Snow, Holidays and Pets

Well, the holidays are (almost) over.  Soon, I’ll have my husband back (he’s in sales and works his b*tt off this time of year).  I don’t know how he does it.  Even with him working, we’ve managed to have a bit of fun – we went skiing on Christmas Day at our favorite place – Winter Park/Mary Jane - it was gorgeous up in the Parsenn bowl (and on the way down through the trees and powder):

Tom at the top

On “Forever Eva”, my favorite run – nothing but powder, great for a leg workout!

 

In other news, our annual Christmas Bash was excellent and a lot of fun.  This year, thanks to a good snowfall before the party, Tom got creative and decided to make what he called “Frosty’s Wake”.  Nice.

 

Some other random pet photos…

This is how Ellie Mae asks for a walk:

 

This is what happens after all her babies get a bath in the washer – dry time!  She carries them around constantly, which is very cute, but it makes for dirty babies.  :)

 

Fritz prefers fresh snow to a warm bed – ON ANY DAY.  Weird cat.

Winter is here.

It's been all about snow here in Colorado lately, and that's A-OK with us. lots of snowy walks, ski days and general snow fun. With summer arriving a bit later than normal this year, I wasn't quite ready for the snow to fly. Or at least I didn't think I was. But it seems I just love hiking, skiing, yes driving and just all sorts of playing in the snow. Welcome winter, I'm looking forward to the next few cold, snowy months!!

One of many snowy walks

Dalłas and Tom on the slow lift up the backside of Mary Jane

More beauty from the top

Fritz.

Fritz is our temporary cat – while our friends are moving, in between selling and buying a home.  He’s mostly an outdoor cat and this is what he looked like the first day we had him:

This is what he looked like before he came to live with us…MUCH more relaxed.

He’s had a bit of a tough time adjusting.  Being a predominantly outdoor cat has made him very reluctant to come inside.  That, and the fact we (tried to) shut him in the first 2 nights we had him.  Needless to say, he escaped both times by OPENING THE SLIDER DOOR.  What?!  He’s a cat.  Yes, but a wily one.

So, with much colder temperatures approaching as well as another snowstorm, we hope he will come inside to warm up.  Ellie loves him and he loves dogs.  During one of the brief times  he's been inside, this happened:

 

He also loves chickens, so that’s good for us too!  We let the ladies out today before work and this is a shot of him today before I left – perched on the corner of the fence, surveying his new domain: 

 

Come in Fritzel!!  Signed, the Lords.

 

 

Moab Trail Half Marathon

We had an 8:21am start time for the race, little did we know we would wake up to no electricity in the condo in Moab.  But, luckily the stove was gas-powered and someone had matches.  That same someone had planned on doing a night mountain bike ride and packed a bagful of headlamps.  What?!  Smart dude, lucky us.  Oatmeal for everyone and we were out the door by a little before 7am.

 

Fast-forward to our start time and we were off and running – our wave was the largest one, so it was crowded for the first few miles, as we wound our way through the beautiful, breathtaking canyons under the rising sun. 

The views and weather cannot be beat  

It was cold, cold, cold in the shade and pretty darn nice in the sun.  It wasn’t long before we had to lose our long sleeve layer and go with just arm warmers and short sleeves.  We climbed up hills and sped down the descents, rock hopping, traversing over the famous slick rock of Utah, sand running and generally getting warmed up, letting our legs and feet be free.  

Taken atop after an ascent, runners like ants below, following the trail towards the first large hill climb.

Another hill, another photo opp. 

Rolling into the first aid station around mile 6, I expect maybe Gu and water/Gatorade, but we are met with so much more - unconventional sustenance at it's best.  Gummy bears, coca cola, pretzels, orange slices, crackers, cookies - SO MUCH FOOD.  I'm so thankful for the volunteers here, and I tell them, they're so important to this race.
 

My friend Susanne and I separated around mile 7 and the next 2 miles were on and off scrambling (hands and feet needed) and more rock hopping.  My absolute best surprise of the race happened when I passed the 8 mile marker and thought I was only at mile 7.  It’s amazing what a little thing like that can do for your energy level and overall race.  My only regret (and it's a very small one) is that I wish I would have started a wave ahead of where we did, as there was a good line of people, completely backed up and walking, getting through the mile of most aggressive rocks – mile 8-9ish, on a single-track trail, with a drop off on one side and a cliff rising up on the other…so there was no passing anyone on that part and I feel like I could’ve run a good bit of that mile.  I’m thinking the earlier racers had less of a backup and a better time through that area of the trail.  Live and learn.  But I digress…

 

Eventually, we climb up out of the canyon we just descended into, enjoying views like this along the way. 

