Roz on the Go!

My Three Favorite Girls!!!

2009-02-04T13:18:00.003-07:00

Here's a shot of my three favorite girls! That's Sara Paige on the left, Jenny in the middle, and Kate on the right. Aren't they pretty?!?!?!

The Driveway

2009-02-03T20:19:00.001-07:00

About 12 inches of snow was on the driveway awaiting our arrival
yesterday. Henry snowshoed up, got the tractor, plowed the road and
then helped haul the pickup truck up the hill.
Fun, fun!

On becoming a MOUNTAIN WOMAN!

2009-01-13T10:16:00.000-07:00

After spending the better part of a year watching our Taos Pines home being built and living in our old RV, and having now celebrated one year in the finished house, I think I can call myself a "mountain woman!" This is our 3rd winter to experience all that Angel Fire has to offer, which has mostly been plenty of SNOW and beautiful scenery. Like I tell my friends in our hometown of Wylie, Texas --- it's a whole different lifestyle! And it is! I had NO IDEA what living up here full time would be like. Don't get me wrong--- I LOVE IT, that's why we're here! We originally built with the intention of this being a vacation escape, but after spending time here, it has turned into our HOME.

There's a few things I have learned (especially from a woman's perspective):

1) You can't be picky about where you grocery shop. The Valley Market may not exactly be an upscale "Whole Foods"-type store, and is small, old and limited in what they carry, but HEY-- it's close, and it beats having to drive to Taos, especially in the dead of winter.

2) There's no fast food in Angel Fire, but there are a few good places to eat, if you don't mind a little dust, some noise and very few linen tablecloths! I have learned that I don't have to eat out 5 times a week (like I did in Dallas), that I can whip together a dinner even with limited supplies (however, I have learned to keep a well-stocked pantry) and I don't have to be so picky about my surroundings when we DO eat out.

3) Manual Labor is part of the deal. At least with us, it is! Unless you have unlimited funds and VERY deep pockets, you learn to fend for yourself in a lot of areas. I spent most of the summer, hauling and stacking rocks, laying sod, staining concrete and wooden logs, splitting firewood, trying to dig holes to plant things in almost solid ROCK, and most recently, shoveling tons of snow. I have never been a real CITY girl, but I certainly didn't envision all these calluses I have developed on my hands! But you know what--- IT FEELS GOOD! I am in better physical shape than I have been in for YEARS, I feel like I have contributed and accomplished something around here, and it's made a difference in the look of our place, as well as my mental attitude! And besides, who want to deal with trying to find someone to hire to do this same work that would charge an arm and a leg, and then may or may not even finish the job, or do it well....or even SHOW UP! Easier and more fun to do it myself!

4) I can live without the mall! OK, I'll be honest...I DO shop more online, BUT I am not running to the mall on my lunch hour every other day, or meeting friends to shop every week. And I DO miss that, somewhat, but I am staying so busy doing other things that I can honestly say I'm OK without it. (However, on our infrequent trips back to Wylie, I DO manage to get in a trip or two to Firewheel Center and Stonebriar Mall while I am in town...I'm not gonna lie!)

5) Our lives center around the weather, esp in winter. I have become a better planner and organizer and I make my trips to Taos, etc COUNT! You never know when you are going to be able to get down the mountain for sure, whether Hwy 64 to Taos is even driveable, and if you can plan on making that appt in Raton or elsewhere. I watch the news several times a day and check websites for weather forecasts constantly... You just have to be SMART about it. You don't try to live up here (or even travel up here much in the winter) without at least 4WD, AWD, and/or chains. Snow tires help somewhat, but don't do much in 2 ft of snow. You don't take off without having emergency supplies in your vehicle. You always tell someone where you are going, which road you're taking, and when to expect you back. You don't take off on frivolous trips to town in the middle of a blizzard (guilty!) Mostly common sense stuff, but you really learn to consider Mother Nature and all she can dish out!

6) There are some really nice people here, and it's a good thing to get to know your neighbors! Let's face it. We sometimes NEED each other. Life can get pretty extreme up here sometimes with wild animals walking around, blizzards, threat of forest fires, and more. If you want to be totally isolated in your little kingdom on the mountain, that is certainly your prerogative, but I can promise you that there will be a time when you wish you knew your neighbor. We have to help each other out when we can, because there usually isn't anyone else around to do so!

These things I have learned...mostly the hard way. I love it here, my friends can't understand exactly why, but then again, they are mostly "flatlanders" from north Texas. At least we don't have to worry about TORNADOS, FLOODING, and crazy Dallas drivers who freak out when there is FROST on the road!

And you know what.......I LOVE IT!

Roz

The sun came out for a split second!

2008-12-23T13:15:00.004-07:00

Storm #1 of this week came through starting last night! It dumped at least another 18" of snow on what we already had.... Henry had to plow the driveway again today (it was perfect last night) because the road had totally disappeared. The Dish network guy actually made it up the hill, and Jenna should be here any time. Main roads have been plowed already today and made get a second go around....

Anyway...sun came out for a few minutes, and I snapped a shot of the snow/drive/house for Brad's screensaver! Here it is!!!

Blizzard conditions

2008-12-18T12:42:00.000-07:00

I think I lost Henry!

2008-12-16T07:33:00.000-07:00

After 1.5 hrs of shoveling....

2008-12-15T15:50:00.001-07:00

What you can't see is almost HALF of the patio BEHIND me that had to be done first. This will have to wait until tomorrow....or next year. Just got a winter weather alert saying for us to expect 8" to 16" of new snow by Wednesday...EGADS!

Roz

The shoveling job a-waiting me

2008-12-15T13:46:00.000-07:00

It just won't quit snowing and the drifts are piling up. This is the
downstairs lower deck and you have to deal with it before it's
impossible. Thank goodness I can ROWE my job at night! Great idea brad!

There's no place like home...

2008-12-14T21:34:00.004-07:00

BACK ON THE MOUNTAIN...FINALLY!

We left yesterday and drove to Wichita Falls where we had a GREAT dinner with Jimmy, Lissa and LaNelle Hogan. It's always good to see them, and we enjoyed the time with them, even though it pretty short. We want them to come back and bring DIA for another hike!

