OK enough already...........

this is no longer about saving Wall Street this is about saving the general public.

I don't care if tomorrow is a holiday or the second coming of Christ..........I just wrote every Senator and Congressman in my voting district as well as Obama, McCain and Pelosi. I asked them to get to work and move forward. These people cannot sit in Washington while folks around the country are going to fail.

This is making me very, very grumpy and I'm not liking this feeling one dang bit.

If this wasn't so very sad....it would be hysterically funny..........they are gonna make a situation comedy TV show about this I can see it now.............Lordy!!!

All the people in Washington are a huge embarrassment and what I am feeling that not one of them understands or smart enough to understand the magnitude of this problem.

Politics aside folks get it done........stop pointing fingers!!!

Mesa Verde and the trip South

of course the vistas were spectacular

Thanks to our dear friend Mrs PJS she suggested the route we take when we left Gunnison. I had mentioned that I wanted to see Mesa Verde. We thought of going thru Durango but that was changed as the roads are scenic but quite twisty........uncomfortable when dragging an RV. Altitude is OK we done high altitude but twist just ain't fun. They say Mesa Verde is the best of the Southwest.........don't know about that but it sure is spectacular scenery. Located just on the edge of Cortez Colorado we had only to go a short nine miles to enter the Park. Once inside the park gate you begin the climb and twisty roads.....whoa......for someone who is not good with heights I must say Mr Doodles did quite well. Now you say why didn't you drive........nope he needed to feel the control and when someone else is driving you get a feeling of terror. So not wanting my bunky to get that feeling I let him drive up and back........bless his sweet little heart.
could you live here.........make your sandals out of yucca leaves.......go look for a goat to make your dress for that special evening out.............and baskets............. the baskets you make are to die for..............we saw those tucked away in their museum on site.

they had nice trees for shade...........in the next photo you can see a flat roof..........they grew a lot of crops up there...............squash was a favorite.

this is not your average Holiday Inn


on the trip down we saw some baby wildlife

Always wanted to go to Mesa Verde and I thank Mr Doodles for enduring the drive. Rest of the trip is on flat land. We should hit the border of California today...............stay tuna'd

Buddy got a brand new Bag

After fourteen years in the same carrier for Buddy the Cat, it was beginning to show it's wear and tear. So a new bag was ordered after many hours of looking on line. Wow the prices were all over the place and I must also say the Buddy would not be the kind of cat to be transported in a pink bag. Found this sweet soft sided bag on Amazon at a reasonable price and to say that he likes it is a understatement. While driving he even stays inside with it's plush red carpeting.

Buddy is enjoying his ride as we are headed south west to the home of sister in California. Gonna take a couple of side trips on the way. One we already took was to visit the Mesa Verde in Cortez, Colorado near the Four Corners of Utah, Arizona, Colorado and Arizona. It's amazing to go from beautiful lush landscape of Aspens and Spruce to desolate not so pretty landscape it quite unbelievable. As Often as I see the landscape change it is still something that I just watch in awe.

Went thru the Painted Desert and the wind was blowing the sand around so much photos were not good..........but with the sun shinning it was quite pink in some areas.

OK when I'll soon get the photos together of the sites and scenes to post...........stay tuna'd

Head em up - move em out.........

Grace (the RV) and Louie (the sweet truck) that is and the Doodle bunch are on the road again. Ya hear Willie Nelson singing that tune "on the road again"......I always do when we pack up.

We are leaving the beautiful community of Gunnison, Colorado and this loverly RV park where we have thoroughly enjoyed our time thanks to P & S. Plus all the nice folks that spend their summer here...........most of them were quite enjoyable.

So we are headed south to spend time with sister and brother-in-law, family and friends before our next adventure..................stay tuna'd

The Aspen

some leaves are beginning to turn

some are even beginning to fall

they are tall, beautiful stately trees

you can see here a bit of the golden color they turn when a bit of frost arrives.............like this morning...........eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewww!!!

these are choke cherry bushes.....bears love em and my grandma used to make choke cherry jelly from these little guys. had to have a lot of them cause they are quite small.



see that pretty red oak leaf............ that belongs to a tree growing quite low to the ground called a scrub oak......they to are begging to change colors. Cannot imagine what this area will look like in a couple a weeks.

Well we won't know because we are leaving in a week and heading south. We are sure to see some color along the way, especially when we get to the four corners.

stay tuna'd...................

Not at all political

A friend over on another forum I visit posted this article . I feel it is an important read, granted it was written in 2004. I have not seen or heard of the movie but I would like to.............think I might go search on Amazon.................thanks Ellen.

