Critter Spottings

Rocky the Squirrel


Hungry the Deer


The Hungry Family


Chick-a-Dee-Dee the Chick-a-Dee


Pygmy the Nuthatcher


Junky the Rocky Mountain Junco


Rocky the Squirrel and Hairy the Woodpecker

The Ice Falls

Not too far from where we live is a waterfall.



By this time of year, the water has frozen in mid-suspension.



Dusty has carefully walked across the ice to pose in this amazing formation of nature.



I'm sure this waterfall is beautiful all year, but there is something pristine about the frozen cascade.



Near the waterfall, colonies of moss and lichens sprawl across giant granite boulders.



The aspen trees sleep peacefully, awaiting the warmth of spring.



Milky quartz rocks are abundant in this area.



Blue Spruce and other breeds dot the landscape as the most prominent vegetation, making our mountain community green all year round.

Magnificent Views

There's something a bit wild about living up here. Taking this curvy mountain road home in the mornings makes us feel so ... free.

On the way up, you will see these historical place markers:







Can you see Kansas way out there?



On most days we swear it's so clear that we can see Kansas! By staring out there for a long time we can pick out the water tower in Security, landmarks downtown, and the bran new monolithic hospital on the far northeast side of "The Springs" (what we locals call Colorado Springs).

It rarely ever happens here, but one particularly foggy morning we left work as the sun was rising and looked down from our curvy mountain road to see this:











Quite a sight!! The clouds covering The Springs looked like they were boiling the people down there alive! Judging by their grumpy foggy-morning attitudes, I knew that not many of them realized there was a blue sky just a thousand feet above them.

Just one of the benefits of working nights and living on a mountain, I suppose. ;)

Now, driving down Crystal Park Road at night on our way to work is "like driving through space" to borrow my husband's description. Indeed, the view at night will be tricky to catch with my camera but it's something I plan to attempt.

It's Finally Happened!

We closed on our home, finally! We are currently living in a sea of boxes, but slowly getting everything unpacked. It's hard to believe we live in such a paradise. We've been taking lots of nature hikes, meeting the neighbors, and sleeping peacefully. All of those years we spent in that little basement apartment are but a memory...

I like to tell people: "...yea, we got so tired of being flooded out in that basement that we moved 2000 feet up!!"

We are forever grateful to our families for helping with that move. We couldn't have done it without you!

Distractions

Our closing date was PUSHED BACK AGAIN! But... I can find the good in it, so I remind myself that because of this delay, we will have an extra week to pack and clean.

In the meantime, I have a math class to keep me busy (which is VERY important because it's the last class I need to graduate from PPCC). And, in addition to schoolwork, I have been creating a resume and searching for new job opportunities. I am tired of my current job, it's boring and low-paying, and I've gained 40 lbs from sitting at this desk all night long. I'm not joking, I'm crying.

I've been stressing. I need a distraction.

As a big white snow cloud was descending over Colorado Springs this morning, I forced my husband and little sister on a hike in the newest and largest city park, the Red Rock Canyon Open Space. We took an hour and hiked a little over a mile. By the end of the hour, my companions were no longer grumbling. Cracking the whip seemed to help.

Crushing on Craftsman

I'm addicted to the calm smooth lines and practical uses of the Arts & Crafts or Craftsman style.




Bringing the outside in is essential.





I love the rustic and historical appeal.





I am soothed by the use of natural elements like wood and stone.







I'll be using this early 20th century decor as inspiration for our new home.

Caught in Limbo over "Our" Home

Well, due to this "credit crunch" and ensuing over-corrections made by lenders as if they feel regret for all of the illegal loans given in the last several years, we do not know when our house will be "ours" and we may not know for several weeks or a few days...



Our credit is "golden" as we were told, but the underwriters are unsure of this house we want to buy. How can we convince them it's NOT a log cabin!! The siding happens to be log, but the log part is making Countrywide very nervous, throwing us into limbo, where we will be waiting for our broker to find another lender -- please soon!

Meanwhile, let's look at some pretty pictures of our sooner-or-later-to-be new neighborhood!


This is the view from "our" property:



This is a view of Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs from the road leading up to "our" property:



And this is what the side of "our" mountain looks like at the moment: