Just Another Sunset

 

Song:  Heaven and Hell

Artist:  Vangelis

I had just taken it easy today.

As I was lying in bed...

I saw the light of a setting sun make my bedroom blinds glow amber.

I went up to the loft and began taking photos.

I had to switch to a wide angle setting on the camera...

but there was still so much I could not get...

as the orangish amber clouds reached above me.

As the sun continued to set...

the sky went from amber...

 and then to orange and pink.

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What I love so much about being up here is that I may turn off the world at will

(I don't engage with it much as it is).

I treasure the tranquility of my home.

The colors of the morning and evening skies are so often...

quite incredible.

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There is still so much I do not understand about human behavior.

But...

I do know that I simply cannot trust anyone who treats animals unkindly...

or who turns his or her back to a beautiful sunrise or sunset.

People who have an inner ugliness have an urge to disturb and to destroy.

They often hold anything pure and beautiful in great disdain...

or with a purposeful and demonstrative dismissiveness.

Once you may feasibly do so (retirement)...

cut loose any ties that bind you to anyone or to anything undesirable.

If you are to have your ultimate freedom in life...

and so...

your serenity...

you must be very selective with whom you associate yourself.

You don't owe unjustifiably rude or angry people any explanation.

Simply cut ties and sail on.

Let no one hamper your journey in life.

Merely find those of like hearts and minds.

Your one and only life...

will be your Heaven...

or your Hell...

depending on how wisely you choose.

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You must be your own best friend in life.

It will only be you in the end...

and there will be nothing more.

Live your life accordingly.

A Case Of Mistaken Identity

 

Song:  Harvest Moon

Artist: Neil Young

Something...

both funny...

and sweet...

happened to me today.

I went to Woodland Park to pick up more Sauerkraut from Walmart

(I bought all they had.  Now I have enough to last me most of the year).

I also picked up a whole rotisserie chicken for Bandi (just over $5.00)

(It lasts two feedings...I love giving her occasional treats).

After finishing up with my shopping...

I stopped by my favorite taco truck in town.

I bought 4 Quesa Barria tacos

(the pictured one dipping into the sauce).

I sat on a raised curb opposite the below pic of a pastry food stand

(Where I buy pies from a sweet mid-elderly lady who home bakes her pies and cookies

to sell near the taco truck)...

and prepared to eat my food.

Although I considered it warm outside...

even though the temperature was in the low 40s F (5 C)...

and the sun felt warm on my skin...

there was a 5 to 10 mph wind.

I was just wearing my normal plaid shirt, jeans, and tennis shoes.

Although my shirt looks like any other thin plaid shirt...it is actually insulated.

It has an inner miniature comforter like lining in the shirt...

and so...

it is like a light jacket.

As the wind made it too chilly for anyone else to eat outside...

but as I was perfectly comfortable...

I was the only one eating outside.

And with the wind blowing...

my rather long silver hair gets a little blown about...

and...

I don't shave...but merely trim my beard every once in a while...

and so...

I give off the vibe of being a bit of a wild mountain man.

What I didn't realize was that the lady in her food dispensary trailer

(the one behind her SUV...it is a converted small RV trailer)...

had seen me from her side window as I sat on the curb while eating.

Now...

especially with food that I find to be particularly delicious...

I positively wolf it down.

I would finish off each taco...

including dipping it into the sauce...

in less than 10 seconds each.

I would take a large bite...

and barely chew it...

and would then... as I swallowed...

 take another large bite...

usually finishing off the whole taco in three bites...

before hurriedly grabbing another one to wolf down.

I must have appeared to be like a hungry dog eating while hardly chewing his food

because he had gone without food for many days.

Anyway...

as I was wolfing down my food...

the sweet lady from her pastry stand appeared before me...

and handed me a 3 pack of her homemade cookies.

She said something about how good they would go with my food.

She had a kind face and a sweet voice...

but I had seen in her eyes...

a tinge of compassion and pity.

I thanked her...

and she walked back to her food stand.

It was then that it had dawned on me...

she must have been watching me eat on the curb through her food stand window...

and had thought I was a starving homeless man...

especially by the way I eat my food...

like a starving dog or an uncouth wild man  :)

I just wanted to sit on the curb to eat and enjoy the views 

with the sun and wind on my face...

besides...

I hadn't wanted to spill any of the dipping sauce in my car

(I had parked by the taco stand...

and then walked over to the raised curb).

Well...

this made it awkward.

I had wanted to buy a blueberry pie from her after I had finished eating.

But...

I not only didn't want her to feel bad for thinking I was a starving homeless man

(although, I could understand her point of view.

I looked a little wild with my hair all askew...

and with me eating so quickly...

besides with me just sitting on a curb as I ate)...

but I didn't want to rob her of her good deed.

I will buy a pie from her in the future.

Plus...

I want to see if she recognizes me next time :)

(I will tip her the cost of the cookies next time).

