PAWS - itive Vibes

NUMBERS:

BIKE - 538mi / 865km

ACTIVITIES - 21

PR's - 4

HOURS - 45

Days Off The Bike - 10 

So fortunate to have this functioning connective River Trail System and very well used by other cyclist, roller blade racers, wheel chair folks, random tandem bikes, and various couples out for a journey through the Valley. We all ride through golden colors of bliss. YES

CYCLING:

Cycling is an attitude adjuster activity and a pretty damn nice endorphin rush while screaming down the Rocky Mountain descents. Been stripping off my pissy pants and settling in on the saddle for mind clearing spins. Started climbing hills because I am a complete lump of room temperature butter when it comes to hill repeats. First time up, cool. Second time up, sucks. Third time, should dismount the bike and walk. And Where Is That Cardiovascular System 

And the horrified facial expressions crack me up. Rode the commuter bike, like I always do, everyone asked if I rode in this morning at 18F / -7C. With my helmet under my arm, I so want to be the worlds biggest dickhead. In my mind I ask, what was your carbon impact this morning? How long did you warm up you car when you are really just warming it up so you don't feel cold? Did you really drive less than 3 miles this morning? Is your car still warm for the commute home or does it need to idle again? And I am the silly one?? Wake Up Humans 

This was a very special moment. I rode past this spot and witnessed this handsome Bald Eagle spreading its wings as it swooped in for a landing on that dead Cottonwood tree. So I spun back around to capture this beautiful sight. Just as I hit that red button on my iPhone, a friend from long ago rang. Stoked 

C19:

The only good news out of this disastrous virus was the opportunity for a ZOOM funeral. If Den would have passed in 2019, All I could say to Rob is that I am thinking of you or other BS statements from this side of the world. But with COVID, the Australian funeral home streamed the whole service and I did feel apart of the ceremony. Without that technology, would have never seen the slide show photos of Dennis from his childhood, would have missed out on all the stories his friends, mates, and co-worked shared, and would have felt really disconnected. 

When the news came in that Dennis was consciously stopping all treatments, I began honoring him. Only took me about 12 days to fill this trash can with empty grog cans. When Robert spoke during the service he said at one point," ...with a can in hand, Dennis would approve." Robert gave a well stated from the heart 3 or 4 page eulogy. Tear jerker for sure but filled with humor as well. Truly amazed how well Robert held up while speaking. Very Impressive Really 

WORK:

Here are some before and after shots of the wonderful outdoor work I was doing before the winter blast hit. I made a quick pit stop before McClure Pass to stretch the low back and shake the legs out. If I didn't stop, would never have seen Team Bambi strolling across the road. 

The forecast for my day, the below photo is task at hand with a weed eater. But before that sucker fired to life, such a peaceful location. I firmly believe that Aspen Trees communicate through their root system, just like James Cameron's movie Avatar. The largest grove of living Aspens are right here in Colorado. Something special about simply standing quietly amongst these living beauties and breathing in the fresh mountain air. 

And afterwards. My job for the day was cutting a path from the main road to this watering hole. The path was actually a road from way back when thats been barricaded for decades to any thought 4x4 action. With the right tunes dancing through my earbuds and short safety meetings, cleaned up rather nicely.

This little watering hole is stunningly gorgeous and I am rather luck to have this as a back drop while I worked. The clear water is provided by mountain snow run off and trickled down into each separate beaver lake/lodge habitat. This landscape setting inhabits joy as a majority of the leaves had fallen but these bright orange reddish beauties were still hanging on. Such A Beautiful World 

Another before photo here down below. That tall grass was about hip high and those dormant twigs along the road were awful. If I walked anywhere near those pesky sticks, the weed wacker would damn near fly from my hands. The Sh*T Sucked 

So my day was basically making a medium high pass and following that up with a ground level pass. And of course, its my MO, I worked the road like munching down on a summer time sweet corn on a cob. The job took me all afternoon but I didn't care. Yes, could think of a hundred things that I would rather be doing but work is work and thats way its called WORK. 

Just how cool is manual labor?? I get paid to do this. But on the bright side, my little flask of Makers Mark made it until the end. Another byproduct behind wearing a mask, nobody could smell my breath at 11am. 

And after a camp stove dinner of noodles, mixed with homemade sauce, fresh streamed broccoli and cauliflower, and a killer organic baby mix salad, I was treated to this sunset. Something about thin air sunsets. The three planets of Venus, Mars, and Saturn popped up first. Then, stars like you couldn't imagine. The Milky Way didn't appear until well after midnight but that gassy cloud was stupendous and astounding all at the same time. When you're gazing up, your mind begins to activate with all kinds of creative avenues. Love That!! What to paint next, landscaping projects, where to ride in 2021. You Know, Night Dreaming 

And the harvest before the storm!! Roasting these beauties and then quickly into an ice bath they go. They are then frozen until later this winter. So looking forward to munching down on these guys around New Years. Loads of harvesting and timing just as the brutal winter weather blast hit. Made It, But Damn 

SNOW:

The week leading up to the storm , winterizing swamp coolers, disconnecting hoses, and pulling in all the house plants from patios, walkways, and front steps. Believe me, I was dead on wrong this storm. The local meteorologist have been miss forecasting storms for years now and boldly stated the Grand Valley was in for 6-8inches of snow. Me, sure!?!? More like two inches of rain at most was my prediction. So Wrong 

They did however miss inform us about the moisture content associated with this front. I only recorded 3.75 inches of snow but it was a very wet snow that fell. Shoveling sidewalks and driveways took a little effort on my part. I have perviously shoveled out a number of older neighbors just because but this time around, passed on two houses. They had put up their Trump flags and Trump Sh*t in September and I happily just walked on by with my shovel. 

After a few brews, swapped out my wet boots for my dry pair and started walking. There is something about the crunching sound of fresh Pow Pow under my boot steps. The air is so still after a storm rolls through and a true sense of peace hovered over my walk-a-bout. So Dig That 

The above photo was shot at 7:11pm and its pretty dark out here in Colorado by then. Our light pollution is unreal!! Ended up taking myself out for another walk around 10pm or so because the streets were so well illuminated. I walked right down the middle of the street like I used to do with The Boy Dog. 

While walking, loads of branches were breaking off because of the weight from all the wet snow adding up. A crack of a limb creates a very distinct sound. There are two full size pick up trucks under that branch in the above photo. At one point, a tree limb from an Elm Tree snapped and crashed down to Mother Earth just ahead of me. The "dust" cloud of snow reminded me of clips from a Loney Tune cartoon. You know, when Wile E. Coyote would fall off a cliff after chasing the elusive road runner. So Cool 

HALLOWEEN:

Well, Halloween Eve shenanigans actually. Our Dr Seuss plans were tossed out the window and I am passing on that Caveman / Cavewomen outing tonight. Last night however, totally righteous!! 

The oldest niece just moved into a really sweet house and hosted a gathering of friends and family for a mini Halloween Eve. I wasn't all that fired up and obviously skeptical with COVID and unknowns but was talked into it. Our plan was to make an appearance and if it was a sitting around the living room style of party, we would split. Another Field Trip 

Turns out, the old roommate that move out so my niece could move, long ago friend of mine. So I ended up knowing almost everyone at the "party" and we all hung out in the backyard for most of the night shooting the Sh*t and reminiscing about past friends, old business we used to frequent, and basic updates in general. Turned out to be a really good group and very respectful. Masks were clearly worn, space was created when sipping brews, and a majority of the group knew each other from daily work interactions or lovers of the friend. 

The Dude & I would socialize for a bit and then we would hop on the decorated bikes for a ride around town. This pattern played out all night and couldn't have worked out any better. Our highly visible bikes were dressed in lights, our bells rang out for anyone and everyone, and our outfits were ideal for the cooler night time temperatures. Yes, top of the parking structure was the site of a few swigs to refresh the core. 

Hungover as all get out, home made bath bagels were under way. I defiantly dropped the ball by not having a proper bloody mary station set up. The fresh brewed coffee was nice but bloodies would have been the veteran move. OOPS

Went with a classic everything bagel and a very tasty salt and lightly fresh crushed garlic. After the yeast became activated, floated four of them at a time in the boiling water for about 55 seconds, coated with the appropriate toppings after a quick egg wash brushing, and then baked off for about 25 minutes. Good Ol Philly Cream Cheese and fresh Smoked Sockeye Salmon waited the oven baked wonders. Turn Out, Oh Baby 

And here is my Blue Moon offering for tonight. Fresh spring water from the mountain spring I stumbled upon and wrote about on September 3rd and topped the mason jar off with a crystal for extra good juju. Serious Blessings Here 

GOALS:

1. Smile With My Heart 
2. Adding Heavier Weight To The Routine 
3. Be Present 
4. Climb Like There Is No Tomorrow 
5. Say Something Nice For No Reason At All 

As the time changes tonight, check on your friends. There is this massive political static charge in the air. Stress is around every corner and stress never judges. It is a fact that heart attacks increase during time changes, car accidents are elevated, and sunsets at 3pm just simply sucks. And on top of that, A Blue Moon happens tonight to encompass the whole wacky freaking Halloween weekend. If you're truly a friend, call and say good morning, good afternoon, or good evening, I am thinking about you and wanted to catch up. Its That Easy

Be Well & Do Better,

CHEERS 

Well Sh*t Fire - Scraping The Bottom Of The Barrel For The Second Time

This just might be an update that you will want to pass on. Seriously, you might not want to continue on reading. 

The Dude snapped off this above photo back in July 2019. The photo below was sent to me on October 10th 2020. My buddy, My friends, My mate 

Dennis was diagnosed with bone cancer in December of 2019. Still shocking news to me but even more completely stunned on Sunday the 11th when receiving the grim news.

What you must understand here is that Dennis was more than just a human. He was so caring and found a true passion within the automobile industry. His knowledge of road worthy cars was quite astounding really. Dennis was a jokester and he left us way to early.

Tonight, as I write this, his funeral is about to take place on YouTube in about an hours time. Me, I am beside myself. But for his twin, my loneliness matters are rather insignificant. I sympathize with his twin Robert because Den & I gravitated as one. Example?? When Den was driving, I was shotgun. And Robert and The Dude were inseparable. The photo above, can you guess where I was seated??

This past week was beyond strange for me as I waffled through it in a haze. Example??? Ready for this, a number of folks from my past resurfaced with a wide range of undulating issues or life situations to share. I strived towards my best to accommodate, is that the word, maybe compassion would be the preferred word. Who cares. This past week was a struggle for me as I was processing my mates passing but yielding my feelings to others I care for in hopes they could seek the best possible outcome. But the reality of it, not one asked me how I was doing. 

And that is honestly and a bit candidly OK because I am not sure how I would have reacted. Their calls, texts, and outreaches were a perfectly timed distraction from my own debacles of life now that I am reflecting. The above photo was from 1985. The Dude, Robert, Me, and Dennis at my moms place. Not too long after this shot, TJ bound, back when it was a safe place for dancing and under age drinking. Back when every night was a festival. Back when meals were cheap, safety was never a concern because it was the norm, and the donkey show wasn't even a thing. You Know, The Good Times With Even Better Friends  

Sharing my latest acrylic piece with ya. Tuesday, two days after receiving the news of Den, I poured and then painted this piece for Hippy Jim and Susan. Those two crazy kids hit 15 years of marriage and are as happy together now as they were back then. I only wish I had my photos from that ceremony. That whole week is for another update for future posts. 

How all this ties in together you ask??? Denver Chris just hit the big 50 this past 13th of October. Hippy Jim and Susan to the left, Uncle Karl and Janet to the right. This group was very familiar with the twins. We have cross pollinated the twins with The Cheese Family and the twins joined the family in 2004. So on DC's birthday, toasted the twins a few times. Dennis, we successfully honored your life that night. You would have approved. 

We all took a little field trip on the 13th and hit a few watering holes along the way. The Handle Bar Tap House was first, a new bar downtown GJ after that, and consumed refreshingly wonderful homemade pizzas along the river in Palisade. And guess who I spent that night with?? Meet Ben. Ben is an old 9 year old Golden who's owners passed away earlier this year. Ben now travels with the hippies. Quite happy he is and we cuddled until sunrise. I haven't snuggled with anyone or anything in almost two years now. And that may be the problem, I am fucking lonely. I wish I had the gift of love. 

I truly miss laying as one with someone I honesty love and feel completely vulnerable with. To share that moment when the other person shifts positions in the middle of the night and I briefly kiss them on the back of their exposed neck. Experiencing true intimacy without intercourse. Knowing we will wake as a team and able to take on any adventure we so choose. Filling the day with compliments and completing tasks at hand because you want to. Leaving little treats for your partner for them to discovery later on at some point. Spontaneously preparing their favorite meal so when they walk through the door their sniffer senses go into overload. I dearly miss the simple just because hug. 

So my plan was to head down to the San Juans and camp for a couple of days and be back for the YouTube Funeral. As I am driving along with my obscure thoughts, it dawns on me, I AM IN Phuc-N Hotchkiss. Totally on auto pilot, I turned towards Marble as if I was going to work. What A Classic

Of course I amused myself with "Oh Well" and drove on up to Marble. The good news, it was if I had the whole town to myself to share with Old Mr Bear. The calming sounds of a Fall breeze through the evergreen trees was soothing, zero city light pollution offered up the opportunity for Milky Way staring, and my bed roll spread flat under a canopy of shooting stars. One of the best ways to pass out cold. Speaking of cold, I woke up freezing inside my sleeping bag. Found out later that Marble had a low of 34F/ 1c that night. But totally worth it because the night sky was beyond alive. The air was dead still and constellations were almost lost inside all those tiny of tiniest twinkling light years away gases. Stunning 

The link is about to go live. Warned you that you might not wanna read this. Death of a mate sucks!! Oh, and then just when I thought I was near rock bottom, more Sh*tty news rolled in. Halloween is my favorite holiday and you all know this. I love playing dress up. Our group has been creating theme costumes for decades. Last year was Cowboys and Indians, before that was Robots, and so on. As we always do, July 4th is when we set the theme in stone, we all fabricate our costumes during the rest of the Summer months. This year, the two little ones will be Thing 1 and Thing 2. I'm immediately all in as you all know my history with Dr Seuss. Ideas were bouncing around in my mind like a bouncing super ball inside an elevator.  So I have meticulously hand stitched a Vlad Vladikoff outfit together back in September and just started working on the leggings. Just before the news of Dennis passing away, the theme was changed. The kids want to be dinosaurs now so the adults agreed on Cavemen and Women. Phuc-N Yuck!! Does Mr Sun really have to come up tomorrow? Can I possibly take anymore of this? Will the Human Race ever stick by their word? For me, someones handshake doesn't carry merit these days because everyone has a justified COVID cop out.  

Anyway, Me and The Boy Dog with Robert and Dennis from June 2015. I know that The Boy Dog welcomed Dennis with open paws. Together, those two are waiting for me. Looking forward to seeing you both on the other side. Rest In Peace Dennis 

Rough Cut = Rough Times

The migration towards the higher country offered bigger rewards than expected. I just sensed that I was in for a treat but what I witnessed was truly magical. Brick Red Scrub Oak, Green & Yellow Aspen Trees Groves, and Mighty Evergreen Trees standing erect amongst the color palette provided by the Centennial Divide. Sign Me Up

I arrived a day earlier because I had the time and needed the mental break from daily chaos. Plus, it was really nice to escape the smoke filled skies. The Valley took a hit again by the California wild fires. What appears to be cloud cover in the above photo is actually a smokey haze lingering about. Sucks

This is what awaited me on my free day. The ever so soft breeze plucked these golden leaves from their perch and into the air they went. Those little guys floated down towards me in a seesaw swaying motion but the sound they produced while airborne was so special. More than just a rustling sound but more of a comforting blanket of reassurance. Right Here, Right Now 

No trail running these days but the casual hike presented a full on blissed out experience. The leaves crunching beneath my feet, The Crystal River cascaded rushing like sounds off the mountain sides, and one hell of a glorious sunset awaited my stumbling old body into the open space of clarity. Let's Problem Solve 

I carried along the trail and pleasantly never crossed paths with another human. Might have crossed paths with a soul or two but no knuckleheads this trip. YES

The shift of crisp clean evening air was a gentle reminder that my noodles are uncooked and my sauce is still in the mason jar. Would love to have continued on but the hunger pains scrum my walking dreams. Thankfully, boiling water doesn't take all that long and my Full Moon tomato sauce only needs a slight moment under the burner. Best Meal Ever 

ROUGH CUT:

A number of you fine folks knew of this style of material and quite a few asked for some photos. I thank you, I heard you, and I present to you my 9 hour day of manual labor. As The Great Comedian Steve Martin Once Said," I get paid for doing this." 

The ends are stain free because of cracks, splits, or future cuts for fitting to size. My pattern of production consisted of staining each side first and then laying them flat for their first coat. After a few hours, flip over, stain the backside. In this arid climate of about 12% humidity, these boards are dry within about four hours. 

