And this is what happened later

What? Work! Arrrrrrgh

There is much resting going on here (left, Kiira, right Hawk, Sam's dog)

Well look at Ron.........Coming out of "retirement" to paint Sam's roof while we take care of her house plants, lawn and animal for a couple weeks. Beautiful weather, great downtown location, maybe we will make it to the concert at the botanical gardens today........

Steamboat Housesittingand Mountain Report

Our first stint as housesitters just finished and we can honestly say we enjoyed taking care of plants and animals immensely. I am just relieved that nothing bad happened like an animal getting sick, peeing and pooping on the carpet (the cats or dogs--I know what you were thinking!) or dead plants due to too much heat and sun.

Thank goodness the "monsoons" have started and each day it clouds up and rains a bit in the afternoon. Finally a respite from the summer heat. Thank you Vickie and Marty for the opportunity to continue a resume of dedicated housesitting. Our kitty found and eliminated her first two mice from their house. She is finally earning her keep!

Currently we are moved into Sam's house in Steamboat in a somewhat quiet neighborhood not far from Downtown. Instead of Deer, coyotes and cows, we have the possibility of the local bear rummaging in our alleyway. All garbage stays indoors till collection day. We have plants indoor and out and sweet Hawk (an older English Setter) to care for, as well as minor household chores to complete.

Dennis Taliafero came up for a 24 hour visit. He couldn't stop talking about the wonderful view from Marty and Vickie's deck and hot tub. He was truly impressed with the remote feel of their home.

Kathy W. (formerly of falafel King, currently unemployed--yahoo! and Happy Birthday on the 25th!) came up last Thursday and she and I (Diane) and Linda (formerly of Boulder Allegro coffee roasting fame, currently the roaster at Steamboat Coffee Roasters) headed to Mica Lake for three wonderful days of nature and wilderness enjoyment. With backpacks on our backs, a border collie named Murphy and bearded collie named Duncan, we set up camp in a prime location near the lake. From there we blazed trails up to three different ridges surrounding the lake, each trip about a mile as the crow flies, but 800 to 1000 feet in elevation gain. Lots of rapidly melting snow fields and incredible vistas. A herd of elk majestically silhouetted against the sky, looked down upon our campsite each night just before our nightly campfires. Thunder and rainclouds barely dampened the grass two nights, while it rained more in town. This experience was a wonderful contrast from being a sailor. Yes I must admit I did miss the mountains of Colorado and feel incredibly fortunate to have had the opportuity to have experienced them once again!

Steamboat, HIkes, Friends and Hummingbirds

We visited Aunt Elda, Kenny, Diane, and Don and Valera in Loveland area on our way out of Boulder. After being seriously burned, Valera is healing very well. We were impressed with her progress and hope she continues with her positive attitude.
Cameron Pass was still very beautiful and especially scenic with the Moose grazing nonchalantly alongside the highway at the peak of the pass.

We were told that three inmates from a prison in Nebraska had escaped and abandoned a stolen car in the vicinity of Gould (just over the pass) and that we ought to be aware. So that information influenced our choice of camping spots and we agreed on a scenic turnoff just before Rabbit Ears pass on Highway 40, far enough from the scene of the abandoned car to make Diane comfortable. All night we were bombasted with angry mosquitoes buzzing at our screened windows on the van. By the next morning they were mostly gone and we were able to enjoy a hike to the famous "Rabbit Ears".

Upon entering town we called several friends to see if anyone was home, finding no one, we enjoyed a picnic lunch by the river and watched the many "tubers" floating down the river trying to stay cool. Temperatures here have been quite hot, nights cool. After a visit to the forest service office, we looked at a county map and figured out how to find Vickie and Marty's homestead and drove the 13 miles towards Oak Creek on the back roads to their lovely octagonal log home.

This past week we hiked in the Flat Tops past Stillwater Reservoir to Mosquito Lake, up Service Creek, attended the Balloon festival, a wonderful potluck at the Hirschboeck's (organized by Sam Marti) where many of Diane's original Steamboat friends from the 70's (Cooper and Tracey, Bobbie, Sam, Kathy and Jeff, Mimi and Gary), gathered to visit and catch up on each other's lives, a classical music concert at the botanical gardens, and the Big Head Todd concert on Headwall at the ski mountain.

Currently we are enjoying taking care of two dogs and two cats (one is our kitty Kiira) indoor and outdoor plants, hummingbird feeders, finch feeders, mail, vegetable garden, and any emergencies that may crop up. Wow, a bit more complex than our life on Batwing, but a welcome change it is!

Thank you Boulder!

It is time to head north to Loveland to visit Ron's aunt Elda. Then on to Steamboat over Cameron Pass. We had a wonderful time visiting friends in Boulder, going to the Farmer's Market, hiking some Front Range trails, kayaking both Union and Boulder Reservoir in our klepper, attending free concerts on the mall. Between Latin, African, and Beatlemania, we covered a crosssection of the variety of music available here.
Thank you Brad, Kathy, Sperry's, and Howard and Ann for your hospitality.
We will be back in late August.

This is what we were doing last year at this time.