summer 2013 preview

 

 

All the time:

Look at this sweet pea:

NM + LP:

EEEEE!  There are kittens at the space; the boys are going to keep them.  Very happy times.

 

Sunday evenings with KMHD + Courtney:

While we were in Colorado, Uncle David showed me how to properly make jalapeno poppers.  Ever since then, we barely need an excuse to make them.  They are definitely worth writing about.

Skip to the part about choco-banana.

Oof, we don't have a lot going on right now, so all of this is going to slow to a trickle.

I'm struggling with the not having travel plans, but I've gone and replaced those feelings with swimming pool desires.  I actually just spent a good amount of time pricing halfway decent above-ground numbers with saltwater pump systems and it can be done for under $500, which is a lot of money, but doable.  I'm probably oversimplifying owning a pool, but damn, it sounds so lovely.  It's hella hot out there!  Splash!

I've been able to swim at Blair's place, which is amazing, but I would like to be able to just walk outside my backdoor and take a dip.  Dreams, they complicate my life-uh.

***

So, what we've got here is choco-banana.  You take a medium ripe to ripe (not too ripe, though) banana and slit it lengthwise, but not all the way through.  You then proceed to stuff organic dark chocolate (might as well keep it vegan), cinnamon, and nuts in that biz.  Wrap in aluminum foil and bake it at 350 degrees for 20 mins or so.  Eat. with. spoon.  It's heavenly!

***

Project completed:

***
Future kitchen floor:

***

SOLO:

 

***

KMHD + AMD:

I kinda lose my mind, yeah.

On Monday, I tried to find a way to beach.  A quick lay on the beach, a flash swim in the ocean, some hasty sun worship.  And then I thought of all the things we're trying to do at our house.  It took a little bit of convincing myself, but I eventually withdrew my bid to beach.  It's time to kitchen.  It's time to dig up root balls and rhizomes.  This summer might be a total snooze after all.  BUT, investing in our home is a pretty good deal, there's just no immediate gratification.  Patience is not my strongest virtue.

Less of this:

More of this:

SMDH. HIDEOUS.

This has been stuck in my head for three days now.  I don't mind it coming here and wasting all my time:

LIKE LIKE LIKE

I know I've already mentioned it in an earlier post, but, seriously, it bears repeating.  Get. this. album.  Just in time for summer, too.  

That and...

DAFT PUNK'S Random Access Memories

Photo from NYTimes

ATM + I chose to not listen to any leaks or streams (other than Get Lucky), so we could drop the needle on the vinyl when we returned from CO.  Hiding away in a canyon valley with no internet access helps.

J'adore!  I gave it a good listen, a few times, through the good speakers.  One word review?  Precious.  The playlist for "Best Summer Ever" is pretty happenin' so far.

+++

So, this whole #VB6 business. This lifestyle change is going well.  Too well.  ATM and I have checked in with each other to see what's working and what isn't, and so far, so good.  We're really into it.  We feel better, all around.  And, at the end of the day, there's nothing stopping you from enjoying your cravings of 'regular food'.  BUT, I've learned that eating vegan bleeds over into dinner/dessert time sometimes, which is simply awesome because then you're being healthy by choice.  The food has been tasty.  The hardest part, honestly, is making time to prepare all of the food in one go.  On average, it takes 4 hours or thereabouts.  ATM said he'd get a little more hands on to, hopefully, cut that time in half.  Thankful for all the vegan pioneers (Hello, Theo Witsell!) and their amazing recipes.  I'm also thankful that I have a properly stocked pantry to make most anything w/o having to run to the store.

Take a peep at some vegan goodies I made for Memorial Day grill times:

The more charred, the better:

A N I M A L P H O T O D U M P

Now, we're all caught up.

Too close to the sun.

I've been home from our trip to Colorado for a little over a week now.  I was really looking forward to having some quality alone/fun time before returning to work, but ended up getting really sick via allergies.  The worst.  

The trip was far from a vacation, but a lot of pitching in and getting ready for my Aunt Pati's memorial.  We met relatives and made a lot of friends, which is always nice. We had a little free time to pop into Notah Dineh, take a walk at Mesa Verde, and spend a night at a fabulous neon motel in town.  We had hopes of driving over to Arches National Park, but ran out of precious time.  There's always going back.

My favorite moments in Colorado:

• Sitting in the grass with my Uncle David.
• When David put on Neil Young's Harvest Moon and it just made the tears start flowin'.
• Waking up before ATM, getting coffee, and doing laundry at the laundromat early Sunday morning.
• Having supper on the porch with new relatives.  We listened to Otis Redding.
• Meeting another person from Arkansas at the memorial.
• Riding in the Temple Family carriage on the ranch trail.
• Seeing and being so close to the Sleeping Ute nearly all the time.
• Decompressing in my Aunt Marcie's backyard in Durango before going home.

The photos seem to be all over the place, but they are in chronological order, for the most part.

Fetishes and pottery pieces:


Sleeping Ute at dusk:


Sunrise:


Look at these maniacs!





The tack shed.  Seeing Pati's saddles actually took my breath away:






Mesa Verde from the highway:


We did get one night of camping in:


No place to hide from the sun.  It's actually intolerable to hang out at the camp site during the day:


Loose cow.  Belongs to the neighbors who are, apparently, "somethin' else".  Alcoholic dad, dysfunctional family.  Disputes over land and water.  They have to call my uncle every single time they need to ride the horses through the property to get to the irrigation system, which they don't always do and then the Sheriff has to get called out, but no incidents while we were there, thankfully:


This is just past the entrance of ranch:


Winston.  He saved my life once:




Chancellor, who is just lost without my aunt:


 

Morning in Mesa Verde:


Sleeping Ute from Mesa Verde:
















Tomahawk Lodge.  I really truly love places like this:


Shabby, yes, but it was very clean:






Peaceful laundry time:


So, Aunt Pati's celebration of life party was simple and pleasant.  My uncle thanked everyone for coming  and then opened the floor for others to speak about her. The stories were great, and a pattern emerged; Pati, to the end, helped people and animals in life-altering, significant ways.  I'm more in awe of her now than ever.  She went to great lengths to rescue animals from bad owners, including breaking into a truck because some numbtwit left a puppy in there with the windows rolled up.  My Aunt Marcie told me how they'd dress in black and sneak onto properties under the cover of darkness to take abused dogs and go 'two counties over' to get them to new, loving homes.  Nearly all of her gal pals testified to going on covert ops similar to Marcie's.  How badass is that?  My uncle asked, "Who here has a Pati rescue?"  An impressive number of people raised their hands. Pati was one of a kind and I miss her a lot.

Uncle David and Sarah, one of Pati's best gals:






David planted a Winter Hawthorn (if memory serves correctly) for Pati.  Everyone got the opportunity to write a little note and throw a little dirt in, if they were so inclined.  The tree is not too far from my Grandpa Charlie's tree:


Susan, David's sister, put this fetish in in lieu of a note for Pati, a true horse woman:


It was very quiet & business as usual after the party.  Dusk:




The next day, there was an intimate ceremony where family and very close friends spread Pati's ashes.  She wanted to be with her horses.  It was extremely difficult event for all, but really cathartic.  I was so glad to be there.  It was a really beautiful day:








Afterward, we were so drained, so we just sat in the grass and listened to music together:








My uncle got it in his mind that he wanted to get out the Temple Family horse carriage for rides up and down the ranch trail.  It was amazing, and believe it or not, that 1914 Studebaker is a smooth ride.  The carriage has been in Temple family since purchased.
The horse, Raven, used to belong to an Amish family.  She was overworked and in bad shape when they got her.  Look at her now!  She did a splendid job that day:










David didn't want to overwork Raven, so some folks rode a truck up, so they could ride back to the ranch in the carriage.  We returned via truck bed:


That evening, ATM and I went into town to take photos of neon signs:




The next day, after saying our au revoirs to David, we went back to Durango for lunch and to decompress in my Aunt Marcie's backyard with the doggies Sieger (Chancellor's brother) & Max:


Leaving Durango:

P  h  o  t  o    d  u  m  p  !

Animas River:




Sleeping Ute from family friend Susan's front porch:


Deer at Mesa Verde:


Setting up:


Driving through Cortez:


En route to the ranch:






We had no intentions of buying a Navajo rug, but we bought a Navajo rug:


New fetishes: