A Day To Play

It is that time of year when things get quiet around here. School has started in most places, so the tourist have gone home. We will have a few folks come to town for the Labor Day weekend, a few more for the Wine Festival later in the month, and even more when the leaves turn. Fall is a beautiful time around here.

So, with the lull...it was a good time for a road trip ... Tom and I headed north along the valley, and then turned west. We pulled over at a little store at the entrance of the Black Canyon, which is a National Park.
 

 I feel sure that the place use to be a gas station. The shape of the sign was a clue,

but Tom was ready for a second. cup of..yep, you guessed it, coffee.

It's still a nice time to camp, but soon folks will be needing this  for their fireplaces.

If you don't need firewood....they have just about anything else you could want!

This will give you a clue as to where we were going. Tom plays golf on a league once a week, but I haven't played all summer. My score was nothing to brag about, but we sure had fun. Do you play golf?

The Lower Cemetery

Yesterday's blog was a tombstone that I took a picture of in the lower cemetery here in Lake City.
I realized that I had never walked around that particular cemetery in the twenty plus years we have been coming here.

The entrance

I did find a few interesting tombstones.

This guy came to a sad ending.

I know that you can't read this, but this guy was in the wrong place at the wrong time. A young lady who was a employee of a brothel on Bluff St, was trying to shoot a another guy, and missed. Poor Louis took the bullet.

This was a sad one for sure. I thought the fencing looked like a baby crib.

On a lighter note. This dog showed up when I was in the cemetery, and wanted to play fetch. So I threw sticks to him for awhile. Do you like to walk through old cemeteries?

The Card Dealer' Grave

The oldest (marked) tombstone in the City Cemetery, here in Lake City, CO, belongs to a once well liked card dealer .

There obviously are graves that were older than his in the cemetery, like the one above. Although, they were marked only by fences, and wooden tombstones; their  messages which were craved or painted on, lost after time.

The card dealer's granite headstone is in fairly good shape though, except it has broken off from it's footing and is leaning up against a tree. Ben was a faro dealer in one of Lake City's dance halls. He was 28yrs old at the time of  his death in 1876 due to congestion of the lungs. One of his best friends approached the minister of the local Presbyterian Church, and asked if he would preach his funeral? Most ministers in town, at that time, felt like the people who worked in, or frequented such places were fallen souls. Notes from the minister, still in possession  today, indicates that the minister replied " I never touch a dead dog, If I can't say any good of him, I say nothing". It is recorded that all stores in town were closed for the funeral, and the church was standing room only. His tombstone was carved by a good friend, who was a respected citizen of this town, and held a high political office in the state of Colorado.

Faro was a card game popular in gambling halls in 19th century America. Traced all the way back to the 17th century France, where it was called Pharaoh. It was an easy game to learn, and just as easy to cheat, by both dealer and player. The game in the U.S. was also referred to as" bucking the tiger" or "twisting the tigers tail", and was played in both Reno and Las Vegas until 1985.

The Weather

The climate here in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado is usually arrid and dry. The locals depend on a good amount of snow in the winter, so that snow melt, in the Spring, will fill the rivers and lakes. Although, there is another wet season here, called the monsoons, which start about mid July, and can hang around until mid August. This year it has been hanging on a bit longer. I never have disliked it, because the rains don't usually start until noon, and are over with by dinnertime. A great time to take a nap.

The only exception is if you are planing an outside event around noon.

The womens' club  was planning a "Lavish Ladies Luncheon", as a fundraiser this week, and planned to eat on a club member's beautiful deck. It is partially covered, but when the rains come, they tend to blow in! So...

She moved out her furniture and all thirty ladies crowded inside and still had a Lavish Luncheon.

Problem solved.

 Good call because the blowing rain did eventually rage outside.

A Necessary Fence

Tom and I have enjoyed being part of the community garden this summer. Something new to us. We have enjoyed lettuce, cherry tomatoes, both zucchini and summer squash, parsley and basil....all planted in our little plot.

We go down into town at least once a day, so it is no trouble to stop and water. Notice the tall fence....very necessary when you have a large population of deer like we do.

Linking to: Good Fences

A Mining Town

To my knowledge, the only mine still operating in this little town, that was once a bustling mining town is one; a gold mine.That was not the case back in the late 1870's, when all kinds of ore was coming out of these hills; silver taking the number one spot.

So, it is not unusual to come across entrances to old claims. It sure is tempting to go in, except there are so many warning not to. Reports of poisonous gases and all kinds of other dangers keep me out for sure....and I hope others. It is fun though to run into a door into the unknown.

They Are Everywhere

We don't get too excited around here when we see deer. Since they seem to be everywhere.

Like crossing the road in front of  your car, like they have the right away.

 Popping up right beside you when your are out for a walk.

Claiming your reading spot for his nap
.