Then, drove on to Amarillo and spent the night in the dog-friendly La Quinta on the west side of town. Then, hit Walmart and Lowes simultaneously...guess who went where?!?! Loaded up and headed for the mountains. Weather was windy and cold, but sunny UNTIL...we hit the New Mexico border at Texline and were blasted with a sleet/snow mix that was blowing sideways across the road. We were thinking "Yeah..welcome to New Mexico!" and that it might be a real pain to make it the rest of the way. However, 10 minutes later it was sunny and bright again, and the roads were dry. That stayed the case all the way into Cimarron Canyon. We could see the clouds over the mountains as we got closer, and then we were on snowy and icy roads all the rest of the way in. Sure could tell that they had gotten a lot of snow in the 10 days we were gone.

We decided to forego Elk's Run and go up the "paved road" to the top of the pass, and THEN across Palo Flechado Ridge Road to our driveway. We stopped at the turn-in and Henry put chains on his truck. I have 4 wheel drive on my Durango, so I was thinking NO PROB until I looked up and saw almost knee-deep snow on the road that had NOT been plowed at all. Apparently our friends Jim and Geri had made the trip in before we got there and there was a set of tracks in the deep snow, and we tried to stay in them. Henry did way better than I did, mostly because my truck doesn't sit up as tall, and I was dragging on the snow underneath my car. I guess I made it about 1 mile in before getting stuck the 1st time. I went forward and back so many times that I think I finally squashed the snow down enough that I worked my way out. About 100 yards down the road, I bogged down again...this time for good. Every time I tried to move forward, the rear of the truck would slide sideways towards a really steep drop-off. So I finally decided to give up... Henry had made it to the house by parking his truck at the bottom of the drive and walking up to get the tractor.

It took him about an hour to get back to me...I entertained myself by taking a few photos, talking to the 4 dogs in the back, eating junk food snacks, and listening to a book on CD that I had with me. I had a thermos of COLD coffee with me, my trash magazines, and a full tank of gas, so I was good. Henry was back shortly and pulled me out of the deep stuff, and I was on my way, slipping and sliding the whole way to the house. He had managed to plow down our driveway, so going up it was not a problem.

Immediately after unloading the car, I grabbed a snow shovel and started uncovering the back porch that was covered with drifts of snow. Henry started his plowing chores and the dogs were just happy to be out of their crates and were jumping around in the white stuff. There is a LOT of snow around--- several feet so far, and more expected the rest of the week. You HAVE to stay on top of the plowing and shoveling or it turns to ice and then you are stuck with it.

So, here's a couple of photos I took while I was "taking a break on the mountain" today.

Today's view from the office!

2008-11-29T13:42:00.002-07:00

In the last 2 days we have gotten about 12 inches of snow...it may not stay long because it's supposed to warm up a bit to the 40's mid-week...but ain't it pretty for now!?!?

A Snowy Day in Angel Fire!

2008-11-10T17:13:00.003-07:00

Here's what we did today on the mountain! (Actually, I did this video for KATE, but thought you might want to see it, too!) It snowed a few inches overnight, and since I made this video today, it has snowed about another 4 inches or so... I think WINTER TIME is here! ENJOY!

Back at the Angel Fire Office

2008-11-06T09:13:00.002-07:00

After a trip home to Wylie (which was MUCH too short and we didn't get everything done we needed to do AT ALL!!!) we are back on the mountain. Drove in right at dark last night in a snowstorm, had to unhook the trailer at the bottom of the driveway, and haul it up with the tractor...it was windy and cold and a couple of inches of snow on the ground and snowing straight down. BUT WE MADE IT! Lit a big fire in the fireplace, made hot chocolate and snuggled up with blankets in the living room.

This morning it was 4 degrees outside, and the high today of 37 degrees, so maybe a little will melt off. I still have wildflower seeds and bulbs to sow! And they need to be UNDER the snow! Sun is out and shining, and it's pretty today!

If we didn't get to see you in person this trip, we are really sorry! Just ran out of time with all the work related stuff going on, and things to do at the Wylie and Garland houses, and a grandbaby to visit, and Jenna's drill team to watch! It went by FAST! We will be home for a week or so some time in December, so let's shoot for that!

Here's a shot of the view this morning, from the office/loft:

My two favorite brothers---HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

2008-10-22T18:21:00.002-06:00

Just thought I would share a video of my two favorite (and only) brothers since they both had a birthday this month, and have officially become OLD --- glad I am so much younger than they are!

Whaddya think about their dancing abilities???

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Night-Time Visitor

2008-10-22T10:30:00.004-06:00

Henry recently bought a camera that has a motion detector and infrared capabilities; we mounted it on a tree near the salt blocks he put out near the National Forest fenceline, and this is what it captured in the middle of the night!!! We DO have night time visitors and they ARE bigger than we thought!

2008-10-18T15:05:00.001-06:00

Here is Henry, hard at work digging a ditch! With all the tools and technology that we have, he ended up using my grandfather's (Bebaw's) old tools that he used when he worked on the railroad! Give him a pick and an axe and he can do anything! I have no explanation for the expression on his face....

ADPi's in Angel Fire!

2008-10-14T09:37:00.004-06:00

Let me say this first...THANKS FOR COMING, Pi's! Pretty sure that fun was had by all, and I can't remember when I laughed so much or so hard.

For those reading this blog, a group of my sorority sisters from ETSU (now A&M Commerce) made the trek out to Angel Fire by flying into Amarillo and driving from there! We spent a lot of time talking, laughing, eating, laughing, telling stories, laughing and shopping (and more eating!) I had a blast having them here, and I think they all enjoyed the changing colors of Fall in the mountains, and making the Enchanted Circle drive. We stopped in Red River for a latte (and potty stop) and then on to Taos for viewing the Rio Grande Gorge (windy and cold) and then a little shopping and lunch in Taos, off the plaza. They went to church with me on Sunday, and then headed back to Amarillo to catch their flight home. We spent HOURS playing Catch Phrase and Scattergories, and had a great time together!

Thanks again, girls, for making the trip out here....we will DEFINITELY have to do it again! Go to my Flickr account to see the rest of the photos...video coming soon!

Pi Love to you,

Roz

Egads Gertie, what a Gorge!

2008-10-07T22:18:00.006-06:00

Well, we have made several trips to the Rio Grande Gorge with visitors lately! Here is the latest photo of Mom, Dad, Henry and I this past weekend. Weather cooperated, and they stayed in the Valley until they left for Amarillo today. NICE VISIT! We were glad they made it all the way out here to see us!

And for those of you who aren't familiar with the gorge, here's a couple more photos. It is located about 8 miles outside of Taos, and is a total surprise as you drive through flat, desert-y looking country...then all of a sudden...there it is! A big hole in the ground! I like to shop the jewelry tables the Indians and others set up by the bridge...WAY cheaper than in town!

To see more photos of the Fall colors, and of our recent visitors, go to my Flickr account HERE.

Fall Is Falling...

2008-09-24T18:37:00.005-06:00

You know Fall is here when you start seeing smallish golden medallions laying all over the ground. The aspens have started turning to yellow, and a few are even losing leaves already! Temps up here on the mountain are averaging upper 60's and low 70's for daytime highs, and last night at 4:00 a.m. (when the screaming elk woke me up again!) I checked the thermometer and it said 27 degrees!!! Really!

Those of you making the trip up here in the next couple of weeks are going to see the aspens changing to GOLD! By mid-October, they will be just about gone, and we MAY get a few snow flurries by then, too! We are looking forward to seeing Wanda and Melvin Graem this weekend, and then on October 10th, some of my college sorority sisters are heading up! I am EXCITED to see them, and glad they get to see how pretty it is at this time of year in the mountains!

Here's a photo I just took from the deck 20 minutes ago... click on the title of this article to take you to my Flickr account to see more! Do you see why we love it up here???

Walking the Dogs

2008-09-16T09:54:00.002-06:00

Well, my plan fell flat. I thought I would get this harness for Allie, and hook up Sophie and Scarlett to the harness and let ALLIE walk them for me, so I can start using my Nordic walking poles up and down the hill and not have leashes to hang on to while walking the dogs. NOT!!! It didn't help that I am too stupid to know how to put the harness on correctly, but when I attached S & S to it, Allie REFUSED to walk. She just sat there, like, " What in the crap have you done to me?" And my dog were panicking and running circles around her and getting all tangled up. So I ended up pulling her down the hill (which kind of defeated the purpose) and before we got to the bottom of the drive....I unhooked Sophie and Scarlett, and took that blasted harness off Allie, because even with no one attached to it, she STILL wouldn't walk in it by herself! DUH! So there goes $19 down the drain on a harness! (And after I looked at it, I think I had it on her upsidedown anyways!)

Any other brilliant ideas?

Screaming in the Woods!!!

2008-09-15T15:22:00.003-06:00

Well, we returned from 10 days in Wylie to see the aspen leaves slightly turning yellow on the edges, the temperature is dropping (especially at night -- last night was 31 degrees) and we are hearing screaming in the woods ELK!!!) So I guess FALL is almost officially upon us.

Henry and I were rudely awakened this morning before light (around 5:00 a.m.) by a few elk that sounded like they were standing on the lower deck--- they weren't of course, but they were LOUD! They hung out around our place for about an hour, and Henry said that just as the sun was coming up, he saw a TROPHY-sized elk standing on the driveway about halfway down, and when I got up, I saw about 6 or them crossing the driveway and headed downhill. I think they like to visit the salt and mineral blocks that Henry put out for them.

We knew they were around because when we returned from Wylie this time, one of the first things I noticed was the 10 ft tall aspen tree I had planted near the house was reduced down to about 4 feet and no leaves or limbs left....BOOOO! Those elk owe me about $35 !!!

So--- if you plan on visiting us within the next month, bring ear plugs if you want to sleep through the night! Those elk have big lungs....!!!

Click on the links below and hear what they sound like:

ELK BUGLE
ELK GRUNT

Summer View of Lonestar Lodge

2008-08-30T23:28:00.004-06:00

Since I have LOTS of photos of the house in snow, I thought I would upload a photo of the SUMMER version of Lonestar Lodge. We just recently had the same railings as on the upper deck installed down below. I like it better. Now the house doesn't look so top-heavy, is more balanced, and doesn't look NAKED on the bottom! I am still in the process of staining it, and have a lot of other touch up staining to do on the rest of the decks as well...

Notice my little wildflower beds in the lower left corner of the photo! They have done GREAT this year! I am stockpiling wildflower seed like crazy to sow it in late fall for next year! Thank goodness for EBAY cause perennial wildflower seed is NOT cheap! About $50 a pound out here!

Go to my Flickr acct to see the latest photos of the CEMETARY --- oops! I mean the new doggie yard we just installed....it just LOOKS like a cemetary! Anyway, the dogs like it and they have a nice soft carpet of grass to lay on!

Headed for Wylie on Wednesday! See you soon!

The Day Has Arrived!

2008-08-26T11:14:00.002-06:00

Well, the big day is here....JENNA sent me her traditional "First Day of School" photo (which she has been doing for YEARS!) only this time, she is on the other side of it...she is a TEACHER now!

I talked to her last night, and she was nervous, excited, scared, and happy all in one.
She is supposed to call and update me tonight on how the day went...so I am looking forward to hearing all about it.

Like I told her, she has ALWAYS been the boss over her cousins at family get-togethers, and played school with them from day one, and has been teaching high school girls at drill team camps for a LONG time, so she is well versed in telling people what to do! I have a sneaky feeling that she is going to be really good at this! It will just take time to get used to it all....

Anyway...thought this photo was cute and wanted to share it!

Roz

To Blog or Not to Blog...

2008-08-24T22:19:00.003-06:00

If you are getting this in your email, then I have signed you up to receive all the blog posts I have published in my BLOG. If you DO NOT want to receive these updates, then let me know and I will take you off the list. There are only 10 people allowed on the list, so count yourself as one of the lucky ones! In other words, 9 other people get this same update by email along with you, every time I post an article to my blog.

You CAN go directly to my BLOG (which, by the way, is computerese for WEB LOG) and read the post there if you prefer... http://rozonthego.blogspot.com and if you did that, then you wouldn't need this email notice, now would you? Or you wouldn't know when I posted something new...

I just BLOG when I have the time and inclination, and lately, I have been so swamped with work stuff and things going on out here, that I haven't felt the urge to BLOG much. But, as always, I DO take a lot of photos and post them to my Flickr account. I might post a photo on here periodically, but 90% of my photos reside at Flickr. Here's the link: www.flickr.com/photos/rozgarland

If you want to check in and see what I have taken shots of lately, then BOOKMARK that address (URL) and you can go in and look at my photos whenever you are in the mood to do so! You won't have to wait on an email from me!

So for those of you who were thinking that this blog stuff was a personal email written only for you...you have been sharing it with 9 other people! However, I DO still like to get email from family and friends at my normal email address --- AND ALL THOSE FORWARDS YOU GUYS ARE SENDING ME DON'T COUNT AS PERSONAL EMAIL!!! There, I said it! I would rather hear from YOU personally -- and if YOU had a BLOG, I would read it!

By the way, I have set up a FAMILY UPDATE NETWORK on Ning, and sent all of you invitations, and most of you have not responded at all. It's simply my attempt at creating a social network, a family hub, where we can post things and keep up with each other! So if you deleted the invitation or just ignored it, shame on you! Go back in that email and click on that link and sign up for it! If you deleted it and need another invitation, let me know!

If I sound crabby in all this....I kind of am--- just really tired, and overwhelmed with stuff right now. But in a week or so, we will be home in Wylie and babysitting the most beautiful and smartest grandbaby in the world!!! YAY KATIE MAC!

Love you all....

Roz

Wildflowers Second Year

2008-08-08T17:24:00.001-06:00

Planted these last fall... Still hanging around! Aren't they pretty?

Chipper Day in Taos Pines!

2008-08-05T12:19:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was CHIPPER DAY at Taos Pines Ranch. The county provided us with a monster chipper machine, and all residents of our area could pile up slash (A mountain word for dead wood and fallen trees) and they came down all the road and chipped it up into little pieces of bark! Great mulch for flower beds, too! We met some new neighbors we didn't know, had a nice lunch together, and enjoyed the day which went from 9 to 6 in between rain showers. Anyway...check it out...it's pretty cool!

Roz

The Giant Chipmunk

2008-07-23T14:55:00.003-06:00

AHA! Brandy has been found out! I kept noticing and mentioning to Henry that my dogs' food in the garage was rapidly disappearing...Told him I thought that his dogs were eating MY dog's food--- well, his response was, "No way...they have food in the barn...it's those stupid chipmunks!"

Well, here is a picture of a giant chipmunk (named Brandy) wearing the top of the automatic dog food feeder on her head....

New Baby Garlando ---(as Jenny says)

2008-07-22T10:26:00.001-06:00

Here's the latest (and FIRST) photo of our new grandbaby. Doc says it's a little too early to tell for sure, but he thinks it might be a girl! Either way, we are SO excited! Kate's going to be a GREAT big sister!

Do Hummingbirds hum???

2008-07-17T23:22:00.002-06:00

Here's what we do around here in the evenings on the deck...I caught Henry trying to capture a hummingbird...thank goodness he missed! These guys empty my 3 feeders in less than 2 days!

The most brilliant child ever...

2008-07-15T07:05:00.003-06:00

Here's a video of Kate that Brad sent this morning! Notice the tattoo on her arm! I have already watched it about 15 times and almost cry everytime I do! She is a comedian and so smart...well, watch it yourself and see!

A photo update

2008-07-12T18:12:00.002-06:00

Here's a couple of photos that I took this week...you can see how many rocks we have hauled and stacked around the trees between the house and shop. And several more to go!
Also, we are being inundated by hummingbirds, rain showers, and flowers in bloom! So this blog post just shows a little about what is going on around Lonestar Lodge!!!

To see more photos, go to my Flickr acct. at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rozgarland.

Enjoy and let us hear from ya!

Weird Angel Fire clouds

2008-07-03T15:36:00.000-06:00

We think the monsoon season is upon us! That's good-- keeps the dust
down, keeps it cooler and waters my grass seed!

Hail, hail the rains all here!

2008-06-30T15:21:00.000-06:00

Finally got a good soaking rain complete with lightning, thunder and
hail... Still coming down!

Finnish hats and hairdo's

2008-06-27T10:12:00.002-06:00

My aunt Helen took this photo of Henry and I posing in our new hats and hairdo's...we were in a Finnish gift shop in Ivalo, Finland. I am sure we will be wearing these on the slopes this winter! Maybe......

Today's Project

2008-06-26T19:58:00.003-06:00

In order to hold myself accountable for actually getting something of substance DONE every day, I have to report in on today's projects.

Besides spending a number of hours transferring information from our old company wiki to the new wiki (don't ask...) and finding out I didn't do it exactly like it should have been done, I managed to get a lot done.

We brought 4 big pots that we had sitting down by the tennis court with dead plants in them...they are made of that fake foam stuff that looks like stone from a distance. You know the kind, you pick them up and they weigh virtually nothing! Anyway, I bought some spray paint that spits out different colored flecks and makes whatever you are painting look like rock. So they all got a coat of that and look like NEW. Then I went to 2 places in Angel Fire and bought some plants to put in them...and managed to spend almost $275 -- TWICE as much as I would have spent at home. But 2 of the pots are now planted and sitting on the back deck. The other 2 will go on the upper front deck and I will fill them manana. I hope they live...and I hope nothing decides to eat them, because if they do (like elk) it would mean that they would have to actually come up on the deck in the back. YIKES!

Will report in at a later date. My Texas green thumb is in training for NM plants, and it needs a good washing...

Later...

Definitely Cool (er) !!!

2008-06-24T15:11:00.006-06:00

We arrived back on the mountain yesterday evening, and it was wonderfully cool! In fact, it was so cool that we couldn't eat supper on the deck! I had to put on a jacket to walk the dogs before dark. But that's OK...we love it that way!

Things have changed in the 6 weeks I missed up here --- the aspens all have leaves now; my daffodils and tulips came and went; Grass is coming up all over; the first bunch of wildflowers are blooming; and hummingbirds are out in force! However, there are STILL patches of snow up on the tallest peaks as you are driving in from Eagle Nest.

There are LOTS of projects to work on, including our regular work stuff, but it's nice to know we'll be here a while to get it done a little at a time. BEWARE! Anyone visiting may be handed a pair of gloves and be put to work! Henry is excited because his second garage door for the shop arrived, and the stucco guys got it all finished finally. The dogs are enjoying rolling in the dirt (after a $30 bath, no less), eating elk poop (Sophie), and just running around chasing birds and smelling new things. I think they like it cooler, too.

Let me brag a little: Kate is now officially 2 years old, and is getting smarter by the day! She amazes us with everything she says and does! What a cutie! You can sure tell that her mom and dad spend a LOT of quality time with her... She recognizes and can name almost all the letters of the alphabet, already! Can't wait to get her up here with us again! That's the worst of being here--- missing Kate and other family members! We're hoping they will find some time to come enjoy the cool mountain breezes and all the things to do here in the summer!

Gotta get busy for now! Will post more later!

Roz

Hot weather is NOT my friend!

2008-06-14T10:56:00.002-06:00

We've been back in Wylie for a couple of weeks now (actually, I have...Henry went out to AF to supervise some things being fixed on the house) and I have to say this heat is killing me. Not only does it make me cranky, but it makes me sick. Headaches, nausea, and just a worn-out feeling...I have stayed inside in A/C as much as possible, but if you live in Texas you know there are times you just have to go outside. I guess our bodies have adjusted to the higher altitude and cooler climate.