Check out how that massive saw blade chews into these boards like butter. A few 14 footers, a majority of them are 12 footers, a number of 8 foot boards, and then 8 4x2's for trim work around the door, corner edges, and windows. And that there my friends, is about $450.oo of rough cut lumber with about the same dollar amount of oil based stain. Yah00000ooooooo 

The photo below, check out the 4th and 5th boards from the left. A shinny steal bandsaw blade rips these boards to the desirable width but leaves pretty cool markings in my opinion. Hints, rough cut lumber and think leather gloves for my sissy paws. But before applying the stain, those boards smell so good. Totally Raw 

Ponderosa Pine, Douglas Fur, and Blue Spruce for mixing and matching the board & buckle style. Fingers crossed that these bark stripped beauties will start going up before the first snow fall. Time Will Tell

On a good note, really enjoyed working outside. Is this what I want to do?? Sh*T No. But it is work and my office is surrounded by amazingly color changing Aspen Trees, Blue Jays & Crow calls echoing through the lush forest landscape, a perfectly timed light breeze produced by Mother Nature to cool down my core, and clean fresh air surrounds my muffled thoughts. Not a bad combo when rolling out gallons and gallons of stain. So Thats Cool

ORTHO:

There was an Ortho session this week that went well and worth a mention. A client from way back forwarded my contact info and their friend had a jacked up knee issue. They pitched the idea of a backyard session at their place with a dinner afterwards. Dinner It Is 

I set up my table under their Ash Tree and we got to work. I started with the good leg and released the foot, realigned their Tibia / Fibula relationship, and released their Psoas Muscle. On to the "injured" knee / leg. I was simply checking the Cuboid / Talus relationship and a huge clunk "popped" in their ankle. They obviously felt it and looked down the table at me. No Pain, just a very noticeable clearing of a blockage. 

I moved up through the lower leg and nearly address the actual knee. Broke up some fascia throughout their quad by working with Langer's Lines and points. Went on to balance their Pelvis, Sacrum, and Ilium. The rest of the session was basic clearing of Chakras and light key Reflex Points. Throughout dinner, they continued to rave about how great they feel. Ortho-Bionimst, Do Nothing Better 

 

LAST DIP:

My last dip of the year in The Crystal River took place as the water has become painfully cold. The beautiful black sandy underwater beach there still remains inviting but that clear mountain water has a bite. I was dripping with sweat from that back breaking elbow grease job, dropped my clothes as if they were on fire, and slinked myself into the shockingly low currents of The Crystal River. 

All in one walking motion, I submerged myself next to that larger slab of marble. Refreshing as all get out, I only lasted a short few seconds. Like 3 seconds tops. My breath vacated my body just as the last hair on my head slipped under the surface. To once again be free from my own salty minerals, legs & feet rinsed of all brush/roller splattered stain, and wide awake from head to toe I quickly trotted myself back towards the bank completely rejuvenated. By the time the UV Rays hit my butt white skin, my knees, ankles, and toes almost ached from the impact of that chill cold water ways. Not Complaining 

And check this out, a mini rock slide had just happened within the month of September. The soil still appears to hold some moisture content and its hasn't rained in like forever. So I was sort of paying attention but just relaxing in the sun when I noticed this bone projecting from the fresh hillside. Hope its an older deer leg or animal bone of some sort but kinda freaked me out. HALLOWEEN Is Just Around The Corner 

GOALS:

1. Hike The Monument During The Meteor Shower
2. Road Ride If The Air Quality Is Healthy Enough
3. Lift With Purpose & Stop Whining About The Smoke 
4. Hustle Winterizing Projects For $$$
5. Sleep In Past 4:30am
6. Edit & Add To My 'Inspiring Blogs That I Enjoy' List 

BONUS:

This blew my mind. So I have been corresponding by blog with The Hummingbird Tribe for awhile now. Very creative folks over there and they upload award winning photos as well. They offer up art projects, sunset photos off their deck overlooking the lake, and various random events from around their neck of the woods as well. 

I followed their simple instructions and this happy little boxed arrived. With pure excitement, ripped into this sucker and smile came across my face from ear to ear. So Thoughtful 

Completely made with love, this is a handmade bar of Goat Milk Lavender infused soap/salve with a little hint of local honey. This bar of happiness will bring life back into my desert dry cracked skin. I tried my best to stage this photo with natural lighting as to showcase the molded stamped goodness. Very Creative 

So ya see, there really are good people in this world still. Never give up because a damn good samaritan just might be lurking around the next corner of hope. What Else Is Possible 

Stay Strong & Think Of Others First,
Cheers