Telluride at Christmas

We finally made it back up to Telluride - again. As most of you know Steve and I arrived here on December 16th and had to leave the next day because my Mom passed away in Las Vegas. We then flew to Pittsburgh and had funeral services for Mom on December 21st. My sister Lisa did a great job with the services which were well attended. Steve and I drove back up to Telluride on Christmas Day and it is gorgeous here with all the snow and lights but it is also very cold. We hope to get some skiing in over the next week.

More of the Virgin River

This is an area of the Virgin River called big springs about four miles from where the walkway ends at the last shuttle bus stop in the canyon. That back pack I'm carrying probably weighs about thirty pounds. We rented water shoes, neoprene socks and the wooden hiking poles from the Zion Narrows Outfitters. The equipment worked out great. I also rented and carried dry pants but didn't end up using them. After a while you just get used to being wet and it doesn't bother you. I had a garbage bag in my back pack which kept most of the contents dry.

Hiking the Zion River Narrows

I spent last weekend hiking the Virgin River Narrows in Zion national Park - 16 miles! Having never done this before I was told we would take two days to hike 16 miles down river and stay overnight in a camp ground half way downstream. Didn't sound too bad. Well I should have remembered better some of the stories of the early explorers who first map some of the rivers in the West. Going downstream is not always going down stream. Sometimes to avoid little waterfalls and deep areas you are forced to take the path up on the bank and over rocks and boulders. We started out Saturday morning at the trailhead after driving 15 miles on a narrow dirt road. The camp ground we reserved was located at mile marker 10 which we finally reached about one hour before dark. The water Saturday wasn't much above our knees but the water Sunday reached above our waists at times.

Telluride

I was hiking today and took this picture on the trail above Telluride. This is basically the town set in a box canyon. The long streets run west to east. There is only one road into town unless you want to count a couple of the four wheel jeep trails which run over the mountains. The weather is great right now with the temperature getting into the 70's every day and the nights cooling down to the 50's.

My sumer reading list

Since my last post was about how much more reading I'm doing with my new kindle I thought I would give you a list of my summer reading:

1. The Host by Stephenie Meyer - Stephenie Meyer is the author of the very popular Twilight series and since I liked that series I thought I would read her only other book called The Host. In The Host the bodies of humans are being taken over by alien souls only because the aliens feel that they can do a better job which when you think about some people it isn't a stretch. The book is a page turner and will have you asking yourself what it really means to be "human". Totally different from the Twilight series but still very enjoyable.

2. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese - Instead of reading this book with a medical dictionary in my other hand I skipped over the latin medical terminology which litter the book. But even so the novel was very entertaining. The story is about twin boys born in Ethiopia to a nun born and raised in India but sent to Africa to work as a nurse. One twin has to leave Ethiopia and finds his way to America and his father who he has never met. Great story.

3. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoos by Steig Larsson - Set in Sweden; a magazine editor Mikael Blomkvist tries to solve a thirty year old mystery with the help of Lisbeth Salander who is an anti social troubled private investigator with great internet hacking skills. Another page turner and the first in a trilogy for books but each reads as a separate novel.

4. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett - I know this isn't a brand new book but I finally got around to reading it. The Pillars of the Earth is about the building of a cathedral in England during the 1100's. I've studied how cathedrals were built in art history and the some of the differences between them but I never fully understood the "why" of the undertaking. This novel explores every aspect of the undertaking of building a cathedral in times when the general population had barely enough food to eat and a place to sleep. This novel also explores the nature of the political climate during this time.

5. The Forgotten Garden: A Novel by kate Morton - This novel is about a little girl who travels by herself from England to Australia and is taken in by a family. Later she learns she was adopted and then tries to find out about her past. A light but enjoyable read.

