Ramblings from Pueblo

I just have to share some truly hilarious things the grand kids have said.

When Bec & Devin visited, Shep had told Logan a while back that he lost his hair from the wind. We were sitting outside in the wind, so Shep asked Logan how he lost his hair. Logan's response was, "Papa, you lost your hair because you drink too much."

Becky & Devin were in the car with the kids having an animated discussion about something. Logan pipes up, "Mom, dad, you aren't sharing your words!"

When visiting Owen, we got a game out to play. He very politely asked me if I need to have the directions on how to play. I said yes. Bree remarked that Nana and Papa played Caribou once before, and he explained to Papa what the directions were, too. Bree then asked if Papa had listened, and Owen remarked, "He did not."

Owen asked Josh and Bree how stickers were made. Neither on of them had an answer, so he said that he thought Nana would know how to make them!

I was in Bailey last week and out of the blue, Amelia said, "Is Papa Shep your friend?" Pretty cute!

Now for the adventures of Linda:

Since leaving my job in June, I have been on a vacation of sorts.

Over the weekend of July 4, I went to Grand Junction for 5 days to visit, and catch up with people. Becky was there, too, for Mara Phillip's wedding reception, and we saw people we have not see for many years. I stayed with Feathers and Sherry White, and had the usual laughs!

Becky & the kids visited here for a week the end of July and we had a great time. Becky got to do some shopping while I watched Logan & Laila. Los Alamos does not have the best shopping! We met all three families for a camping trip near Canon City for the weekend. I was not going to spend the night, but I did anyway. So much for a comfortable night's sleep! We had so much fun and the kids were great together. We celebrated Amelia's 3rd birthday with cupcakes, a scavenger hunt, and that night we had S'Mores - always a big hit.

I managed to visit Los Alamos to give Becky & Devin an anniversary night away. They went to the Santa Fe Opera and spent a night in Taos. By the way, for any adventuresome soles, both of these are great ways to get away and enjoy the best of the best. Logan and Laila were so much fun. We went to the "Bomb Museum", I don't know the real name of it. I did not get to read a lot about the building of the bomb, but they have a play area for the kids that is great. The museum was free, and really awesome! Some day I will have to go by myself. We read a lot of books on my visit and generally had a great time visiting with both kids. They are really fun and active. I took the back way from Pueblo and really enjoyed the ride over LaVeta Pass - it is beautiful. One highlight of the trip was a cow and calf elk crossing the road right in front of me, but not close enough to be a danger! However, I have decided that road signs in NM are really rare and sometimes not very informative, either. I came back on I-25 so I could shop at Trader Joe's. Before I left, we dropped Laila and Logan at daycare/preschool. It was so cute to see little Laila with her pink lunchbox go over to the fridge, open it, and put the lunchbox in. It made me realize how quickly these kiddos are growing up. Logan couldn't wait to get to his room! The visits are so much fun because of the different things to see. Becky and I took the kids to Bandalier and climbed ladders into the Indian ruins. It was great for the kids, but like a coronary watching them climb up! Laila is so athletic and sure on her feet. She always gives me a scare. Logan, fortunately is very careful. Logan still has a bunch of questions about trains (that is one of his favorite reasons to visit us in Pueblo) Laila likes to come here to see the stuffed monkey. I have this huge stuffed monkey that is a favorite of both Laila's and Amelia's. The Close garden did quite well this year and we harvested 2 cherry tomatoes and checked out the pumpkin growth a couple of times a day. Make sure to check out their blog-they have great videos and pictures. There are also updates on Becky's new job.

Josh, Bree, Owen and Wyatt are close enough we see them every couple of weeks. The family is not venturing far from home these days since Owen has been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. It is requiring monitoring, shots, food on a regular basis and just watching him carefully. He is adapting extremely well. Josh and Bree have handled the situation so well! This weekend we were visiting and he was explaining all about how to set up his blood test, talked about his shots, and bragged about his variety of band aids. Bless them all - what a lot of work. The boys have both grown a lot. Owen is still interested in dinosaurs and Wyatt is interested in everything "Owen". It is so fun to watch the sibling thing going on. Wyatt calls Owen Owie, Papa Shep is "Hap", and that is all he says when I come in the door even without Shep. He is a guys guy, I guess, because Shep is the main man when Wyatt is around. He calls me Nanny or something similar. We have helped Josh with his terracing in his yard, a little anyway. For our birthdays, Josh and I got the grass planted for the kids' play area and around the sandbox he built. They will have an awesome yard, but it has meant that Josh has dug and hauled tons of dirt! It is great to see them often and play with the boys. What a treat. Bree is doing great with the pregnancy - due date about Dec. 24 or so. Josh's work is better this year, not quite so hectic.