I drove my new route home and enjoyed the views.

This is one of the shopping bags I use to transfer food from my car.

I bought 21 - 2 lb bags of sauerkraut...

giving me a total of 30 large bags of sauerkraut in my fridge.

I also have a few smaller bags as well.

This was the 3 pack of chocolate chip cookies the kind lady had handed me

as I sat eating on the curb  :)

They were good.

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Toady was another fun day filled with a good laugh...

and good food.

It is good to see kindness still being alive in this crazy world of today.

Mueller State Park

 

Song:  Twin Peaks Theme

Original Composer:  Angelo Badalamenti 

As yesterday was another nice day...

I decided to take a short drive to visit Mueller State Park.

While it is just a half hour drive to the entrance of the park from home...

I decided to stop in at the town of Divide to eat a cheese burger...

and then just four miles South of there is the entrance to the park.

I decided I would start mostly taking another route into Woodland Park from now on.

I used to take a cutoff from the main road.

As I live about 4 miles North of the town of Cripple Creek in a mountain community...

I used to bypass the town of Florissant (about 20 minutes NW of home)...

by taking a country road cutoff which led to about the halfway point between 

the town of Florissant and Divide.

Although this cutoff is somewhat shorter...

it is less scenic...

and less safe...

 as there are a lot of winding roads.

I had just left the town of Florissant and headed toward the town of Divide (8 miles away).

Just outside of the town of Divide.

I stopped in at one of my favorite burger places...

Russ' Place.

I had a cheese burger with battered mushrooms.

Mueller State Park is just a short 4 miles away up hwy 67...

which lies perpendicular to the highway which leads to Woodland Park.

I have an annual season pass to all of Colorado's State Parks.

At this park...

of which is but half an hour from my home...

they not only have hiking...

but Nordic Skiing on groomed and un-groomed trails.

I went on this day to scout out the general lay of the land.

I am thinking of Nordic Skiing in the Winters here as the trails are so close to home.

It would be great Winter exercise.

However...

although on the website said there were many trails for Nordic Skiing...

I couldn't see any roads leading to the groomed trails from the main one.

I will have to do more research on this matter.

The park was almost completely deserted...

and some of the areas weren't plowed...

which had blocked access to other parts of the park.

A view of the Eastern slopes of Pikes peak.

The visitor center (which was closed for the day).

Some of the views from a viewing area in the park.

The pyramidal mountain in the center of this photo is Mt. Pisgah...

of which lies a few miles to the Southwest of my home.

Sentinal Peak is the pointy mountain top on the right side of the photo.

I live to the Southwest of this mountain.

In this photo on the right is Mt. Pisgah...

and to the left side is Rhyolite Mountain.

I live to the North of Rhyolite Mountain (towards me in this photo).

So...

I live just on this side of the mountain in the center of this photo.

I can see this mountain up close from my recliner and from all of my decks.

As many of the trail heads and some of the roads were closed...

I soon departed the park as I headed back into the town of Divide 

to eat a pizza at McGinty's.

(Although I normally only eat once a day...

I am still gaining back some of the 15 lbs I had lost during my illness).

A view of the mountains from McGinty's.

This was my pizza cooking in their oven.

It was a nice treat to have just before heading back home.

I headed out of the parking lot towards home.

This is Mt. Pisgah.

Once I get East of it...

my turn off the main road towards home is near.

------------

I had a nice relaxing day.

Too bad this particular State park doesn't allow dogs.

Bandi would have loved the drive.

But...

there are plenty of other places I can take her.

-------------

In two weeks...

 I will head into the town of Cripple Creek to see their small ice festival.

To be honest...

I am mostly looking forwards to all of the food vendors there.

I had missed out on the ice festivals at all of the major ski resorts this year...

as I had been ill.

But...

next year I will be seeing them all.

------

As I am still recovering...

I will just be taking relatively short car trips for a while.

Today is another beautiful day...

but I will just be taking it easy.

I am steadily getting better...

and so...

I don't want to relapse.

Tomorrow, I will be driving back to Woodland Park 

to shop first thing in the morning at Walmart (6 AM)...

as they will receive a large shipment of 24 bags of my favorite Sauerkraut.

I could only get 9 bags on my last trip...

so I had one of the workers order more.

They are supposed to arrive late today...

and their night stock people will have them out by opening tomorrow morning.

I want to get them all before they get bought.

This is my Kimchi and Sauerkraut section of the fridge.

I will be storing another 24 bags of Sauerkraut in other parts of the fridge

as I have plenty of room for them.

I love eating Sauerkraut so much.

I go through about one large bag a week (2 lbs).

It is such a great food for gut health.

I feel so much better overall whenever I eat a steady diet of this with my meals.

It is my most consumed vegetable.

Naturally fermented foods of all types are so valuable for health.

I love Natto...

Kimchi...

and of course...

Sauerkraut.