My Kindle

Sorry no picture but just go to Amazon. com to see what one looks like. I've had a kindle for about three months now and I absolutely love it. There are a couple of issues I want to warn you about before you go off the deep end like I have. First of all I'm reading constantly; like every night before I go to bed. Before my kindle I basically read on the airlines and away from home. My book selection stemmed from the new paper back releases available at bookstores in various airports. Now it is so easy to just go to Amazon.com and download a new book that I find myself worrying if I don't have at least 1 1/2 unread books sitting waiting for me on my kindle. I can download in the middle of the night if I'm desperate. My second problem is my choice of reading material. When I'm reading my kindle no one knows if I'm reading a trashy novel or an intellectual tome. I was always embarrassed to read trashy novels before because of the pictures on the front cover were to revealing. Now I don't have to worry about anyone even knowing what I'm reading. Amazon is pretty smart about this too. I got involved in one series of novels (six to be exact) because the first one in the series was on the Amazon/Kindle bestseller list and it was free! I've also found that I can even read my kindle in a moving vehicle which has always given me a headache before. I'm recommending a kindle to everyone but buyer beware it can be addicting.

Sequoia National Park, California

Steve and I are in Sequoia National Park outside of Three Rivers, California.  These trees are immense.  The park is a great place to visit with a variety of views and sites.  We climbed the over 200 steps to the top of Morro Rock, hike to the largest tree named the Sherman Tree (at least the largest in volume), and toured a marble cave.  We also saw a total of 4 bears; one we found walking up the road we were traveling on and a mother and two cubs we discovered routing around in the dirt above the road we were on.  

Bear Creek Falls, Telluride

This is not your average site along the side of the road.  I had to hike two miles through a canyon with a 1000 foot elevation gain.  That's why I love hiking!  But isn't it beautiful!  This is Bear Creek Falls just outside of Telluride, Colorado.  It is probably the most popular hike.  Just head up to the end of Pine Street and the trail head starts from there.  

White Nights in the Baltic

We are finally home but I had another picture I wanted to share.  This picture was taken about 11:oo pm on the night we sailed from St. Petersburg.  Unfortunately the sun is setting behind a cloud which is just above the horizon.  The Baltic countries refer to the summer solstice (June 21st) as Midsummer.  The Scandinavian countries and St. Petersburg refer to the time around the summer solstice as White Nights.  The days are so long that there is no real darkness and only a short amount of time as twilight.  Many residents will paddle small boats or walk along the River Niva in St. Petersburg.

Stockholm, Sweden

This is a picture of the Vasa which was a Swedish ship that sank in the Baltic Sea in 1628 on its maiden voyage just 1,500 meters from the coast. The ship was built too top heavy and was too narrow. A gust of wind came up and the ship just tilted over. In the 1950's the ship was discovered in the bottom of the sea and a massive effort was started to raise the vessel in tact. The project was a huge undertaking and lasted many years. After the ship was raised, it was dried out and coated with chemicals to keep it from deteriorating any further. It is now the oldest intact vessel of its kind. The museum also showed how life on a ship worked, the colors of the wood carvings on the ship and how much was learned from the restoration. This is my last blog entry until we arrived home since we will be leaving the ship tomorrow. Hope you enjoyed!

St. Petersburg, Russia

This was our second day in St. Petersburg, Russia. Today we took an hour drive to see Peterhof which is one of the places where Peter the Great held court. He also lived on the grounds in a small house. The grounds are full of fountains. It is a little hard to see but there is water running down the steps on both sides of the main waterfall and a huge fountain behind me and many other smaller fountains. The water originates in the hills above Peterhof and continue down the long canal from the base of the house to the Gulf of Finland just a short walk from here. This was really one of the highlights of the trip. The amount of restoration done on these historical treasures since the end of World War II is simply amazing.

St. Petersburg, Russia

St. Petersburg, Russia! Besides being a beautiful city we are also in former Soviet Russia. Everywhere else we just walk off the cruise ship and entered the city; but in Russia we had to give the port officials a copy of our passport and get our passports stamped. We also had to be with a tour guide the entire time. So our tour today included Catherine's Palace just outside of St. Petersburg. The picture here is of the Mirror Room inside the palace. All the gold is gold leaf! The room was designed in the early 18th century to copy the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles, France. We also visited several other spots in St. Petersburg including St. Peter and Paul Catherdals and the Catherdal of the Spilled Blood. Tomorrow we go to the Peterhof.

