Trippin in St Pete

[2tallbill]

Beautiful photos Bill.

Have you done Wolf Creek or Red Mountain passes yet? In winter, both will get the adrenaline pumping (even in summer it can happen). Both are in SW Colorado, the most beautiful part of the state in my opinion.

I just looked at a map and the Red Mountain would be a good trip for a 3 day weekend.
However, we are thinking about either Pikes Peak or maybe the Mount Evans Byway
which often times closes after labor day.

I barbecued today and Angel Eyes will pack a cooler. I could pack it but she would
just take everything out and do it again herself. I made bread, fish, pork and a big
assortment of vegetables.

[2tallbill]

On Sunday we took drove up to Mount Evans is the road into the sky. Drive from
8,700 feet at Idaho Spring where you turn off Interstate 70 to 14,240 feet to the
summit. It was 82 in Denver when we passed through and a few degrees above
freezing at the Summit. At the top it was alternating between snow and hail and
the winds were howling at about 40 mph. Luckily Mini-me was asleep, but I don't
even go snow skiing when there are 40mph winds and hail, I might ski the trees
but I certainly don't spend any more time than necessary outside.

Angel Eyes did hike up to the Summit and then later complained of a headache.
I said that she shouldn't have made the hike without a proper coat or a proper
hat and she actually agreed with me that it wasn't her best idea.

Later we had a nice picnic at Echo Lake, the temp was in the low 70's and
Mini Me fed the local starving ducks some of his bread.

Angel Eyes took a photo of a Blue Jay and rejoiced as if she had gotten a
non-blurry photo of big foot riding a unicorn.




More to follow

[2tallbill]

At the top of Mount Evans

[2tallbill]

Near the top




Lake Echo 10,600 ft was in the 70's and beautiful only a few thousand
feet lower. We had a nice picnic with barbecue that I made and a salad
that Angel Eyes had picked that morning from her garden.



By the way, I was told that these are Russian ducks. 


Mini-me has no fear of falling and certainly no fear of drowning.
After his 99th attempt to go swimming with the "Russian ducks"
I put him on my shoulders

[ML]

However, we are thinking about either Pikes Peak . . .

We bought tickets on the train that goes up to Pikes Peak during our trip in the RV back in 2014.

But when appointed time came, I was fighting a head cold, so Ochka went up by herself.

This was in early May and it was quite chilly and windy going up as people opened windows.

Ochka wore jeans, shirt, sweater and one of my medium weight coats.  She was appalled that many parents took their young children along with just a first layer of clothing and some babies had bare feet exposed.

Parking is quite limited at the train boarding spot, so keep that in mind.

[BorisS]

Good stuff, Bill. Thanks for posting it...

[2tallbill]

We bought tickets on the train that goes up to Pikes Peak during our trip in the RV back in 2014.

But when appointed time came, I was fighting a head cold, so Ochka went up by herself.

I wouldn't willingly go up to 14,000 feet without all my sinuses/ears working perfectly.

[2tallbill]

Good stuff, Bill. Thanks for posting it...

Thanks,

Boris,

[2tallbill]

I don't mention this very often (because I'm a guy) but I am crazy in love with Angel
Eyes and very happy. I wake up every day to those smiling eyes, it's something that
approaches pure bliss. Angel Eyes only loves me about 99 times more. How that much
love can exist inside one small female human is amazing.

All the searching, all the disappointments, all the trips home alone in cramped airline
seats were worth it. I only hope that others can find the happiness that I have.

Udachi!

Bill

[ML]

Happy for you Big Bill.

One thing I am very thankful for about Ochka . . . is that she is usually smiling going to bed and smiling getting up in morning.  Not a very common trait; I would think.

[Bee Farmer]

Angel Eyes is excited to see everything, we could
leave on a Friday and get back on a Monday. There are many, many places that I haven't
seen around here and if you have a favorite by all means let me know.

I would definitely recommend Jewel Cave in South Dakota.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewel_Cave_National_Monument  http://www.nps.gov/jeca/index.htm

If you are at Jewel Cave, you might as well visit Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse and Devil's Tower and the Badlands too.  But I would put Jewel Cave at the very top of the list.

The Jewel Cave website says parents are not supposed to carry children.  Everyone is supposed to be able to walk the 1/2 mile of the scenic tour.  There are a couple narrow spots you have to squeeze through, where it would be difficult to get through carrying a baby.  But for most of the tour, the cave openings are big enough that you could carry Mini Me if he didn't want to walk.

[2tallbill]

Some random stuff

We went to a European festival and in another stroke of brilliance I bought some
expensive jam sold by two very attractive women from Poland. I gave Angel Eyes
a taste and told her how much I paid for it, to which she replied

"Beeeel, I can make better!" Now we have several dozen jars of very tasty preserves
in our basement closet/pantry. 

Angel Eyes is signed up for English classes at the local community college and goes
4 days per week. It's free for Green card holders. The class is 90% female and she's
the only FSUW. The instructor says that they usually have a few FSUW.

We are supposed to have close to freezing temperatures and Angel Eyes is worried
about her garden freezing. I have a couple of customers who sell plastic sheeting and
will buy some of it before dropping her off for her classes.

[Faux Pas]

Some random stuff

Some random replies

Angel Eyes is signed up for English classes at the local community college and goes
4 days per week. It's free for Green card holders. The class is 90% female and she's
the only FSUW. The instructor says that they usually have a few FSUW.

What are the other nationalities?

We are supposed to have close to freezing temperatures and Angel Eyes is worried
about her garden freezing. I have a couple of customers who sell plastic sheeting and
will buy some of it before dropping her off for her classes.

You might be missing the boat here Bill unless the plastic sheeting keeps the ground warm?

[2tallbill]

I would definitely recommend Jewel Cave in South Dakota.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewel_Cave_National_Monument  http://www.nps.gov/jeca/index.htm

If you are at Jewel Cave, you might as well visit Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse and Devil's Tower and the Badlands too.  But I would put Jewel Cave at the very top of the list.

The Jewel Cave website says parents are not supposed to carry children.  Everyone is supposed to be able to walk the 1/2 mile of the scenic tour.  There are a couple narrow spots you have to squeeze through, where it would be difficult to get through carrying a baby.  But for most of the tour, the cave openings are big enough that you could carry Mini Me if he didn't want to walk.

Thanks for the links, I've taken the family to Mt Rushmore but not the other places
you mentioned.

Mini me gets placed on the ground and then I grab his hand and he runs along side
me with his little legs churning like egg beaters. If he can't keep up then he doesn't
get to go or gets sold to the circus (his choice) so far he chooses to keep up.

I only carry him when his legs are too short to get through something.

[2tallbill]

Some random replies

What are the other nationalities?

You might be missing the boat here Bill unless the plastic sheeting keeps the ground warm?

I'm not very good at looking at people and determining their nationalities.
Mostly Hispanic women, Asian women and a couple of Somali men? 

The plastic sheeting keeps the heat in a little bit. It's a stop gap until the harvest is
over or it gets really cold (which means the harvest is over). I'm deferring to her
superior gardening skills.

[2tallbill]

Happy for you Big Bill.

One thing I am very thankful for about Ochka . . . is that she is usually smiling going to bed and smiling getting up in morning.  Not a very common trait; I would think.

Thanks,

When Angel Eyes is smiling in bed I usually have some fun and debauchery filled
hours ahead of me.

[2tallbill]

Angel Eyes made many jars of very tasty jams and I made my Strawberry Salsa.

I had plans to make regular salsa but it hasn't happened yet and our tomato harvest
hasn't been enough for me to get enough tomatoes passed down on to me.

