Inspired

Life is finally getting back to what I would call normal. I started a new job in an industry where I belong. I'm no longer working two part time jobs, seven days a week with no free time. That is inspiring and motivates me to get back on track with life and start moving toward the things K and I have been talking about for the last two or so years.

The Tour de France started yesterday. These guys are amazing to watch.  They inspire me to get back out there and participate in the sport I love. Who knows what will happen with some consistent riding this summer.  Maybe some fall racing.

Debt Free Friday's inspire me.  K found Dave Ramsey on the radio last summer in Los Angeles. She came home and told me about this guy she heard on the radio that made sense when it came to money. After listening a bit and reading some of his books I was on board and willing to give it a try. The people that call in on Friday's to scream "I'm debt free" inspire me with their stories. I can't wait to able to yell that.

K inspires me. There's been lots of second guessing and wondering if we did the right thing moving to Colorado last summer. We haven't really had time to talk about life or hang out lately because of a new family member in her sister's family.  Her blog post last week let me know that we are still on the same page and doing the right thing.

Hello again.........

Wow, it's sure been a long time.  Our digital SLR has been having some issues that might be fixed soon. I'll be getting back into the swing of things with our point and shoot until our main camera is fixed.

Remember this picture?  Take a look at the river.

It only stopped snowing in the high mountains about two weeks ago.  Down here it has been between 70 and 90 degrees.  That snow is slowly melting and adding to the river down here in Fort Collins.  That snow pack is about 130% of normal so our river will only get bigger as summer arrives.

Out and About this Afternoon

While out trying to find a new place for interesting pictures I stumbled into a red fox and its den. I was setting up for a shot and took one last look around to see if I was missing anything. Sitting about fifty feet down a hill from me was this red fox.

I quickly forgot what I was there to shoot and slowly moved for a better position to photograph the fox. It was very much aware of where I was at all times but didn't really seem to mind that I was there. I think this was Mr. Fox because of the way it marked its territory while on the hunt for dinner. Before leaving for dinner it went in and out of the den several times.  I'm hoping that means later this spring little pups will emerge from the den.

I'm planning several more visits to the den for pictures so stay tuned for more and hopefully better pictures.

Snow Shoeing in RMNP

I love being in Rocky Mountain National Park. Well, I love being there when no one else is there. Sometimes the summer can be a bit crazy around holiday weekends but during the winter there a far fewer people there to sightsee and do outdoor activities.

I was free for the day Saturday so I headed up to Estes Park with some friends for a snow shoeing adventure. A recent storm had just dumped close to two feet of snow and we were excited to blaze a new trail. The fresh powder was perfect! I mean I have not seen snow like this up there all winter. The trail was still well packed but a inch off the trail and you where instantly up to your hip in snow. When we got as far as we could go on our adventure we noticed two skiers coming down the steep mountain slope. They were waist deep in snow and just having a blast.

On our way up the mountain we stopped to take off some layers and these little birds came out of the woods and started flying all around us and right up into our faces. They must be fed during the summer and are clearly no longer afraid of humans. We decided to have a little fun with them since we'd never seen anything like it. While taking the above picture of Tom another bird landed on the lens of my camera and hung out while I was snapping away.  It even stayed there while I lowered the camera to take a look.

Every time I go into the park I always see something new and interest.  It's great having this in my backyard and it only makes me want to explore the other wild places near by.

A little railroad break

The Union Pacific Railroad is in Fort Collins five days a week. Mainly they bring beer making supplies to the Budweiser plant. Once in a while they pass through town and cross the Poudre river on the way to a cement plant just outside the city limits. This old wooden trestle still holds strong as these big heavy trains cross the river.

MacGyver

So, I applied for a job today that called for the person to have MacGyver like resourcefulness.  I drafted a crafty cover letter that hinted at my teenage bromance with said MacGyver but did not give away my total obsession with the man that can do almost anything with a Swiss Army knife and a roll of duct tape.

After doing a little research to make sure all my MacGyver facts were still accurate, I noticed that a MacGyver movie will be coming out sometime in 2013.  Oh YES!  I just hope they pick someone good to play MacGyver.

Super Bowl Weekend

Yep, I know it's coming up quickly. This year is not going to have the usual gathering of friends and food that we've been able to enjoy the last few years but we'll still be having some fun and great food. While my brother in law and sister in law are off having a much needed vacation to celebrate their upcoming family addition, K and I will be watching our little niece. She's super cute, crazy about balls and not afraid to let you know she wants to go out and play some more. If she's lucky she might even get some extra treats, but don't tell her parents that.

I can't wait!

Outrageous Food on the Food Network

Tipped off by a small story on our local newspaper's website I rode across Old Town to find a taping of Outrageous Food happening later in the afternoon. I went back at the time posted on the door of Pizza Casbah and found a mini studio set up inside this tiny pizza spot.

Underneath all the lights, wires, microphones and camera were three tables with six people sitting there looking eager and hungry. The challenge was to eat a thirty inch pizza that weighed close to ten pounds in under an hour. Up for the challenge was a team of two tiny girls from Colorado State University, two hippy-looking guys that seemed more eager than hungry and two big guys that came prepared with a training program and elastic waistbands. The three teams got their choice of pizza to eat. The girls went for a veggie(team Veggie), the hippy guys went for a jalapeno/pepperoni(team Spicy) and the big guys went old school with a Hawaiian(team Hawaii). To find out who wins you'll have to wait for the episode to air on the Food Network. I'm not going to say a word about who wins.  You never know if they'll send a black windowless van after me. You might even catch a glimpse of yours truly in the background but I'm not going to hold my breathe. You'll know who I am when you notice a dorky guy hanging out in the corner not knowing what to do besides smile at the camera. Yeah, I was that guy.  At least I wasn't giving someone rabbit ears.

I was torn about bringing my camera to the contest and finally decided not to bring it. I wasn't sure if I could get in with it and I wasn't overly excited about being turned away at the door. Upon my arrival I noticed almost EVERYONE had a camera of some sort. Not wanting to waste the moment I reached for my only option left. The attached pictures are from the amazingly awesome .5 megapixel camera on my phone.

A bit of California in Colorado

I found this on an exploratory outing around a nearby town. This locomotive used to ride the rails in northern California during the late '90s. The NWP has not run in years and all locomotives have been sold or returned to their owners.  This one was returned to CO and has been working a regional railroad ever since.

The best of 2010.

Borrowing an idea from the bloggers' at Outdoor Photographer, I've come up with my favorite images taken during 2010. I need help narrowing the images further and I'd like your help with that. Vote for your top five and I'll post the best of the best on my blog next week. Feel free to cast your votes on either my website or this blog.

The images can be found here.

2011 is here!

2011 was kicked off with my third consecutive trip to see the Rose Parade.  It is so much fun and 100% better than watching it on TV.

The rest of my photos from the parade can be found here.

Happy New Year!