Dec21

So much catching up to do

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So much catching up to do

You may have noticed I’ve lost my blogging mojo. I’ve had stories to share with you since June when we took a family road trip to Colorado.

I’ll spare you the details and just show pictures. (Sorry, Booky, but at least there are captions for you to read.)

We stayed at Airbnbs of varying degrees of “nice place” to “a serial killer lived here.”

This was one of the good ones:

Soooo different from where we live.

Enjoying hot chocolate on the deck, waiting for the sunset. The owners live in that barn. (Are you drooling, M? They just need an iconic well, some flamingos, and to throw in a lighthouse.)
Hard to tell, but that’s a cat on a hot tin roof.
And there were baby goats!
Another place had this mug, which amused me.
But it also had this, which scared me.
Our ultimate destination was here, Crested Butte, CO.
My daughter posing like Big Foot
There were a TON of dandelions, which also seemed larger than the norm. Imagine if this were your yard!
Ever one to try new things: Hamburger pizza. There’s ground beef in there too. It was… weird. 😛
Chuckle.
Giant sculpture of a knight fighting a dragon.
My kids on a boulder.
Hey, that’s me!
This looks like pure Colorado. It just needs a moose or an eagle.
You know the place you’re staying at is fancy when the TP looks like this.
And these delicious chocolates, “monogrammed” with the initials of the place, are on the beds.
Oh wow! Bathrobes like you see in the movies. I put wearing one on my bucket list so I could cross it off.
It was scratchy and uncomfortable. Disappointed, I only wore it for the picture. Hubby said, “Doesn’t count then. Put it back on the bucket list.” (Oh yeah, and I was on a knee scooter. These were the broken foot days.)
I just thought our hats looked really cute hanging up. Can you guess which is mine?
We also hit a couple of national parks in Utah. I believe this was Arches.
Bryce National Park
Still Bryce. This place was incredible.
Fun view from the van.
Not often you get to see snow in June.

Now here’s the craziest thing that happened. On day one of our drive from San Diego, we passed a vehicle that looked to me like an ambulance for animals.

On day two, I spotted it on the highway again!

While in Crested Butte, meandering through the cute little ski town, guess what I saw parked in front of a house…

That same weird vehicle with animals on it! What were the chances???

During the long stretches of driving, we sometimes played Would You Rather? In lieu of trivia, I invite you to answer one of these questions for fun. 🙂

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73 responses »

  1. I am so disappointed. But the hamburger pizza ALMOST makes up for it, hahahahaha 😀

    I’d wear unwashed socks for a week any time over not bathing. That is just a really gross option…

    but hamburger pizza removes a multitude of grossness.

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  2. So jealous of your trip! Colorado and Arches are on my bucket list, no bathrobe necessary.
    Had to enlarge that photo of your daughter doing Bigfoot though, at first glance it looked like someone cut a rectangle out of her!

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    • Oh, how funny about the picture. I can see how that would happen, though. Arches was cool, but we were limited in what we were able to see since I was on a knee scooter… again. Same thing happened a few years back on our trip to the Grand Canyon and Zion National Park. I can be a serious buzz kill in the hiking department. Fortunately, there were a decent number of paved areas I could go. I hope you’re able to make it out this way some time! Definitely worth the trip! And we felt like all of southern Utah was a national park in itself. Absolutely stunning to drive through.

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  3. Well, I understand losing mojo. I’ve lost it in so many ways …

    and it turns out that the last question is one I’d answer, but let me pick the third choice: I rather be the second smartest person on earth. Smart enough to not have to take a teaching job, but not smart enough to be challenged every other minute by people wanting to prove they are smarter than me.

    and if you want snow in June, stop by my house — happens here all the time, sometimes even in July or August.

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  5. Wow, great pictures, Betsy! We went to Colorado in October – I had never been before and loved it. Hamburger pizza, no thanks, although when I saw the picture I thought it was just a pickle pizza. Weird either way. Two other things: I love baby goats and that husband and wife wall hanging is indeed scary! Happy Holidays!

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    • Colorado is amazing. Utah also. I remember driving across the country to CA when I moved here from Ohio. I stopped at a store in Wyoming and was in so much awe at the mountains all around this tiny town. The locals seemed indifferent, but I couldn’t lift my jaw. The Midwest has so much beauty.