We will be in Wylie for the rest of this week and then make the trek back out to AF. YAY! I have missed it, and have lots of projects waiting on me out there...like planting GRASS and doing some landscaping around the house.

New Idea: After seeing them being used all over Scandinavia, I ordered some Nordic walking poles and will start using them in my daily walks. They are supposed to help ramp up your exercise benefits, and they just look cool! I just need to figure out how to tether Scarlett to myself so she won't run off while we walk!

Today is Kate's 2 yr old birthday party! We are excited to share this today, and also excited with the news of a new brother or sister on the way for Kate! Getting older ain't so bad after all!

Gotta go--- Henry is making a mess here at the office and I need to clean up after him....

Bye for now.

Getting Caught Up in Norway

2008-05-27T16:04:00.007-06:00

Whew! These past couple of days have been crammed pack full of all kinds of amazing sights and historical places, and things to see! Yesterday, we did the "Norway in a Nutshell" tour which produced sights that were absolutely amazing and the most gorgeous scenery I have ever seen! We took a bus to get on a train, which took us to another scenic train ride from Flam through the backcountry of Norway. Much of it was above the tree line, and snow was everywhere, and we went through a number of tunnels thru the mountains. Waterfalls were in abundance, and scenery like you wouldn't believe. Then, just as we thought it couldn't get any better, it did! We got on a smaller boat, and cruised throught the Sognefjord which was amazing. Couldn't believe it. Henry fed the seagulls to everyone's amusement, and the captain's wife made homemade waffles for everyone on board (40 of us)
.

After we got off the boat, we loaded up on the bus again, and headed for Oslo. It was about a 4 hour drive, but we stopped for supper along the way, and also stopped to see a 12th Century stave church --- originally styled after the Vikings "dragon" style. That's an OLD church!

We FINALLY got to Oslo, and checked into the hotel. This morning, we got up and ate the breakfast buffet, and then headed for the Royal Palace where we saw the Changing of the Guards. Those guys looked like babies! I get NONE of them were more than 20 years old! Cute, but very young!

Then we headed for the National Gallery where we saw Edward Munch's famous painting of "The Scream" and "Madonna" as well as lots of others. That guy had issues, I think! THEN, we headed for the Gustav Vigeland Park in Oslo, which consists of many sculptures of nudes of every description. He put 40 years of work into this project, and it is pretty amazing. However, I question his motives for some of the sculptures. I personally think he had issues, too! But it was amazing work, and a very interesting walk thru the garden. After a tour of Oslo, we went up to the world-famous ski jump at Holterkollen, which was used in the past winter olympics and will be used in the next one, too. Cannot imagine going down that thing!

From there, we walked and toured the city on our own, finally headed back to the hotel, and had a nice farewell dinner this evening. Several from the group are going on tomorrow to Copenhagen, Denmark. We are staying in Oslo and touring the Viking Museum where we will see the Kontiki and more. Then will be heading home all day on Thursday. Will post more tomorrow night!

In Oslo, Norway -

2008-05-26T13:36:00.002-06:00

Radisson Hotel near Royal Palace.

After a LONGGGGG and exhausting day on a bus, 2 trains, a boat and a bus again, we finally arrived at the hotel in Oslo about an hour ago...8:38 p.m. Norwegian time. We did the "Norway in a Nutshell" tour today and I have to say, it was AMAZING and well worth the long day. I have NEVER seen scenery like we saw today, and I will try and get my photos edited and posted tomorrow. Will tell you more about that trip tomorrow.

Here's a few things I have noticed about this Norwegian experience:
---They eat TONS of weird looking fish at every meal
---The floors in the bathrooms are all heated
---You flush the toilet by pulling up on a knob on top of the tank
---There are twin beds in every room; they are usually pushed together, but made up with separate linens.
---Most hotels do not give you wash rags to use, except for the hotels in larger cities.
---It really popular with young women to color their hair strange shades of red.
---There is no PEOPLE magazine in Norway.
---Caviar is offered with every meal, in 3 different colors, and some in tubes.

I am pooped. Henry is already snoring. Headed to bed and will write more tomorrow.

Leaving Bergen tomorrow...

2008-05-25T12:04:00.006-06:00

We enjoyed our short stay in Bergen! Beautiful, historic city with lots of cool museums and shops!

Bergen usually only has less than 100 days of no rain a year, and we hit it at just the right time! It has been beautiful today, with the sun out shining, and we walked to a nearby church to attend Sunday morning services. It was St. Mary's Lutheran Cathedral, and is the oldest building in Bergen since it was originally built in the 1500's...seriously! The service itself was in Norwegian, but the priest did explain some things for our benefit in English. Norwegians are not known for church attendance, so it was a pretty small congregation, but there were 8 of us there, as well as a big group of teenagers who were on some kind of tour. Then Uncle Tommy, Henry and I walked all over the city and found some great shops, flowers, and statues up and down the waterfront. This photo is of Tommy and I in front of a museum about Edvard Grieg.

After a little time in the hotel room and a sandwich we had saved from breakfast... (I uploaded all my photos to my Flickr acct) we decided to continue our exploration of Bergen.

It was supper time, and dinner out is outrageously expensive, so we did the normal American thing and went to McDonald's for a burger and fries! Actually, we were both hungry for a good ol' burger and coke. Two big Mac meals cost over $40, but it was worth it!

We leave here at 6:30 a.m. in the morning and will be doing the "Norway in a Nutshell" tour. We will take a couple of busses, a train, and a boat to cross most of southern Norway, see the back country, and make our way to Oslo. So it's going to be a long day. I am charging all my cameras so I will have lots of battery power to take more photos! Will post again once we get to Oslo!

Off the Ship..FINALLY!!!

2008-05-24T13:47:00.006-06:00

We disembarked from the Hurtigurten ship Midnatsol today, and are in a Radisson hotel in Bergen, Norway. What a cool city! And man, were we ready to get off that ship. I mean, it was great for a couple of days and the scenery was unbelievable, but the days kind of ran together when you mostly just ate, walked around a lot of the same kind of small Norwegian towns, and read books. Just wasn't that much to do...it was really nice to relax, but 5 days of it was a little too much relaxing for us! So we are glad to be in a CITY now, where we can go exploring on our own. We rode a tram to the top of a mountain today and could see the entire city and fjord. We did stop in Molde last evening, and it was a really high tech type city and really beautiful....wanted to spend more time there....maybe we can go back some day to ski the mountains...it looked like the Swiss Alps in the background, all covered with snow.