A couple of weeks ago I went to Bailey to give Ben and Brenda an anniversary away, too. They went to Breckenridge for two nights and played golf and enjoyed conversation without interruption. Amelia and Cavan were great. Amelia is growing up, but still a real cuddly one! We had the usual fun reading books and playing with her toys. Cavan is walking and really getting his "mountain feet". He can walk all over outside on the uneven ground. We had a fun visit and Ben and Brenda got to get away for a breather. Brenda has done 2 triathelons and Ben did the 100 mile mountain bike race (Bailey Hundo). I am not sure how they do it all. I also went up for 5 days and helped Ben with the kids while Brenda went to a conference. It is so nice to have the freedom to do those kind of things, and spend more time with the kiddos. Ben and I did the usual thing for the two of us. We were in the middle of a card game, and couldn't hold all of the cards in our hands, so we went to the garage and built wooden card holders (10:00 p.m.) so we could finish the game. I don't know any other two people who would do such a thing - too fun!

Shep and I went on a 3 day adventure to Carlsbad Caverns. I always wanted to go, but it is 520 miles from Pueblo, and there is not a lot along the way unless you do the Taos, Santa Fe way. I was blown away by the vast size of the caverns. It isn't the least bit claustrophobic because they are so enormous. We went into the natural entrance and walked for an hour downhill to the bottom and did an additional mile loop, It was so quiet the drops of moisture echoed through the caves. What an awesome sight! You should all consider this great adventure. It is worth the drive. The night we arrived we were able to listen to the Park Range talk about the bats that live in the caves. At 7:15 they started flying out by the tens of thousands to feed in the vast fields south to Texas. We watched them for 45 minutes, until it was too dark and they did not quit pouring out of the cave. It was the most incredible sight - well worth seeing! On the way back we detoured to Capulin Volcano (Spanish Flower) - an extinct volcanic cinder cone. It was beautiful and an easy drive off of I-25.

I visited with Cindy Jobe for a few days. She broke her arm and couldn't drive much, so I went to Highlands Ranch and we took the Lite Rail to the 16th street mall for the day and had a blast. I went to help her out, but we just visited and had fun, instead. What a great trip!

Shep and I are generally enjoying an easy life. I have read more great books in the last couple of months! What a treat. We have met some nice neighbors and will be socializing more at the end of this month for wine and dinner. We put baseboards in the living room and it looks great. Household repairs are never ending.

My lawn has been overtaken by grubs, so I have been furiously battling them. I even dug some up to feed to the ants (I figured they were hungry). I finally gave up and had to spray for them, because the parasitic nemetoads cannot be found in Colorado. They would have been a great solution, but unavailable. Now I have to replant the grass. It is almost cool enough to plant and keep it watered until it germinates. My flowers have been great, but I have discovered a whole different assortment of bugs and stuff here as compared to GJ.

Our newest adventure is bike riding. We both bought new comfort bikes with gears and good brakes. (It took me a while to learn to brake and switch gears. We ride about 3 times a week and go anywhere from 5 to 13.5 miles. We can leave the house and ride all the way to the Lake Pueblo Dam. The nature trail is beautiful. We have seen a deer with two fawns in spots, a snail, several snakes, a swan on the river, lots of beetles, some Cormorants sitting in trees along the river, Blue Herons, Ducks, and lots of people. The nature center has a cafe with great coffee and cheap breakfast and lunch meals, so there is always that incentive to ride. The weather is beautiful so much of the year, that I hope to be able to stand the colder weather that is fast approaching. On the way back there is a steep hill and my goal is to make it to the top (maybe in my wildest dreams). It is a lot more fun going down that hill.

I am hoping to talk Shep into a visit to the eastern desert region near here, just past the University The tarantulas are out this time of year and I have always wanted to see one. We almost hit one on the road to Carlsbad, but I would rather see them in their element. I guess it requires a night visit, however, so we will see.

We found an incredible art studio in Pueblo "Latka" - you might want to look it up on the internet. They are making a special art piece for the new aqua center at Mesa College. It is really a neat, eclectic kind of studio tucked into a neighborhood not far from the house. It was fun to tour it with a neighbor who helps the two artists. Very much up my alley with collections of odd things put to different uses.

I still have lunch every couple of weeks with the girls from the Foundation Office. It is great to keep in touch with them and have a few laughs.

Job hunting is on again. I have applied for several jobs from the newspaper, still looking into temporary work, and have signed up with District 60 for a secretarial substitute. I will have to get serious really soon, so here I go again. Semi-retirement is great, but the pay stinks.

I think that is about all of the news for now. Please email me and let me know how all of you are doing. If you read this, feel free to post comments!!!!!!

Summer & many changes have finally come to Pueblo

Hello to all of you who have either not heard from me or wondering if I have dropped off the face of the earth. I am still here, and finally have the time to let you all know what is going on.



