Follow Up Friday

Follow Up Friday:  Home from Colorado

Some random thoughts -some of which may turn into posts next week.

I am home from Colorado where I attempted to blog on my iPad. O man, that is not happening again.
I don't care if Blogger has an iPad app. It is challenging, at best, to use. I will be carting SOMEONE'S laptop up there with me next time I go.

Colorado was lovely and a bit warm but nowhere near as warm as Texas.

I am now more familiar with the intricacies of the modern toilet than I had ever planned on being.
I also know a bit more about wells than I had ever planned on knowing. The most important thing I learned about having a well is to get on very good terms with the local plumber. I'm hoping the cookies I dropped off at the plumber's office will help with that.

Unscrew what? Where does the water go? 

Why did my instructions disintegrate? 

I also learned how to clean the filters on the water hoses to my washing machine. Thank you YouTube.
Did you know you can pretty much learn how to do anything on YouTube?
If you want to learn how to replace a Mercedes Benz passenger side mirror after running it into a mailbox- you can. Just Google it and YouTube has a very educational video. Boring- but educational.
(And no- I did not run my car into a mailbox. But my daughter might have.)
If you want to know why your washing machine is taking 45 minutes to fill, Google "Why is my washing machine slow to fill" and again...YouTube to the rescue.

Mostly I learned that changing out your well pump causes a great deal of sediment to be stirred up that then comes into your pipes and clogs up EVERYTHING. The faucets had to have their filters cleaned, the toilet fill valve was replaced TWICE and the washing machine hoses had to be cleared. I'm sure the electric water heater will die soon because of the massive dose of sand and rocks it received. O well.

And this was considered a vacation.  Hmmm.

There were highlights, though.

We played bingo at the VFW and WON!

Wait! What number did he call?

Bingo! 

On Thursday, June 13 there were an extra 2000+ people in town for the Ride the Rockies bike tour. In Texas I have always been in awe of the people who do the MS150 bike ride. One hundred and fifty miles in two days seems amazing. And painful.
Well, Ride the Rockies was supposed to be 513 miles this year but because of a forest fire there was a re-route increasing the mileage an extra 30 miles. So 545 miles, give or take. Over seven days. And all of the riders were in town at once. My traveling companion and flashlight holder, Diane, and I went down the hill early-ish on Friday morning to watch the riders fly by on their bikes- only to discover that those riders are eager beavers.  We missed all but the stragglers.

"Ride the Rockies" riders going down Hwy 50.

FIBArk was going on Thursday through Sunday. This is "America's Oldest and Boldest Whitewater Festival" celebrating its 65th year. There was a parade, a homemade floating raft contest and many, many kayak  competitions. Also live music at night and lots of festival food.  We stayed in town at a fabulous old hotel so that the teenage girls could be close to the action and the ancient mama didn't have to be driving the river road at midnight or beyond. We only misplaced one teen girl for a brief period of time. Not so bad considering how many boys those girls know.

 I  love a small town parade with Veterans...

 and old trucks...

 the local Roller Derby team and kids scrambling for candy...

and, of course, a political float. 
I think this had something to do 

with Government Pork, but I'm not sure.

The Hooligan's Race featured home-made rafts.

I think I hear the theme to Deliverance playing in the background.

Music in Riverside Park.
(Slightly blurred-darn cell phone cameras.)

We went whitewater rafting on Monday. The water temp was somewhere around 55 degrees. Bless the guide that sat in front of me and did his very best to shield me from the splashing, ice cold water. The river was high and fast and it was GREAT fun.

Into the rapids we go...

Splash!

Made it!

And Tuesday as we drove to the airport in Denver we got to listen to the National Weather Center Alert  telling us to "take cover immediately" because of tornadoes. I'm used to pretty extreme weather in Texas but I will say Colorado can come up with some doozies when it comes to storms. To our left the sun was shining and to our right the world was ending. A large tornado passed over the airport about thirty minutes before we got there. No damage though and minimal delays.

*

No, I wasn't a nervous wreck driving towards this. 

Not at all.

And now I'm home and back to work and back to working on my list.