Tallin, Estonia

Tallin, Estonia is a beautiful historic seaport on the Baltic Sea. Fortunately not as much of the city was destroyed during World War II so there are many more 12 and 13th century buildings to enjoy. This picture is of the old town hall building. There is still a ring hanging from the outside wall that people found guilty of a crime would have to put their head and hands into and have to stay there for a certain amount of time depending on their crime. Outside this area on most days is an open air craft market of wonderful hand made crafts including felt hats, wool sweaters, linens, wood carvings and glass jewelry.

Riga, Latvia

It's Saturday - we must be in Riga! A different country every day is starting to wear on us. Today unfortunately it has been raining all day; but we did get to visit part of the old town in Riga. Riga has 42 churches for a population of 700,000. This ornate building was reconstructed after World War II. All the streets in this area are cobblestone.

Klaipeda, Lithuania

Klaipeda is a small port town in Lithuania. This is the main square in the town and there was a folk group singing. We went to an Amber museum and learn all about amber which is very popular in this part of the world. Amber is really tree resin and is millions of years old and comes in yellow, orange, brown and even green. Our tour guide took us to a local pub to have some locally brewed beer. I'm not much into beer but Steve said it was very good.

Gdansk, Poland

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This is a picture of the main street in Gdansk, Poland. The street was only open to foot traffic with restaurants and shops lining the side. We happened to be there for a religious festival and heard a band playing "When the saints come marching in". We felt quite at home. Since Gdansk was practically leveled by the end of World War II everything we saw was built about sixty years ago.

The Berlin Wall

This is me in front of what is left of the Berlin Wall. I always imagined the Berlin Wall being huge and really thick. It is probably only 10 foot tall and very thin. On this area that I am standing in front of; different artists were invited to paint certain sections of. You can also see some of the graffiti painted over the artist's work. We spent the entire day in Berlin visiting Checkpoint Charlie, the Allied Museum, Brandenberg Gate, and the allied airfield where the planes landed everyday for nine months with supplies to service the people of Berlin. Our tour guide today actually lived in West Berlin during that time.

Gottenberg, Sweden

This is a picture of Gottenberg, Sweden. It is a very beautiful town with pretty fountains commemorating Poesiden, beautiful gardens and lots of old history. Not very many old buildings have survived due to the fires over the years. Most buildings are made of wood.

Changing of the Guard

There were so many people that we hardly could get anywhere close to the fence to see the actual changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace (well until Steve let me crawl up on his shoulders - what a guy!). But we did get a picture of the band marching over from the guard house to Buckingham Palace. All the pomp and ceremony was fantastic!

Three days in London

Sorry no pictures yet but Steve and I just spent three days in London before boarding the cruise ship to start our Baltic Sea cruise. Let see - we saw Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, the Crown Jewels, Windsor Castle and HARRODS! London is an amazing city. The people are very friendly. We rode the hop-on-hop-off bus, the tube and the train. We are now sailing to our first stop in Sweden.

Ginger

We're testing to see if we can transfer a picture from my camera to my blog for use on our trip.

Colorado National Monument

This is a picture of Independence Rock located inside the Colorado National Monument outside of Grand Junction, Colorado.  If you are ever in the area the Colorado National Monument is a great park to drive through and take some short hikes.  The drive through the park is about 20 miles of fantastic scenery of red rock cliff faces and deep river canyons.  Steve and I recently enjoyed the drive through the area on our last trip to Telluride.

Tomorrow is Mother's Day and I want to celebrate my Mom’s life and to thank her for just a few of the many qualities she has imparted to me.  First of all I want to thank my Mom for teaching me how to walk in the woods and enjoy the beauty of nature.  Because of my Mom I have learned to walk many places and have enjoyed the beautiful nature God has given us.  Thanks to my Mom I have hiked to the top of mountains and deep into great canyons and have seen many of God’s wonders.   

I want to thank my Mom for teaching me how to be creative and how to work with my hands.  My Mom taught me how to sew and how to do macrame.  Because of my Mom I started a business with my sister Pat and learned how to do many different arts and crafts and enjoyed a profitable and fulfilling career for many years.  I was able to teach others how to be creative.

