tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31120486100107450552024-02-18T18:54:18.485-07:00CO AdventureOur adventures in Colorado and beyond.jdesignedithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01568196354236465254noreply@blogger.comBlogger141125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112048610010745055.post-57297651996639429402013-06-04T20:26:00.000-06:002013-06-04T20:26:32.824-06:00Moab Memorial Day 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfs9xIjuYAzy_N-f7WpjPA3y_61dPcFJjsaMYF6kUsmHJCI-DgNVSpZQgseHxDAEwro0d9V3K49I54PY8gjMeZOpus2GdqfTyD8XIMirslvATR6_gfeXlAFSmGy2_pFPVklWZQczcr8Zek/s1600/IMG_0679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfs9xIjuYAzy_N-f7WpjPA3y_61dPcFJjsaMYF6kUsmHJCI-DgNVSpZQgseHxDAEwro0d9V3K49I54PY8gjMeZOpus2GdqfTyD8XIMirslvATR6_gfeXlAFSmGy2_pFPVklWZQczcr8Zek/s400/IMG_0679.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />For Memorial Day weekend we rented a house in Moab on the edge of the golf course with Rich, Belinda, Edite, Ryan, Annette and Colby. It was the perfect way to spend the long weekend using the house as a base for adventures like hiking, golfing and biking.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #660000; font-size: large;">You can check out photos from the weekend <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/115119050340792819670/albums/5882817958501017073">HERE</a></span></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slickrock Bike Trail</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Melissa tees off by our house</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slickrock Bike Trail</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Landscape Arch</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delicate Arch</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Petroglyphs found by our house</td></tr>
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<br />jdesignedithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01568196354236465254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112048610010745055.post-47189318301250081042013-06-01T08:38:00.005-06:002013-06-01T08:38:52.595-06:00Patagonia 2012 = Perito Moreno Glacier<br />
We are back in El Calafate for our last full day of adventure in Argentina (well, besides the day+ of travel back to the states, that was an adventure in itself). We stayed at <a href="http://www.esplendorelcalafate.com/" target="_blank">Esplendor Hotel Boutique</a> again and woke up early to catch the ride out to Perito Moreno Glacier with <a href="http://www.hieloyaventura.com/2010/eng_big_ice-glaciar-perito-moreno.asp">Hielo y Aventura</a>. We highly recommend their operation, the tour was, yet again, an experience of a lifetime!<br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />A little fun at the edge of the glacier before our trek</span></b><br />
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The Perito Moreno Glacier is a glacier located in the Los Glaciares National Park in southwest Santa Cruz province, Argentina. It was named after the explorer Francisco Moreno, a pioneer who studied the region in the 19th century and played a major role in defending the territory of Argentina in the conflict surrounding the international border dispute with Chile.It is one of the most important tourist attractions in the Argentine Patagonia.</div>
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The 97 sq mi ice formation, and 19 mi in length, is one of 48 glaciers fed by the Southern Patagonian Ice Field located in the Andes system shared with Chile. This icefield is the world's third largest reserve of fresh water.</div>
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The terminus of the Perito Moreno Glacier (above) is 3 mi wide, with an average height of 240 ft above the surface of the water of Lake Argentino, in Argentina. It has a total ice depth of 558 ft.</div>
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The Perito Moreno Glacier is one of only three Patagonian glaciers that is growing.</div>
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After viewing the terminus we hopped on a boat and road across to the trailhead that would lead us up to our trek out onto the glacier. We hiked for about an hour or so, then strapped on crampons and harnesses and explored the amazing ice features.</div>
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The <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/115119050340792819670/albums/5817543543848053969">photos</a> will speak for themselves.</div>
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The ride back on the boat included whisky over glacier ice and views/sounds of the glacier calving off of the South side into Lago Argentino.</div>
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Back in town, we enjoyed one last huge Argentinian dinner of lamb, steak and wine at the <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g312851-d1062740-Reviews-Don_Pichon-El_Calafate_Province_of_Santa_Cruz_Patagonia.html">Don Pichon</a> restaurant overlooking the town.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">Our final dinner at Don Pichon</span></b></div>
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The next morning we had a few hours to explore the town a bit more and enjoyed an authentic <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argentine_tea_culture">mate</a> form the yerba maté plant. The waiter at <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g312851-d1793650-Reviews-Borges_y_Alvarez_Libro_Bar-El_Calafate_Province_of_Santa_Cruz_Patagonia.html">Borges y Alvarez Libro-Bar</a> was kind enough to explain the social ritual drinking procedures and we ended up buying some mate and a traditional gourd cup to enjoy back at home.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">Enjoying an authentic mate</span></b></div>
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Then it was off to the airport (<i>Be sure to bring tax money to pay before you can enter security. They never mentioned this to us and we had a horrible time trying to get it paid since that day Visa was "not working" for them and there is no ATM at the airport!</i>) to begin 18 hours of travel back to Colorado via Trelew, Buenos Aires (with a mad dash through baggage, security and customs to barley catch our plane), and Houston.</div>
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As you can see, it was most definitely a trip of a lifetime. We would be glad to give anyone that is traveling to the are more details, so reach out to us if your planning a visit to Argentina/Chile.</div>
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<b>Salud!!</b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">To view photos from<br /><i>EcoCamp Perito Moreno Glacier</i>,<br />click <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/115119050340792819670/albums/5817543543848053969">HERE</a></span></b></div>
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jdesignedithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01568196354236465254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112048610010745055.post-75981296342048923262013-05-29T19:07:00.001-06:002013-05-29T20:58:42.583-06:00Patagonia 2012 = French Valley<br />
The third adventure on the EcoCamp list was an active 13 mile trek from the comfort of our EcoCamp dome to Valle Del Francés (French Valley). (The trek is named Navigation Pehoe Lake and hike French Valley)<br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />We were very excited to visit the French Valley!</span></b></div>
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After breakfast, we started our day driving towards Pudeto dock, located on the shores of Pehoe Lake. We board the catamaran that takes us to the North-Western sector of the lake where we’ll begin the challenging trek to Valle Frances (French Valley) along a steep trail that goes into the very heart of the Paine Massif.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">Our trek crosses in front of </span></b>Cerro Paine Grande<b><span style="color: #990000;"> peak<br />(tallest in the park) and up the valley to the right</span></b></span></b></div>
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An active walk led us to the hanging bridge over the French River, located at the foot of the south-eastern face of the Massif, where there is a truly wonderful view.<br />
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<b style="text-align: start;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>View from the French River hanging bridge</b></span></b></div>
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Here we had lunch, took some fun photos and rested for a while. Then we continued up the trail to the upper section of the valley where we admired the valley's entire group of geological formations. The head of French Valley is a cirque formed by impressive cliffs. The colossal walls of Cerro Cota 2000 and Cerro Catedral punctuate the western region of the Valley. Cerro Cota 2000 is named for its elevation; its highest contour line is about 2,000 m (6,562 ft). Cerro Catedral is named so because its east face resembles a cathedral's facade. To the north stands the granite arête called Aleta de Tiburón (English: Shark's Fin). To the east, from north to south, lie the peaks Fortaleza (Fortress), La Espada (The Sword), La Hoja (The Blade), La Máscara (The Mummer), Cuerno Norte (North Horn), and Cuerno Principal (Main Horn). The weather was some of the best the guides had seen in quite a while. Blue skies and you could see for miles.<br />
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<b style="text-align: start;"><span style="color: #990000;">Some of the amazing peaks in the French Valley</span></b></div>
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After enjoying the view, we descended back through the rippling terrain of grassland and light forest until reaching the Refugio Paine Grande, located on the peaceful shores of Lake Pehoe. While waiting for the rest of the crew, we enjoyed a local brew and rested our sore legs.<br />
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<b style="text-align: start;"><span style="color: #990000;">A much deserved beer after an amazing day!</span></b></div>
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From there the catamaran took us back to Pudeto and we're driven back to EcoCamp.<br />
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We spent the last evening enjoying the amazing food, wine and company before heading to bed. It was an early rise for us to catch the group bus back into Argentina and up to El Calafate for our second stay in the adventure town.<br />
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We really did not want to leave EcoCamp Patagonia. It was by far the best part of our trip, we would highly recommend it to anyone, hope we can visitin again and want to thank our EcoCamp guides and staff for an adventure of a lifetime!<br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />To view photos from <i>EcoCamp French Valley</i>,<br />click <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/115119050340792819670/albums/5840810262911795505?authkey=CLrU6NT-q8_LmgE" target="_blank">HERE</a></span></b><br />
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jdesignedithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01568196354236465254noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112048610010745055.post-76359724789157628362013-05-15T19:47:00.000-06:002013-05-21T20:09:43.222-06:00Patagonia 2012 = Grey Glacier<br />
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We chose the <a href="https://www.cascada.travel/Tour/EcoCamp-Patagonia-Wildlife-Safari" target="_blank">Wildlife Safari</a> five day tour at <a href="https://www.cascada.travel/Tour/EcoCamp-Experience" target="_blank">EcoCamp Patagonia</a>. This allowed us to be flexible with our activities in the park. Each evening we had the opportunity to choose from an Easy or Active adventure for the following day.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">A map to give you perspective on where we are in the world.</span></b></div>
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The second adventure on the EcoCamp list was an easy trek day from the comfort of our EcoCamp dome to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_Glacier" target="_blank">Grey Glacier</a>. (The trek is named Drive & Walk Western Lakes, Navigation Glacier Grey)<br />
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We rode across the Park, stopping along the way at lookouts to admire the view of Paine Grande and its snowy peaks, and Los Cuernos with its black, granite horn-like spires.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">A look out over the park to Paine Grande</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">Los Cuernos</span></b></div>
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Walking along the shores of the stunning Lake Pehoe, we saw the furious Salto Grande (Big Jump) waterfalls where the water from Lake Nordenskjold cascades down into Pehoe.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">Salto Grande</span></b></div>
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The walk continues over the gentle Nordenskjold trail until until we reach its spectacular lookout point.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">Just above Salto Grande</span></b><br />
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Later, back at Lake Pehoe, we were driven South to a beach along the shores of glacial Lake Grey where we embarked on a boat ride across the icy waters to the towering blue walls of Glacier Grey.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">Melissa suited up for the boat ride</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">0nly a small portion of one side of the glacier at waters edge</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">We were served pisco sours with glacial ice the just pulled from the freezing waters!</span></b></div>
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After the incredible sight of the glacier up close, we headed back to EcoCamp and got to see one of the endangered species of the park.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">The endangered Huemul Deer</span></b></div>
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Back at EcoCamp we cleaned up and headed to the Core Domes for the typical evenings Pisco Sours, apps, wine and yet again a delicious three course dinner. The views at night of our camp continue to stop us in our tracks as we head tired but happy to bed.<br />
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The next day would bring us back to the Southern edge of the park and a trek up into the French Valley. Our fingers were crossed that we get a clear day because we heard the 360 degree views are amazing.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">To view photos from <i>EcoCamp Grey Glacier</i>,<br />click <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/115119050340792819670/albums/5840798358004836257" target="_blank">HERE</a></span></b><br />
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jdesignedithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01568196354236465254noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112048610010745055.post-91095374975193273512013-03-09T11:39:00.003-07:002013-03-09T11:48:45.538-07:00Patagonia 2012 = EcoCamp Mirador Las Torres<br />
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We chose the <a href="https://www.cascada.travel/Tour/EcoCamp-Patagonia-Wildlife-Safari" target="_blank">Wildlife Safari</a> five day tour at <a href="https://www.cascada.travel/Tour/EcoCamp-Experience" target="_blank">EcoCamp Patagonia</a>. This allowed us to be flexible with our activities in the park. Each evening we had the opportunity to choose from an Easy or Active adventure for the following day.
