Buckwheat Gets Groomed

April 8th, 2011

Buckwheat Before
We have been cutting dreads off of Buckwheat for quite some time now, so finally I thought we should just have him groomed. It was a spur of the moment decision. I took Buckwheat to a groomer and asked for a “Lion” cut. A friend of our had once done this to their Maine Coone and it was really “cute”. Well, you can judge for yourself, but this is what he ended up with…
Buckwheat After
When I brought Buckwheat home, our other cat, Moby, freaked out. He acted as if Buckwheat was a completely new cat. It has now been a week, and the two are finally able to exist in the same room. But, the whole week they have been fighting, hissing, biting, clawing, and generally in constant combat with each other. We have not had any sleep, and had to separate them at night.

Needless to say, no more hair cuts! Ever. Hiss!Growl!Spit!

How To Celebrate a Rainy Birthday

April 3rd, 2011

Rainy Day Flatiron Hiking at It's Finest
Dan & Dennis Hiking in Chataqua Park
Holly Berries - A Sign of Spring
We were going to go mountain biking for Dennis’ Birthday, but instead we ended up at Chatauqua Park at the base of the flatirons. With a stormfront moving in quickly, we’re happy we changed plans. We ended up getting caught in a torrential downpour, but at least we were relatively close to the cars. After the hike; Dennis, Dan, and I went for some hot coffee and watched the hail & rain onslaught outside. Read the rest of this entry »

Day Hike – CO Trail Segment 2

March 26th, 2011

Lunch Time on CO Trail
I would like to lead hikes, scrambles, and possibly climbs with the CMC once a month, as a volunteer. In order to be a trip leader with the CMC, I must be a Leader in Training (LIT) for a couple of hikes. This is my first LIT. I spent a lot of time organizing travel plans and researching the route. I really wanted everybody to have a safe and fun day!
CO Trail Topo Segment 2
We organized two groups of folks; Team Uphill and Team Downhill.

TU was comprised of Karen, Sharon, Brenda, Donna, and their Leader, the token Male, Tom.
TD featured Kelly, Linda, Georgia, and yours truly!

The plan was for each team to start at opposite ends of CO Trail Segment 2 and meet in the middle for lunch. We would then continue down the trail and meet up back in Conifer. Read the rest of this entry »

Volunteer – CMC Boulder Rock School Instructor Training

March 19th, 2011

Rappel Demonstration
On Saturday, I headed up to meet the Boulder Rock School Instructors for their training day. Brenda, the CMC coordinator contacted me and asked if I would be interested in volunteering my skills for the day. I couldn’t say no!

Franchesco and Roger Practice Rope Handling Skills
We reviewed knots, freeing the hands from the belay, passing knots on rappel, and ascending ropes using prusiks. I paired up with Franchesco and Roger for the day. Jill gave us a great review of the Mule-Munter Hitch. Thanks! Read the rest of this entry »

Cross Country Skiing – Snow Mountain Ranch

March 13th, 2011

Mike the Speedster Kelly Smiling at Snow Mountain Ranch Clare Cross Country Diva
Met Kelly and Mike for a beautiful day of cross country skiing at Snow Mountain Ranch. Spring was definitely in the air. As lunchtime rolled around, temps warmed considerably. We agreed it might be our last time out for the season. In a few spots, pine cones were sticking out. Time to switch to spring sports. Read the rest of this entry »