PUPPY!

Got my first baby picture of my puppy! Well, ok it's one of two that I will probably pick from - I do have pick of the litter, SWEET - but he's only a week old. Really not much to see but a fat little black body, but it's SOOOOOO  CUTE!

Probably going to name him Logan, but my mom said it's a good name for my first born son... if I ever have kids... And I have to agree, I'm kindof keen on Logan! ;)  But that's way off in the distance, ha ha. (To my poor mom's dismay; I think she's getting used to the idea of having grand-puppies instead of grand-children!)

I just rode my motorcycle the 1/2 hr from Boulder to Lyons back from the shop, she runs like a DREAM! But did I mention it's all of ohhhhh 35 degrees outside at MOST; throw in the shade and the wind; my fingers literally HURT from thawing out. I thought I was going to lose at lease one of them. Needless to say, I don't exactly have the right gear to ride in anything colder than this (nor do I have the desire to do so!). The windshield on would have helped; finding my warmer gloves would have helped; not having it break down in the first place would have helped a lot! But they did some stuff to it to make it run better here at altitude and it needed to get done anyway.

Time for a warm shower. It will hurt too much if it's hot. ;)  I've got puppies on my mind and can't wipe the grin off my face!!!

Bachelorette night at home

Yep, that's right. Tim's out of town. I'm watching a CHICK FLICK. Failure to Launch. So far, pretty freaking funny for a chick flick. I've decided I really like Zooey Deschanel - as an actress, and as the bitter beer drinking roomie in this movie. The cynicism is right up my alley. ;)

Found out tonight that one of my friend's wives has the same heart condition I do - mitral valve prolapse. She's younger than me and her symptoms can be much worse than mine... but she explained a lot of things that the docs never told me. So hey, maybe it will get worse, maybe it will stay the same... but I'm not gonna stop doing what I do - firefighting, mountain climbing, getting into trouble - and if it freakin' kills me so be it! At least I'm having fun. ;)

Motorcycle is fixed! I went down to Boulder to pay for my bike (picking it up tomorrow) and they started her up... and boy she sounds freakin' fantastic! I didn't know my bike could sound so good. Bob's Motorcycle Shop did a great job.

Just found that they updated the Bassetts Fire webpage with a lot of really sweet photos - not from anybody I know, but they are definitely worth looking at!

I didn't take this but it's a pretty neat picture of the fire before dawn.

Besides that, just looking forward to visiting Maria in Flagstaff this weekend!

 

Hillbilly Ball and puppy news

Bettie Page

Paul and I at the Hillbilly Ball

The Halloween party at the Rock Inn was fantastic! Here's a few pictures from that, and from visiting Matt at Keystone. Whitewater Ramble played and there were some fantastic costumes - the winner was dressed as Steve Irwin... complete with a sting ray coming out of his chest. Yeah, it's a little twisted but at least we all knew who he was. Needless to say, most people didn't know who Bettie Page was, but those who did said I looked just like her. It was just fun running around with a riding crop and 6" stilettos, ha ha!

My puppy was born on Wednesday, but unfortunately there were no solid blacks. There are some very dark ones and that's fine by me, and it might look like Scout, one of their other dogs:

I'll get to pick one out in about 4 weeks, take it home in 8. Woo hoo!

I was so psyched my friend Matt was in Keystone, and even more pumped for that snow storm we got! Matt had tried to warn me before I drove out there, telling me to be careful in the snow. I just figured there were some flurries or something on Loveland Pass... I showed up at the Inn at Keystone and still had no idea. We sat in the bar next door to the hotel, drank a little bit, shared shots of Jim Beam, and caught up on the last year of our lives. The Avalanche were on tv - LOSING! - and then the Wings came on - WINNING! - and somebody mentioned the huge snowstorm we were supposed to get.

"What snowstorm?"

Matt laughed and said "What, you thought I was just talking about some flurries, that I don't know what a lot of snow is since I'm not from Colorado?! We're getting hammered tonight!"

And we sat in the bar, laughing and drinking and remembering the past and musing over the strange places we seem to cross paths... watching the snow pile up... I tried really hard to convince him to blow off the training he was in town for and hit the slopes at A-Basin instead. All that fresh powder...!! And what goes better with a late night blizzard than hot tubbing?! The front desk guy said that hot tubs are required to close at 10 pm in Colorado (seems strange to me)... I pleaded that well that's just silly, I'm sure there's some way to get some hot tubbing in, and he was cool enough to mention that "Well, the nigh man already made his rounds...I'm the only one here at the front desk... And the locals, well they just jump the walls!"

Cool guy. ;)

We went downstairs and poached the outdoor hot tub, snow piling up outside. I love this time of year!

The next day Matt had to go to training and I was going back up to Estes. Of course, when I tried to leave is when I found out I-70 was closed! Darn, I was forced to snowboard at Arapahoe until it opened. ;)  I went back to Estes that evening; I was going to go back down to Keystone on Friday night, and hoped Matt was coming up to Estes for the Hillbilly Ball, but plans changed and we didn't get to meet up again. It was still great to see him though, and we joked about the next place we're going to hang out... Alaska? Maui? Always an adventure, that's for sure!