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">An introductory video about EcoCamp Patagonia</span></b></div>
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Next up on our adventure list is an Active trek from the comfort of our EcoCamp dome to Mirador Las Torres (The Towers of Torres).<br />
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We got up early and headed out past <a href="http://www.lastorres.com/" target="_blank">Hostería Las Torres</a> down in the valley and across a suspension bridge to the trailhead. Our guide, Isi (learn more about her <a href="http://www.ecocamp.travel/About/Isidora-Cruz-EcoCamp-Patagonia-Guide" target="_blank">HERE</a>), described the route to the towers as mostly Patagonian Flat "up and down, but with overall elevation gain". That's how they describe the majority of hiking in the park, and it's pretty close to that, but most of the time your hiking up. Isi was an excellent guide, describing the peaks and flora all around us.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">Mirador Las Torres Trailhead</span></b></div>
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The trail begins by ascending 1,200 ft steeply along a river in the Ascencio Valley on the Tower's eastern face. Once we reach the top of this uphill climb, there is a good view down the valley and of <a href="http://www.fantasticosur.com/en/mountain-lodges/chileno-mountain-lodges/" target="_blank">Campamento Chileno Refugio</a> (hut). Next we drop 600 ft to the river and reach the refugio. The refugio is one of several run by a few companies in the Torres del Paine park.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">Valley View down to Campamento Chileno Refugio</span></b></div>
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It's another mile or so beyond the refugio, and about 1,200 feet more of climbing to the the base of the towers. The trail can be a bit rough with steep ups and downs, but it's well marked. The last few hundred feet involves boulder hopping up the moraine. Once we pass a huge house sized boulder there is a spectacular view of the towers rising up majestically before us from the small turquoise glacial lake below.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">Mirador Las Torres</span></b></div>
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The famous Torres del Paine (2,900 m/ 9,400 ft) consist of three gigantic granite monoliths, the remains of a great cirque sheared away by the forces of glacial ice. At the base of the towers we enjoyed a packed lunch as well as an Upslope IPA craft beer that we brought all the way from Colorado. We took a ton of photos as the clouds appeared and disappeared around the peaks. The weather was beautiful for this time of year, so we spent a good 45 minutes enjoying the views and then headed back to EcoCamp. Our trekking crew was a small and young bunch, so we made the round trip in a "record" 6 hours when it typically takes about 8!<br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">Mirador Las Torres</span></b></div>
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Back at EcoCamp we cleaned up and headed to the Core Domes for the evenings Pisco Sours, apps, wine and three course gourmet dinner. Exhausted from the day we said goodnight to our fellow ecocampers and enjoyed the almost full moon and late twilight on our way back to Suite Dome 6.<br />
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The next day would bring even more awe inspiring views from around the park, with less hiking, as we headed South to explore the beauty of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_Glacier" target="_blank">Grey Glacier</a>.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">To view photos from <i>Ecocamp Mirador Las Torres</i>,<br />click the image below:</span></b></div>
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<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/115119050340792819670/EcoCampPatagoniaMiradorLasTorres?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">EcoCamp Patagonia - Mirador Las Torres</a></td></tr>
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jdesignedithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01568196354236465254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112048610010745055.post-88124212547469877522013-03-07T20:46:00.001-07:002013-03-07T20:52:57.803-07:00Patagonia 2012 = EcoCamp Arrival<br />
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<b>We finally arrived at the pinnacle of our trip. <a href="http://www.ecocamp.travel/" target="_blank">EcoCamp Patagonia</a> in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torres_del_Paine_National_Park" target="_blank">Torres del Paine National Park</a>, Chile!</b></div>
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<i>EcoCamp provides the region’s first fully sustainable accommodation, complete with green technology. You can enjoy guided treks and wildlife excursions by day and share evening meals with new friends, before falling asleep gazing up at the star-filled sky through your dome ceiling. Wake up in the middle of the Patagonian wilderness in a cozy geodesic dome, with a panoramic view of the majestic Torres del Paine, ready to pick up the hiking trail!</i><br />
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From El Calafate, we took about a seven hour van ride with one other couple from Australia. Mike and Wendy were great to chat with during the ride and enjoyed most of the park with us during the next five days. We entered into Chile at a small border crossing in the middle of nowhere on a dirt road. It took some time to explain why Melissa had no incoming stamp in her passport for Argentina and that it was an emergency replacement passport, but we got it sorted out and were on our way again.<br />
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Our first view of the park was from a roadside pullout overlooking Lago Sarmiento de Gamboa. It took our breath away, and we were speechless knowing that we would get to play here for the next few days.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">Cordillera del Paine</span></b></div>
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After turning in some paperwork at the entrance to the park we made our way to the domes at EcoCamp. We settled into <a href="http://www.ecocamp.travel/Domes/Suite" target="_blank">Suite Dome</a> 6 and then made our way to the Core Domes for an amazing gourmet lunch with Mike and Wendy. From there, we explored around the camp and walked through an interpretive nature trail to learn about some of the flora and fauna we would see during our stay.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM9HZ_dSKmDwNprabaQHUAf6GxVH8oyJGvvxLz3cC2pZUohhAO7d6HMZRLK4goJDd8Rsre5l0GgGgySk6EbVSg7n85VtVjZivtN9CEUOF60q8Ed6mXfjZP_SMaCzGeRfOFtMzdlzXjvil5/s1600/IMG_8578.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM9HZ_dSKmDwNprabaQHUAf6GxVH8oyJGvvxLz3cC2pZUohhAO7d6HMZRLK4goJDd8Rsre5l0GgGgySk6EbVSg7n85VtVjZivtN9CEUOF60q8Ed6mXfjZP_SMaCzGeRfOFtMzdlzXjvil5/s400/IMG_8578.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">Suite Dome 6</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizvJcVi1eB4tsblez8j4GAh0K4ZAziIA7mZVmgN6w71RmZUZXgZUZXtmK4qbG15lZwCcR63cTGf6byv8-qnMB_kVPOyh4gTZPc6kpRaz35b8Fv4bR50MCjfl1NfD63eK4ReaNk03cbS5WD/s1600/IMG_8628.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizvJcVi1eB4tsblez8j4GAh0K4ZAziIA7mZVmgN6w71RmZUZXgZUZXtmK4qbG15lZwCcR63cTGf6byv8-qnMB_kVPOyh4gTZPc6kpRaz35b8Fv4bR50MCjfl1NfD63eK4ReaNk03cbS5WD/s400/IMG_8628.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">Yes ... we are excited to be here!</span></b></div>
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The evening started with some <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pisco_Sour" target="_blank">Pisco Sours</a> and delicious appetizers back in the Core Domes while other guests made their way back in from day hikes around the park. The friendly and knowledgable staff announced the activity choices (one easy and one active option) for the next day and pointed out the locations on a large map before we all headed into the dining dome for dinner. A three course Patagonian fusion meal with Chilean wine is served each evening. After dinner you can relax in the bar with a drink on the sofas or head to the library, the smallest core dome, to look over maps, read a book or chat with other guests.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIA6_F-_AKoXHcQ7lmDW8HWE2uSpb3LxPkai63JvqOm9xb9JbWmKvFuQ9Va3u7BMw5vb1aAtXj7fv20BNpVDOX2VudTF8Ow5cSo2DXaszFl3EyAC-GnlFBJVNl5baGiWWoVvpfC9kJqNM0/s1600/IMG_8654.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIA6_F-_AKoXHcQ7lmDW8HWE2uSpb3LxPkai63JvqOm9xb9JbWmKvFuQ9Va3u7BMw5vb1aAtXj7fv20BNpVDOX2VudTF8Ow5cSo2DXaszFl3EyAC-GnlFBJVNl5baGiWWoVvpfC9kJqNM0/s400/IMG_8654.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">Amazing apps to go with our Pisco Sours</span></b></div>
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Dinner ends around 10:30 p.m. or so each evening, which is interesting to get used to along with the fact that it is not even completely dark yet. Twilight hangs around until about 11:30 or so this time of year and this far South. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow so we head to bed, somewhat early, and dream of the towers of Torres del Paine.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">To view photos from <i>Ecocamp Arrival</i>,<br />click the image below:</span></b></div>
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<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/115119050340792819670/EcocampArrival?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Ecocamp Arrival</a></td></tr>
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jdesignedithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01568196354236465254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112048610010745055.post-21232065182889494202013-02-26T19:03:00.001-07:002013-02-26T19:03:16.256-07:00Patagonia 2012 = El Calafate - Stay 1<br />
After obtaining a new passport for Melissa in Buenos Aires, we were ready to get out of the city again and head South West to El Calafate a town in Patagonia, Argentina (<i>6,540 miles from Denver, as the crow flies</i>). It is situated in the southern border of Lake Argentino, in the southwest part of the Santa Cruz Province. Its name is derived from a little bush with yellow flowers and dark blue berries that is very common in Patagonia: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berberis_microphylla" target="_blank">the calafate</a>. Its edible blue-black berries are harvested for jams, but are eaten fresh too — a legend tells that anyone who eats a Calafate berry will be certain to return to Patagonia ... so we did!<br />
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El Calafate is an important treking destination as the hub to visit different parts of the Los Glaciares National Park, including the Perito Moreno Glacier, and a jumping off point to the southern parts of the Patagonian Andes.<br />
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We checked into the <a href="http://www.esplendorelcalafate.com/" target="_blank">Esplendor Hotel Boutique</a>, toured the downtown area and had an amazing local lamb and fish dinner at <a href="http://www.casimirobigua.com/" target="_blank">Casimiro Bigua</a>. We stayed one night and then headed further South to Ecocamp Patagonia. We'd be back after five days to stay for another two nights in El Calafate.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">To view photos from <i>El Calafate - Stay 1</i>,<br />click the image below:</span></b><br />
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<embed flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F115119050340792819670%2Falbumid%2F5817526243023629441%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" height="267" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" src="https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400"></embed>jdesignedithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01568196354236465254noreply@blogger.com0El Calafate, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina-50.3402138 -72.270507800000019-50.3807533 -72.351188800000017 -50.2996743 -72.18982680000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112048610010745055.post-11406168000449619232013-02-21T18:37:00.004-07:002013-02-21T18:37:49.738-07:00Patagonia 2012 = Buenos Aires - Stay 2<br />
During our second stay in Buenos Aires, we enjoyed the following activities:<br />