I will post a bunch of photos tomorrow and get caught up with those...the internet on the ship was not good and very expensive to use. Now that we are in the hotel, we have hi-speed wireless that is FREE! By the way, I mentioned in a previous post that the minimum wage in Norway is about $30/hr. Well, we found a McDonalds in town tonight, and to get a Big Mac with fried and a large drink is about $25 (US $'s) Seriously....when is the last time you paid $25 for a burger??? Cost of living over here is CRAZY.

Here's a couple of photos from the past few days...

Cruising on down the Fjord

2008-05-21T11:52:00.002-06:00

Well, we are still cruising down the western coast of Norway, and it's gradually getting warmer, sunnier, and more beautiful as we go. Since this is a working ship as well, it makes lots of stops along the way at quaint little fishing villages and bigger towns to deliver supplies. The first stop today was at Stokmarknes and we got off the ship and walked through town. Henry needed some hydrocortisone and we found a pharmacy and a small tube --- for about $12!

The mountains are getting more and more craggy and rough, shooting straight up in the air, and covered with snow. The fjords are dotted with small islands and big rocks, and it feels like the captain is playing dodgeball! You wouldn't believe the remoteness some of these areas have, and yet there are houses here and there, that we assume people live in. Will post more photos tomorrow.... We went through the Trollfjord today (where mythical trolls hang out) and saw some sea eagles -- looked like big sea gulls to me and Uncle Tommy! Got off the boat again in Svoldjgen or something like that --- one of the Lofoten Islands. Big city compared to most.

OK-- gotta go get lined up for dinner...food is WEIRD--- lots of fish in all kinds of strange forms---but the desserts are amazing!

Will post photos tomorrow...internet is spotty and expensive.

Roz

Cruising...

2008-05-20T02:31:00.002-06:00

We left Kirkenes, Norway yesterday and got on a cruise ship to sail southwest and through the fijords of Norway. Stopped in Vardo, Norway to get off the ship and checked out an old fortress there with a moat (empty) -- Cost of EVERYTHING in Norway is outrageously expensive... apparently, minimum wage here is about $30 an hour for day labor, but the cost of living is extremely high. Several in our party of 40 people got seasick yesterday (Including Uncle Tommy) but he is much better today. I took my Dramamine and had no problems at all. Internet is about 50 cents a minute, so I can't get on and off as often. We are heading southwest and then down the coast of Norway, all the way to Oslo...will take about 3 more days... We'll be spending a couple of days in Bergen, so I plan on shopping for a Norwegian sweater there! About the only souvenir I will bring back will be for KATE because of prices!!!

Anyway-- gotta go for now. Keep checking my photos on my Flickr acct as I will upload as I can. www.flickr.com/photos/rozgarland

More later...

Roz

What part of Artic Circle Did You Not Understand?

2008-05-18T06:01:00.009-06:00

Hello and Goodbye to Ivalo, Finland! We flew into a quaint little airport decorated like a log cabin...you know it's small when you get out of the plane on the runway. Guess what was on the ground...yep! That white, cold, wet stuff called ...SNOW! Thought we had left that behind in Angel Fire, but it greeted us to Finland. We stayed in a ski resort outside of Ivalo, and immediately got out and walked around in it. Nice place, but very quiet due to off-season status. While there, we visited a Sami (the indigenous, native people of northern Scandinavia) museum and then went to a reindeer farm where we fed the reindeer, practiced lassoing the reindeer, and then were treated to supper in a Kota --- a round wooden kurt-like structure with a fire in the middle. Supper was reindeer goulash, veggies, hot tea and coffee, and a big cookie. Then the wife sang Sami songs for us ---Joika songs. See upcoming video for example.

Today, we left Ivalo for Norway this morning on the bus. We had to travel about 200 miles to Kirkenes (kir-ken-ness) Norway...and are now on the Artic tundra...it's snowing here, too, but not that cold so far. We will be leaving here in the morning to board the cruise ship to travel down the western coast of Norway, all the way to Oslo. Will be on the ship for 5 nights, and we have no idea of what internet there will be, if any. Anyway---check my Flickr account for more photos, but here are a few.
The village above is Kirkenes, Norway...positioned on a fijord in northeastern Norway. This waterway runs out to the Artic Ocean. (We're in the Artic Circle...)

This reindeer herder and his wife live have a reindeer farm just outside of Ivalo, Finland. They are wearing the Sami traditional dress, and speak Sami. The lady was interpreting everything to English for us. Most Samis speak their own dialect, some Finnish and some Swedish. They raise reindeer for meat and by-products like we do cows...Very few reindeer in Finland run wild...you have to go to Russia and Siberia and far north Finland for that. By the way, we weren't that far from the Russian border.

Check my Flickr account for more photos.

A walking tour of Helsinki --- My Feet Hurt!

2008-05-15T07:33:00.003-06:00

Today we took a bus tour of most of Helsinki, and saw quite a few famous buildings and areas of the city. In fact, we saw them quite close up as we walked for MILES literally -- after we got off the bus tour.

Impressions of Helsinki:
---Very CLEAN city...no trash or graffiti anywhere.
---Finns like to exercise / walk / bike; paths everywhere and very busy --- there are very few overweight people in Finland.
---Stuff is VERY expensive! It costs about $25 to rent ONE MOVIE in your hotel room.
---Very cultural here....Lots of music orientated events and buildings! Many museums which are all FREE to enter, and concerts and plays around the year.
---Most of the kids here look very "EMO" based on the American look.
---The language doesn't resemble ANYTHING I have ever seen... lots of double letters and umlauts.

We leave from here to fly to Ivalo, Norway tomorrow. Supposed to be REALLY cold -- in the Artic circle, so that makes sense! Will be there a couple of days, and then get on the cruise ship to go through the fijords of Norway!

Don't know what the internet capability on board ship will be.... so I will post as often as I can.

Here's a picture of Henry in front of a beautiful Lutheran church near the harbor.

What I Learned About Finland Today

2008-05-14T08:04:00.005-06:00

Here's what I learned about Finland today:

It's a LONG flight away from DFW --- 8 hrs ahead of Dallas
Finland is the home of NOKIA -- you thought it was Japan, didn't you? Almost all communication devices you see around are Nokia-brand.
Also Ericsson phones originated from Finland!
It is the most technologically advanced country in Europe --- more people internet-savvy than all other European countries.
Only country in Scandanavia that uses the EURO.
80% of Finnish people speak perfect English.
Their lattes are REALLY strong coffee. And weird pastries in the Finnish-style coffee shops...no Starbucks in sight so far.
Finland is really flat from the air.
On a harbor -- Helsinki is not that old -- established by Russians when the country was under their control in 1800's.
Hotel room is great!
Younger girls and women wear a lot of leggings under things and skinny form-fitting jeans. Not too much sagging from the guys...lots of shaved heads on the younger guys, though!
NAPS are a good thing after major jet lag!
MANY taxis are Mercedes, Audi's and BMW's.

