All Good Things Must End

End of the season.. Nice to have friends to take down the awning

Well folks...the party is over. This is how we pack to move home for the winter. These blanket bags hold so much more than suitcases.Problem is ...there isn't one left for Tom. We should be out of here early next week. Then, the house will be winterized. Not even a drop of water in the water lines and no electricity.

This bag though, is being packed for The Napa Valley (in California). My nephew is getting married on Saturday in a beautiful vineyard. The weekend will be full of glamous events..... and my girls will both be there. Can't wait.

If you are wondering how we keep abreast of all this going on in this tiny town. Well, the Chamber of Commerce puts out a calendar each year. (available to all) It has all of the events listed ..month by month. I tack it inside my pantry (a place I am.. much too often). 

I am not taking my laptop to California. Taking a break, but I will read your blog....and will be back next week......Janey

A Change of Seasons

It is no secret that we have had a lot of rain in Colorado this summer. We are hoping that this rainbow, that popped out on Sunday (after yet another shower) was a promise that the rains were over?

Notice the muddy street. Very few of our streets are paved...making for a very muddy car...drives Tom a bit crazy.

I felt very humbled on Sunday night, when friends surprised me with a birthday party. I would show you pics from the party, but I am already being labeled a party girl!
 Guess with this theme of seasons...I am now in the Autumn of my life?

Monday morning brought snow on top of T-mountain. Looks like we have gone from Autumn straight to Winter. How's the weather where you are?

*rainbow pic taken by friend David. I saw it and didn't have my camera!

Once Upon A Train

Yes,  Lake City actually had a train at one time. Although, there are very few signs that there ever was one. Service started  in 1889.... which as a little late. Lake City's mining boom was near an end. 

A branch  of the Denver and Rio Grande (narrow gauge railroad) came from the north, from another "small town" that actually  hardly exists now, Sapinero,CO. The small train that consisted of only two or three cars came in here daily, except for Sunday, for forty four years. Fisherman used to ride the train down stream, to their favorite fishing holes, and return on the train the next day. Housewives would even ride north to  berries to pick.

A photo of our train... with a trusted first engineer Pete and his wife Mary Ellen who lived here in town.

 

There was a presentation done here a few years ago, and we bought the poster of the High Bridge which was just north of town .The bridge over the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River stood 113 feet high and 800 feet long.

When the last train pulled out  in 1933, the tracks were taken up and the wood from the bridges were used to build cabins. The Lake City station was lost to fire, and the station at Sapinero is at the bottom of Blue Mesa Reservoir .....It is hard to find traces of a train that was so loved by this town. Some say it was the highlight of the day when you heard the cry "The Train is Coming".

* an error was made on the poster ...beginning date was 1889

*research material: My Lake City Railroad Memories by Margaret Pitney

The Wine Festival

I know you think all we do is party in our little town. Well, Saturday was the annual Wine and Music Festival

Our group of friends  all dressed to the theme of Pink Flamingos

Actually we called ourselves the Flockers and Flockettes and we had a table that was, well pink!

I am posing here with two popular Chinese Bloggers from Beijing

Gu Zhongyi (left) is a Nutritionist  for Beijing Friendship Hospital. His blog has 1.35 million followers and he is a columnist for the New York Times Chinese Website.  Gu Jianmin (right) Is the host of several cooking shows on  Chinese television. One being the Chinese version of The Taste. His blog has 820 thousand followers

Dong Jianmin, me, Ed Spray one of the founders of HGTV and retired President of the Scripps Network, and  far right the translator from the Chinese Embassy Washington D.C. ....sorry to have not gotten her name.

Another fun day in Lake City, Colorado

Sports Cars part ll

More photos from The Colorado Grand visiting to our town.

You should have heard the engine roar on this Maserati!

 

I thought this was a neat idea. Filming the road ahead!

Local volunteers cooking lunch for the drivers

Several of the old cars had leather hood straps

I thought it was so sweet that this woman driver,  allowed a little boy to sit in her car for a photo

I think everyone would be in agreement of what a fun day it was!
Reading online, I saw  that the entry fee was $6,000 per car... Which, I guess is why they were able to leave money in all the towns they visited.

Sports Cars of Yesteryear

We were so excited to have the Colorado Grand stop in our town for lunch yesterday.

Seventy cars strong...This group of vintage sport car owners were making a 1,000 mile trip around our state

They donate a large contribution to charities to the towns they stop in.

 

The teachers even brought the school kids to see the cars..

My Tom was the official parking attendant

and I was a welcome hostess. Fun fun Day. Thank you Colorado Grand for coming to our town for lunch!

Clean Out The Fridge

When we first get to the mountains in June, everyone has a party to say "Welcome  Back". Well, when we leave in Sept. and Oct. everyone has a "Clean Out The Fridge Party". Yes, seems all we do is party. I was going to take pictures of Betty's cute decorations. Loved her napkin rings,

and her antique fly fishing water color

and who wouldn't love her bear?

Then what the heck... I started taking pictures of us!

We were having way too much fun

If you are in the mountains and it rainy and cold you may as well you just act like you are in Maui

With a few props...it's easy
Betty made all of us little lei like scarves to wear to a special event on Saturday.

Yes...the men were there....they just weren't having nearly as much fun! Aloha!

Oh Dear...Or should I say Oh Rats?

One luxury that I love, is that we have a private deck off of our bedroom here at the cabin.

Since there is no staircase down to the ground...you really don't have to worry about bears coming up on the deck. I know, they can climb the poles...but they never have. I made sure we had a screen for the door...since we don't have air conditioning. July nights can get stuffy.We enjoy sleeping with the door open most of the summer.

Thank goodness the door wasn't open last night....because a pack rat chewed a hole right through it! A rather neat little rectangle don't ya think?

Tom has now declared war on these little critters! Stay tuned.

Fall is Finally Here

You can usually set your clock, here in Colorado, by the changing of the leaves. This year, for what ever reason, the leaves have been slow to turn. I did notice a patch of gold in the distance while at the waterfall on Sunday

These are the same trees as we got closer

The majority of the Aspen trees turn a golden yellow...but every once in awhile one turns reddish orange.