*************************************************************

Here's the link to the photos from the party and a few from Keystone/Arapahoe Basin. Shutterfly is being stupid and won't load correctly so I'm back to Trekshare. I have pictures all over the freakin' internet!!

 

Fire and Ice News

A few newsworthy items of interest:

A California wildfire killed 4 firefighters and 1 is still in critical condition - I guess it's the deadliest wildfire since 2001. Very sad to hear, but these things do happen. I did get a couple text messages from people I haven't talked to in a while, making sure I wasn't down there. Thanks guys.

My friend Matt from Virginia (we were in the same program at U of M) is out at Keystone for training, so I went out to visit him (back to the same area that I was this past weekend - a 2 hour drive to Arapahoe area)... he asked if I was ready for the snow... to which I replied, "What snow?"

Shortly after that conversation, we sat in the bar in excitement and anticipation as a blizzard covered everything with about 1 1/2 feet of snow all night. I had absolutely no idea. I guess it's the biggest October snowstorm to hit in years. Rocky Mountain got 2 feet; Tim says Bear Lake got 2-3 feet.

The next day, I was going to come back up to Estes. Needless to say, the freeway was shut down. Know what I did? Went riding (however ungracefully) at A-Basin again. ;)  Life is good, friends, life is good. I'll put a few pictures up when I get a chance.

In the meantime, I'm supposed to go back to Keystone tonite to party with Matt some more, but I'm tired of driving so I might just go back on Saturday morning, snowboard all day, then come back and go to the Halloween Party at the Rock Inn. Trying to convince Matt to go too - and his 6 other coworkers. Tim is leaving for Colorado National Monument on Sunday night (after we watch the Eagles game, of course) and will be gone for 2 weeks, so I might just stay in tonite and watch Northern Exposure with him. ;)  I am going to Flagstaff on the 4th to visit Maria; she is defending her thesis soon though so just going to make it a short visit, then putz around Arizona for a couple days, then maybe see tim at the Monument. I'm so busy! But I am finally getting rid of Verizon and going to Cingular, so I can actually answer my damn phone! Woo  hoo!

************************************************

This just in: Puppies were born!! I don't know if there are anyblacks, but there are 7 male and 2 female. I'm a mommy! ;)

Here's a picture off the website of the first male born.

Gotta love my motorcycle...

This was on October 18th, the day we got the first snow that didn't melt off right away. It was so beautiful that morning I just had to drive through the park - like a tourist - and enjoy the fresh clean look of new powder on the ponderosas!

I'm just sitting here, waiting for the bike shop guy to show up in Lyons with a trailer to get my dead little Honda. I think either it's bad fuel, water in the fuel system somewhere or something wrong with the fuel lines. Bummer. I was on my way to gas up and then ride it up to Estes to store in Tim's garage (it was so warm yesterday!) when she started stalling out. I made my best effort to at least get her to the bike shop in town (they only do Harleys but at least it would have been more secure), but she just wouldn't go anymore in this nice new subdivision. Fortunately Tim was on his way to ride with me, so he stopped at my place, grabbed my truck, and saved the day. ;)  Pretty bummed out but that's what I get for procrastinating. Now I have to pay to get it towed to a local bike shop. Not cheap... but gotta do what I gotta do!

So on Friday I got a surprise text message from my friend Ryan Park (aka Kooooooorea aka Parkie), who had moved to Chicago earlier this year. It said "I'm going to Colorado" or something like that. When? "On my way right now." Huh?? I kept asking him questions like where, when, why, how, for how long, etc... What does he reply?

"This is going to be epic."

Heh heh heh... that's Korea for ya! To which I of course replied, "UNLEASH HELL!" (Gladiator quote, from the good ol' days of unemployment and watching that movie way too many times).

He still wouldn't answer my questions. Instead, he writes things like "R U pumped?" and "We are going to A basin." Which really doesn't tell me much.

That was Friday; I didn't hear much else from him. Later that night I went to a "potluck" party and made our family's famous Saucy Water Chesnuts... which were a HUGE blast and always the first to be devoured! There was salmon with terragon, meatballs, a roast, butternut squash, and so much good food... Drew, Sean and Joel's band played, and after a night of trying to talk/yell over the music, I lost my voice. Real sexy too, ha ha! It was a good party with boxed wine, drunk Pictionary, a crunch competition (yes, as in sit-ups... I won with 150! ha ha!), all that good stuff.

Wake up on Saturday and I get a couple more texts from Parkie... like, "1 hr from Denver" and then "We're at A basin". At that point I was confused, not sure where they flew into or where they were staying or why they were here... I mean, there's only 2 resorts that are open - Loveland and Arapahoe Basin - and A basin only has 3 runs open; Loveland has 1. Did they come out just to ski??

That would so be like Parkie, freakin' madman! I LOVE IT!

There was also a party in Nederland that day, an end of the season celebration including a few people from the fire I was on. I hadn't heard from Parkie in a while and was just getting ready to head out there around 6 pm, when Parkie sends me a few texts. Since I was sick, I really didn't plan on doing any boarding myself... but I wanted to see Ryan, so I said what the heck and headed out to Arapahoe, about a 2 hour drive.