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<li>we stayed at the <a href="http://www.arthotel.com.ar/english/habitaciones.html" target="_blank">A Hotel</a> (formerly the Art Hotel). Very nice place tucked into the city. A little difficult getting to when you don't speak Spanish and you hand a taxi driver a piece of paper asking to go to "A" Hotel.</li>
<li>visited the U.S. Embassy to get Melissa's emergency passport so that we could travel into Chile for our five day stay at Ecocamp Patagonia. The Embassy was very friendly and had the passport ready later that afternoon</li>
<li>checked out the Plaza Naciones Unidas, Floralis Generica. Very cool sculpture that actually opens and closes each morning and night, like a real flower would</li>
<li>toured La Recoleta Cemetery. Sounds odd, but it is a must see in the city! Just check out the photos and you will see why.</li>
<li>went to a private wine tasting through a company called <a href="https://www.anuvawines.com/wine-tasting-best-wines-best-people/" target="_blank">Anuva Wines</a>. The owner is from the states and started these tastings in BA after falling in love with Argentinian wines. It is a great way to try some wines from all around the country without having to travel. And they are all wines that you can't get in the U.S. We were however, able to purchase a case through a special distribution connection they have and it was delivered to our house in CO. Still enjoying them!</li>
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<b><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">To view photos from <i>Buenos Aires - Stay 2</i>,<br />click the image below:</span></b></div>
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<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/115119050340792819670/BuenosAiresStay2?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Buenos Aires - Stay 2</a></td></tr>
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jdesignedithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01568196354236465254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112048610010745055.post-46172279289669714742013-02-19T18:54:00.003-07:002013-02-19T18:54:41.315-07:00Patagonia 2012 = San Carlos de Bariloche<br />
After our unplanned, uncomfortable and unforgettable 20hr bus ride West across Argentina, we spent a couple days in San Carlos de Bariloche. Most of the time we were on the phone with the airlines, banks and U.S. Embassy (Melissa needed to replace the stolen passport) trying to resolve the stolen purse issue. We slowly filtered everything out. Then, realizing that we would need to head back to the Embassy in Buenas Aires before being able to enter Chile on the next leg of our trip, we decided to get out and see the sights:<br />
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<li>we rented a car and drove the Circuito Chico around a peninsula on the edge of Nahuel Huapi Lake</li>
<li>visited the lavish Lalo Lalo Hotel</li>
<li>stopped for a small hike to an ancient roman stone bridge</li>
<li>found a great little roadside cafe called Punto Panoramico for some delicious empanadas and microbrew</li>
<li>amazing steak and wine dinner (again) at El Patacon "Restaurante Argentino", right next to our hotel</li>
<li>explored one of the biggest ski areas in South America, Catedral Ski Resort, by gondola and chairlift</li>
<li>visited the shops downtown and made a stop at the police department to get an official report on the stolen purse (no one spoke English, so that was an adventure in itself!)<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">To view photos from<br /><i>San Carlos de Bariloche</i>,<br />click the image below:</span></b></div>
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<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/115119050340792819670/SanCarlosDeBariloche?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">San Carlos de Bariloche</a></td></tr>
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jdesignedithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01568196354236465254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112048610010745055.post-85039232850810661822013-02-18T22:26:00.000-07:002013-02-19T18:52:12.478-07:00Patagonia 2012 = Buenos Aires - Stay 1<br />
Well ... to say the least, it has been quite a while since our trip to South America in November. After returning to the states we have been super busy with Christmas, work, a trip back to NH and playing when we can up in the mountains here in Colorado. We were finally able to sort through the 1,400+ photos we took and the following posts are a little snapshot of our amazing trip.<br />
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After two flights and more than 15 hours, we landed in Buenos Aires, Argentina to start our two week adventure. It proved to be a trip of a lifetime!<br />
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During our first stay in Buenos Aires, we enjoyed the following activities:<br />
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<ul>
<li>sightseeing downtown along Avenida 9 de Julio (the widest Avenue in the world with up to seven lanes in each direction and flanked on either side by parallel streets of two lanes each)</li>
<li>walking around the Boca (home to the Boca Juniors where Diego Maradona once played) and San Telmo neighborhoods</li>
<li>stopping by The Pink Palace (Argentina's "White House")</li>
<li>checking out the shops on Florida Street</li>
<li>enjoying a huge Argentinian wine and steak dinner</li>
<li>watched a crazy soccer match at River Plate against the Argentinos Juniors (0-0 tie), stadium seats 65,645</li>
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Unfortunately there were major city transportation strikes planned for the day we were to fly out to San Carlos de Bariloche and our flight was canceled. We decided to take a 20hr bus ride across the country instead of waiting three days for the next flight. At the sketchy bus station, Melissa's purse was stolen. The camera with most of the photos from the first few days, including almost all of the soccer game, was with the purse.</div>
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This interruption and theft caused us some delays, extra travel and a sooner return to Buenos Aires than originally planned in order to get a replacement passport for Melissa so that we could continue our trip in Chile. Overall we had some headaches and a lost a day or so in Bariloche, but we were able to reschedule flights, accommodations and activities to keep our trip on track.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">To view photos from <i>Buenos Aires - Stay 1</i>,<br />click the image below:</span></b></div>
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<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/115119050340792819670/BuenosAiresStay1?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCOaw5sHNmpGOAQ&feat=embedwebsite" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Buenos Aires - Stay 1</a></td></tr>
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jdesignedithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01568196354236465254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112048610010745055.post-55426603401099312322012-04-15T12:47:00.017-06:002012-04-16T20:15:53.963-06:00Patagonia Trip UPDATE 1<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">So, we have reserved a couple hotels for our stay in Argentina ...</span><br /></div><br /><b style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">Buenos Aries -</b><br /><br style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" >UPDATE to the UPDATE</span><br />We could not get our reservations confirmed at Hotel home due to the fact we would only be staying for 2 nights during our first stay in Buenos Aries and they require a 3 night minimum during that time of the year : (<br /><br />So we have booked here instead: <a href="http://www.bobohotel.com/homeingles.html"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Bourgeois Bohemian or BoBo Hotel</span></a><br />in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palermo_viejo#Palermo_Viejo">Palermo</a><span class="st"> </span>Soho barrio (neighborhood) of the city.<br /><p><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">Palermo Soho</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">is a small area of Palermo Viejo around Plaza Serrano (officially Plazoleta Cortázar) on Serrano near Palermo's south-western edge. It is a newly fashionable area for fashion, design, restaurants, bars and street culture. The atmosphere in many cafés and restaurants strives to be "alternative", which makes this area of the city especially popular with young, upper-middle class Argentines as well as foreign tourists. The traditional low houses have been adapted into boutiques and bars, creating a bohemian feel. The square has a crafts fair.</span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9lI0VNSLe3nU5u8K6pDN4PUqTKLiOWTDNu0gZjV5ljFMKgdGHjce-kaqNu2rZ2BkCzvn7XwYnsdqirfAPUGYU28YAG5IiijghhK8ENtvR5HqrthJc4jPXyNwme_nK9xWGIO9GN1Lu11in/s1600/bobo-hotel.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 283px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9lI0VNSLe3nU5u8K6pDN4PUqTKLiOWTDNu0gZjV5ljFMKgdGHjce-kaqNu2rZ2BkCzvn7XwYnsdqirfAPUGYU28YAG5IiijghhK8ENtvR5HqrthJc4jPXyNwme_nK9xWGIO9GN1Lu11in/s400/bobo-hotel.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732186481580845218" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.bobohotel.com/homeingles.html">Hotel Home</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.bobohotel.com/habitacionesingles.html">Rooms</a><br /><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUTVtd6g5yTgDAuuefs-dUnVRs___viE89qRb7P0qkPeJd22RelgE1InGARTbig_O2nQcnA15QMsw508b2QzCwSj8JF73OrsLM5Qx0yollNvkk7oBpXFln_VnjSDYT80ioDEZLnlYqvv0w/s1600/cn_image_3.size.bobo-hotel-buenos-aires-argentina-109566-4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUTVtd6g5yTgDAuuefs-dUnVRs___viE89qRb7P0qkPeJd22RelgE1InGARTbig_O2nQcnA15QMsw508b2QzCwSj8JF73OrsLM5Qx0yollNvkk7oBpXFln_VnjSDYT80ioDEZLnlYqvv0w/s400/cn_image_3.size.bobo-hotel-buenos-aires-argentina-109566-4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732186487482920546" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5aMxSCJKnlBJ20F9sq-2a7sKQs8M3dz4hQq938GoJHp1kFB7c66Bm5s6UZYRzUWRHvzFvksf4J5RFVo3mpDaUvDqCYVZUzFJGpeFSEMhq4YsWhHPpRG7G6M0idC3NENd7wNB8HmjAF_QP/s1600/cn_image_2.size.bobo-hotel-buenos-aires-argentina-109566-3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5aMxSCJKnlBJ20F9sq-2a7sKQs8M3dz4hQq938GoJHp1kFB7c66Bm5s6UZYRzUWRHvzFvksf4J5RFVo3mpDaUvDqCYVZUzFJGpeFSEMhq4YsWhHPpRG7G6M0idC3NENd7wNB8HmjAF_QP/s400/cn_image_2.size.bobo-hotel-buenos-aires-argentina-109566-3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732186498119609490" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><s>For our first two nights of the trip will will be staying at <a href="http://www.homebuenosaires.com/EN/index">Hotel home</a> in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palermo_viejo#Palermo_Viejo">Palermo</a><span class="st"> </span>Hollywood barrio (neighborhood) of the city.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0W6iM04tcvd1H9NKzg1hhhjaPAMsOHff_Ee1yxt3rBlcSg8G6hvz1gW-8xmCX3xC2j5jLC6znX1S0s0aWPCwNYXPrYnoci2CSeIaKaIVklHJtQUgy5igBUyxksgHVlszQRbGU7B1lLAVC/s1600/img0001.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 284px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0W6iM04tcvd1H9NKzg1hhhjaPAMsOHff_Ee1yxt3rBlcSg8G6hvz1gW-8xmCX3xC2j5jLC6znX1S0s0aWPCwNYXPrYnoci2CSeIaKaIVklHJtQUgy5igBUyxksgHVlszQRbGU7B1lLAVC/s400/img0001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5731802291756167554" border="0" /></a><br /><u>About Palermo Hollywood</u> - <i>In the mid-nineties a number of TV and Radio producers installed themselves in the area between Córdoba, Santa Fe, Dorrego and Juan B. Justo Avenues in Palermo Viejo. For that reason this part of the neighborhood began to be called "Palermo Hollywood". Presently, it's best known for the concentration of restaurants, clubs -as Club Atlético Palermo, the oldest one-, cafés and an active nightlife.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmXNJRxFrBWdF0Wi4vuNm6sM3TfiQxaKwF1RQ6a5XvAM-vZteMr9nNLMGaxQIo9Rh4RGO-H4Q7kYsMGU_BtPfJ1N1XI6FcuB4WcsyEip0ZIsVYNnjdzxuuQrVWM9d0BTa7-xOcGpccfecH/s1600/img0001-1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 284px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmXNJRxFrBWdF0Wi4vuNm6sM3TfiQxaKwF1RQ6a5XvAM-vZteMr9nNLMGaxQIo9Rh4RGO-H4Q7kYsMGU_BtPfJ1N1XI6FcuB4WcsyEip0ZIsVYNnjdzxuuQrVWM9d0BTa7-xOcGpccfecH/s400/img0001-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5731802293825312754" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.homebuenosaires.com/EN/index">Hotel home</a><br /><a href="http://www.homebuenosaires.com/EN/rooms-standard">Room</a><br /><a href="http://www.homebuenosaires.com/EN/pool-garden">Pool</a><br /><a href="http://www.homebuenosaires.com/EN/resto-bar">Resto/Bar</a><br /><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijXhGpEi1ebwOTxFYZE8TUjYs7yAGnwa5svcus8n7D_8tnGRvpY1TCKKmOlUH1ojD6TxWofwDZDYMCgB_UAiiB7FKNBMzS9n3LZK-91KVYsSgnipx_hsQAVOxx6eCEgmaLGPkGTTFXLII3/s1600/img0002.