Something new....................

The small town of Palisade, situated on the Western Slope, is in the heart of Colorado's wine country. Nearly a dozen area vineyards are producing small quantities of wines that are getting big attention. Each autumn, the town packs em in with its annual wine festival, where you can do everything from sampling the latest vintages to - yes, really - stomping grapes. ............now that sounds like fun.........I'll have to see if we are still here to attend.

But grapes weren't the first fruit to put the agricultural town on the map. Palisade's also famous for its peaches. The town celebrates a peach festival every year to mark the harvest from its 500,000 Elberta peach trees by more than 300 local growers. Other orchards have cherry and apricot trees. But we came for the peaches. Oh my I can hear Grandma Pruce telling me she is gonna make me a peachy pie.

I got me a bunch a peaches so I'm gonna try making a cobbler once it settles down here. I'll let y'all know when I post the recipe over on PBE.

I must also say the trip back from Palisades was quite stunning with the scenery changing around ever corner and an added bonus was to see a rather large herd of elk. Unfortunately not close enough for photos.

So stay tuna'd for my peach concoction..............we'll see how I do.

Just a note

to let y'all know I have not left the planet earth. However have been working some longer days. I'm not complaining just not a lot of time for photos and fun stuff. We are working for a couple that couldn't be nicer.............you know the kind that hate to impose and ask you to do anything. Well we think quite highly of them and would do anything for them. How did we get so lucky........timing I guess.

Fun stuff will happen this weekend for a Car Show plus an Arts & Crafts Show being held this weekend in Gunnison. Good photos for sure to come out of that excursion. Plus we are going fishing Sunday.

So as I haven't said in awhile........................stay tuna'd.

OK off for a bite, and adult beverage and a good sleep.

View from

our back yard............it is so pretty isn't it.......quite calming to see after a busy day.



and then a full moon to add to the viewing pleasure.

Random

photos taken by Mr Doodles...........he has a good eye I just wish he would take more photos



a friendly neighbor cat......just love his face
Mr Doodles took this when we were in Salida and commented? wondering why a door on the second level

Arches

Arches National Park in Utah has had a bit of a disaster. One of the most famous of the arches collapsed.

We were just there in the Spring and found the whole area quite spectacular. I have a few photos of some of the many Arches in the Park. And to know that one of them collapsed......WOW!!!



To be honest I don't know if I have a photo of the one that went away.

Nom, Nom, Nom

We have a hedge of scraggly looking bushes to the side and rear of the spot where we have our RV parked. When spring came these bushes started to green, nice enough but now look at them.

This is a berry that is a cross between a raspberry and a boysenberry and let me say this they are scrumptious. Now I believe without checking with google, a boysenberry is a cross between a blackberry, a loganberry and I think a raspberry.

I did catch Mr Doodles while picking them he was picking three and eating two........bless his little heart. We have had them plain just popping them like candy, have had them with yogurt, made a smoothie with them. I could only wish my Momma was here to make a pie....................oh my word would Momma love these.

Salida, Colorado

Talk about vistas .....this area certainly has them. The Upper Arkansas River Valley is known for whitewater rafting, clean crisp air and flatlands dotted with cattle and horses.

The farmlands grows some of the very best cantaloupe you have ever eaten (how fitting for me to be in an area for great cantaloupe) and fresh corn the very best I have ever eaten.Cloud formations in the mountains are quite nice against the crisp blue skies.

OK Salida is not just about food............mountain climbing, wonderful winter sports of which I would never, ever participate and hot springs.

Mr Doodles had no intention of taking this scenic ride up Monarch Mountain.

Hot springs.........now when I heard that certainly got my attention. Colorado has many hot springs around this beautiful state. But Salida is a state of the art aquatic center. We went into the center with the intention of bobbing around in the medicinal hot springs but being that it was Saturday and quite crowded we decided a later time might be better.

The Arkansas River runs thru this quaint mining town and does attract many kyakers and rafters.

Olympics

Good Luck to the
American Athletes
for these
Olympic Games !!!

Rainbow Lake

A trip just a few miles down the road from us but some 4000 + feet in elevation higher than where we are right now.



Just off highway 50, Gunnison County, Southwest Colorado , we turn onto a gravel road that turns into dirt and gravel fairly soon. Travel on this one lane dusty, twisty road is about 15 miles and a little longer than an hour.



We had a lot of time as we were expecting company but not till mid day. Nice when your company brings their home with them.




A site to behold when we reached the top....................breathtaking views. And even a tad bit of snow remained......so yes the weather was a bit cooler at the top of the mountain. There again I am missing having a wide angle lens .....it's going on my wish list and I won't gripe about it anymore.....I promise.


The above photo is of the beautiful Aspen trees......this particular bunch is schedule for cutting in the next couple a years. They do this about every fifteen to twenty years. So we were figuring this particular group is probably near a hundred years old. I don't know if we will be here when the leaves start to turn but from what I hear Aspen's are just a gorgeous color. I think I would like to enlarge this photo.


On a lighter note.........look at the dirt on Mr Doodles truck.........

Storm brewing..............

We have been known to have some wicked weather in this area of South West Colorado. But being that it is more of a dry desert climate in the summer, the rains seem to skip thru the mountains and not land on us. Boy do they need rain

Storm coming............
Here's hoping that this impending storm will drop some much needed rain. You would think with all the snow they had this past winter rain would not be needed.


It's raining somewhere.................




But not here...........maybe next time.............but aren't the rainbows spectacular. I'm serious I gotta find a wide angle lens.

No I don't need that

Many of you know that Mr Doodles and I along with our cat Buddy live permanently in our RV. Now it's a lovely, somewhat spacious in terms of RV's.

One of the first things the Mr Doodles asked was keep the contents down OK. We have a weight issue. OK so I agreed to keep it to a minimum HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!
Please don't mention the many wine bottles I had stashed in various spots. Many of which have been consumed.

So it's been a year plus a few months and I hate to say this but Mr Doodles was right, RV living is a completely different lifestyle. Casual, like why do I do that little black dress I have hanging in the closet? Where the heck am I ever gonna wear that? But yet it stays there cause I'm the type that says ya never know. Even Mr Doodles has some clothes hanging in the closet that he has never worn that I have put in the category of ya never know.

And much to my friend kimmy's chagrin I have quite a collection of Depression Glass. Not all of it in the RV but a few pieces.

We are lucky that I was able to unload a few storage boxes at sisters consisting of winter clothes mostly. So we'll buzz back by their house come fall and change out summer for winter. However that does depend on where we end up for the fall winter months. That is still up in the air with several options.

I guess that's the very best part of living in an RV........"where shall we go next"?

Stay tuna'd..............ya never know!!!