Ok-- gotta go get dressed for dinner! You guys just had breakfast in Dallas!
Will post photos tomorrow.

At the airport

2008-05-13T05:30:00.000-06:00

Here we are... Tanking up on caffeine for a long day of flying...
Helsinki here we come!

It's HUMMINGBIRD time!

2008-04-29T19:03:00.003-06:00

Ok...I guess it's true. Spring has hit the mountain, and I know this because today I heard (didn't SEE it, just heard it) the first hummingbird! It's that distinctive little twitter they make, and it means that it's officially spring up here. Although there are still piles of yucky snow here and there, it IS melting quickly --- it is still below freezing at night, but definitely warming up. I even sat on the deck for a while this evening in our new chairs by the firepit!

I know it's been spring for a while in Texas, but we aren't far behind up here on the mountain!

Roz

Getting caught up!

2008-04-28T12:19:00.003-06:00

In more ways than one:

Friends really fill in the empty spots in my life. Just when I get homesick, I hear from one of my buddies at home and makes me feel not so isolated and lonely! Thanks, Kelli and Wanda! I miss you guys.
Work is piling up --- Henry needs to quit taking on so many new clients! Trying to get caught up before our 17 day trip to Norway. It's really worrying me...you can only put off final reports for so long.
Landscaping around here needs to happen SOON. Taking bids now. The dust is flying and the house stays covered up with it.
Worrying about packing everything I need for 17 days in under 50 lbs. Not gonna happen! I could take that many shoes alone!
Need to go to town to check mail...

MORAL OF THIS STORY IS:
The more I line up to do, the "behinder" I get!

A Katie Mac Video Kind of Day

2008-04-26T19:27:00.005-06:00

By popular request (by Jenny and Kate) I spent this morning making a little video for Kate! I realize now that I should have not only washed my face before filming, but should have put on some makeup and brushed my hair better...oh well, Kate knows I am old! There is a section of video in the middle that came out really jittery for some reason, I have no idea why, but it was of Poppy and he's a jittery kind of guy anyway! It was fun, and I will be adding to this collection when I can think of more to say! Here's the link to Viddler to watch the video:
http://www.viddler.com/explore/rozgarland/videos/3/
(Remember I made this for Kate!)

Henry is leaving for Wylie in the morning (early) because he is involved in a bank audit this week. Should be back here by Thursday. I have some landscaper guys coming this week, and a cleaning lady, so I am going to stay here. Don't worry...I have my guard dogs here with me! Henry's cousin Jimmy Alton and his wife Lissa are coming on Saturday to spend a couple of days with us.

I have hauled rocks off and on all day, but made LOTS of progress on my rock wall around the Christmas trees! It's great exercise, and does me a lot of good --- especially when I say, "Here Henry, put that one right here!"

OK gotta go for now...supper is beeping at me. Will take pics and upload some tomorrow.

Guess where I am?

2008-04-24T15:06:00.000-06:00

Getting my highlights redone... Not quite right this last time so here
I go again!
Roz

And back at the hacienda...

2008-04-23T21:08:00.003-06:00

Update:
The conference went great! Henry and Brad BOTH did awesome and I was VERY proud! Will be uploading photos and video to The Garland Group Flickr account... So, Henry and I are back at Lonestar Lodge, and Brad is home in McKinney. Enjoyed the little respite in Albuquerque, but it felt good coming "home". Here's a photo of us taken yesterday...

Albuquerque from our window

2008-04-23T13:59:00.001-06:00

It's MUCH warmer in Albuq than on the mountain--- upper 80's here. Funny what a couple thousand feet will do. Conference going well... Henry did good and Brad is up in a few hours. He'll be a big hit, I am sure! Taking a break in our room to check email and charge my video camera. Nice view, huh?

Today's Menu

2008-04-19T17:57:00.002-06:00

1) Coffee and Oatmeal-To-Go and check email.
2) Help Henry move hay bales to back of barn
3) Help Henry move the entire freakin' woodpile to behind propane tank
4) Stack rocks and make another wildflower garden behind house
5) Walk dogs 3 times today
6) Eat leftovers for lunch at 2:30 p.m.
7) Take a 30 minute break to check email.
8) Repeat # 2, 3 and 4.
9) Collapse on steps of back deck and watch Henry drag snow around.
10) Come in, strip and throw all clothes in washer.
11) Post to blog
12) Go get in hot shower and soak
13) Collapse in front of TV
14) Go to bed --- very shortly!

New Neighbors!

2008-04-19T08:43:00.002-06:00

Well, it finally happened. As I was walking my dogs down the drive yesterday, I noticed a car with Texas plates parked on the road. After scoping out what was going on below, I saw a man and a lady talking with the builders down there. So, I assumed that they were the owners of the house being built, and after basically trotting (there's no running at this altitude!) up the hill to get Henry, we went down on the 6-wheeler to meet them.

Here's the scoop: They are from Texarkana, Tx; he's a cardiologist and she owns a dance studio; they have 2 little girls ages 5 and 8; this will be a vacation home for them; they are really into marathons and triathalons, etc; they plan on being here most of the summer; and they are really nice!

So...that was good! And we are glad to meet them! Their house probably won't be finished until JULY they were told, which we know out HERE means probably October! They may rent a place to stay in this summer and watch the finish-out work on their house... I am glad...it's nice to know people are around SOMEWHAT...and then again, I do like the feeling of being in the woods, too!

Anyway-- we are glad to meet them and find out who they are!

Welcome back to the Mountain...and SNOW!

2008-04-17T20:45:00.010-06:00

After a quick overnight stay in Amarillo, and after visiting Amarillo National Bank today where the guys are doing an audit, we headed for "The Mountain" and Lonestar Lodge. Major winds and really cold today!

