It's just mid August, but I can see some cottonwood trees with yellow leaves.  A friend in northern California sees dead leaves on her patio.  Two totally different summers.  Ours was wet and her's was dry.  But, it seems it might be an early Fall both places. 

It's been a busy summer here at the Circle R Motel.  We have not had much time to ATV.  Went down to the river a couple times for dinner though. 

There is a fiber arts festival coming up the 13th of September and then the wine tasting event over Labor Day weekend.  And that about winds down the summer here in Salida.

As for me, I'll be heading to the State Fair later this month to see Chris Young in concert as well as Ty Herndon and then late September, its Blake Shelton in concert. 

Next up, big game hunting and then skiing and snowboarding.  I'm not ready for either.  What's your favorite season?

Gosh, it's been ages since I posted on my blog.  I often don't know what to write about.  Last weekend, Lee and I went ATVing.  I'm always amazed we can be at a ATV spot in less than 15 minutes. 

Summer is in full swing and we have had lots of hikers coming through walking the Continental Divide Trail or the Colorado Trail.  And, then we also had a dirt bike rider taking the Trans America Trail or the TAT as its often called. 

This weekend is the Art Walk here in Salida.  It's alot of fun with art galleries offering special sales and events.  Good food.  Bands playing.  The weather should be perfect.

The rafting is good too.  Had some people stay last night who enjoyed a day of rafting yesterday.  Check out our web site for a rafting company to go with. http://www.salidacoloradomotel.com/

getting to watch the Olympics

I love watching the Olympics from the comfort of my home here in Salida, Colorado.  In the winter my favorite sport is ice skating and in the summer time it is gynastics.  Recently, we took a road trip to Colorado Springs to the Olympic training center.  It was very interesting and we quit enjoyed it.   

Colorado Springs is just two hours from Salida.  While in Colorado Springs we were lucky enough to see this herd of male mountain sheep.  That was quite a treat for us.  We see the females around Salida quite frequently, in the Big Horn Sheep Canyon, but not these males. 

 

Outside we are seeing another sign of winter.  More snow.  Monarch Ski Area recently had 40 inches of snow.  Couldn't ask for better skiing or snowboarding conditions.  Hope to see you here soon.

Sunshine and fly fishing

The weather here in southern Colorado is unseasonably warm.  Today it is supposed to be 55.  I need to get outside and water my garden and the Aspen trees.  The Aspens love water.  The grass needs to be watered too. 

This photo was taken on one of our ATV rides.  Last year we only went ATVing one time and it was  was with our friends from Denver.  We went on a really scary ride over by Crested Butte, Colorado.  I would have added a photo, but I can't seem to get but one photo uploaded...  Sigh.

Recently 102 miles of the Arkansas River was designated Gold Medal water, which for you fly fishermen is exciting.  Gold Medal waters represent the best aquatic habitats and the best fisheries in the state.  These waters are the cream of the crop.  It also means that 65 percent of the river stretch is open to the angling public via federal and state-owned land.  The county hopes to see more fly fishermen and fisherwomen because of this designation.  Which in turn, means more business at our motel here in Salida, Colorado - we hope!    Check out this web site to get more information on fly fishing.  http://www.arkanglers.com/fly-shop-salida

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Spent the evening watching a new show I discovered "Call the Midwife" which is a t.v. show on PBS from England.  It's excellent.  Almost as good as Downton Abby, which begins again tonight. 

The snow storm missed us, but the ski area has two new inches.     http://www.skimonarch.com/
The farmer's almanac said it was supposed to be a hard winter, but I guess it wasn't talking about Colorado. 

Next weekend, Lee is going elk hunting with his nephews.  The twin boys are 17 and they still have a license. 



Lee's brother shot an elk back in November and we have been enjoying the bounty.  The hamburger is excellent.  We had "elk wellington" for Christmas Eve dinner.

A new year.

It's 9pm on Friday night.  It's quiet except for the wind blowing outside.  It reminds me of the movie Mary Poppins - you know, when the wind blew her in with her umbrella and carpet bag.  I saw the movie "Saving Mr. Banks" the other night.  It was really good especially for a baby boomer who remembers seeing the movie Mary Poppins when it first came out in the 1960s.

We are expecting a snow storm tonight or tomorrow.  Fortunately its not going to be like the snow storms that are hitting the eastern part of the United States.  The skiing at the ski area should be excellent.  But, I thought this photo of fall around the Salida area would be nice to post. 

Painting motel neon sign in May 2013

It's been a long time since I wrote on my blog.  It's just that not much is going on.  I went to California for vacation.  Everything in California is green.  It's hard to come back to Colorado, but nothing beats the smell of the trees here in the mountains after a good rain.

While in California I went on a cruise out in the Santa Barbara harbor.  Here are some seals we encountered!  They didn't smell so good being as fish is their diet!  They ones on the green "thing" would not let that guy in the water join them...

Back at the Circle R Motel, we are painting the neon sign.  It's a big project and the weather has not helped much.  Here is before....

Here is after....  Looks great, don't you think?!  Thanks to John who volunteered to do the project.

The river should be great for rafting this summer in Salida.  Fly fishing is good now too.  This is the place to plan a vacation...