I also want to thank my Mom for teaching me how to work and accomplish goals without giving up or getting discouraged.  I want to thank my Mom for teaching me how to give of myself and my time to others.  As a young child I remember taking meals to older persons and helping them with their housework.  I remember my Mom being a Girl Scout leader, an active member in our church and a teacher.  I remember my Mom making making more pies than anyone could count for church functions.  Even when she started forgetting things she still tried to tutor young children and encouraged them to learn.

Finally I want to thank my Mom for teaching me how to grow old gracefully - how to hold on to your independence as long as you can and when it finally becomes necessary to give up that independence; how to do it with grace.  She has shown me that you can be cooperative and cheerful even when you would rather be cranky and irritable.  Spending these last few years with my Mom has taught me that you can still live with dignity and spirit even when you can no longer feed or dress yourself.   Thank you Mom for being my Mom.

Spring in Telluride

May in Telluride is referred to as mud season.  The snow is melting in the mountains and creating lots of water run off and "mud".  This picture is of Cornet Falls which is a 1/4 mile hike at the top of Aspen Street.  In Telluride you typically just walk to the end of a street and find a trail to start hiking.  I'm not sure why but this year the falls is surrounded half way around by a cone shape of ice.  It's quite magnificent!

Elton John Concert

Last Sunday night Steve and went to see Elton John in concert at Caesar's.  This was one of his last performances for the Red Piano Concert Tour at Caesar's Palace.  It was a terrific concert with a lot of energy and favorite songs; such as "Tiny Dancer", "Bennie and the Jets", "Crocodile Rock", "Levon", "Candle in the Wind", and many others.  Justin Timberlake played a young Elton in a great video to accompany "Rocket Man".  We have unique opportunity in Las Vegas to see many wonderful performers and right now many places are offering half price tickets to locals.

Steve's Retirement Party

These are pictures of Steve's retirement party at Maggiano's at the Fashion Show Mall.  We had 60 friends, family, business associates and ex-employees help us celebrate Steve's retirement.  Maggiano's did a great job with the food and bar and even sent an accordion player in to play a few tunes including; "For he's a golly good fellow".   Several people asked to speak and said some really nice things about Steve.  Steve's in the middle of the picture on the left.   

FIRST Las Vegas Regional

Sorry I wasn't closer when I took this picture but this is the winning match for the FIRST Robotic Competition Las Vegas Regional.  50 high school teams showed and competed over a three day period.  The competition was based on robots collecting moon rocks and loading them into their opponent's pod trailing behind the robots.  Each match took two minutes and it was best two out of three matches to advance.  Competition was fierce and the over all winner was an alliance including Cimmaron High School.  I volunteer for the event and learn how to run the pit administration desk.  It was a lot of fun working with these very motivated high school students.

Steve's Volunteer of the Year Award

FIRST is a national organization which hosts high school robotic competitions across the country and then hosts a world's final competition in Atlanta. GA.  My husband Steve became involved several years ago when he discovered parents of these high school students coming in to his business buying bearing and belts.  Since then he has sponsored and mentored several teams in the Las Vegas and Kingman areas, he has traveled to several regional and the national event, and has convinced other adults to get involved supporting and mentoring teams.  This year at the Las Vegas Regional this weekend, Steve was awarded the Volunteer of the Year Award.  he was very surprised and honored.  Congratulation Steve!

Valley of Fire

I bet it has been at least 10 years since I've been to Valley of Fire.  So Steve and I decided to go and we invited our friend Nicole who is visiting from Paris, France.  This is a picture of Nicole and I.  We all had a great time.  We drove around the park, hiked a little at Mouse Tank and Elephant Rock and had a wonderful picnic lunch.  Nicole was super impressed with the beautiful colors and the Indian petroglyphs.  It seems to me that the facilities have been improved upon since the last time we've been there.  What a fun day trip to get out of the city and enjoy nature.