Of course, I packed my snowboard and gear... just in case. ;)

As soon as I hit Loveland Pass (where quite a few resorts are located), it was snowing like crazy. All that fresh powder... as I cough and sniffle and my throat is all sore... All this temptation to hit the slopes in Colorado for my first time...

Met Parkie downstairs at the Old Chicago and was both dreading and looking forward to it... Usually, when he says "This is going to be epic" means that we'll be doinglots of shots, poaching hot tubs, and staying up way too late and pretty much wreaking havoc on society as a whole. I didn't know if I had the energy/health to do it! I sat at the bar eating dinner and waiting for him... Here comes Parkie... And he's feeling sick!! Altitude and sleep deprivation had gotten to him; sounded like we'd be sleeping before 10 pm! I was in better shape than he was at that point, but this just wasn't right.

"You're in freaking COLORADO, you're with ME and you went SKIING... YOU NEED TO MAN UP AND GET A DRINK!"  There's no way I was letting him off easy tonite.

With some hesitance he warmed up to the idea; soon he said "We need to do a shot of Jager. It's just not right without it." So the bartender poured us some cold shots from the Yagerator and down they went. About 10 minutes later, Ryan miraculously began to feel better and from that we get the quote of the night:

"I love how I was sick, and now I am cured. Thank you Jesus!" - as he stood there  with a nasty bottle of Kingfisher beer in his hand. "The Jager cured me!"

And really, we hardly drank at all; but we were definately ready to cause trouble. When I asked him what airport he flew into, he just started cracking up. "WE DROVE HERE!"

What?!

Ends up they were at training on Friday and Parkie, being himself, kept saying to his friends "We should go to Colorado." And they'd chuckle and pass it off. And then he thought about it more, and got serious. "Really, we should go to Colorado TODAY." Well, by the time lunch came around, his friend comes up to him and says "LET'S GO!"

So these four guys hop in Parkie's car, grab their crap, and headed West! I love a good pioneering spirit!

18 hours later, they arrive at Arapahoe Basin and hit the slopes. All of his friends were now passed out in their room, exhausted from driving non-stop and then boarding all day, plus the altitude. We didn't care. We burst into the room laughing and being stupid, ranting about going to the hot tub. Kenwas the only one to crawl out of bed/off the floor and go downstairs. It closed at 11 but we went in anyway; which was fine until the jets started pouring out cold water and the hot tub turned into a warm tub... into a COLD tub. After about an hour of Ryan whining about freezing, we got out and just went to sleep. Pretty low-key compared to most of our other trips, but these guys just don't know how it works with Korea and I yet! We'll teach them. ;)

To be continued; gotta meet the tow truck guy.

I'm back, my motorcycle is on it's way to Bob's Bike Shop in Boulder, courtesy of an old German named Rolf. Towing to Boulder: $75. Tune up and carb adjustment: $300. Getting complimented by an old German that works on vintage bikes that I got a great deal on a great bike: Priceless. ;)

Anyway... Woke up in the morning and still felt sick. I really shouldn't go snowboarding when I've got a sore throat and a cold, right? But I drove with them to Arapahoe, just to check it out. Right. As soon as I saw that fresh powder and those beautiful slopes, I just had to go. I was supposed to go to Bruce and Kerri's with Tim, like every Sunday, to watch the Eagles and eat Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches (my veggie version is a Philly Cheese Egg sandwhich), and make some of those Saucy Water Chestnuts again, but I just couldn't stop myself. Stood in a huge line for maybe 20 minutes, 18 degrees outside, rode the SLOW lift up to the top... And did pretty darn well on the way down. Unless you've only gone riding in the crappy Midwest your whole life, I don't know if you can understand how heavenly it was to be on POWDER. Admittedly, I still think a few runs at Boyne Highland are pretty fun, but this one little ride down the mountain at Arapahoe was worth rejoicing about - besides the fact that I was riding before even Halloween, yet alone before Thanksgiving (most resorts in MI don't open til end of Nov or Dec)...

But since I was sick, the cold air hurt my throat and lungs, so after that one joyous ride... I called it quits. Don't need to get pneumonia. ;)  Parkie vowed to come back every otherweekend - maybe a little sarcastic, but sounds like he wants to be back for the opening of Keystone around the 17th. I can't wait!

So I went snowboarding that morning, and by that afternoon I was playing horseshoes in Tim's backyard. Not much snow on the ground. Drinking the last of my Bell's Oberon. And then yesterday, I went for a motorcycle ride. In what other state can you do all those things in less than 24 hours?! Pure sweetness.

What else is new with me?? Not much. Finally getting rid of Verizon so I can actually answer my phone in Estes Park! Going to Cingular, the only thing that works there.

Oh and we think Mommy Shepherd is going into the first stages of labor, so my little Logan/Sula will be born today hopefully! Yippee!!

And I'm going to Flagstaff to visit Maria the first weekend in November, and perhaps meeting up with Tim near Arches or Canyonlands National Parks in Utah to camp. I really like not working. ;)