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 284px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijXhGpEi1ebwOTxFYZE8TUjYs7yAGnwa5svcus8n7D_8tnGRvpY1TCKKmOlUH1ojD6TxWofwDZDYMCgB_UAiiB7FKNBMzS9n3LZK-91KVYsSgnipx_hsQAVOxx6eCEgmaLGPkGTTFXLII3/s400/img0002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5731802298479183970" border="0" /></a></i></s><i><br /><br />We will be returning to Buenos Aries for one night at the end of our trip, hotel TBD.<br /><br /><br /><b><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">Bariloche -</span><br /></b>Here we will be staying for three nights at <a href="http://nidodelcondor.com.ar/">Nido del Condor</a>.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRIctB-2JufK36zyRx-hMh9FP-eVjXrThK6U9x6zkubSsouhwH6gmvS4RZAWVTK60Mh1NT0NP96hKI7YsUkcxdWOM233mAlBeQwZpumZdd64GhZvbkXXH5EcxSoIrse2-LcQm6GmDEXmPv/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-04-15+at+6.18.47+PM.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRIctB-2JufK36zyRx-hMh9FP-eVjXrThK6U9x6zkubSsouhwH6gmvS4RZAWVTK60Mh1NT0NP96hKI7YsUkcxdWOM233mAlBeQwZpumZdd64GhZvbkXXH5EcxSoIrse2-LcQm6GmDEXmPv/s400/Screen+Shot+2012-04-15+at+6.18.47+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5731803809899160482" border="0" /></a><br />Some friends of ours have stayed here before and highly recommended it.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNisk-Pj9Qu5JvRC9vlEWQeQJ69kPJADWebL13tMAN2tQ5axLP0pOB5AnSx8NgH2ejj4yfn8dwxapz1XmDgdoLOnh2pLwVqDwri-PaQga6pRCvq2e2d_xUH0tn43_Q5syit_FZGGnXPfOA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-04-15+at+6.20.23+PM.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 230px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNisk-Pj9Qu5JvRC9vlEWQeQJ69kPJADWebL13tMAN2tQ5axLP0pOB5AnSx8NgH2ejj4yfn8dwxapz1XmDgdoLOnh2pLwVqDwri-PaQga6pRCvq2e2d_xUH0tn43_Q5syit_FZGGnXPfOA/s400/Screen+Shot+2012-04-15+at+6.20.23+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5731803817667868738" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://nidodelcondor.com.ar/origen/">Photo Gallery</a><br /></div><b><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">El Calafate -</span></b><br />After our hike across the <a href="http://www.interpatagonia.com/paseos/big-ice-glaciar-perito-moreno/index_i.html" target="_blank">Perito Moreno Glacier</a> in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Glaciares_National_Park" title="Los Glaciares National Park" target="_blank">Los Glaciares National Park</a>, we will stay for two nights at <a href="http://www.esplendorelcalafate.com/">Esplendor Hotel</a>.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZiRbBnd2DKlOsGwewuMobIxxLkJGfElLu8pUBQGj-hSLbccAhEroGnjLK2k0u1dBRw670US5XApFlszouDPNXAuFbQfw-UibQXqLiQcFlWrVRs1nQV3Hrfa2PGOFnI3BVTzbCjiDhEmHc/s1600/hotel-24.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZiRbBnd2DKlOsGwewuMobIxxLkJGfElLu8pUBQGj-hSLbccAhEroGnjLK2k0u1dBRw670US5XApFlszouDPNXAuFbQfw-UibQXqLiQcFlWrVRs1nQV3Hrfa2PGOFnI3BVTzbCjiDhEmHc/s400/hotel-24.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5731804460521325794" border="0" /></a><br />After our five day stay at the EcoCamp in Chile, we will return to El Calafate for one night before heading back to Buenos Aires. Hotel for that night is still TBD.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGbwLsClpayUQ5EpMl-nhWec4Rf0Pe7NhClC6av0fmKDZhL_EeeGjxdD7r2yHDlP6HNkPsBLvlJFpsbGNoWS2tsaNfWwqhyphenhyphenXH4UNfKz-duF24NQR0AD-Y6oRc405oTgsP4uDCX1ivdxG-N/s1600/cn_image_2.size.esplendor-el-calafate-el-calafate-argentina-109611-3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGbwLsClpayUQ5EpMl-nhWec4Rf0Pe7NhClC6av0fmKDZhL_EeeGjxdD7r2yHDlP6HNkPsBLvlJFpsbGNoWS2tsaNfWwqhyphenhyphenXH4UNfKz-duF24NQR0AD-Y6oRc405oTgsP4uDCX1ivdxG-N/s400/cn_image_2.size.esplendor-el-calafate-el-calafate-argentina-109611-3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5731804464987970514" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.esplendorelcalafate.com/el-hotel/">Photo Gallery</a><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://coadventure.blogspot.com/2012/04/patagonia-here-we-come.html"><span style="font-size:130%;">~ Trip Overview Post ~</span></a><br /><br /><br /></div></i>jdesignedithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01568196354236465254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112048610010745055.post-61051404850542941082012-04-15T12:26:00.008-06:002012-04-15T12:45:26.415-06:00Patagonia ... here we come!!<div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">So, we have planned our big trip for the year!</b><br /></div><br />From Nov 17 to Dec 2, we are headed to South America to visit the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patagonia" target="_blank">Patagonia</a> region between <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chile" target="_blank">Chile</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argintina" target="_blank">Argentina</a> for 16 days of exploring and hiking. We start in Buenos Aires for a couple days, then head to Argentina's lakes district around San Carlos de Bariloche (think Breckenridge, but with more lake). Next we are off to El Calafate for some glacier trekking. Then further South to Torres del Paine National Park, where we will hike parts of the "W" circuit and explore some of the worlds largest, and still growing, glaciers. After our stay with EcoCamp Patagonia (in special domes), we will travel back to Buenos Aires for a night and day, via El Calafate.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39l1yJa8WwQ5GepGh9xw0VFPPsMkZFF6m_fLELRytt2p4ZLHAce5H1EVisEslKKkQASmW0XmVfkMUcBC3JpMEIRAo61lCjqvt9Ohn3enedlB8akhTgilIu7sX6MEg2lUbLHqeAsM436xM/s1600/PatagoniaTripMAP.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39l1yJa8WwQ5GepGh9xw0VFPPsMkZFF6m_fLELRytt2p4ZLHAce5H1EVisEslKKkQASmW0XmVfkMUcBC3JpMEIRAo61lCjqvt9Ohn3enedlB8akhTgilIu7sX6MEg2lUbLHqeAsM436xM/s400/PatagoniaTripMAP.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5731700383276390706" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The following is some info on the places we will stay and the things we will do/see:<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buenos_Aires" target="_blank"><u><b>Buenos Aires - </b></u></a><br />Maybe a <a href="http://www.infiernorojo.com/independiente/" target="_blank">local football</a> match<br /><a href="http://www.homebuenosaires.com/index.php" target="_blank">HOME</a> for our first two nights.<br />Exploring the local culture, markets, food, etc.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrTQyhyphenhyphen0QNQE1v5NDBDBVc2VchHLnYQp1oIgFZSYJ-RSKMcXTMz7_EmZiwZG52jrxnknMnhy00aZCaHIxJRpyBoyXi1fnC9jb6FPcSV7zu8MAxmc3pQJChj6w3WeuUxrwmOkq5oT855ehH/s1600/meg_fo_11_buenosaires_panorama_1387094.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrTQyhyphenhyphen0QNQE1v5NDBDBVc2VchHLnYQp1oIgFZSYJ-RSKMcXTMz7_EmZiwZG52jrxnknMnhy00aZCaHIxJRpyBoyXi1fnC9jb6FPcSV7zu8MAxmc3pQJChj6w3WeuUxrwmOkq5oT855ehH/s400/meg_fo_11_buenosaires_panorama_1387094.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5731697651039889650" border="0" /></a><br /><a style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Carlos_de_Bariloche" target="_blank"><u><b>Bariloche - </b></u></a><br />Maybe stay here <a href="http://nidodelcondor.com.ar/en/" target="_blank">Nido del Condor</a><br />Lake Excursion by boat<br /><a href="http://www.dirtybikes.com.ar/daytours.html#half" target="_blank">Mountain Biking</a><br />Exploring the local culture, markets, food, etc.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmO2vQLRi9fx9Nc2v57fknn22320jQkT64-zI2nesm1hIC86j6AfRlCbqGuE_CAMkcTOFTVL9DWEUAErBWhV8oHYKjN5L2umXYn2I7uW4iIRpBknY4yyZVtT5qBsxJ8EdpDKtWsJEuVnET/s1600/San+Carlos+de+Bariloche+-+La+Catedral+y+el+Lago+Nahuel+Huapi.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmO2vQLRi9fx9Nc2v57fknn22320jQkT64-zI2nesm1hIC86j6AfRlCbqGuE_CAMkcTOFTVL9DWEUAErBWhV8oHYKjN5L2umXYn2I7uW4iIRpBknY4yyZVtT5qBsxJ8EdpDKtWsJEuVnET/s400/San+Carlos+de+Bariloche+-+La+Catedral+y+el+Lago+Nahuel+Huapi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5731698409348041330" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Calafate" target="_blank"><u><b><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">El Calafate -</span> </b></u></a><br />Maybe stay here <a href="http://www.esplendorelcalafate.com/en/" target="_blank">Esplendor el Calafate</a><br />Hike on the <a href="http://www.interpatagonia.com/paseos/big-ice-glaciar-perito-moreno/index_i.html" target="_blank">Perito Moreno Glacier</a> in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Glaciares_National_Park" title="Los Glaciares National Park" target="_blank">Los Glaciares National Park</a><br />Exploring the local culture, markets, food, etc.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPlsjINUbR0T9zADqPfVXz5yrSjq4tPBvXY0KFvn6Ws3Y5BjDdKK6BJWlCXvNFj-4FmgUc1UApAsoJ7TMgez7jauBLBvwGLIJUoktvn1da849WSJW93UnK8r4LYRpzH4-NKuQ_CuiqHbI1/s1600/el-calafate-01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPlsjINUbR0T9zADqPfVXz5yrSjq4tPBvXY0KFvn6Ws3Y5BjDdKK6BJWlCXvNFj-4FmgUc1UApAsoJ7TMgez7jauBLBvwGLIJUoktvn1da849WSJW93UnK8r4LYRpzH4-NKuQ_CuiqHbI1/s400/el-calafate-01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5731699201709838434" border="0" /></a><br /><b style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"><a href="http://www.ecocamp.travel/" target="_blank"><u>EcoCamp Patagonia (Chile) - </u></a></b><br />Here we have booked with a company that provides all our needs for 5 days of exploring the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torres_del_Paine_National_Park" target="_blank">Torres del Paine National Park</a>. (<a href="http://www.ecocamp.travel/en/mediadome/?ref=bank_park" target="_blank">Photos</a> of the park)<br /><a href="http://www.cascada.travel/Tour/EcoCamp-Patagonia-Wildlife-Safari#node_product_display_full_group_facts" target="_blank">Safari Description</a><br /><a href="http://www.cascada.travel/sites/default/files/media/Maps/mapa_safari_PatSD_060212_v4.jpg" target="_blank">Map</a><br /><a href="http://www.ecocamp.travel/en/mediadome/?ref=bank_ecocamp" target="_blank">Photos</a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgib-CxxPVu0Bf76BII-Sk3VVRmba-z0XmDqTb5S5QnoBgSUXT3FsK6dUe3ygA29BP3CXIhEw6iklVP0y71ujQYXN0c69nJtGP89xuDPSC_yOaX8hbAs0XDjBqDp3jWxo95EMCFUdZHF7H7/s1600/002.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgib-CxxPVu0Bf76BII-Sk3VVRmba-z0XmDqTb5S5QnoBgSUXT3FsK6dUe3ygA29BP3CXIhEw6iklVP0y71ujQYXN0c69nJtGP89xuDPSC_yOaX8hbAs0XDjBqDp3jWxo95EMCFUdZHF7H7/s400/002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5731699687446250722" border="0" /></a><br /></div> <br /><div style="text-align: left;">Then we will head back to Buenos Aires for an evening and day. Probably hit up a tango.<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">As the trip gets closer, we will send more info regarding contact info, flights, etc.</span>jdesignedithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01568196354236465254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112048610010745055.post-24313912997405893942011-12-27T21:54:00.012-07:002011-12-27T22:28:45.493-07:00Christmas 2011<div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;">We had a great Christmas weekend spending time with family and eating and drinking till we were full.<br /><br />We headed North to the Hanke farm on Sat morning and watched the Patriots game with Rich and Belinda. Then we headed over to Erich, Julia and Wyatt's house for a turkey dinner with Julia's parents, John and Judy, and her sister Kristina and her husband Justin. Tucker got to meet Daisy, Kristina and Justin's new dog and they all played out back while we ate. After a gift exchange, we headed back to the farm and awoke Sunday morning to blue skies and warm weather.<br /><br />Belinda made tasty apple pancakes that we enjoyed with bloody's and mimosas. We opened gifts with Erich, Julia and Wyatt. Then later in the afternoon, Rich, Belinda, Melissa and I took a two plus mile snowshoe out back. It was a beautiful afternoon and it worked up our appetite for a New England style Christmas dinner in Colorado. Mussels, little necks and lobster were on the menu!<br /></div><br />See photos from the weekend <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/jdesignedit/Christmas201102?authuser=0&feat=directlink"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">HERE</span></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD69HPqyMxdmKMsrSKHk1adIwXaTt3DQXxB-usWKKNk3Jnke4DKeHnOjnNAdFChYln3Yo_1uQ8MGjWmuLIwo2FnkdpA0EO60LiwQw3ajhtU9Yq1L1LWOwnmIpJAR473fni04q-jn6xVFjL/s1600/P1040771.