Posing as a parking attendant,

and sometimes they even cooperate and pose for you perfectly

Okay, I can no longer wow you with deer. So, I promise not to post anymore unless one opens the door and sits down on the sofa!

The Reward

Every once in a while, not often, I fix a light dinner

Green salad (lettuce and cherry tomatoes from our garden). Zucchini and summer squash (again our garden), stir fried with Italian tomatoes and Parmesan cheese. ...complimented with a few chunks of garlic chicken. I know it doesn't look like a lot of food.

 Then we drive down into town to the building in the middle.

That would be the San Juan Soda Co. (built in 1875).

We go all the way to the back of the store...to an old fashioned soda fountain (circa 1900).

.

Then, we go out into their darling garden.....

Where we enjoy a hot fudge sundae

Ahhh....life is good!

Destination Lunch

We took a round about way of getting here (previous blog), but we have finally arrived in the delightful little ski town of Crested Butte.

It is a bustling place in the summer, and even more so in the winter. There is the old town at the foot of the mountain (above), and the ski mountain up the hill, where there are condos and beautiful new homes.

The homes in old town are cute, quaint, old, and probably just as expensive as some of the new places up on the hill.

 Some of you know that I have a thing for cute old houses.

Who wouldn't like a get away place as cute as this? 

I have only been here in summer, and it's like the whole town is in bloom.

The water (snow melt), coming off of the mountain is diverted all through town,

 making for some picturesque places to eat.

This was the old Marshall's office and jail back in the 1800's; notice the orb?

There are opposing views on what they are. Specks of dust or moisture on the camera lens....or spirits appearing in your photo. You are welcome to think what you like...but interesting that they only showed up on pictures of the jail?

A Mountain Drive

Yesterday, Tom and I had nothing on our calendar...which is quite unusual, so we decided to take a drive to Created Butte, a ski resort and hour and a half north of here. Although, after passing Gunnison, CO we turned west on Ohio Creek Road. We thought we would get off of the highway and take the scenic route on Ohio Creek road.

Tom is use to me wanting to stop and take pictures. So, he was already slowing down when he saw this red barn.

Further along we saw this. It may look like a little fame house but it is a  school house, or so the faded sign over the door says.

From the side, looking in the windows, you could see the pot bellied wood stove. Oh, how I wanted to go in!

An interesting barn, made of logs.

The pavement has now become a gravel road. I really don"t like this smoke that is in the air.

At this point we have started to climb. There are several switchbacks through an Aspen forest,

and higher up, late summer yellow wildflowers along the road.

 and many pretty views.

We stopped and took a short walk along Irwin Lake, before turning back southeast in to Crested Butte.
It is a cute little ski town where we will have lunch.

Come back tomorrow and I will show you around.

On the Flats

Back in the early 20's the U.S. was obsessed with baseball, and that included this little mountain town.The area pictured below, now covered with cabins, was at that time covered with baseball diamonds. Notice that the trees there are not as large as the ones in the distance. It was called the Ball Flats. Mainly because there were very few flat areas in this  town. Today, if you live there, you don't say I live in Ball Flats, you sat you live ON the Ball Flats.

We went to dinner at a home higher up on the mountain this week. ...and this is their view (to the north).
Notice the haze in the air? That is smoke actually making it's way all the way from California, where there are hundreds of fires from the continuing drought.

A New Fence

One of our Victorian age homes in this small town, needed a new fence.

Since the home is within our Historic District, the owners had follow certain guidelines. The fence had to be made of wood and not a plastic composite  which is widely used these days.
The Queen Anne style  home was completed 1893, and  the first home here, in Lake city, to have electric lights. When first installed it is said they they kept them on day and night.....so everyone could see.

 Linking to: Good Fences

What Is It ?

For the life of me, I could not figure out what this little building was?

It is kind of small for a guest house.....maybe a tool shed?

Nope, it is a chicken coop. When the guy finished building it....the chickens appeared.

There is a little ramp on the other side and a fenced in area , so they can come outside.

Are you able to have farm animals in your neighborhood?.

Back in Thyme

Every August around here, I am very busy. For you see, that is when we have our Back in Time Tea, at the Museum, benefiting our Victorian Garden.

The ladies locate their fanciest  hat,

and if you don't have one, we have one you can war!

 Our hostesses, who have been the same for all nine years, have been busy decorating, and cooking. That's me center back with the feathers in my hat.

Large exhibits must be rolled out of the transportation part of the museum, tables set, and tea cups unpacked.

The ladies start arriving in their finery, and stop to have their picture taken. Oops the blue tarp covering the fire wagon that we pulled out wasn't supposed to be in this shot!

They really have fun dressing up!

We have entertainment. Lovely catchy old songs....and a speaker.

Everyone seems to have a lovely time.

Oops! I forgot to show you the food!

We arrange the serving try and each hostess serves three tables of four.

First, our savories.

Next came our sandwiches

and last, but not least, our dessert tray.

and of course unlimited pots of tea.