Archive for August, 2010

better gnomes & gardens

Monday, August 30th, 2010

It’s the ‘What do you do with a tree stump?’ idea of the month:

A Gnome’s Home

It’s got a little house on the top, a face in the tree, a window with a little gnome facing out of it, and a seal from Better Gnomes & Gardens! If you can tell me where this picture was taken, the first one to comment with the correct answer will receive a unique gift from either Greece, Italy, or perhaps Turkey !

camelids revisited

Saturday, August 28th, 2010

Back in 2008 it was the ‘Paca Party:

Of the family Camelidae

Where you got your Bactrian & Dromedary camels, llamas, alpacas, guanacos and vicuñas. This time around the camels were at a petting zoo at the main library in Fort Collins. A while back, maybe 13,000 years ago, the Clovis culture near where Boulder is now would hunt camels like this along with bears, horses and sheep.

the rummage sale

Thursday, August 26th, 2010

This annual rummage sale has got to be the largest in town:
And it’s organized! Look! Here are shoes!

It starts TODAY at 8:00 am! It runs from Aug. 26th through the 29th – Thursday/Friday 8-6; Saturday/Sunday 8-3 at the Foothills UU Church,  1815 Yorktown Ave., Fort Collins, Colorado.

Bikes and related stuff! It’s where I got Duncan’s carrier last year for only $20.

Outdoor kiddie playhouses. There are also several rooms of toys that I didn’t check out.

Antiques!

Musical instruments

Fancy stuff

and all sorts of clothes from 50 cents to four dollars!

Stuff for FREE too!

I did very well last year; I got a  brand new Cashmere wool sweater and some drywall stilts! I wonder what I’ll find this year?

Brazil Fest

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

Not New WestFest:

Bloco en Foco featuring Marcus Santos!

Yet again Fort Collins’ premier mobile percussion ensemble ‘Bloco em Foco’ is returning to the Rodizio Grill for another unforgettable performance. Of course New Belgium’s Tour de Fat is on the same day but if you get out early on the Fat tour, you will have plenty of time to party at Rodizio’s.

Fest, West, New: Heats up

Sunday, August 22nd, 2010

In Old Town Fort Collins:

Students get tear gas treatment

SWAT gets called in

Classes start on Monday at CSU! Why not greet them with a little chemistry test and some first hand application of 2-chlorobenalmalononitrile?  Apparently well after Earth Wind and Fire completed their music and the area in front of the stage was emptied some fights broke out; bottles were lobbed at police, vendor tents were sacked, and two people were thrown through a window. Welcome to college dude! Bummer. Three bad posts in a row. Let’s go someplace else:

“Hey there! Want whiter teeth?”

She can take that blue thingy currently attached to her front pocket and place it in your mouth during today’s special teeth whitening promotion.

Get that laser smile in only 20 minutes! Not for us, instead:

We sat on the grass and listened to Euforquestra

catastrophic trolley failure!

Saturday, August 21st, 2010

We didn’t do it!

Motorman Moose and Conductor Jim

A special booth was set up at NewWestFest this weekend to help collect donations for the trolley. No, not for number 25 that is being refurbished, but good old number 21, the one that Jeanne and I conduct on select weekends. I was on RAGBRAI when I learned that the axle broke on our only operational trolley car!  We probably will not see this car in operation until next year!

Axle and bearing coupling on display

It will cost at least $20K to fix. It you have any spare cash laying around, please send it to the address shown on the FCMRR Website.  I guess we will have to find something else to do in the meantime! Maybe we should skip town for a while?

no catalyst

Thursday, August 19th, 2010

no Tap Room either:

One Bubba Drumming

The building has been sold! We will miss this place. It was close to home! The owner of the Tap Room was our real estate agent and one of the first persons we met in Fort Collins.

Drummers came for the last time this Wednesday night

and dancers too

And Bubbas drumming

Special thanks to Satori Dance for making the last performance special

So, where we gonna drum now?

bear lake

Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

it’s in RMNP:

Long’s Peak by the shore of Bear Lake

Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) is where it is and we must remember to get over that way as often as we can. Lots of great hiking trails and views of the mountain ranges. This is a popular place; apparently the 2006 “Colorado Quarter” depicts this view.

Not a bear

And not a chipmunk, it’s a golden-mantled ground squirrel.  This little beggar was eyeing our cooler while we stopped to rest along the trail.

back to school

Tuesday, August 17th, 2010

for Liberty Commons High School students:

The New High School

In reality the students are not going back to this school because it was recently constructed; they will be attending for the first time this Wednesday. It looks kind of plain right now, but with a little landscaping… hey, it’s brand new.  Maybe a sign perhaps?

Computer Lab Grand Opening

Man, getting ready for the first day is tough. I know, I had to do it twice when I was a teacher. I bet there will be some teachers burning the midnight oil tonight! Note: Teaching is hard work!

Bill and some bones

I asked Bill to show me around some of the rooms. While the computer room where Bill teaches appeared classroom ready, the science classroom was bare-boned (get it?). There were two Spec-20 spectrophotometers available on one of the lab benches so I can imagine that there could be some analytical activity happening in the near future.

Brush Fire Truck

The Poudre Fire Authority was on hand to 1) build a campfire and 2) put it out. Nobody was burned during the activity, so I guess it worked.

The Campfire

This was all part of a grand opening of sorts for the new high school. It would have been better if there was some kind of samba band present to provide entertainment.

Oops, there was!

Bloco em Foco was there watching the campfire from a safe distance.

bugman does denver, part last

Monday, August 16th, 2010

On a bike:

Denver Library’s  B-Cycle kiosk

Presented by Kaiser Permanente, the Denver B-Cycle program was unveiled on Earth Day, April 22nd of this year. The special kiosks located all around Denver allow you to check out a bike and ride to the next destination– and if there is another B-Cycle kiosk at that destination, you simply drop it off and then get another one when you need it! For $5 a day max or free if your ride is 30 minutes or less.

Bear looking into the Denver Convention Center

I rented a B-Cycle and ala Ragbrai tradition I took the Ragbrai banjo and loaded it in the front basket. Note to self: The front wheel on these bikes do not absorb shocks very well. Next time hang the banjo on the hydrator pack like you used to do.

Dancing in the park

I rode along Speer Blvd for a bit and then started off to the 16th street mall. The roads in Denver do not appear to be very bicycle friendly! … and it seemed every one-way street was going the WRONG way! … and most streets were too narrow! Don’t I sound like I’m from Fort Collins?  I can’t imagine how someone less adept at street riding could deal with Denver streets.

Dave at the 16th Street Mall

Look! He’s playing a home-made cigar box guitar!