Betty will be back in April.

We found a place to keep her that is $60.00 per month. It is about 5 miles away. Not a big deal, I guess. We can't keep her out in front of our house anymore. Stinky HOA watch dogs. If we move, we DEFINITELY cannot keep her at our new house in the swanky golf course neighborhood.

Stay tuned for more Betty fun!

Bittersweet Gunnison Reservoir

This is the last vacation of the summer, at the end of August, right before school started again. And it turned out to be the last vacation ever with Grandpa. It was bittersweet to go through these pictures. Last Friday marked the two month anniversary of his death. We're gonna miss you, Grandpa!

This is where we stayed. We had a cabin for the grandparents and cousin Jeff right next to a camper hook up. We shared a yard. It was perfect!

The beautiful Gunnison Reservoir, from the water!

And this is what made the trip so fun!

Grandpa at the wheel of his pontoon.

He was feeling totally fine. No sign of cancer.

He had a little heartburn, that's all.


The family comedians!

So much fun to get dragged around the lake!


Cousin Jeff, looking handsome as ever!

Me and Mini Me!

I will treasure the photos of Grandpa teaching Lina how to fish.

This is how I will picture him forever.

So patient, steady and kind.

Radiant smile...that's because I let her have a Pepsi!

They had a couple of festivals going on in Gunnison, so we took one morning and went to check it out. There was a vintage car show and a chain saw carving competition right next to a beautiful park! Something for everyone!

Okay. Chocolate covered bacon.

We had to try it.

It is decidedly NOT for everyone. Gross.

Wood chips flyin'!

My little car model!

Look at their postures...exactly the same.

I think "Nurture" wins this round.

Some of Ed's mannerisms definitely rubbed off on John!
That's why John is such a good man today!

I really liked this car. I can picture myself cruising the Tuscan countryside in something like this! (Of course I will have a sexy scarf, blowing in the wind!)

Awesome playground for Lina!

I don't know what Grandma said, but it really cracked him up!

Playing cards in the dark! Fun!

Do you like Betty's bling?

Star lights and Chinese lanterns?

And this is just to prove that miracles

happen every day, even over outhouses!


I'm so glad that we had this time with Grandpa.

We will treasure it always!

How did I neglect this so???

I cannot believe I neglected my Betty Blog.

Here is a little taste of summer to brighten the cold winter days.

Sweetwater Lake: August 2010

The Lake at Dusk

Our quaint campsite.

The peaceful lake in daylight.

The squall moving in, just as we climb the ridge on horseback.

The cozy cuddling session to warm up after the freezing cold drentched ride back to the stable when the downpour started.

Silly putty makes the rainstorm tollerable.

Uno makes it downright fun!

Kittens up by the ranch house.

A big girl controlling her own horse on the trail ride on the sunny, perfect day after the squall.

A visit to the petroglyph caves at the top of the ride.

The view of our campsite from the ridge, looking down.

Beautiful!

What a great weekend that was!

Vintage Camper Rally - Royal Gorge, Colorado

I seem to have lost all my pictures from the Vintage Camper Rally at the end of July. That is just wierd.

School's Out - Sylvan Lake

Betty is all dolled up!

School is out and we decided to spend the first weekend camping at our own little gem of Sylvan Lake. So beautiful and so close! Lina's best friend and her family (our friends and neighbors) went with us. We had a lovely time!

We hiked, ate, lounged, played and enjoyed a couple of storms. This one at dusk afforded us a double rainbow!!! What a lovely weekend!

New table is beautiful!!!

I mean, honestly...isn't it just to die for? It is so beautiful and glittery. Just the perfect touch of kitsch!

Steamboat Springs

Well, despite the CONTINUED crappy weather on the weekends around here, we decided to leave to go camping anyway. We were sick of postponing our trips! So we took off for Steamboat Springs. It rained on us the whole way. It rained ALL NIGHT. We arrived at dusk on Friday night, had dinner and just chilled out in the camper. It was freezing outside, pouring rain and quite miserable. Inside, it was downright cozy. We all slept great, listening to the river and the rain.

Sloaney and Lina cuddling on the bed.

Just before we got up, it started to snow.

The Yampah River from our campsite.

It proceeded to DUMP heavy, wet snow for about four hours. We didn't care, we set off for Old Town Hot Springs. It was wonderful! I don't have pictures because it was too wet to bring out my camera! By the time we were thoroughly cooked, the weather was starting to change. We walked around downtown, had a nice lunch at "Winona's"; I recommend it highly. We headed back to our campsite with some chocolates from "Fizzywigs." Also recommened highly.

Dad and Lina playing "Go Fish" with Nemo Cards.

Cushions look nice, don't they?

Betty looks good. Nice spot on the river, no?

We walked around on the other side of the river and found some lava rocks. Lina found a crystal and was so happy. We had a great dinner of leftover sushi (me), hot dog sandwich; which is what you make when you don't have hot dog buns, (Lina) and chili and fritos (John).

We all had a good night's sleep and woke up, made breakfast, packed up the campsite and took off for different hot springs. Strawberry Park Hot Springs are about 5 miles out of Steamboat. Wow. What a cool place!

Strawberry Park Hot Springs.

That's the river on the left. The pools are on the right. It was so nice on Sunday, that I got my first mild sunburn of the season. Felt GREAT! We stayed for about 2 1/2 hours and then packed up, stopped for a quick bite and took off for home. The drive home was sunny and beautiful; about 65 degrees out. Go figure!