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD69HPqyMxdmKMsrSKHk1adIwXaTt3DQXxB-usWKKNk3Jnke4DKeHnOjnNAdFChYln3Yo_1uQ8MGjWmuLIwo2FnkdpA0EO60LiwQw3ajhtU9Yq1L1LWOwnmIpJAR473fni04q-jn6xVFjL/s400/P1040771.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5691039940482857202" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">Christmas Tree at the Smith's</span></span><br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYunC9lIWFrmWClds7RC5OFqXoDG-5PN8p2oCFrDaa3jOtAAZUjSh4dFcOE2U6iQWxLlR3bXoejPH34H9GMxhrAmZT2R7Tp9i8Wo3OmcA__8jIJ_-mVbDxdTexzf4vBUctWQYD52tuc8_g/s1600/IMG_7886.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYunC9lIWFrmWClds7RC5OFqXoDG-5PN8p2oCFrDaa3jOtAAZUjSh4dFcOE2U6iQWxLlR3bXoejPH34H9GMxhrAmZT2R7Tp9i8Wo3OmcA__8jIJ_-mVbDxdTexzf4vBUctWQYD52tuc8_g/s400/IMG_7886.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5691039932292936802" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">Melissa gets a new ski helmet from Marsha and Mark</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);"></span></span></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);"><br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7tt6ji8h76phkGNL4YyhIg5nuoAmH2ypRasSF8aRXYfRmhb6iiDnsizxszgUMR-jKoGh6k7r5pXi41UxY4pBgbEJyoih5CApL-x9qvrmyC70nUlLwGpD_f72mtApotprnZ4bevVA7bVUY/s1600/IMG_7909.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7tt6ji8h76phkGNL4YyhIg5nuoAmH2ypRasSF8aRXYfRmhb6iiDnsizxszgUMR-jKoGh6k7r5pXi41UxY4pBgbEJyoih5CApL-x9qvrmyC70nUlLwGpD_f72mtApotprnZ4bevVA7bVUY/s400/IMG_7909.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5691039927640577010" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">Time for a snowshoe out on the back 40 at the Hanke farm</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);"></span></span></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;">See photos from the weekend <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/jdesignedit/Christmas201102?authuser=0&feat=directlink"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">HERE</span></a><br />or see the slide show below<br /></div><br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&noautoplay=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjdesignedit%2Falbumid%2F5690650480250260481%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" height="267" width="400"></embed>jdesignedithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01568196354236465254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112048610010745055.post-48598765146000290912011-12-23T07:11:00.001-07:002011-12-23T07:17:17.169-07:00Happy 1st birthday Tucker!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXR0aylKLlENtPFqAvzt9t_vB64ntznxF9fYRjAL1X4cR122HVtTzqV1FEu2DowpsGsE4KIlEuVD8hparXBBVOPEh7OBU1smZuziByRjb-ceihd1ep-KY_eDVcFkov9qwAcO5peXV7Jhvv/s1600/P1040769.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXR0aylKLlENtPFqAvzt9t_vB64ntznxF9fYRjAL1X4cR122HVtTzqV1FEu2DowpsGsE4KIlEuVD8hparXBBVOPEh7OBU1smZuziByRjb-ceihd1ep-KY_eDVcFkov9qwAcO5peXV7Jhvv/s400/P1040769.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5689327655319173298" border="0" /></a>jdesignedithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01568196354236465254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112048610010745055.post-59422699615878743582011-12-11T19:04:00.016-07:002011-12-11T20:14:19.129-07:00A Night in the Swiss Alps at Arapahoe Basin<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVYlwa8APIejcZQm0igLNaZbYwoiktO_p_MJE8Zpw37Cgxbwy1DHFt9hr_ntOcu-oDjkk2j0IAhGvBdp8ZbAI2JfC36NbkJFM8vNI5JL46J2_ndoYvbvcAAA-Ag5GsITxIIX8s15YQ3Qjz/s1600/229.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 273px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVYlwa8APIejcZQm0igLNaZbYwoiktO_p_MJE8Zpw37Cgxbwy1DHFt9hr_ntOcu-oDjkk2j0IAhGvBdp8ZbAI2JfC36NbkJFM8vNI5JL46J2_ndoYvbvcAAA-Ag5GsITxIIX8s15YQ3Qjz/s400/229.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5685068429764970562" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;" align="center"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;font-size:12pt;" ><strong><em><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></em></strong></span></div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: rgb(102, 0, 0); text-align: center;"><span><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/jdesignedit/ABasinSwissAlpsMoonlightDinner?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCJmU1bXW5aLB0QE&feat=directlink"><span style="font-weight: bold;">~ See photos here ~</span></a></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: center;"><span><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/jdesignedit/ABasinSwissAlpsMoonlightDinner?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCJmU1bXW5aLB0QE&feat=directlink"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></a><br /></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: left;"><span>Saturday evening we headed up to <a href="http://arapahoebasin.com/ABasin/Default.aspx">Arapahoe Basin</a> ski area for a dinner mid mountain under a full moon. I gave this to Melissa for her birthday back in Oct., so we had been looking forward to this for a while now and hoping we would have clear skies because it would be a full moon. We lucked out and there was not a single cloud in the sky. Just a million stars and a glowing full moon shining off of the ski trails and mountain peaks all around us.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: left;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnRtcrthVOIowLwsYh1uBmDUAGlfFySpI2pP0tx1AC6We2RcFWpXKhdrl5DuKwOUIXH0Lvr2PYR1G9Q95cs401Ij8TKRHhBfWAj5wWww5ccPOcmUCtzmCVkUc6Za611beaVo2qMRNExlHG/s1600/P1040726.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnRtcrthVOIowLwsYh1uBmDUAGlfFySpI2pP0tx1AC6We2RcFWpXKhdrl5DuKwOUIXH0Lvr2PYR1G9Q95cs401Ij8TKRHhBfWAj5wWww5ccPOcmUCtzmCVkUc6Za611beaVo2qMRNExlHG/s400/P1040726.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5685068719475636898" border="0" /></a><br /><span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: left;"><span>At about 6:15 p.m. Melissa strapped on her snowshoes with her skis on her back and me my tele skis and skins, and we headed up the High Noon trail towards Black Mt. Lodge, midway up the mountain. It was 5 degrees, but the hike warmed us up quick. We arrived at the lodge around 6:45 and enjoyed an amazing dinner with about 100 others. The food was spectacular and in huge quantities. It was buffet style so we could try a little of everything. (See the menu below). After stuffing ourselves and enjoying some great conversation with others at our table, we strapped back on our skis and headed back down around 10 p.m. The ski down was a blast under the glow of the moon.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_s62qj0MqXbyf702UiPYsf3mKji2iKFtDkoc2j1eoW51Tklu-efKgIhcl8wVJ0pcm5ZkG5wPTx2K3AcvP2fKaPZmD-9TlBMjBXIUuGcVAVuxP-9lhQFNwpAYQOrHx8NmLlDhihIoWylig/s1600/P1040765.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_s62qj0MqXbyf702UiPYsf3mKji2iKFtDkoc2j1eoW51Tklu-efKgIhcl8wVJ0pcm5ZkG5wPTx2K3AcvP2fKaPZmD-9TlBMjBXIUuGcVAVuxP-9lhQFNwpAYQOrHx8NmLlDhihIoWylig/s400/P1040765.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5685070006533465474" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwjrd7ADQTKqpHBXNajJclLBYlmAUblxeDn4EuXkhLnzBYuqQOs4gIqKkPp0tyXGcX_1JUoGmQolhooS72Sjms5Xk5D3kyjjVysyG22K5cIHdnF0z1h_Gw6onnkOwCOOuTmc51uUyUOMKW/s1600/P1040767.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwjrd7ADQTKqpHBXNajJclLBYlmAUblxeDn4EuXkhLnzBYuqQOs4gIqKkPp0tyXGcX_1JUoGmQolhooS72Sjms5Xk5D3kyjjVysyG22K5cIHdnF0z1h_Gw6onnkOwCOOuTmc51uUyUOMKW/s400/P1040767.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5685070368892124770" border="0" /></a><br /></span></p> <span style="text-decoration: underline;font-size:12pt;" ><strong><em></em></strong></span></div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: rgb(102, 0, 0); text-align: center;"><span><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/jdesignedit/ABasinSwissAlpsMoonlightDinner?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCJmU1bXW5aLB0QE&feat=directlink"><span style="font-weight: bold;">~ See photos here ~</span></a></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: center;"><span><br /></span></p><span style="text-decoration: underline;font-size:12pt;" ><strong><em><span style="font-size:100%;">Swiss Menu<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSti6WfitYNtBIfcP5n2HZua_BTTwD04lOOBmbvaXoeN56YKI5rC7LKofBdw6ncNIfeo2_hkuDsdRKDTjxnY-IB3GVmYvRfuHVtIZXScQnoMl7OL4QHeyD5mm5s4GCRv35cindj5YwpTH1/s1600/P1040754.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSti6WfitYNtBIfcP5n2HZua_BTTwD04lOOBmbvaXoeN56YKI5rC7LKofBdw6ncNIfeo2_hkuDsdRKDTjxnY-IB3GVmYvRfuHVtIZXScQnoMl7OL4QHeyD5mm5s4GCRv35cindj5YwpTH1/s400/P1040754.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5685069617182702914" border="0" /></a><br /></span></em></strong></span></div><div style="text-align: center;" align="center"><br /></div> <p style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" align="center"><em><strong>Hors d'oeuvres</strong></em></p> <p style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" align="center"><span>An Assortment of Swiss Cheeses, with </span></p> <p style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" align="center"><span>Swiss Style Air dried Meats and Sausages</span></p> <p style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" align="center"><span>Smoked Seafood Assortment</span></p> <p style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" align="center"><span> </span></p> <p style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" align="center"><em><strong>Soup & Salads</strong></em></p> <p style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" align="center"><span>Busecca Ticines </span><span>(tripe soup with garlic bread)</span></p> <p style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" align="center"><span>Gemischter Salat </span><span>(mixed salad) </span></p> <p style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" align="center"><span>Swiss Chard Apple and Cherry Salat</span></p> <p style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" align="center"><span>Assorted Sweet and Hearth Baked breads</span></p> <p style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" align="center"> </p> <p style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" align="center"><em><strong>Entrees</strong></em></p> <p style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" align="center"><span>Roasted Leg Of Lamb </span></p> <p style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" align="center"><span>Rippli </span><span>(smoked pork loin with cabbage)</span></p> <p style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" align="center"><span>Alplermagronen </span><span>(famers style macaroni)</span></p> <p style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" align="center"><span>Baked Pike Fillets</span></p> <p style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" align="center"><span>Lapin au Marc </span><span>(stewed rabbit in grappa)</span></p> <p style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" align="center"><span> </span></p> <p style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" align="center"><em><strong>Desserts</strong></em></p> <p style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" align="center"><span>Apple Strudel</span></p> <p style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" align="center"><span>Fresh Berry Tart</span></p> <p style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" align="center"><span>Carrot Cake</span></p><p style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" align="center"><span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: center;"><span><strong><em> </em></strong></span></p> <p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em>Dinner Itinerary</em></strong></span> </span></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: center;"><span> </span></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong>6:30p.m. to 7:00p.m.</strong> Start skinning or snowshoeing up to Black Mountain Lodge from the base area. </span></p><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">7:00p.m. to 9:00p.m.</strong><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> Cocktails, hor d'oeuvres, dinner and dessert</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">9:30p.m. to 10:00p.m.</strong><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> Ski, snowboard or snowshoe back down to the base area </span></span></div>jdesignedithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01568196354236465254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112048610010745055.post-73724716628723398192011-12-01T18:53:00.000-07:002012-12-03T18:54:04.958-07:00Refurbished Desk lamp<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjljXH6t1hbem4P9oB-K2eHuo6EQjT_3qsg1azzl2rVxQgbpSRlPwvJHE2GAwdysV7YpKDbvuobhl6hW8rImI8Z4LR2z5jwN3eNZOazaPy7NVEQRF6eXkvTCzARoM-q25fjnUJ98qNfbfpo/s1600/mms_picture_2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690645413232226978" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjljXH6t1hbem4P9oB-K2eHuo6EQjT_3qsg1azzl2rVxQgbpSRlPwvJHE2GAwdysV7YpKDbvuobhl6hW8rImI8Z4LR2z5jwN3eNZOazaPy7NVEQRF6eXkvTCzARoM-q25fjnUJ98qNfbfpo/s400/mms_picture_2.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 112px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 160px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF6vSBjG1tN2fK-3sPZU_eBgMf2-LX85Q_uoFG7ZZzwQ8Dkfpo4qzeRaq3NGR1WJtN0Y7wh-epT2CLa7g2UHBqxyg61Nt34mUzEpsVp5v_I0I1krxOtR-fVP48Ar89a95kk4mv8LdPcUVk/s1600/mms_picture.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690645128026238498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF6vSBjG1tN2fK-3sPZU_eBgMf2-LX85Q_uoFG7ZZzwQ8Dkfpo4qzeRaq3NGR1WJtN0Y7wh-epT2CLa7g2UHBqxyg61Nt34mUzEpsVp5v_I0I1krxOtR-fVP48Ar89a95kk4mv8LdPcUVk/s400/mms_picture.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimcvyVpsV9jE565mhLJl_pogOHZqak7SSFssg4Wu16RxkVvn4PKB27G7djctDA-hTDODV6AKkb1fcBq2iDWW9l6GEHWFGKVuEhOohyKye1Hr5XQYYpI6DC30-ljYvR4bZSe-qzSw11XgyL/s1600/mms_picture_1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690645127549062882" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimcvyVpsV9jE565mhLJl_pogOHZqak7SSFssg4Wu16RxkVvn4PKB27G7djctDA-hTDODV6AKkb1fcBq2iDWW9l6GEHWFGKVuEhOohyKye1Hr5XQYYpI6DC30-ljYvR4bZSe-qzSw11XgyL/s400/mms_picture_1.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_T2plDE4kPCavY8jWfKG548U_q8GYxp63W96FeeiUTQdyBiwzrRnoyM_HpEw8yeJZJ30rX_y4O9FOGutHHaBc2iM3ukSO5mktinVY3vr7XHjC_DTkSW3ZdcUJfpoGRQObdl8JZ5MU3gcN/s1600/mms_picture.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690644950353756962" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_T2plDE4kPCavY8jWfKG548U_q8GYxp63W96FeeiUTQdyBiwzrRnoyM_HpEw8yeJZJ30rX_y4O9FOGutHHaBc2iM3ukSO5mktinVY3vr7XHjC_DTkSW3ZdcUJfpoGRQObdl8JZ5MU3gcN/s400/mms_picture.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEEiPsvfnZt30B7lrdeI8W3TtHRKmt5j8NZ_gGX5qLfu1a7btrhAdVBcnHB9uDAc8-KUDKGyrBdPPvL5FIZDldb-TyNxlM0EXv4X4Wrxydy5w9IpvPzA5hA8SXYM5RHWdiPVHAtd784C10/s1600/mms_picture_1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690644944600435410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEEiPsvfnZt30B7lrdeI8W3TtHRKmt5j8NZ_gGX5qLfu1a7btrhAdVBcnHB9uDAc8-KUDKGyrBdPPvL5FIZDldb-TyNxlM0EXv4X4Wrxydy5w9IpvPzA5hA8SXYM5RHWdiPVHAtd784C10/s400/mms_picture_1.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHxxsGP5a0YXnO1UwXlMGHqoEZ2KHcIWwJ1HhAXWGyjN68HlniqJV5J42ixNBi1EU-VsJja3zILesXl5YkUNOh61QLaKnfLKTxz0Ad1tZZ4DUTNMT_8i6dI0iB6pV_qc2cTe3rtCVeV56V/s1600/mms_picture_2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLF2qAHfc0vmFkG7_7oI3xFIEbRZPUi5ZXB1sP6yXiGHDSI303yDVAps1P5uOZpPFk2XKf8CfAf8Q1QrAzhcR5JdLgpM-ihbRjYOqnY9EpprBAhiZNlO5yd0FDzIbc5D0vs5A27jos65V4/s1600/mms_picture.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690644937076122850" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLF2qAHfc0vmFkG7_7oI3xFIEbRZPUi5ZXB1sP6yXiGHDSI303yDVAps1P5uOZpPFk2XKf8CfAf8Q1QrAzhcR5JdLgpM-ihbRjYOqnY9EpprBAhiZNlO5yd0FDzIbc5D0vs5A27jos65V4/s400/mms_picture.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
I found this old desk lamp on Craigslist and thought it would be a great Christmas gift for Melissa to go on our new desk for the office. After picking it up from the seller, I noticed that it could use a new coat of paint and the wiring looked a little shotty. I opened it up from the base and saw that most of the wiring was frayed through the fabric sheathing. I stripped out all the wires and took inventory of what I would need from Home Depot to replace it all properly. As usual, it took a couple trips to get all the parts correctly. The ballast was an old General Electric two lamp version and the new two lamp versions are much larger. So, the new one would not fit in the base. I had to resign to installing a single lamp ballast, but I think it will give off enough light with today's newer bulbs. Before installing all the wiring, I gave the outside a fresh coat of new silver paint (to match the original paint color). The plug to the wall got a little upgrade to give it that "retro" feel, and the lamp was done. Looks great on the new desk!jdesignedithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01568196354236465254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112048610010745055.post-38244377768657148752011-08-13T07:39:00.009-06:002011-12-17T09:10:18.400-07:00Eric & Steph's Wedding Trip East<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheOHIWLDMq3olGW1JmVvp7hNNZ6tAfxHutnrTTfCycfVKuo3qeCcPOgePBp-n-8bC7VxEU7hRKJLaLD1xl3K5zxwalc6-sOSr99tKIBErdfPL_dgL-m10RSyvW_l2PIWZB-0mN7HxSt0TN/s1600/P1040366.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheOHIWLDMq3olGW1JmVvp7hNNZ6tAfxHutnrTTfCycfVKuo3qeCcPOgePBp-n-8bC7VxEU7hRKJLaLD1xl3K5zxwalc6-sOSr99tKIBErdfPL_dgL-m10RSyvW_l2PIWZB-0mN7HxSt0TN/s400/P1040366.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687112922904581202" border="0" /></a><br />In August we headed back East for a week. The reason for the trip, my brother Eric was getting married! He and Steph had a awesome wedding in Salem MA, where we got to enjoy some great seafood, dancing and time with family.<br /><br />From there we headed all over New England visiting friends and family. Some of the places we traveled to were: Salem where the famous witch trial were held, Jaimee and Wes's in RI to see Autumn for the first time, Dad and Lin's in N. Falmouth and a visit with them to Martha's Vineyard, Fenway Park for a Sox game, Nate and Vanessa's as well as Mom and Mark's in Madison where we had a cookout with close friends and family, Mt. Washington (all the way to the top via Tuckerman's Ravine {Tucker's namesake}), Hampton Beach with Cara and Tom, and finally back to Denver where we meet up with Kristy and Mario at the airport to see Cruz for the first time.<br /><br />We had a blast and you can see all our fun in the photos below. Enjoy!<br /><br />See photos <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/jdesignedit/EricAndStephWeddingVacation?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCK6C0M70iOiOTQ&feat=directlink">HERE</a>.<br /><br />Or watch slideshow right here:<br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&noautoplay=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjdesignedit%2Falbumid%2F5644055723056875601%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" height="267" width="400"></embed>jdesignedithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01568196354236465254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112048610010745055.post-85237634223597720182011-06-12T08:28:00.006-06:002011-06-12T09:12:17.082-06:00Tucker Photos<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs7R2rkE36r8HZxIn2KNHomGKiU32-eKQ9LtIUhmVKaJkhjfjEWJTUl7gIQB3VWgVO4co-kCM9XKvnrf2d6OFAZ4TzyglgR1Z7bi2irlQvPUZxvlyh2vROB5rawKdOaBsXYI9wvoAcvSRI/s1600/IMG_7465.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs7R2rkE36r8HZxIn2KNHomGKiU32-eKQ9LtIUhmVKaJkhjfjEWJTUl7gIQB3VWgVO4co-kCM9XKvnrf2d6OFAZ4TzyglgR1Z7bi2irlQvPUZxvlyh2vROB5rawKdOaBsXYI9wvoAcvSRI/s400/IMG_7465.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617343475049382706" border="0" /></a><br />See photos of Tucker as he grows <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/jdesignedit/TuckerSmith?feat=directlink">HERE</a><br /><br />More documentation of Tucker growing up.<br /><br />He was recently neutered, and it did not phase him one bit. All he was upset about was that he did not get breakfast that day. He has fully recovered and is now back to playing with other dogs and having fun at the dog park.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCCjlU1LgQ4kMMrzBYU8zZN_RnzytDL-fHsvbYrcaJOD7cHCyyuuOzCAXpcqb5ouscTQHrEioAUDSHeDw9A0H8DlsJHibNPpYpS4KKGARR0wLh53HuZBHnHwUlUCG1PrhnzHujO-EoiH9d/s1600/P1030748.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCCjlU1LgQ4kMMrzBYU8zZN_RnzytDL-fHsvbYrcaJOD7cHCyyuuOzCAXpcqb5ouscTQHrEioAUDSHeDw9A0H8DlsJHibNPpYpS4KKGARR0wLh53HuZBHnHwUlUCG1PrhnzHujO-EoiH9d/s400/P1030748.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617343581268791826" border="0" /></a>We went to the REI garage Sale on Saturday and they have some bronze life size bears out front. As we walked by, Tucker was a bit unsure if they were real or not. The hair on his neck went up and he would not get close to them. Funny stuff. See a video of it <a href="http://youtu.be/22IGBqOi5fM">HERE</a><br /><br /><iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/22IGBqOi5fM?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br />See photos of Tucker as he grows <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/jdesignedit/TuckerSmith?feat=directlink">HERE</a><br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&noautoplay=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjdesignedit%2Falbumid%2F5578428941343081473%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" height="267" width="400"></embed>jdesignedithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01568196354236465254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112048610010745055.post-53575700872788027892011-06-05T07:45:00.000-06:002011-06-12T08:51:17.940-06:00Spent Grain Dog Treats<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_2Y0ZtBbSDg0amQ7NmATCmRYonOKVp90YklLKG78IzUXq8YfeNayruDNXNmNP57zawT7VuP075lXeBDDC3My23ZogLE29hJ7-VzZdpDFUXLxvgRU54RfqxGuSxNzncmkPmAjH2_L7mi7u/s1600/SpentGrainDogTreats_0611.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_2Y0ZtBbSDg0amQ7NmATCmRYonOKVp90YklLKG78IzUXq8YfeNayruDNXNmNP57zawT7VuP075lXeBDDC3My23ZogLE29hJ7-VzZdpDFUXLxvgRU54RfqxGuSxNzncmkPmAjH2_L7mi7u/s400/SpentGrainDogTreats_0611.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617329564820337490" border="0" /></a><br />We brewed last Sunday and Melissa made Spent Grain Dog Treats for Tucker. He loves them!!<br /><br />6 Cups Spent Grains<br />6 Cups Four<br />1.5 Cups Peanut Butter<br />3 Eggs<br />3 Bananasjdesignedithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01568196354236465254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112048610010745055.post-86228047884399634682011-05-30T08:47:00.000-06:002011-06-12T08:55:44.983-06:00Memorial Day Camping - Durango, COEnjoy photos from our trip <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/jdesignedit/MemorialDay2011DurangoCO?authkey=Gv1sRgCKKz28OPqYXfUg&feat=directlink">HERE</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaoBx5qZCYnv9edw2ux-1ZbG9uRhqRwsfrtRJHEkNusMZoYOc9YeGqsCgFjSXcZkY5u1auk2gVoLnfy5EUVJy6SsZTkwTn7c5p0ljSRK6KeK4a81xrjqZxHy669h9x05GZnuOQ-glUarFE/s1600/P1030821.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaoBx5qZCYnv9edw2ux-1ZbG9uRhqRwsfrtRJHEkNusMZoYOc9YeGqsCgFjSXcZkY5u1auk2gVoLnfy5EUVJy6SsZTkwTn7c5p0ljSRK6KeK4a81xrjqZxHy669h9x05GZnuOQ-glUarFE/s400/P1030821.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617327007986691330" border="0" /></a><br />We extended the Memorial Day long weekend by taking Friday off and decided to drive the 400 miles to the <a href="http://www.durangogov.org/">Durango, CO</a> area to enjoy a weekend of camping, fishing, sightseeing, eating and brewery visiting. Our friends the Haugh's came along with us (Ryan, Annette and Yama) and we reserved an amazing site at the Haviland Lake Campground, just North of Durango.<br /><br />Departure time was an early 4 a.m. Friday morning. On the way there we headed West on I-70 towards Grand Junction (it was snowing at the top of Vail Pass and they still had a ton of snow ont he ground. Copper Mountain could have still been open for skiing!), then South on 550 through Montrose, Ridgway, Ouray and Silverton. In Ridgeway, we stopped for a dip in the <a href="http://www.orvishotsprings.com/">Orvis Hot Springs</a>, natural springs that range in temperature from 98-112 degrees. Next stop was the small historic mining town of <a href="http://www.ouraycolorado.com/">Ouray, CO</a>. We walked the streets with the dogs and had a killer lunch at the <a href="http://ouraybrewery.com/home/">Ouray Brewery</a>. The Ourayle House, aka Mr. Grumpy Pants Brewery, was unfortunately closed, but their original signs entertained us anyways.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkm_vw5l6SJZKYesuwkfe1phyBE7UR4wzbtKh5Kdf1bnYrRDyAswV3v8a9VXYkhnivpjSXOqqoMubM9nvnog8eIubwuC1MIEPvPUQpQslX0_FO5aDiAL6qmgQnJ4kvlN8n-HEtDtKRmjb4/s1600/IMG_7481.