Recent Adventures and Being Thankful

     My house feels like home now that everything is out of boxes and on the walls or on shelves where I can enjoy seeing my "stuff" everyday.  I had a discussion with a friend last week about how do you know what "stuff" to keep and what to get rid of.  When I was cleaning out everything before I left for France my deciding factor was, "will it have a place on a wall or shelf in my new house or will it just be packed away in a box?"  I only kept those things that I knew would be on display every day in my house.  If it wasn't something I wanted to see on a regular basis then it obviously was not that important to me and I didn't need to keep it.
     That being said, I love my new house and all the things in it.  I do not buy anything new unless I know exactly where it will go without everything else being cluttered or being put in a box!  And I do enjoy being at home and sitting on my back porch watching the birds and squirrels playing among my trees, bushes, flowers and herbs.  It's my own little sanctuary.
     One of my recent adventures was buying a hot tub!!  I had one for 28 years at my old house and used it almost every night.  I have really missed having one for the past year and so can't wait for it to be delivered sometime next week.
     Of course, most of my recent adventures have been my weekly trips to the zoo.  It's so nice to be able to "visit" with all my favorite animals - especially the primates and the lions.  There is some excitement with the gorilla troupe as they are readying the girls to be full time residents with Goma, the handsome silverback.  Asha, our 25 year old female, seems particularly interested and does all of her most flirtatious poses either at the window or at the grate between their enclosures.  Goma seems interested, but is playing hard to get.  I keep telling Asha that she needs to be less obvious!

Handsome Goma

He is an impressive gorilla!

One of Asha's lovely poses

I call this one the "pole dance pose"!

     And then there are all the babies! We have four Canadian lynx kittens - all are females and all are absolutely adorable whether they're cuddling with mom and dad or exploring the treetops!! 

I am in love with that face!

Look at me!

So adorable!

We have two meerkat pups who are very animated with their digging and their attempts to stand up like mom and dad only to fall over because they're still working on their balance.

Watching a plane go over!

And I still love seeing the lion cubs who turned two in June - and little Ember, our orangutan baby, who just turned three.  And we can't forget about Rae, our 8 month old giraffe!

Elsa is still my love!

The boys, Aslan and Boma, are getting so big and handsome!

Little Rae with momma Mitzitu

Ember keeps everyone on their toes!

      Besides the zoo visits, I have had some other adventures!  Andy has been the foreman on the Incline project.  The Manitou Incline was originally a cog train that went up the side of Mount Manitou just west of Colorado Springs.  The train was discontinued about 30 years ago and the train tracks up the side of the mountain became one of the most popular hiking trails in this area.  After many years of use (and abuse) the trail was becoming dangerous due to rock slides, weather deterioration, etc and so Timberline Landscape was hired to do the repairs.  This is the third and last time of closure in order to repair the trail,replace the ties, build a drainage system, and retaining walls.
     So, about three weeks ago, Andy invited me to see all the work that they had been doing.  We started our adventure at the helicopter staging area which was just south of Ute Pass on an access road for the Manitou Watershed.  Then we hopped (literally!) into a Polaris Ranger (small ATV) and took the back road up the mountain til we came to the top.

Helicopter staging area

Our ride for the rest of the day!

A beautiful view of Almagre Peak

Pikes Peak!

 
Along the way, we stopped at the Experimental Forest - a compound where hybrid experiments with trees in high altitude were done in the 1920s.

What's left of the science laboratory

 At the top you could see where the old snack bar/souvenir shop was and the landing for the cog train.  Brought back lots of memories of summers that we brought visitors up here.

The view from the top!

This is what the trail looks like

What's left of the gift shop/snack bar

The "landing area" for the cog train many years ago

      Then two weeks ago my friend, Renae, and I went to Orlando again (we went March 2016) to play in the Harry Potter Parks!!  I love that place!  We have decided it should be a yearly pilgrimage 😄  We spent three full "magical" days there.  Here are a few of my favorite photos:

Entering Hogsmeade

The dragon on top of Gringott's Bank - he spouts fire every 15 minutes

Celestina Warbuck and The Banshees give a great performance

The puppet show for the Tales of Beedle the Bard are amazing!

In line to board the Hogwarts Express at Station 9 3/4

Hogwarts Express

Hogwarts Castle!

     Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I am so thankful for friends and family - far and near. Ohio cousin, Sharon, her husband Bob and son Aaron, came for a visit in September.  And cousin Cindy has been here three times since I got back from France! 
      I get asked all the time if I'm happy to be back in the US and here's my answer:  I love being able to see the people I love on a regular basis so that is a real blessing.  But I really miss living in France and I'm so grateful that I had the opportunity to follow my heart and make new friends and find a French family - Hélène and Giuseppe.  I miss them and can't wait to see them next April!

My French family!

     So to one and all, I wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving and hope that, no matter your present circumstances, you can find a heart of gratitude for living in a part of the world that has so much to offer.  May you find and give kindness, hope, creativity, peace, acceptance, tolerance, love.  And I am so thankful for all of you who take the time to read my blog!  Merci!

What a Difference a Year Makes!

     There are two things on my mind as I write this.  (Well, actually, there are more than two, but I'm concentrating on these!)  #1 - It's been three months since my last blog post!  and #2 - exactly one year ago today Andy and Cindy took me to the Colorado Springs airport to begin my journey - the first leg of my move to France.
     It's hard to believe that was a year ago.  Seems like it was just a few months ago.  But then, I spent seven months living in the cottage near Vic Fezensac so, of course, it's been awhile.  What a wonderful experience of following my dream!  I couldn't have asked for better landlords/friends/family than Hélène and Giuseppe Gentile.  They, and their cats, were my constant companions in my new life there.
     So, here I am a year later back in Colorado Springs in my new house and loving that I get to see Pikes Peak every day and Andy almost every week and spending time with good friends.  I truly miss my life in France and am very excited that I will be back for a visit next April.  If I could just move everyone I love to that little corner of SW France . . . .
     So many of you have told me that you miss reading my blog!  What a nice thing to hear 😊  I have missed writing, but just didn't have much to tell you all after I bought my house.  No more exciting outings or fun places to tell you about.  I'm back to my routine of lunches and movies and zoo visits.
     I love my little house!  Finally, I have everything out of storage and out of boxes and in their places where I can enjoy seeing them again.  (Thank you to Beth and Cindy and Andy for their help with all of that!) When I first saw the house I thought I might turn the "bonus room" back into a garage which is what it was originally.  But then when I started taking things out of my storage unit I realized I really needed that extra room.  I downsized from a three bedroom/three bath, three level house to a two bedroom/one bath, one level house.  And while I didn't keep much from my former life, I do have some important memorabilia that I wanted to be able to display.  So, I am very happy to have that extra room for my doll cabinet, my Kiddie Corvette, my guitar and piano music I kept and will, hopefully, have a piano in there at some point in the near future.
     CoCo and I spend a lot of time in our backyard.  It is like a little sanctuary in the middle of a city with a ponderosa pine, an aspen tree, lilac bushes, an herb garden and lots of "unplanned vegetation" which makes it seem a little wild.  I love it!

My lovely herb garden

     I'll write more in a week or so about my interesting neighbors.  There's always a risk moving into a part of town you're unfamiliar with, not knowing anything about your neighbors and just keeping your fingers crossed that you will get along with them.  So far (for the most part), so good!  I also will tell you about some changes I have planned for the house.  It will have to all be done in stages as I need money for upcoming trips as well as house projects!
     I'll close with photos which I am happy to share - now that I have all my furniture and artwork in their places.  It feels like home!
     And so, the bend brings me back around to my beloved Colorado Springs.  " Home is where the heart is" and that is true.  But my heart is in two different places and I'm perfectly OK with that.  I'm also thankful that all of you have been on this journey with me.  Merci!

