Back on the road (sort of)

Welcome from St. Francis

Greetings from the resident deer herd

Time for reflection

Charles is in Colorado Springs for two days as part of a program he's been involved with for several years. This is the first time since March 2020 that either of us have slept away from home! 

Moving into Advent

Charles looks ready!

Advent has begun and we are excited to be back in person at our church after going through the season virtually last year.

Decorating day at the church

Charles' Advent painting

Belinda helps with the large Nativity scene

Belinda helps with the Mitten Tree

Charles' office is ready!

The Saturday before Advent begins is decorating day at St. Paul's and we joined the flurry of activity there, transforming the church ahead of tomorrow's beginning of Advent.

Wesley prepares for Advent

Wesley was exhausted from the flurry of activity that occurred today with the decorating the house for the season. Good thing he could find a place to unwind.

Ready for the season

The transformation of the parsonage for the season took place this afternoon on the traditional day after Thanksgiving. We are excited!
 

Happy Thanksgiving

The first day of our twenty-fifth year together was a delightfully restful day filled with catching up on football (soccer) for Charles, watching Miracle on 34th Street, and the aroma of the wonderful food we got from Cracker Barrell!

Twenty-fourth Anniversary

Our 24th anniversary occurs this week, so here are twenty-four notables from our life together:

1. We were married in Rockville, Maryland & and at the Walter Reed Army Hospital chapel.

2. Celebrated our second anniversary in Iwakuni, Japan.

3. We have lived on three continents (Asia, Europe, & North America).

4. We've celebrated anniversaries in four different countries.

5. Five anniversaries were celebrated outside the USA.

6. Six anniversaries were in Montana.

7. Our seventh anniversary was celebrated in Newquay, Cornwall.

8. We've observed our anniversaries in eight different states.

9. Our ninth anniversary was celebrated in Vienna, Austria.

10. Ten days in Germany on Belinda's 50th birthday trip.

11. Number of years it feels like we've lived through the pandemic.

12. Number of places we've lived for three months or longer.

13. Thirteen days on our drive back from Italy to Cornwall

14. Number of cars/trucks we've owned.

15. Number of Sadao Watanabe prints we bought in Japan.

16. Number of moves we've made.

17. Our seventeenth anniversary was in a hotel in Missoula, Montana.

18. Together, we've been to eighteen countries.

19. Number of art pieces we have on the walls in the family room.

20. Our twentieth anniversary was celebrated in Montana.

21. Our twenty-first anniversary featured the Christmas bazaar in Corvallis, Montana.

22. Our twenty-second anniversary was spent getting tires.

23. Our twenty-third anniversary was spent in the midst of the pandemic.

24. Our 24th anniversary is this year!

Once more on the links

A new experience

The Rocky Mountains beckon behind the Front Range

Wide open spaces

The gallery on Eldorado #5

Plenty of trouble

Charles took advantage of a beautiful, and blustery day to get in a round of golf on two of the three nine-hole courses at the Interlocken Golf Course. 

Starting the holidays off with color

In church this morning, we shared the flat Christmas trees Charles' mother made last year with the church family. Wow, what a wonderful response!

An online exhibition

Charles is taking part in an online art exhibition hosted by the Biafarin Online Gallery's Exhibizone where fifteen of his paintings are featured. Please visit his Color in Motion page and see for yourself!

Snow!

We had our first dusting of snow overnight, the first since last spring! We're a long way from needing to get the shovel out of storage, but it did make for a nice sight when we woke this morning.

Last round in November?

Welcome

Free range balls!

Beautiful vistas

Reminder of days gone by

On the way to a par!

With a dramatic change in the weather coming on Wednesday, Charles ventured to Firestone, Colorado (about 45 minutes northeast of Boulder) to get in a round at Saddleback Golf Course. A rather nice score of 90 included hitting ten fairways (out of 14) and getting five pars!

Another art show

​Ett ensamt skidspår ​(A Lonely Ski-trail)

Charles has a painting in the current show being held at R Gallery (on Broadway) in Boulder.

It's a bazaar Saturday!

We had a fun afternoon with a visit to the P.E.O. bazaar being held this year at Mountain View UMC here in Boulder! Some treasures and tasty goodies made for a fun time!

Veteran's Day 2021

Today, on Veteran's Day, we remember the veteran's in our family and in particular, our dad's.

Golfing in Golden, pt.2

Clubhouse display

Clubhouse display

Clubhouse display

As seen in the rocks on the #12 fairway

Fossil Trace Golf Course in Golden is famous for the evidence of dinosaurs found on the course and around the Golden, Colorado area. The 12th hole has fossils that can be seen in the rocky formations and the clubhouse also has a number of displays from the area of the  ancient residents of this area.

Golfing in Golden, pt.1

An adventure awaits

Looking north at the ninth farway

Fencing to keep the elk off the greens

The signature 12th @ Fossil Trace

The hardest approach was over this bunker on #8

Charles made the drive south to Golden this morning, thinking this was going to be the warmest day of the week (it wasn't!), for a round of golf at the best course he's played here in Colorado. Fossil Trace GC was a excellent course with lightening fast greens, a hilly layout, and devilish bunkers. He'll be back again to be certain!!

A productive morning

Charles joined two men from our church this morning to begin the work of transforming an area of the church property into a memorial garden. The beautiful autumnal weather made for a good time to begin this effort.