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkm_vw5l6SJZKYesuwkfe1phyBE7UR4wzbtKh5Kdf1bnYrRDyAswV3v8a9VXYkhnivpjSXOqqoMubM9nvnog8eIubwuC1MIEPvPUQpQslX0_FO5aDiAL6qmgQnJ4kvlN8n-HEtDtKRmjb4/s400/IMG_7481.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617326514321191010" border="0" /></a><br />From Ouray, we headed South over Red Mountain Pass via the <a href="http://www.shermanstravel.com/top_tens/scenic_drives_in_the_u.s./million_dollar_highway/">"Million Dollar Highway"</a> that winds precariously through the rugged San Juan mountain peaks. The sleepy town of <a href="http://www.silvertoncolorado.com/">Silverton</a> was the next stop and I was keeping my fingers crossed that the <a href="http://www.silvertonbrewing.com/">brewery</a> was open. The last time I was in town, a couple winters ago with Erich and Tom to ski <a href="http://www.silvertonmountain.com/page/home">Silverton Mountain</a>, the brewery was closed. This time, it was closed as well. Some guys were up on scaffolding on the facade of the building painting and said that it should be re-opened after renovations next week. D'oh! Oh well, guess I'll have to hit up this part of CO again. We grabbed coffee at a quaint shop on Main, and then continued South to our campsite.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDPIV5nAeGJnA3V_kDXRpSBbmFeRxxnglGWZ8h0pIB7nX1tch_LqbIwl5n5QYWgQYEaYvzTf9IJGGfr3oUKDbN2zu_mHHDlhyphenhyphenKgwk5xJFCU0md5c55EPlxP9knDDdepmbKOJ5vQSLOWxD2/s1600/P1030842.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDPIV5nAeGJnA3V_kDXRpSBbmFeRxxnglGWZ8h0pIB7nX1tch_LqbIwl5n5QYWgQYEaYvzTf9IJGGfr3oUKDbN2zu_mHHDlhyphenhyphenKgwk5xJFCU0md5c55EPlxP9knDDdepmbKOJ5vQSLOWxD2/s400/P1030842.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617327763112062146" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The area around <a href="http://www.recreation.gov/camping/Haviland_Lake_Campground_Co/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=72182">Haviland Lake Campground</a> is beautiful with views of the Hermosa Cliffs and we got a perfect spot right by the lake and far away from all the other sites. During the weekend, we enjoyed cooking meals, hiking and fishing a bit, reading, playing washer toss and letting the dogs play with each other (that is when Yama would allow it). We traveled into town a couple times and visited four local breweries; <a href="http://www.steamworksbrewing.com/">Steamworks</a>, <a href="http://www.skabrewing.com/main.html">Ska</a>, <a href="http://www.durangobrewing.com/">Durango</a> and <a href="http://www.carverbrewing.com/">Carver</a>. We also watched the <a href="http://durangoherald.com/article/20110530/SPORTS01/705309986/-1/s">40th Iron Horse Bicycle Classic</a> where road bikes race a circuit through downtown while Mtn. Bikers race a course through the nearby hills then end up in town where they ride through the Steamworks Brewery! And on Saturday road bikes raced the train from Durango to Silverton <span style="color:black;">(47 miles, 5700 ft. elevation gain). The winner beat the train by about 30 min!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Hv7uwoCJDqdl2yQ1gMOKp7Nb4rnUvNdn_VoaIk7Z5t1y-VDsoN9pRuFeSDPRPrXHX4mM8qdPjTu2KqYrV6UaX89gSdzowHmNxwj16IKCWfq8cAwG6wb79_psV3zexyznKb-b25gCN__H/s1600/IMG_7508.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Hv7uwoCJDqdl2yQ1gMOKp7Nb4rnUvNdn_VoaIk7Z5t1y-VDsoN9pRuFeSDPRPrXHX4mM8qdPjTu2KqYrV6UaX89gSdzowHmNxwj16IKCWfq8cAwG6wb79_psV3zexyznKb-b25gCN__H/s400/IMG_7508.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617328210255626114" border="0" /></a><br /><br />On Monday, we packed up and traveled South, then West back home. We stopped in Pagosa Springs and had a pint at the <a href="http://www.pagosabrewing.com/">Pagosa Brewing Co.</a>, then enjoyed a great dinner at <a href="http://eddylinepub.com/">Eddyline Brewery</a> in Buena Vista, CO (great pizza and beer!!) We arrived back home, tired and dirty, but overall relaxed from the awesome weekend at about 10 pm. We covered 845 miles from door to door.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlXxdNJRiRSsmBQAIlZxgpgLXSgP57Wb6_TZQPQV5BcYOFjVhBj1A0UO4t4054OjGacOBfYykRu7ClI1Y1F14XXUjaCiPYL-K_9gg3GnS-kllflVZmk8R_-kLMcVIVIjEYo-zr1088Wg2q/s1600/Picture+1.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 292px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlXxdNJRiRSsmBQAIlZxgpgLXSgP57Wb6_TZQPQV5BcYOFjVhBj1A0UO4t4054OjGacOBfYykRu7ClI1Y1F14XXUjaCiPYL-K_9gg3GnS-kllflVZmk8R_-kLMcVIVIjEYo-zr1088Wg2q/s400/Picture+1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617327078236735330" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Enjoy photos from our trip <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/jdesignedit/MemorialDay2011DurangoCO?authkey=Gv1sRgCKKz28OPqYXfUg&feat=directlink">HERE</a><br />or see the slideshow below:</span><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&noautoplay=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjdesignedit%2Falbumid%2F5613093232566367521%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" height="267" width="400"></embed>jdesignedithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01568196354236465254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112048610010745055.post-16579127646933825012011-02-21T09:14:00.007-07:002011-02-21T09:38:08.263-07:00Tucker Smith<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><i style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Welcome to the family Tucker!!</i></span><br /></div><i><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtciQwnBzvOjsGJL_iYxXa3m1llcFarT4VzAGf3WiWF-EcpLioOA3qhnELFqqJjXQHVbFmFaVun5rG-K1Zj6VVoSY95Qlg9lAuZ5T2iDKtLHUPDJOw9rvvwoObA_whVVfVo-d5neAZ1j9V/s1600/55.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtciQwnBzvOjsGJL_iYxXa3m1llcFarT4VzAGf3WiWF-EcpLioOA3qhnELFqqJjXQHVbFmFaVun5rG-K1Zj6VVoSY95Qlg9lAuZ5T2iDKtLHUPDJOw9rvvwoObA_whVVfVo-d5neAZ1j9V/s400/55.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576179966338861842" border="0" /></a><br /></i><ul><li><span>Named after </span><i><span style="font-style: italic;">Tuckerman Ravine </span></i><span>on Mt. Washington in N.H.</span><i><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></i></li><li>2 months old (DOB ~ 12/23/10)</li><li> Mountain Dog mix (we think <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Swiss_Mountain_Dog">Swiss Mountain Dog</a> - shorter hair, but will still be big)</li><li>We got him from the <a href="http://www.coloradopuppy.org/">Colorado Puppy Rescue</a> on Saturday. He was found with an abandoned litter in a culvert in New Mexico.</li></ul> He is very calm and already going to the bathroom outside the majority of the time. Only a few #1 incidents inside so far and he recognizes when we say it's wrong. We are looking forward to taking him hiking and camping with us this summer!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMm4dsaYz2Hw5GBwqTxAhiO-q5HXhjVKi3-AXTngO-aV-btCYtsu2DnC8CmMwIySscRLOHoxXtA_tp6LA-IjoYC7UZd7LFtC6sn8c7hr4QuxkINlIGs5Z3R5qwdIpW2HYMoYuT7WSUgKZV/s1600/mms_picture%25283%2529.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMm4dsaYz2Hw5GBwqTxAhiO-q5HXhjVKi3-AXTngO-aV-btCYtsu2DnC8CmMwIySscRLOHoxXtA_tp6LA-IjoYC7UZd7LFtC6sn8c7hr4QuxkINlIGs5Z3R5qwdIpW2HYMoYuT7WSUgKZV/s400/mms_picture%25283%2529.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576182630845359602" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimV6JDAs53KMYrWN1WyrKiDVIw2n-HjdBRi41Erfj0ABsdG-HMZT7pLDFXqfYOcrVE1t9d4F4ol4ThrCe2878dPx29Tvpy-sIxHG7R-moEUdC8pAP6vPdkpHvF1gqhmJhRII-0GFbS5oZ9/s1600/mms_picture%25282%2529.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimV6JDAs53KMYrWN1WyrKiDVIw2n-HjdBRi41Erfj0ABsdG-HMZT7pLDFXqfYOcrVE1t9d4F4ol4ThrCe2878dPx29Tvpy-sIxHG7R-moEUdC8pAP6vPdkpHvF1gqhmJhRII-0GFbS5oZ9/s400/mms_picture%25282%2529.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576182440031319762" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpBbE_DusbLuuL8eD3ZKrick88Hbh6Xlm3gAiPrkmuDkLDjdO4PkCvjej2iNPYLrH633ASdbno2IEkzQQ4KlHb5WxvZT6Ub0I-BgS0ZFGemxUvfvw3GRzHynQswNeBCIyWd-e2JTXKj5TB/s1600/2011-02-20_10-24-40_207.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpBbE_DusbLuuL8eD3ZKrick88Hbh6Xlm3gAiPrkmuDkLDjdO4PkCvjej2iNPYLrH633ASdbno2IEkzQQ4KlHb5WxvZT6Ub0I-BgS0ZFGemxUvfvw3GRzHynQswNeBCIyWd-e2JTXKj5TB/s400/2011-02-20_10-24-40_207.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576182208170166306" border="0" /></a>jdesignedithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01568196354236465254noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112048610010745055.post-15408200792886817372011-01-25T19:48:00.019-07:002011-07-28T17:43:10.467-06:00Honeymoon - Costa Rica Style<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhjVdIoG4G1FdXSfojrwA0IfzhT4iXFpEkIWGpRQ76aT4ofrAoACNKWw-yPosxOg0cyG5S4AMsHh81JgJxgPTjk6vfWxlb4E-UPx37mioOmr5B-qFrjqNAPg_a-o6k5QKgD5hD3UuOvJfP/s1600/P1030126.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhjVdIoG4G1FdXSfojrwA0IfzhT4iXFpEkIWGpRQ76aT4ofrAoACNKWw-yPosxOg0cyG5S4AMsHh81JgJxgPTjk6vfWxlb4E-UPx37mioOmr5B-qFrjqNAPg_a-o6k5QKgD5hD3UuOvJfP/s400/P1030126.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566335555434077778" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pura Vida!</span></span><br /></div><br />Costa Ricans, or Ticos as they call themselves, use this term to describe their lifestyle. It translates to Pure Life. We spent 12 days in Costa Rica for our honeymoon and enjoyed the Pure Life as much as we could.<br /><br />It was an amazing trip with adventure and relaxation all wrapped into one. We saw quite a bit of the country from the dirty capital city of San Jose, to the pristine rainforest on the banks of the Pacuare River, the cool cloudforests of Monteverde to the amazing palm lined beaches of Manuel Antonio, and the volcanic hillsides in La Fortuna to the hippie/surf town of Jaco.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><span style="font-size:85%;">Our approximate route, counter clockwise from San Jose.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Dashed line is airplane on last day)</span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 386px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6hX6l3awWR4rOYB0-yPZafF1Ee0duFIRlqF9nJQxyP860InJrX97-xB_X5ZSEakTyWZtlj0OjC_EhEkj5LjPGyDiLMBzmtYPlHWz4HFxQyp52q9M7ouBoCz32HiMHz3DFYqSR3ABL1hoM/s400/CostaRicaRoute.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566339490866939330" border="0" /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> Destination360 </span><a style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);" href="http://www.destination360.com/central-america/costa-rica/costa-rica-map">Costa Rica Map</a></span><br /><br /></div>Our adventures took us in a raft through class 4 rapids, hiking through rainforest trails, zipping across valleys on a thin wire, soaking in volcanic hot springs, rappelling down 150' waterfalls, drinking natural farmers coffee with a third generation fair trade coffee farmer, sunbathing and swimming at Costa Rica's #1 rated beach, and seeing a plethora of animals indigenous to the country on a nature tour ... just to name a few!<br /><br />We also took a few photos to document our trip and help us remember it for a lifetime. We'd like to share these photos with you. So sit back and enjoy Costa Rica from our point of view. There are about 1,000 photos (sorted down from more than 1,500!) broken into four sections, so take your time, swing back by and view them when you can. If you have any questions about what you see, or how to enjoy Costa Rica if you interested in visiting, please drop us a line or shoot us an email and we'd be happy to share all the info we have with you. You'll have the time of your life if you get the opportunity to visit this country.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Pura Vida!!</span></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Photos can be viewed at the following links:</span><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jdesignedit/CostaRicaPartI?authkey=Gv1sRgCPa0w8jbvIj8Kg&feat=directlink"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">Costa Rica Part I</span></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jdesignedit/CostaRicaPartII?authkey=Gv1sRgCKPK8s6jjJeIRQ&feat=directlink"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">Costa Rica Part II</span></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jdesignedit/CostaRicaPartIII?authkey=Gv1sRgCK26-OCg3L3wIw&feat=directlink"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">Costa Rica Part III</span></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jdesignedit/CostaRicaPartIV?authkey=Gv1sRgCLWJ5oTZ56GrpQE&feat=directlink"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">Costa Rica Part IV</span></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Slideshows of photos can be seen below,<br />or in full screen at the links above.