Here's a photo I took with my new Canon S5 as we were approaching Cimarron. The clouds in the background are definitely SNOW clouds, which we ran into going through Cimarron Canyon. Nothing too bad, and not sticking to the road, but it was a welcome change of scenery from the high flat plains between Amarillo and Springer.Just outside of the canyon, we saw a HUGE --- I mean several HUNDRED--- elk on both sides of the road...kind of scrungy looking, and all males had dropped their antlers, but it was cool to be surrounded by this massive herd. They just stood and posed for me while I took photos. We also saw several more on our way up to Lonestar Lodge...couldn't get my camera out fast enough for those...of course, it was that "Elk Time" of day...they come out in droves around dusk.
And yes, there is still snow on the mountain...It's melting, but not TOO fast. Here's my favorite part of the drive up to our place...I LOVE this little section of road and the trees around it! And finally...here's Henry (in his dress clothes) going to unlock the chain across our drive.

So here we are back on the mountain, and as we were unloading, it was snowing AGAIN! About an inch has fallen since we got here a couple of hours ago...don't think it will stick around long, and there has been a LOT of melting while we were in Wylie!

Will report in over the weekend!

Where did the mountains go?

2008-04-08T13:04:00.000-06:00

About 30 miles from Santa Rosa--- missing the mts already! Dogs in
back seat snoring and Henry listening to podcast by Joel Osteen. Thank
goodness for People magazine!

Heading for Wylie

2008-04-07T17:44:00.004-06:00

Will be leaving Angel Fire around noon on Tuesday, April 8th and heading for Wylie...staying at the Campbell's house in Anton, Tx Tuesday night, going to a funeral in Snyder on Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. May drive part of the way back after that, or may make it all the way back...not sure. We will be able to stay through about Tuesday of next week, possibly, before coming back to Angel Fire. So, I will post from the road!

Roz

Lazy Sunday.....NAH!

2008-04-06T17:13:00.000-06:00

Well, I thought this might turn into a lazy Sunday until Henry abruptly woke me up to tell me that Scarlett had escaped out the door, ran down the road past the barn, and WAYYYY down the fenceline of the National Forest behind our house. Fortunately, he caught Sophie when she stopped to "do her thing", but Scarlett was GONE.

Got dressed really fast, put on snow boots and took off walking across our place and way down the hill onto our neighbor's property. It was early enough that the snow drifts were still frozen, so you could walk across them, for the most part. I fell down twice and sank up to my knees a couple of times, but nothing more than that. Henry walked a long ways down the fenceline to no avail.

We then got in the car and drove north to our neighbor's house, stopped on their driveway and called and called....no Scarlett. Came home, got the walkie talkies and cell phones and took off for the hiking area behind our part of the mountain. Henry walked up behind our house through the National Forest and sent me home to look more. As I was coming up the road, here comes Chuck, our neighbor, who had heard us out by his house, came out and found Scarlett....he was bringing her to us. She wouldn't walk so he was carrying her. She was covered with MUD and wet, and shaking...but she was OK.

This chasing-Scarlett-thing is getting really old. If we can ever get back to Wylie, we have a wrought iron fence with doggie spikes in it to go around the "front yard", where I can turn them loose outside and keep them captive still. And Henry is going to set up a doggie run with doggie door into the barn at some point, but there is still too much snow on the ground.

THEN.... a quick trip to Taos to get diesel (it's a LOT cheaper than AF), lunch, trip to the hardware store and back again. Then we spent time picking up big rocks and stacking them around the septic system outlets so no one will run over them...making a flower bed that I can plant native stuff in. Oh yeah, saw about 5 BIG elk at the bottom of our lot on the way out this morning, too! Have to figure out what to plant that they don't like.

THEN....I went down front and stained the wooden box that Henry made for our sign to go on...I broke the temporary sign that was on there, so now we really do need to get a real one made. It's made out of logs, so it's pretty heavy --- I planted daffodils in there, but no sign of them yet. That is one flower that wildlife won't eat because it's poisonous to them.

Now, I am getting ready to wash the dogs, check email, fix supper, and CRASH....wow, that jacuzzi tub sure sounds good right now! So that's the definition of a lazy Sunday around here!

Mud splattered but happy!

2008-04-05T21:23:00.000-06:00

Well, today was warm enough that I could go outside and play in the water! After several weeks of living with mud everywhere, I decided to do some clean up today. Henry hooked up the power washer and after I donned my "Mud-abatement clothing" --- which was a dirty pair of ski pants rolled up above my knee high rubber boots, a waterproof windbreaker with a hood cinched down, and Kate's ski googles---I was good to go.

I started on my truck---after a disappointing carwash in Taos yesterday where we ran out of cash before we were finished washing, I hit it again and got off the globs of mud still clinging to the bottom edges, and in the wheel wells. That rapidly escalated into re-washing the whole car. Then I powerwashed all the dog prints off the deck, along with a layer of pounded in dirt. Saved the best for last....the garage and the piles of mud that dripped off the truck everytime I parked in there after making a run up and down the mountain. Ended up having to spray down pretty much EVERTHING in the garage after the mud went flying. It was all I could do to keep Allie out of the way of the sprayer. She's the one, when we are in Wylie, that will go and stand over the lawn sprinkler because she loves to get wet.

Anyway, after a couple of hours of playing in the water, the garage was relatively clean (until I had to drive across the wet driveway (mud) to park my truck back inside...it left nice, decorative tracks across my clean floor. And then when I let the dogs out of the crate where I had them trapped, they immediately went outside and walked back in to "customize" their territory.

Oh well, it is WAYYYY better than it was!

Top of Taos

2008-04-04T20:53:00.001-06:00

Great day of skiing at Taos! Perfect weather, perfect snow, lots of fun! We had forgotten how steep it really is... Greens there = blues at AF. Demo'ed some new K2 skis and loved them! May go back tomorrow to watch the Budlight Pond Skimming Championships--- they ski down a hill and try to make it across 80 ft of icy water... In costumes! Then the resort closes for the season, so we may make a run up to Wolf Creek Pass in Colorado --- only 150 miles away and open for 3 more weeks! Yup... We're becoming ski bums... Following the snow! Pictures to come!

Dialing for dollars

2008-04-04T08:41:00.000-06:00

Work, work, work at the Angel Fire office! Fixing to leave to go skiing at Taos Ski Valley... Will post more from the mountain!

Research, Testing, Blogging!

2008-04-04T08:00:00.000-06:00

I was given the task at work to figure out where we wanted our company wiki to reside...in the process of researching that, it of course led me to blogging. Then I discovered that Blogger works with Google accts to allow mobile blogging (from your phone...) So, in the interest of testing it, I signed up for this account.

Thought it might be interesting to just post stuff from the road...as much as we are traveling now, and going places, it will be fun to send a photo as a post, or post from the top of a mountain, sitting on a ski lift!

Thought I'd try it and see....it may go the way of several other blogging attempts I have made...into the internet graveyard.

So....here we go!