My friend Nicole

My friend Nicole who lives in Paris, France is visiting Las Vegas.  Last Thursday I decided to take her on a hike.  We ended up hiking to Hoover Dam.  This is the greatest hike to take Las Vegas visitors on.  We drove toward the dam but pulled off the road and parked at the Lake Mead Visitor Center which is on the left hand side of the road before you reach the Hacienda Hotel.  The trail is well marked and for the most part follows the old railroad bed which was part of the dam construction.  The trail follows through five tunnels without much elevation change for about 3 1/2 miles and ends up at the top of the parking garage at Hoover Dam.  We did a little sight seeing at the dam and had lunch at the cafe before heading back to our car.  Nicole throughly enjoyed the hike.

Skiing

There is not a whole lot to like about downhill skiing.  Let see; you're dressed up like a football, your fingers and toes are registering somewhere between really cold and freezing, you're in the most uncomfortable foot ware and you've got a board strapped to the bottom of each foot.  One thing I do like is once you have figured out how to manipulate the skis and poles you can become one with the mountain and terrain as you're cruising down the slopes.  But what I like the most is the scenery. It is breathtaking to be at the top of a peak and look across the surrounding mountains and valleys.  Here are two of the pictures I've taken recently while skiing in Telluride, Colorado.  Both pictures are taken from a ski run called "See Forever".   In the second picture if you look closely you will see the Telluride airport runway; the shoveled out black line on the mesa in the distance.  Imagine flying along looking down in a canyon and having the ground come up to meet you as you land.  Disneyland has nothing on landing at Telluride.

Bacchanal Dessert

I'm sorry I don't have a picture for this but it is so easy and there are so many variations that you will be fine without a visual. This is a dessert that was very popular at the Bacchanal Room at Caesar's Palace years ago. The only ingredient that is mandatory is pound cake; either fresh from the bakery or the frozen Sara Lee version. If using Sara Lee make sure it is thawed. Cut the pound cake into 1/4 inch slices. Use a dry skillet (no butter or oil) over medium heat to brown the pound cake on both sides. Frying the pound cake carmelizes the butter in the pound cake and gives it a whole new flavor. Simple enough! The hard part is deciding what to use for toppings. I like fresh berries and a little whip cream; my sister Nancy likes fresh berries and ice cream. Think of how much the Bacchanal Room must have charged for this dessert and it's only fried pound cake!

Pictures of my Maui vacation

here today; gone to Maui

How relaxing to spend a week on the island of Maui; except for all the other thousands of people trying to do the same thing.  Maui is the "Valley Isle" and appears to be actually two islands connected by a narrow isthmus - on the larger side is the Haleakala Crater which a dormant volcano and on the other side is beautiful rugged mountains.  The interior is surrounded by tremendous beaches, rocky cliffs, sleepy harbors and the zigzagiest two lane road you ever saw.  Of the numerous outdoor activities we decided on kayaking and snorkeling and fell in love with both activities.  We even got to watch a turtle under water feed off a coral reef.  This is whale watching season so every stop along the road is a chance to spot spouting and tail fins.  We spent a day on the road to Hana which is an adventure all of it's own.  It's is definitely not the destination that matters but the journey.  Our journey ended at Mama's Fish House in Pa'ia for our best meal on the island.  Their menu changes twice a day so that they can not only tell you where the fish was caught but by which fisherman!  We went with our friends Paul and Jeannie and had a marvelous time.

Dinner with friends

I went to dinner Friday night with some girl friends.  We ate at Roma Deli on Spring Mountain Road between Linville and Jones.  What a great little restaurant!  The bread was great which they served with oil and vinegar. (I never trust an Italian restaurant which serves butter with their bread.  We all had wonderful pasta dishes; I had penne pasta with broccoli and oil which was prepared perfectly.  We stayed so long eating and talking that the waiter sent us each home with a bag of left over bread.  How delightful!  The friends I ate with are all involved with the Las Vegas Valley Humane Society.  These are dedicated ladies who have been rescuing cats and dogs form the most horrible situations for years.  If you ever feel the need to donate either time or money to an animal organization this is the one.  No one receives a salary and the money is all spent for the animals.  Check out http://www.lvvhumane.org/

A tribute to my sister and best friend - Pat

Today if she were still alive my sister Pat would be 71 years young.  Pat was a very special person.  She was vibrant and full of life.  Pat loved all kinds of life evidenced by all the dogs and cats she rescued and cared for.  She loved nature and the outdoors.  Pat was an artist and a teacher.  In the 70's she taught physical education in high school and coached a girl's basketball team encouraging young women to spread their wings and shoot for the stars.  She would sit with girls in her office and help them fill out college applications that she obtained for them.  One such girl finally finished college after many starts and stops and now runs a grant program in which she takes new college graduates before they go to their real jobs and spends six or eight weeks doing community service projects.  She was an artist creating beautiful designs and encouraging others to do the same.  Pat was full of compassion, life and sunshine.  Today I celebrate Pat's birthday and remember the precious gifts she gave me and many others. 

