got a taker on splitting wood!! With a little bit of coaching and some ear/hand protection she was a pro!! Thanks Becky for the help I really appreciated it!! Now I need some stackers!!!