Just remember to vote and please make sure your friends vote. I'm feeling this is probably the very most important election for our time.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison

Well we finally made the trip and I can tell you it certainly was worth waiting for. The reason we waited was the crowds.........fewer visitors this time of the year.

The day started out wind free and crystal clear blue skies...........was hoping for a few clouds cause it makes for better photos.........but I'm not complaining. The trip was lovely. Black Canyon of the Gunnison is just stunning.........no other word to describe this place. We took the Morrow Point Boat Tour. The walk down to meet the boat was 232 vertical steps and a three quarter mile hike.............that was fun...........and remember when getting off the boat you must walk back up the steps. Just make sure you have plenty of water...........and a camera. Park Ranger Norm and boat Captain Orville gave us a wonderful trip and provided great insite to the area with a super history lesson all accomplished in a couple of hours.

The photos posted below were all taken by Mr Doodles with the exception of the Big Horn Sheep...........which were all females by the way.........or very young babies that were probably born in the Spring.

earlier in the spring they said this waterfall was quite large cause of all
that white stuff they had in the winter

cute little white butts on these guys

don't know if you can see the tracking collar on the larger animal

Ohhh Ohhhhhhhhhh

temps here last nite and the nite before was 30 degrees!!! Now that means that the Aspen trees will be changing their beautiful coats. Now that means we must take a trip up the mountain to take photos of the beautiful Aspen and some awfully pretty scrub Oak's that turn a deep red. Now this will be the beginning of their change so I'm sure it won't be quite as vibrant as I would like .............. but since the Doodles don't do snow and cold we'll have to take what we can get.

Stay tuna'd.................

this is fun ............. omnivore's hundred

My sweet niece Lil' Bird came up with this idea for a post. Originally posted it on our food blog PBE

tim at very good taste is doing a little meme called the omnivore's hundred. here's how it works:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

here's how we'll do it. first, the list is long and posting all three of our lists would be very long indeed. second, i thought it'd be cool to do a little cross promotion of our individual blogs (so you can see what we've been up to lately, as it has obviously not been food blogging). so, we're posting the original list first. then, immediately below will be a hyperlink to each of our three lists on our individual blogs. click to see how we all fared on vgt's omnivore's 100.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred............out of the 100 the ones I have tasted or eaten are in bold......the ones I have not tried I probably won't. If you think I should...... leave a comment.

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31.Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36.Cognac with a fat cigar my cigar was a chick cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut- Moon
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini - many dirty, filthy vodka martinis, actually
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin - isn't this clay?!
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

maltese parakeet's omnivore's 100
mooncrazy's omnivore's 100
chris@refinninglife

we hope you'll post your own omnivore's 100. if you do, please put a link in the comments.

A Secret....................Updated

There is a secret place here in the USA! South West Colorado...............Curecanti National Recreational Area..................Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.............West Elk Loop which is a gorgeous Scenic and Historic Byway.



Well it was a secret to us and I can tell you what a beautiful, breath taking area! The night sky is amazing, the sunsets are second to none, not to mention the many wildflowers that pop up in the spring. Many nites it feels like you can reach out and touch the stars. And the morning sunrises are just as lovely but I don't always see that many of them. Made a lot of memories with some photos you have seen here and on my photo page.

Here is a very special photo of the Gunnison Grouse which is a bird that should be on the endangered species list

We never realized how great workamping could be. But then workamping has a lot to do with the owners/managers of the RV park you work. And boy after having a pretty crappy experience in West Yellowstone...........we found a home here in South West Colorado.......well a home for a few months..........I have mentioned in the past how great the owners of this RV park are.............caring folks and extremely hard workers And if ya didn't know it snows here on the western slope at approximately 7800 feet altitude..................the Doodle's don't do SNOW!!!

While workamping we always plan on going someplace special every week. A tourist attraction, a hike, a farmer's market, a sightseeing cruise. Seeing our country and "making memories" are the reasons we're workampers. If it's been a day "with issues" - we escape. Driving the truck through the campground back to our site can be so liberating cause we are not the owners but then we seldom had a day with issues.

It's about that time to pack up and head south, and I am anxious to see Sister and family, shop at some of my favorite haunts, load up on supplies that I have not been able to get here, get myself to Trader Joe's as no TJ's here.........can you imagine a sweet town of 10,000 and no Trader Joe's.............BAH!!!!!!!!!!!

We are going to workamp this winter season...........just don't know where yet.............stay tuna'd