The Flat Belly Diet Book

So maybe to look at me you think I don't need to be on a diet; but everyone needs to eat healthier.  My husband; Steve heard about a new book called "Flat Belly Diet" written by the editors of Prevention magazine.  One of my favorite cookbooks is also by Prevention magazine so I thought we should give it a try.  The basis of the book is to eat four 400 calorie meals a day, never starving yourself, drinking sassy water and adding MUFA's to every meal.  Sassy water is water with grated ginger, sliced lemon and cucumber and mint leaves added.  The taste takes a bit of getting used to but is designed to aid in digestion and helping you feel full.  This really does work - I feel less hungry when I'm drinking the water several times a day.  MUFA is an acronym for monounsaturated fatty acids.  This is the good fat found in oils, nuts and seeds, olives, avocados and dark chocolate.  A diet book that tells you to eat dark chocolate; thats for me!Our bodies require fat but too much of the fat in our diets is the wrong fat.  There is tons of information in the book explaining how you can ward off cancer, adult diabetes and even Alzheimer's disease by eating healthier.  

Provolone Terrine

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sun dried or oven roasted tomatoes, chopped small

1 1/4 pound sliced provolone

1 cup pesto

cheesecloth

8 ounces cream cheese

1/4 cup unsalted butter

2 garlic clove minced or pressed

pepper to taste

1/4 cup roasted pistachios

To make garlic cream cheese: In a food processor chop pistachios then add cream cheese, softened butter, garlic and season with pepper.  Set aside.

Cut the cheesecloth to lay in the bottom of a glass pie plate plus several inches to overlap on top.  Wet the cheesecloth with water and wring dry.  Place cheesecloth in the bottom of the glass pie plate.  Cut provolone slices in half.  Cover the bottom and sides of the pie plate with the provolone slightly overlapping the slices.  Smooth 1/2 of the pesto over the cheese.  Cover the pesto with provolone slices; slightly overlapping the slices again.  Sprinkle the cheese with 1/2 of the chopped tomatoes (either sundried of oven roasted).  Carefully spread garlic cream cheese mixture and sprinkle with the rest of the tomatoes.  Cover the tomatoes and cream cheese with another layer of provolone slices.  spread remaining pesto and cover with a final layer of provolone.  Fold the cheese cloth over the last layer of provolone, cover with saran wrap and press lightly to compact.  Chill at least 2 hours.  remove saran wrap and fold back the cheesecloth.  Invert a serving plate over the pie plate and flip everything over.  Allow cheese dish to loosen from the pie plate and remover the  cheesecloth.  Server with crustini of baguette.

Oven roasted tomatoes:  Quarter 12 roma tomatoes lengthwise and remove the seeds.  Toss tomatoes in olive oil, salt, pepper and Italian seasonings.  arrange tomatoes skin side down on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.  Roast in a 150 degree oven until dried and shriveled looking.  We will turn the oven on and off while roasting the tomatoes so not to cook them too fast.  Steve roasts tomatoes once a week and we add them to salads and other dishes.  They are so flavorful!

The Almarez Taco Martini

This is a recipe copied from a wonderful restaurant named J'Y's in France.  We named it after our friend who order it.

Martini Glasses

shredded crab meat

guacamole

diced tomatoes

shredded cabbage

cream fraise (sour cream will work)

crushed tortilla chips

Fill at least 1/2 of each Martini glass with crab meat.  Next layer with gaucamole, shredded cabbage, diced tomatoes, cream fraise and sprinkle crushed tortilla chips on top.