new friend in the neighborhood

Winter, in the form of a large spring snowstorm, returned yesterday. The totals varied widely but over here on the west side of Denver, we received almost two feet of wet, HEAVY snow. I ran out yesterday morning before work and put down some fertilizer on the grass. I am so pleased with myself!! In any case, spring is going to positively ERUPT after this deluge of moisture.

For several years I have bemoaned the lack of snowmen that appear after each snowstorm. What are kids thinking these days? Or maybe I am just not paying attention. So today, I resolved to do my part. I discovered it isn't quite like riding a bicycle - you do forget. The snow was so heavy and I was so impatient to 'decorate' that I threw the snowman together and thoroughly enjoyed the search for eyes and nose and mouth. I had fun and managed to avoid most responsible activity - although I did do a little shoveling. When the sun returns tomorrow, I won't have much to do to get out of my drive-way. But I suspect my friend won't stick around long!

Appia Antica

It has been ages since I posted. There has been a long period of too much work, too much stress and now... I feel myself entering a period of appreciation and happiness for so many gifts that I experience. The big story is my trip to Paris and Rome. Getting to this point was a nightmare - in some ways I thought it would never come to pass. It reminds me of the time in my life when I was pregnant with my older son. No matter how hard I tried, I could not imagine what it would be like. Of course, all things come to pass!

I experienced so many very memorable moments and sights on my trip that it will take a long time to process the information. My son took me all over Paris and Rome and we had many adventures. I took lots of photographs and am now sorting and identifying where I actually went. The days all kind of run together, so my photos will be the link that ties it all together.

Without a doubt, my favorite thing was our visit to the Via Appia, Appia Antica or Appian Way. I was excited to see some Roman aqueducts and they didn't disappoint but the lesser anticipated Via Appia stole my heart. I am so glad that my son suggested we go there. The road is narrow and covered with ancient stone. Some of the stones are older than others. They are all a bit uneven but clearly worn smooth through the antiquity of use. Apparently the larger stones are the older ones. The sides of the road are tree-lined with areas open to fields and wildflowers and vibrant green grass. Other areas are lined with ancient high walls. There are villas, ancient and more recent, archaeological digs, parks, monuments. The list goes on. There was almost no traffic the day we were there (except for the sheep & goat herd that crossed the road followed by the slow-moving Rolls Royce). It was a Monday and many things are closed. But we found one open estate/park where we talked with the caretaker (being with someone fluent in the language is invaluable). The villa had suffered damage in WWII and when that owner repaired it, he incorporated many ancient artifacts into the walls. Further down the road, we saw another house that had done the same kind of thing.

There was a time when I was a child that I dreamed of being an archeologist. I am not disappointed that I became a biologist but this visit has stirred thoughts about what I want to be when I grow up this next time...

and so it goes...

couple talking at Obama Acceptance Speech, Denver 2008

Just a quick update. My Aunt definitely has a mind of her own even if it is diminished! She has refused a second time to come home with me. Now she says it would have been a good idea but it is too late now. So, my sister and I head to New York again this weekend to help settle anything that she wants. We are rather out of ideas since our overwhelming desire is not to force her into anything she doesn't want to do. The last thing would be to have her put someplace against her will. We are hoping some good ideas will present themselves to us. Or we will just struggle along and manage. It is not ideal but sometimes that is the way life is. It seems apparent to us that our society really doesn't do a very good job with end-of-life issues. We joke that this is a good education for us - now in our mid-late 50's (and beyond).

Other than that I toil away trying to get critical things done at work so that I will be free of them when I go to Paris to visit my son. We have decided to take a short trip to Rome while I am there. Why? Because I want to photograph some ancient Roman aqueducts. What else?

photo by mattta courtesy of flickr

life changes

Between work, the situation with my Aunt in New York City AND my new camera :), I have had little time to blog. But I have a feeling things are about to change - just possibly in a major way.

I started this post over a week ago and it seems as if a lifetime has passed. I just returned from a quick trip to NYC and am back in the overworked workload condition at my office. I need to be focused and productive.
I need to be sleeping :)

I had intended to bring my Aunt back to stay with me but she had other ideas. She is at that place in life when independence is a fragile condition. Just two days after leaving her, she is now ready to leave her apartment in Manhattan and come to stay here. Is it a visit? Is it forever? She has some form of dementia but not so much that the Aunt I have known since birth is gone. She is still there. She has a group of 12 nieces and nephews who are working together to find the best options for her. I am looking forward to giving her some TLC but I am a bit apprehensive about just what I am getting myself into....

Paris is in my future

I am starting to get excited. Even though I don't have tickets yet, I am going to visit Paris this spring - probably in April, maybe March. It hasn't seemed real to me before now. I can't really afford to go but I can't afford to miss this opportunity.

I have a friend who visited there a couple of years ago and she is almost as excited as me. Every now and then she calls me to tell me what the temperature is there! I am going to start deciding what I want to see and where I want to photograph.

My older son is happily settled there. It is such a kick to talk to him online at night - he says good night and I say have a good day. He heads to class as I am heading to bed. He knows a hotel near his school that is cheap and clean. I think I can handle the Latin Quarter.

Dreaming....

carrying on.....

What a relief ... I am so glad to be beyond the holidays. For some reason, everything seemed like WORK this year. Trying to balance an overload of work with some home repairs put me WAY behind schedule. One night during the week before Christmas, I found myself cutting floor tiles so that I would have enough in place for the plumbers who were coming to replace two toilets. I couldn't put it off because I was giving my room with attached bath to my Dad and I had REMOVED the old toilet weeks ago in anticipation of a new tile floor and a new toilet. Pulling a all-nighter to put in ceramic tile is not my idea of fun! And let me say that I still haven't finished the floor although the bathroom is fully functional.

My younger son returned to Boulder for the start of spring semester tomorrow so FINALLY I can start to put things back in order (or even get into order for the first time) I am committed to getting rid of clutter and am making progress although YOU might not be able to see it.

The last few days have had a slightly different priority. My new camera, lens and tripod arrived Thursday. It is a great joy. I took it out the first day for some beautiful late afternoon/sunset clouds.

And I am slowly learning the buttons and menu. It is surprisingly different from my old camera. The new tripod is more wonderful than imagined. I should have paid this much for one right from the start. It simply takes the frustration out of getting the camera into position. Now I can direct that frustration at my lack of knowledge of my camera!! But that is a problem that is solved with education and experience. A cheap, poorly designed tripod is a dead-end.


My younger son took my old camera along with my older son's low-end lens. (my older son and I are both spoiled by the better quality!) He is looking forward to learning how to take nice photos. For him it will be a step up from his camera phone :) I asked him to please take care of it. It was surprisingly hard to part with. In fact, I consider it a loan!

The winds are blowing like crazy right now:
from the National Weather Service, a short term forecast:

.NOW...
WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS OF 20 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS AROUND 55 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED IN WIND PRONE AREAS IN AND NEAR THE FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. THIS INCLUDES LOCATIONS ALONG THE PEAK TO PEAK HIGHWAY...CARTER LAKE...AND HIGHWAY 93 BETWEEN BOULDER AND GOLDEN. SOME LOCATIONS ALONG HIGHWAY 93 WILL SEE
GUSTS NEAR 65 MPH...MAINLY NEAR ROCKY FLATS AREA. THE GUSTY WINDS WILL ALSO AFFECT THE GREATER DENVER METRO AREA...BUT PEAK WIND GUSTS WILL BE CLOSER TO 30 MPH THERE.

Hopefully, they will die down and I will not be posting images of the damage taken with my new camera!

continuing the coffee theme into 2009 .....

I'm feeling smarter already! Thanks, Claire for the gift of coffee - this IS really good!

It has been a long and difficult fall. I have been buried under a heavy workload which will continue at least through January. I enjoy everything that I am doing but it is frustrating to have to compromise on things due to time constraints. Ah well, that is life. I am in good spirits and look forward to this new year as a time to pursue bigger and better things.

I have been a bad girl - even though I can't afford it, I have just ordered a new camera, lens and tripod. I love my camera but I decided to give my one good lens to my son who is living in Paris. As he said, he will put it to good use! We share a love of photography so we both know the value of a good lens. I am seriously not into equipment - I can look anytime on flickr and see hundreds of wonderful photos taken with lowly point-and-shoot cameras. But .... you can do so much more with better equipment. I have lost patience with cheap tripods. I have gone through 4 of them now and the latest deserves to be thrown into traffic and run over with malice! I often shoot with a tripod even in good light situations - maybe because I drink too much coffee! So the new equipment is a commitment to stepping up my skill as a photographer. It already brings me a ton of enjoyment - this is one resolution that will be a pleasure to pursue. Does that make it cheating?? Aren't resolutions supposed to be things we hate?