My nearly world famous (only nobody knows about it)
Canned Strawberry Salsa

Ingredients:
12 cups of bite-size chopped strawberries (about 4 quarts) Angel Eyes (AE)
chopped them.
1/2 cup Agave Sweetener
5 cups of raw,unbleached sugar

Ingredients Cut & Ready To Go
1 1/4 cups white onions, diced small packed tightly
1 cup diced red onion packed tightly
1 cup of jalapeno I smoked them in my smoker, removed all seeds and chopped
fine in my small food processor which is an attachment to our blender
(packed super tightly for measuring purposes)
1/4 cup of fresh lime juice
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3/4 cup red bellpepper I smoked the red peppers but not the green
peppers for no reason other than I still had room in my smoker
1/2 cup green bellpepper packed tightly
1/4 cup finely chopped mint Angel Eyes (AE) produces this by the ton in her garden
1 tsp sea salt (I used Morton’s salt)
1 1/4 cups of apple cider vinegar

Boil sugar, vinegar and agave sweetener until sugar has dissolved. Add all onions, peppers, herbs, lime juice and spices and bring to aboil. Turn off heat and add the strawberries. Mix well.

Hot Pack Into Jars
Hot pack into pint size jars. AE filled several jars with salsa and had 1 pint left over that was pure liquid which AE put in a separate jar. I am using it to marinate some pork that I will barbecue tonight.

Angel Eyes canned the salsa using secret Russian methods. I’m not allowed to help and certainly not allowed to touch anything while she does this.

NOTE: Handling jalapeno peppers with your bare hands isn't a good idea. It takes
days for the burning to stop and you can't touch a woman anyplace sensitive
(or yourself for that matter) for a day or two. I recommend that you wear gloves
when doing this. This salsa is too spicy by most FSUW standards. Your options are
either to make crappy tasteless salsa or to do it right. I chose the latter.

Angel Eyes will eat my salsa on meat (think of horseradish for primed rib). 

Udachi!

Bill 

[Faux Pas]

The plastic sheeting keeps the heat in a little bit. It's a stop gap until the harvest is
over or it gets really cold (which means the harvest is over). I'm deferring to her
superior gardening skills.

 It might buy AE a few days. I personally wouldn't go to the trouble. Largely will depend on how low the temps get along with your altitude. You're pretty high aren't you? I still have a healthy bounty after abandoning it for a few weeks

[Boethius]

I live in a northern gardening climate. 


Root vegetables don't need to be covered.  In fact, a frost makes them tastier, although carrots will, if the frost is severe, lose their texture (crunchiness).  Otherwise, I'm with FP.  Vegetables won't grow any more, so it's best to pick them.

[2tallbill]

I live in a northern gardening climate. 


Root vegetables don't need to be covered.  In fact, a frost makes them tastier, although carrots will, if the frost is severe, lose their texture (crunchiness).  Otherwise, I'm with FP.  Vegetables won't grow any more, so it's best to pick them.

She changed her other mind. I was going to buy plastic and then she said never mind
but she still came up with a honey do list item for me to do instead. I let her manage
the gardening but I help when she needs help with planting or tilling in the Spring
and I mow the yard. 

Her school had a second enrollment and now she has a few Russian speaking
people in her class. She was very excited about that. The teacher apparently
had to tell them all to speak English a couple of times.

[2tallbill]

The basement pantry. If you notice fewer old mayonnaise jars than last year it's
because I bought a whole bunch of various sized canning jars and lids.




I've gotta teach Angel Eyes how to make zucchini bread next. 
Do they have it in Russia?

[ML]

Angel Eyes is signed up for English classes at the local community college and goes
4 days per week. It's free for Green card holders.

Don't tell Calmissile about this.

[Hammer2722]

Don't tell Calmissile about this.

Here in Washington, most immigrants can sign up for English classes at the local Literacy council. They usually only charge about 10.00 per class if I remember correctly.

[Anotherkiwi]

I thought that calmissile made the point in another thread that Larissa had started with the free (or nearly free) classes at her local college or high school, and found that she wasn't learning anything that she didn't already know because the pace of the class was glacially slow.

[2tallbill]

I thought that calmissile made the point in another thread that Larissa had started with the free (or nearly free) classes at her local college or high school, and found that she wasn't learning anything that she didn't already know because the pace of the class was glacially slow.

Angel Eyes speaks decent English. I don't know how much she learns.
She likes going to the class and it keeps her out of trouble.