Archive for October, 2012

Halloween 2012

Wednesday, October 31st, 2012

Red and Purple for Halloween
My New Do

Halloween 2012
Dan as Kermit, Dennis as Skeleton, and I’m Strawberry Shortcake

Ever since I saw Run Lola Run, I wanted to dye my hair a very bright red. Unfortunately, I always have had office desk jobs which disallow “unnatural” colors of hair. Now that I work from home, and with no imminent travel for work in the future, I had the freedom to express myself. Yay!

I decided I would dress up as Strawberry Shortcake, so I had a fantastic reason to go red! When I was in the salon, my stylist asked me if I wanted to try purple underneath, so I thought, “What the heck!”.

I thought it looked awesome, but unfortunately the purple quickly bled all over my red. So, the next time I went in, I got Red all over. I’m not sure why the darker color does that…but I had purple dye on all my shirts. Oh well!

Day Hike, Pike’s Peak (14,114 ft)

Saturday, October 20th, 2012

Clare Resting on Pike's Peak Summit
Climbergirl on Summit of Pike’s Peak

Almost to Devil's Playground
Tom and Linda on their millionth-gazillionth summit of Pike’s.

The Scene:
Tom and Linda are looking for a little adventure, so they call me. “We’re thinking to hike up Pike’s Peak this weekend, do you want to join us?”.

The Setting:
Of course, I had nothing else going on; having just returned from Portugal. The calendar was wide open.

The Response:
“Sign me up!” I exclaimed, before even asking about the weather!…Lucky for me, Tom already had the forecast printed. It was supposed to be windy with gusts up to 20 and a possibility of late evening precipitation. The trail was mostly clear, but we might want to bring gators for a few areas of snow deposits.

After being blown off Pike’s Peak a few years ago, I decided this potential forecast sounded as good as any other day on Pikes!
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Portugal, Day 15 – Quinta da Regaleira, Sintra

Saturday, October 6th, 2012

Dennis at Quinta da Regaleira

Clare With Lion Sculpture

Beautiful Fountain at Quinta da Regaleira

It was our last full day in Portugal and we had a promise to fulfill.

We promised Pedro we would visit the Quinta Da Regaleira before leaving, so we took a day trip to Sintra. It was easy to navigate the Subway to the Train Station and soon we were zipping away with Lisbon behind. I was excited because I knew we were in for a treat!

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Portugal, Day 14 – Lisbon Aquarium

Thursday, October 4th, 2012

Sculpture and Water Feature Near Lisbon Aquarium
Neat Water Features Outside Lisbon Aquarium

Clare at Lisbon Aquarium
With our 10th Anniversary trip coming to an end, we decide to spend some time at the Lisbon Aquarium. It was a hot day, so it was nice to escape the heat and have a learning adventure. We had heard from several other tourists that the Lisbon Aquarium was extensive and they weren’t joking! It is huge! And, we were happy they have most of the signage in a few languages, including English.

Dennis Enjoying Lisbon Aquarium
Dennis watching fish do fishy things.

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Portugal, Day 13 – Douro River Tour

Tuesday, October 2nd, 2012

Wine on The River Cruise - How Delightful!

Time for a rest day. We wake up early and walk down to the Douro river docks to our cruiser. We scheduled an all inclusive tour; river boat cruise, tour a winery in the Douro valley, then take the train back. We were excited for a nice relaxing day and to taste the wines of this famous region!

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