Then, comes the river.  The term “river crossing” doesn’t do it justice.  It is not a crossing, the race trail actually runs THROUGH the river, as in WITH the river for a good ¼ mile or more.  This means you’re in and out of the river, jumping blind into the water, sometimes sliding on your butt over mud and sometimes you have to jump back in from above,  hoping it just comes up to your knees and not your waist, because it is darn cold and so muddy you can’t see the bottom.  Running blind.  Then your feet are cold, wet and sandy and you have the last mile to finish.  It’s a rolling mile - hills, climbs, descents, wobbly planks laid over more streams and you just keep going…  Then all of a sudden, you hear the crowd at the finish line, you see people up on ridges cheering for their friends, but mostly for everyone finishing this most awesome trail race.  The runners are so spaced out that they announce everyone's name as they cross the finish.  It seems a small thing to do, but it is not - it's a personal touch at the end of a big accomplishment, and it's much appreciated.

 

The food at the finish line is good - hot soup, chips, cookies – hearty, salty and sweet.  Perfect.  I’ll be back.

 

On the move.

The past few weeks have been SO BUSY.  I've been training for the Moab Trail Half Marathon, visited family in Michigan and Ohio and went to Seattle for a technical conference.  Sadly, my uncle Wayne passed away and the funeral happened while I was home. I was glad I could attend, and it was great to see my cousins, but a very sad day. 

The view from the house where I grew up. Wide open spaces, Ohio-style. 

Back home to Colorado and our final long run before the half, 12 miles on North Table Mountain with Susanne and Jitka.

Then it was onto Seattle for a fabulous technical conference - SQL Pass 2015. I met up with some old friends and made some great new ones. 

One of the great new friends, Mickey and I at the conference. Follow her on her blog at http://mickeystuewe.com.

The Pikes Market here always surprises me. After the often gray and rainy weather outside, where people move along "heads down", you enter a bustling market with tons of bright flowers, fruits and vegetables. Quite the contrast. 

Chilis outside the market:

Mushrooms, yum!

This weekend I'm on the move. Again. This time for the half marathon trail race in Moab. It's sure to have amazing views, challenging terrain and great friends. Who could ask for more?

Training.

For what, you may ask?  The Moab Trail Half Marathon http://www.moabtrailmarathon.com. It's coming up in about a month, so I'm putting in the miles. This race is a sort of adventure half marathon, run on trail and over Utahs famous slick rock, through rivers, sand, and also requires ropes/scrambling in some spots!  I cannot wait. So, my friend Susanne (also signed up for the race) and I headed to the mountains to get 10 long miles in on a trail with tough climbs and varied terrain. It was an absolutely beautiful fall day that felt like midsummer.  We drove up to Evergreen and hit the Bergen Peak trail. It boasts an 1800+ft climb and awesome trails.  

I should say, trail running is by far my first fitness love. A close second certainly backpacking and hiking (followed by skiing, but that's totally different). I find trail running more freeing than hiking - still so connected with nature, but with much less gear, swifter, more graceful movements, flying over rocks, churning away on the climbs and letting your legs fly on the descents, picking your step in a split  second.  Ahhh...trail running. 

The view on the way up, a short refuel break. 

Susanne on the trail, still heading up. 

The aspens were still amazing in spots. 

The final trail to Bergen Peak, looking downhill. 

On the top!  Looking towards the 14er Mount Evans. 

It was a great afternoon and the time flew by. After stopping for some post run smoothies and heading back down the hill to Denver, I iced BOTH knees and enjoyed the rest of this magnificent fall weather we're having. 

Huevos!!

Loretta (or Retta as she's affectionately known by me) came through with the first two eggs!!  They're small but were very yummy for breakfast today. 

I have the best friends...

I found ten willing participants for my birthday fun. I booked an hour and a half (time flew by) at X-Arena (http://www.denverpartyarena.com/). We proceeded to sign our life away with waivers and partake in American Gladiator/Ninja/Wipeout games. It was awesome, and nobody broke a bone!  I didn't get any pictures or videos of my favorite one - called "Assault" - basically you are put on a platform surrounded by padded mats and everyone pummels you with heavyweight balls that look like 2 workout balls stuck together (the big kind you do situps on) until you fall off the platform.  SO MUCH FUN.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also had a fantastic view of the eclipse from our roof last weekend!

The chicken is still kickin'.

Well, it turns out that the hawk I chased out of the yard a few weeks ago actually got a hold of one of my ladies. Minnie, to be exact. She started having signs of sour crop so I tried a few home remedies with no luck. I found a vet and expected to be just sent home with antibiotics.  Well, it's become a bit more complicated than that. He discovered a hole in the crop bigger than a nickel!  He said it's likely been festering for awhile. The hawk is the most likely candidate for an injury of this sort. 

So, instead of opting for expensive surgery (she is just a chicken, after all), we've opted for slathering the wound in special cream and just keeping her inside until it heals. A cheaper option and it still gives her a good chance of healing.

It's a gnarly wound. Poor Minnie. 

And the vet made her a fancy schmancy collar to keep her from picking at it. How Victorian!

I think we will know in a week if she'll heal and pull through. But for now, the chicken is still kickin'.  

 

Mekong Delta, Seoul, then home.

We're baaaaaack!  Home that is. We spent our last few days in Saigon (only foreigners call it Ho Chi Minh city - I never knew), the Mekong Delta and then in Seoul, South Korea. Our flights allowed for an all day foray into Seoul and I'm glad we took the opportunity. 

The Mekong delta was wonderful, we got out on the river on a larger boat, then on a much smaller boat. We visited a local bee farm, coconut candy shop and saw life on some of the islands in the river. The river IS the life for so many, the monsoon rains bring enough water for rice, fishing, and many fruits and vegetables. The scenery is wonderfully green and so very different than what we are used to in Colorado.  One of the most curious things we noticed were many small mausoleums (one person size) in the rice fields and behind homes.  It is their custom to bury their loved ones on the family farm, as they believe it is good luck and they can watch over their lands. Unfortunately I didn't get any photos of them, as I wasn't sure what the etiquette was on taking pictures of the graves and I didn't want to offend. 

Some delta pictures:

We also visited the Cu Chi tunnels near Saigon. Very cool experience. They have done a great job of excavating rooms that were formerly buried in tunnels. They're now open for visitors and some of the tunnels have been widened just enough for westerners. Tom also got to fire an M1. Happy boy. 

Seoul. What can I say?  It looks like any large city in the U.S.  Coming from Cambodia and Vietnam, this city was a bit of a culture shock. It felt like we'd returned to our own country in a lot of ways:  credit cards were accepted, there were no bicycles and scooters zipping around, drivers obeyed traffic laws, the subway system was modern and so were the bathrooms. But the temples in Seoul were fabulous and we are glad we hopped the train into the city for our all day layover. We barely made it back in time for our flight, but that's another story. :)

It's great to be home but I'm already thinking about the next trip. Hmmmm...where to go?!

It's unfortunate...

...that my two new favorite restaurants are on the other side of the world. Today, in Ho Chi Minh, we found two absolutely awesome places to eat (thank you, TripAdvisor). One is a Vietnamese/Thai vegetarian restaurant called "Hum..." And the other is "Ganesh", an Indian place serving both northern and southern Indian cuisine. Wow, just wow on both of them. If they were in Denver, we'd be at them weekly. Seriously.  I'm not someone who takes pictures of their food, or you'd be looking at some amazingly good mushroom and pineapple (not together) fried rice right about now. Ho Chi Minh is a gritty, busy, noisy, crowded, horn honking loving, HOT city...with amazing food. 

I've also realized that you have to just accept that you'll sweat in Southeast Asia. If you move at all, you'll sweat, and not just a little.  And it will take jumping in the shower, in a pool, or sitting in front of a fan to cool off. It's just the way it is. Accept it and move on, sweaty. Even the locals sweat, which is, somehow, actually encouraging to us travelers in some weird way. Even being born into this hot and humid climate does not ensure your dryness.

Tomorrow, we venture into the Mekong delta. Talk about a hot day. I'm mentally preparing myself already. 

Some pictures from our trek around Saigon today below. Not a ton of good sightseeing here, but enough to keep you busy for a couple of days. 

The large box on the back of the scooter is, in fact, a large glass display case. On this trip we've seen baskets of fish, a dead gutted pig and a family of 4 on a scooter (separately). 

The electrical wiring in Saigon. No additional words needed here. 

Their main post office, a very cool French colonial building. 

Just missing the storm (hopefully)

A big storm is headed our way...that's what we hear, anyway. The military has decreed no boats are allowed out - at least the kind that would be for snorkeling or diving. The fishing boats from sea have come in close to the islands to shelter and to wait out the storm, and the ocean in front of our hotel is a bit too choppy for a stand up paddle board or even a kayak.  Right now, the sky is still blue with big puffy clouds, but the wind has picked up noticeably.  Our flight out is early tomorrow, let's hope it's not cancelled.

We got in a good hike "up and over" the island yesterday. Hot, uphill, rainy, muddy, then a STEEP, slippery descent down the other side through the center of the rainforest. We saw a troop of their local monkeys and their black squirrels, which are actually larger than their monkeys. Eventually, we ended up at a deserted bay and walked back toward town. I have to say I do love hiking anywhere in the world, but I think I prefer mountains in cooler climates best. Spiders the size of my hand are not something I enjoy looking out for...and yes, they have those here (shiver). 

Today, we are getting in some down time and relaxing before we are on the move again. Spending a couple of days in Saigon and the Mekong Delta  before hopping a plane back towards the US, with a one day stop in Seoul, South Korea.  Still loving Southeast Asia!

View from the top of the island, looking toward town. 

We took shelter an old building in the abandoned So Ray plantation during a brief downpour...

Tom exploring the building.

Bay on our hike, deserted of course. Great spot for a snack and a look around. 

This one speaks for itself. 

Sunrise view from our balcony. One of the most serene spots we've ever visited, except for deserted mountaintops back in Colorado!