Our Great Adventure to Colorado

It all started last fall. Our younger son had been told that his  grant-funded job here in Florida was ending and he had managed to get a transfer to Ft. Collins, Colorado. He was to move in February. We figured that by his birthday in July, we would definitely be ready to see him and got plane tickets to go out. Wellllllll....... the job got refunded and he did not move. So last week, B and I went to Colorado and he celebrated his birthday in Gainesville!

So the next posts will be a picture narrative of our biggest trip ever.

We were guided in the planning by our sons and daughter-in-law, as well as a couple of others. For them we are thankful, as it was an amazing time.

It had been over 30 years since we had been there.  B and I had been to Colorado early in our marriage, but it was mostly spent driving out and back in our tiny, un-airconditioned Datsun B-210. You can imagine how comfortable that was.

We had a direct flight from Jacksonville that put us in the Denver airport around 8:30 in the morning. As soon as we got our luggage and rental car, we headed for a mall on the south side of town where we met two of my former kindergartners, who are now in high school. We had coffee in Borders with them and their mother before she had to be at work. We enjoyed a quick walk around; it was a lovely mall, with shops inside and out.

We had lunch in a place called Fat Burgers, nearby. It was fun and the small meal was just what we needed to get us on our way on the new time schedule.

Praying Mantis

This tiny little praying mantis came into the kitchen on some flowers. Once I saw it, I took it out on this little chipped Tupperware cup.

It  looks like it was eating the cup.

After I took some pictures, I moved it onto the potted asparagus fern. I was surprised that when I watered it days later, I saw the baby still hanging around in the same plant. It had pretty good camouflage there.

Florida Flipper

This dolphin was cruising the beach at Vilano when I was there.

Telling a Story With Tile

I went to the beach at Villano when I visited our son and daughter-in-law in St. Augustine. I have admired this large tile mural at the bath house before and want to share it here.

Here are some of the details in this mural.

Baby sea turtles, a sea star and shells.

Peeps running around and being chased by the waves.

Brown pelicans, gliding just above the water.

Minnows in the shallows.

Colorful kites above a surfer riding the waves.

A sea turtle that nests here.

A man with a cast net.

The surrounding sidewalks are beautifully paved with blue and green pavers that appear to contain bits of glass, reminiscent of the beach glass you sometimes find. Lovely!

The Bounty Continues

When we returned from our Ohio trip of four days, we went straight to the garden the next morning. We filled this large basket with produce.

Happy Pepper Bush

Every once in a while, you  come across a plant that is just a happy plant. We bought this banana pepper plant as a little guy, but it has given us more peppers than several combined--and the peppers are all good sized and tasty, too.

Tiny Green Anole

This little guy was on the screen  porch on the inside. 

It hopped onto the fern. Tiny, tiny!

I spotted it a week later and it had grown some but it is still tiny---and fast! I still haven't caught it!

"What anole? There's no anole here! Just part of the red passion vine!"