</span><br /><br />Costa Rica Part II<br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&noautoplay=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjdesignedit%2Falbumid%2F5561134279751130321%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26authkey%3DGv1sRgCPa0w8jbvIj8Kg%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" height="267" width="400"></embed><br /><br />Costa Rica Part II<br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&noautoplay=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjdesignedit%2Falbumid%2F5561321966562532593%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26authkey%3DGv1sRgCKPK8s6jjJeIRQ%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" height="267" width="400"></embed><br /><br />Costa Rica Part III<br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&noautoplay=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjdesignedit%2Falbumid%2F5561360228823010801%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26authkey%3DGv1sRgCK26-OCg3L3wIw%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" height="267" width="400"></embed><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Costa Rica Part IV<br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&noautoplay=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjdesignedit%2Falbumid%2F5561402936766432961%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26authkey%3DGv1sRgCLWJ5oTZ56GrpQE%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" height="267" width="400"></embed><br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">We shot a few random short videos during the trip.<br />You can view them here:<br /><br /><br /></div><iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/x15jtMWtd64?rel=0" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="345" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/p_XvYnwhjXU?rel=0" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="345" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/6pvBoCz1_kA?rel=0" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="345" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/DMrvRnQsTm0?rel=0" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="345" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/GdTb8H2Fnro?rel=0" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="345" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/kCoKQ62dbLQ?rel=0" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" width="425"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/UQX_CWL8tvY?rel=0" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="345" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/T8qIr7nRLBo?rel=0" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="345" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/AmQaDnlKtyg?rel=0" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="345" width="560"></iframe>jdesignedithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01568196354236465254noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112048610010745055.post-50399670218300342782010-11-07T20:18:00.008-07:002010-11-07T20:56:50.847-07:00Wedding Photos Gallery Open!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7GKABNVqd__YRSmZvp5t7VhF5sdHM_vmUBB7RvgIM9FVUnlrthO8vDvw0rMw9sEZqtC8n0__mlZscvq0gsyzbP7476HK391ZeNpyJKZ3ss9isOwv416Xn7MMOOzDHbS-r3QlXO9xnSAxW/s1600/Picture+2.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7GKABNVqd__YRSmZvp5t7VhF5sdHM_vmUBB7RvgIM9FVUnlrthO8vDvw0rMw9sEZqtC8n0__mlZscvq0gsyzbP7476HK391ZeNpyJKZ3ss9isOwv416Xn7MMOOzDHbS-r3QlXO9xnSAxW/s400/Picture+2.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537018429803020706" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;">All of our wedding photos have been posted!</span></span><br /></div>Along with the three blog postings by Melissa Beck, our photographer, there is now a place where you can see all the photos taken on that special day.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKCSMmB6xobpk7zCNAI8tVckUwRdZL3ZXPKWN7f9T8PuW8c9cqHEjHS7QatNOXzAmsGm0N0udi_sUb0vHMlNQwQz_Y7njuB0FWPqfyPzm3YRQ048uesnJ7ZZKo21RpsJRytBabGSKE7ZB4/s1600/Picture+3.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKCSMmB6xobpk7zCNAI8tVckUwRdZL3ZXPKWN7f9T8PuW8c9cqHEjHS7QatNOXzAmsGm0N0udi_sUb0vHMlNQwQz_Y7njuB0FWPqfyPzm3YRQ048uesnJ7ZZKo21RpsJRytBabGSKE7ZB4/s400/Picture+3.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537018541782503474" border="0" /></a><br />First off, thanks to everyone for your kind comments on the blog postings. Through the <span style="font-style: italic;">"Share the Love"</span> contest that Melissa Beck had for us on her blog, we got a free leather bound coffee table album. Not only did we hit the top tier of 60 comments to get the free album, we got a total of 78 comments about her awesome photos.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">You can view the blog posts at the following links:</span><br /><a href="http://www.melissabeckphotography.com/blog/melissa-jason-married-part-one/"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">Post #1</span></a><br /><a href="http://www.melissabeckphotography.com/blog/melissa-jason-bride-and-groom-part-two/"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">Post #2</span></a><br /><a href="http://www.melissabeckphotography.com/blog/melissa-jason-part-three/"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">Post #3</span></a><br /><br />All of the photos from the wedding day are split up into seven galleries and can be viewed here:<a href="http://melissabeckphotography.smugmug.com/Weddings/Melissa-and-Jason"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">http://melissabeckphotography.smugmug.com/Weddings/Melissa-and-Jason</span></a><br />Password:<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">18Sept2010</span></span><br /><br />Do you want some of these images for yourself?<br />You may purchase any of the images you see in these galleries. Plus, through November 13th, you can get 20% OFF your order by entering the <span style="font-weight: bold;">18Sept2010</span> promo code at checkout!<br /><br />There are quite a few images in these galleries, so take your time and enjoy them when you can.<br /><br />Thanks to Melissa Beck for your talents, capturing our day and making us feel so comfortable in front of the lens. Also, a big huge thanks again to everyone who made our wedding weekend so spectacular. It would not have been as fun as it was without all of you!<br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;">If you, or anyone you know, are interested in Melissa Beck's photography services (We highly recommend her!), you can find more info about her on her website located here: </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.melissabeckphotography.com/index2.php">www.melissabeckphotography.com</a></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3R7LE9lRWaVjdTDyMqzD6lkByLhVLFQ9ubmsRoGTb7EmY32_sMIPgvJ3xyoeIgT5G9rX5jRE6ADw5YFo4BeFFv0iXW6c9QB3VmXN-Jq_GCjJl9hczP2EAwyfPHUJhMlkWLDQO_CVGdzI_/s1600/Picture+1.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3R7LE9lRWaVjdTDyMqzD6lkByLhVLFQ9ubmsRoGTb7EmY32_sMIPgvJ3xyoeIgT5G9rX5jRE6ADw5YFo4BeFFv0iXW6c9QB3VmXN-Jq_GCjJl9hczP2EAwyfPHUJhMlkWLDQO_CVGdzI_/s400/Picture+1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537018854146082290" border="0" /></a>jdesignedithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01568196354236465254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112048610010745055.post-57497199105954422992010-11-07T19:54:00.007-07:002010-11-07T20:56:38.312-07:00Indian Brown Ale<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Y9q9dwctNYsvXgTVBNXGGpKHAJnSAWc7p7hHWQL5zr_HxTKl0yw_Ojvg8HDbHvdgGyiyJVievKfHn_N9ezgEIDNNPZ-lv9rpbStfQHn6m1AbksWigoKO9XYG2ra9VOYU7XFjo7ojDcZ_/s1600/P1020938.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Y9q9dwctNYsvXgTVBNXGGpKHAJnSAWc7p7hHWQL5zr_HxTKl0yw_Ojvg8HDbHvdgGyiyJVievKfHn_N9ezgEIDNNPZ-lv9rpbStfQHn6m1AbksWigoKO9XYG2ra9VOYU7XFjo7ojDcZ_/s400/P1020938.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537007979122007954" border="0" /></a><br />Our first all grain brew at the new house! We decided to take a clone recipe of the Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale and add some spices to it and create a Winter Warmer that will be great to drink between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The morning started off on the wrong foot when the new burner would not fire up. That extended our time about an hour or so, but we finally got it lit and it worked like a charm for the rest of the brew.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir5imyPIFCHqq0O9oHTJsWioHD-GFyNdBp2NTiWo2641wMNHU04deQmcKwij104s7UVGCKcVfrYtsI1FWQYyu_gtemsZghM7bbfHXXr6kzH_ZhuiImRRYCMWeh-C4K7Xu8f7BJobSB8vyJ/s1600/P1020942.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir5imyPIFCHqq0O9oHTJsWioHD-GFyNdBp2NTiWo2641wMNHU04deQmcKwij104s7UVGCKcVfrYtsI1FWQYyu_gtemsZghM7bbfHXXr6kzH_ZhuiImRRYCMWeh-C4K7Xu8f7BJobSB8vyJ/s400/P1020942.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537008885986393666" border="0" /></a>OG= 1.075<br />FG= 1.010<br />ABV = 6.9%<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Ingredients:</span><br />10.75 lbs Pilsner malt<br />15.2 oz flaked maize<br />10.9 oz amber malt<br />10.8 oz crystal malt<br />6.5 oz coffee malt<br />2.2 oz roasted barley<br />6 oz brown sugar<br />0.72 oz Warrior hops<br />1.2 oz Golding hops<br />1.33 oz Liberty hops<br />0.25 oz Golding hops (dry hop)<br />0.25 oz Liberty hops (dry hop)<br />British Ale yeast<br /><br />We had another snafu after our mash, sparge and boil. As we attempted to work the hot wort through the counter flow chiller to cool it down and make a hospitable environment for the yeast, the height of the boil kettle was too low and the pressure of the wort was not enough to get all the way through the counter flow chiller. We could have raised the level of the boil kettle, but that is easier said than done with a boiling hot keg full of boling wort! So, I had to run to the store to grab a few bags of ice. We got the temp down using the ice and cold water running through a cooler, although at a much slower pace thus adding on about another hour or so to the brew time. Then pitched the yeast. It is now happily bubbling away in the spare room downstairs, just waiting for us to keg it and enjoy in a few weeks!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmTWp2x6E4KpReAw3WYaFRM8itbm1F0B9xz4uydLpTdDh3_p7J4RjuCwv7AKodwrXI9VkomRD3_LF0QNNDU9xLiu8gea7cWGsaaFoH3jM_vrlPACrOoJ3zT1P3AYkHSl9tn2QgeokyzhPd/s1600/P1020951.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmTWp2x6E4KpReAw3WYaFRM8itbm1F0B9xz4uydLpTdDh3_p7J4RjuCwv7AKodwrXI9VkomRD3_LF0QNNDU9xLiu8gea7cWGsaaFoH3jM_vrlPACrOoJ3zT1P3AYkHSl9tn2QgeokyzhPd/s400/P1020951.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537011910230601874" border="0" /></a>jdesignedithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01568196354236465254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112048610010745055.post-23873754757397096392010-11-07T19:37:00.007-07:002010-11-07T20:56:25.338-07:00Halloween Fun<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijPmpydjBEwjZv0OWCIsk6nSiPHvmar1gncPdi5FpRAdL4d5yw2z_a0bAKWTYcgVOjwotioE8Cqhkc96h6qUo1kDM8bKQuYdGt3NXVKZRfvZWg-htTcrTuHpi2qMocQB6HJX6elwcb4Vmk/s1600/P1020919.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijPmpydjBEwjZv0OWCIsk6nSiPHvmar1gncPdi5FpRAdL4d5yw2z_a0bAKWTYcgVOjwotioE8Cqhkc96h6qUo1kDM8bKQuYdGt3NXVKZRfvZWg-htTcrTuHpi2qMocQB6HJX6elwcb4Vmk/s400/P1020919.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537003851280110146" border="0" /></a><br /><ol><li>Pumpkin carving at our house on Friday evening with the peeps.</li><li>Belated birthday dinner at the West end in Boulder for Melissa.</li><li>Costumes.</li><li>Hanging with the crazies in Boulder ... even more fun when they are all dressed up!</li></ol><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">See photos from Halloween</span> <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jdesignedit/Halloween2010?authkey=Gv1sRgCI3o8t_1qYLmWw&feat=directlink"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">HERE</span></a></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW5ehz_UF0VY03_PCo7oyU3Ad2b-sS6SmBze_O9TNU6uDAa11Nfccye_yFZjm3hawVTm7CatOXilzOqq60RLdT_MC4ns49tn1ajK5MJR5SVZWxcvSLn_sd32rCLOAXcF3RkajW-lfkPfCr/s1600/P1020932.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW5ehz_UF0VY03_PCo7oyU3Ad2b-sS6SmBze_O9TNU6uDAa11Nfccye_yFZjm3hawVTm7CatOXilzOqq60RLdT_MC4ns49tn1ajK5MJR5SVZWxcvSLn_sd32rCLOAXcF3RkajW-lfkPfCr/s400/P1020932.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537004142265523890" border="0" /></a>jdesignedithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01568196354236465254noreply@blogger.com0