      Baby goats are indeed lovable, unlike those wall hangings. And, yeah, either way on that pizza: weird! 😛

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  9. You stayed on a ranch! How very “Colorado” of you, Ilsa. But I was hoping for horses (and you riding on one). Cattle instead? Next time you need to continue further east and OVER those Rockies and on into the Front Range (Fort Collins-Denver-Colorado Springs). Happy to help with that itinerary. Finally, the concluding questions of your post. The first answer on the first three, the second answer on the last one. Can’t imagine ever losing a sense. CAN imagine being a great teacher 🙂

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    • If you zoom in on one of those pics, there are grazing horses, but you’re right. I did not ride one, though I have in the past. Not in CO, however. I agree with you on most of your answers, but believe it or not, I’d rather heal emotional pain despite my many bouts with physical pain.

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  10. The national parks in Utah are other worldly and Colorado has so much to offer too. I feel lucky to live only a few state away from both. It looks like you had a great family road trip (even though you were still on the mend). Too bad about the scratchy robe. Robes should be soft and cuddly by law. Good to see you back in blogland (and IRL soon…).

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    • IRL soon! I look forward to travel talking with you TOMORROW! Eeep! And, yes, I agree that being in driving distance (long drive though it may be), we are blessed to live relatively close to these natural wonders. My measurement is: we can drive it without the kids going completely crazy. 🙂

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  11. That looked like a wonderful trip, with such amazing scenery. Utah and Colorado and all its beautiful mountains and arches are on my wishlist to visit one day.

    The hamburger pizza looks, uh, interesting! 🤣

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  13. Great photos (and captions). I love Colorado and Utah so much. They rank #1 and #2 for me, respectively. I’m sorry to hear you’ve lost your blogging mojo. Maybe a trip to the Midwest this summer will kickstart it again. 😉
    Ooh, some tough questions:
    1. Speak my mind
    2 .Emotional pain – think what a better place the world would be
    3. Socks
    4. I’m already average intelligence and I like to think I’m at least a decent teacher. The problem with being the smartest person on Earth, I presume, is that you would have to suffer fools (aka everyone else) constantly.
    Merry Christmas!

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    • Of COURSE you’ve been both places, TTA. Now I wonder: how does AZ rank on your list? Maybe an even better question is, what IS your list?? Perhaps I can get the answer this summer!!!

      I agree with all your votes, and you make an excellent point for number 4. That would be incredibly annoying to deal with dumb people all the time. 😛

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  14. That looks like an amazing trip, except for those panty hose farmers! LOL! I remember seeing crafts like that in the 1970’s/80’s? Too funny! We’ve been to all of the parks in Utah but have missed out on Colorado. Had a great trip planned there for June 2020, but we all know what happened with that! Will have to try again some day.

    Wishing you a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year!

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    • Panty hose! That’s what that is. I hadn’t put it together. I tried not to stare too long for fear of being possessed. 😛 Too bad about your CO trip. Hope it works out some day. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you too, J! I hope you stay warm up there!

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  16. What a fantastic trip even before the hamburger pizza. That’s just the icing on the cake! Or the pickle on the crust, as the case may be…

    Snow in June? Yawn. But I’m not yawning over the photos of Arches and Bryce Canyon. I’ve been to Utah plenty of times, but never to either National Park. They’re on my bucket list, and I don’t even care if I’m wearing a robe when I visit or not.

    (Speaking of, our fancy hotel in Green Bay also had white robes in the closet, and I also tried one on. I suppose you and I are kindred spirits.)

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  22. Betsy, that’s one heck of a road trip and love the photos from Colorado. The views are glorious and it’s fun to take a peak at your various accommodation. I’ve never seen anyone present TP is such a fancy way! Your daughter is sweet with her Big Foot impression, bless. Sounds like an amazing trip for you all. Wishing you and your family a fabulous 2026.

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  24. What a fabulous trip! Our last family trip, when all the kids were still unmarried, was to Yellowstone. We stayed in some questionable places but our memories of that trip still prevail. We decided this year that we would gift our kids with experiences at Christmas instead of things. And by “experiences” I mean everyone is stuck in some gigantic rental home somewhere on the planet for at least a week with all their siblings, nieces, nephews, and parents. Bahaha! Beautiful pics! Hugs, C

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