Kitchen/dining and memorabilia shelves

Bonus room with childhood memories

Living room and some of my art collection

Other side of living room - more art, more shelves

Guest room

In the hallway

Master bedroom with more art

Other end of master

Wall in master with France photos and a peek into the bathroom

Goldilocks and the Baby Giraffe - Part 2

     I could have entitled this "Goldilocks Finally Finds Her House and Ooos and Aaas Over the Baby Giraffe!"  But I thought that might be too long.  I now have two more "loves" in my life - my house and the baby giraffe.  Let me tell you about my house.

Need to top off that tree!

     After looking at about 25 houses, I knew as soon as I saw the online photos that the house on Gomer Avenue was "just right".  I loved everything about it both inside and out.  I think I would have wanted the house just to get the back yard!  It is a wonderful sanctuary of flowering shrubs, herbs, flowers and even a grape vine.  I can see spending lots of time out there and on the covered back porch.  CoCo will love it, too!  And from the front porch there's a view of the Peak 😊

Love this back porch!

And I love the back yard!

Green and nature - perfect!

And an herb garden!!

     But, fortunately, I also love the house.  There's a large master bedroom.  Many years ago someone took down a wall between two smaller bedrooms and made the larger one with a small sitting area near large windows.  Then there's a guest room and what I call a "bonus room".  The present owner converted the garage into living space.  I plan to get a piano eventually and that would be a great room for it along with my doll collection and other childhood memorabilia.

Master Bedroom

Love the Back Splash

Cute dining area that looks to the back yard

     The kitchen is small, but beautifully decorated with a lovely tile backsplash and a tile floor that continues into the small dining area and utility/laundry room.  The owner has taken such good care of everything and it looks wonderful!  The only change I will make is to paint the master bedroom.  She painted it green and while it isn't an "in your face" green, I'm just not a fan of green.  So I plan to paint it a muted aqua - like an Italian Mediterranean aqua. 
     Closing isn't until June 9 and I'm finding it hard to be patient!  I'm so ready to have my own house and get all my things out of storage so I can see all my precious belongings once more.  I've forgotten what all I have packed in there so it will be like Christmas when I get all the boxes out and opened.  And it will be so wonderful to get all my artwork on the walls and be able to see all those wonderful paintings again.  Can you tell I'm excited??  I've only owned one other house in my entire life - the one I sold before I left for France - so I'm so looking forward to calling this lovely little house mine.

Baby is getting checked out

Boma is probably wondering "why?"

Abuto and daughter, Elsa, claim the rock

Tahoma's antlers are getting big

Tumani was showing us her teeth

Cute little Ember playing with momma

     On another note, when I went to the zoo this past week the little giraffe was outside with the herd.  She seemed a little dazed!  Do you think her neck hurt looking so far up to the adults?  She is so adorable and we are so happy to have this new addition to our giraffe herd.  The male lion cubs are no longer allowed to be in the same enclosure as dad, Abuto.  While this is sad, it is a normal and natural progression of events in the life of a lion pride.  The cubs are almost 2 years old and the boys are starting to act like adolescents!  Dad was having none of their shenanigans, according to one of the lion keepers, and put them in their place.  So to avoid any agitation that could lead to violence, they are keeping the boys separate from dad.  They can be with the females as long as dad is not there.  In the wild, the young males would be driven from the area that the pride is in and would go find their own mates and begin their own prides.  But in captivity that is not an option.  We'll see what happens to the boys in the next few months as they may be moved to another zoo or zoos.   😞
     The rest of the animals were all wonderful to visit with, as always.  The zoo is my "happy place" and I always look forward to my next visit.
     I thank you all for staying with me on my most recent path.  I appreciate all your comments and encouragement.  I was watching the final movie of the "Lord of the Rings" and at the end, Frodo shows his book and Bilbo's book.  Bilbo's book was called "There and Back Again" and I decided that was a good title for a book I may write!  But I might call mine "Here, There, and Back Again".