Work - well, as of June, I am unemployed once again. The job at the University became too much, so I resigned and am on to a new adventure in retirement and part time work. As of yet, I have not looked for employment, I am regrouping the rest of my life and hope to find some work that is rewarding if not financially, then just plain easy and mindless!



Shep and I have found quite an agreeable lifestyle, not only unconventional, but unencumbered by expectations. We have both some financial freedom and personal space which works well. It is so nice to have another person to take side trips with, to eat with, cook for and clean up after! Believe it or not, I enjoy all of the above. With my partial retirement, I have been lucky to keep expenses low and still maintain some level of enjoyment!



We visited Bent's Old Fort east of LaJunta and enjoyed the trip immensely. It is a huge fort in the middle of nowhere. We had an interesting tour of the rooms and a great background on the visitors to the fort over the years. I recently read a great book "The Old Ace in the Hole" which describes the Fort and some occupants. It was a great read!



The Royal Gorge visit last week was really fun! Not only had Shep never been there, but I was a visitor as a young child and there was only a bridge - not much else. It is a huge entertainment meca for kids and parents alike. I balked at the $25 admission fee, but we ended up spending most of the day enjoying the activities. It is a good thing we went last week, because there is a fire there right now, and the park is closed. If you are ever in the area, it is worth the visit. We also happend to be there when the T-Buckets were touring. The cars are really fun, and some owners gave both Shep and I a ride across the bridge. It was really fun and the cars were incredible.

Since February I have visited the Close family in Los Alamos for 5 days, seen Josh, Bree, Owen and Wyatt a lot, and been to see Ben, Brenda, Amelia and Cavan as well. What a nice experience to get to visit them and watch those children grow up! They are growing so fast.

Becky and Devin really like Los Alamos - it is really a unique community with a whole lot of educated people and many are very outdoorsy! They ski, hike, and Becky is doing half-marathons and Devin does a lot of mountain bike riding as well. Logan is 4 - can hardly believe it- and just as curious as ever. He loves trains. When I visited, we went from Santa Fe to Albuquerque on the Rail Runner. Logan talks to adults so well, he was speaking with the engineer before we got on the train. After the ride (which he loved!) the engineer saw us and gave him an engineer pin. It was real brass, not the plastic kind. He was so funny and the engineer was amazed at his questions! He quizzes me on the types of trains in books and pictures, and of course I can't answer the questions. When they come to Pueblo, he gets to go over the 4th street bridge where the switching stations are - what a treat. On one visit, we went to the River Walk and there is a coal train that passes by the end of the walk. It just happened to be going through when we were there. Becky says he is out of library books to read on trains now, so I don't know what she will do. That is his favorite activity - going to the library to find train books. Laila is just precious and what a talker. She is two now and has the cutest mannerisms - she reminds me of Becky. When they were through a couple of weeks ago, she came in the door saying "wanna see the monkey". I have this huge stuffed gorilla and the kids all like it in the living room where they can lay on it. She will spend a long time reading books to herself. She carefully turns each page and reads - mostly not clearly - but she will finish the whole book and start over on another one. She is a great little dancer with some remarkable moves. Look at the videos they posted - what a crack up. She is not nearly as reserved now that she is old enough to remember me between visits - I love that! Becky is being a Mom and may work part time in the near future in an environmental consulting firm. She isn't in any great rush. Devin really likes the lab he is in. They are lucky to have some great skills he brings to the job.

Ben and Brenda are trying to sell their house this summer to get closer to grocery stores, etc. Things aren't moving in the mountains any better than anywhere else, though. They will just hang on until something breaks. Ben likes working from home and it is easier with the kids, because Brenda commutes twice a week to her job that moved closer to the Denver area. Amelia just loves her Nana and our visits are always fun. She will be 3 in August! Her favorite things to play with are her kitchen and babies. We dress a lot of dolls and read a bunch of books when I visit. It is so fun to watch her in the yard running up and down the hillside - she is quite the mountain kid! She is like Laila with the dance moves, and she knows most of the words to songs, which she sings to me. When I am around she lets me help her with toothbrushing and hair combing. I love doing the pigtails and can't wait til I can braid the girls' hair! Cavan is just 1 and a smiley as can be. He is happy and active! He does the army crawl a lost of the time and loves to go in and out of the house down a step. He tumbles once in a while, but he can spend his time happily in the doorway. He has a real belly laugh and the sparkling eyes. He and Amelia look a lot alike right now. Ben just did a 100 mile mountain bike race-the Bailey Hundo. Check out his blog for the pictures when they post them. I went up to help and we got to go to the Romer Ranch for dinner the night before the race. Chris Romer was the brain child. We had a great dinner and met a few politicians. The ranch is not far from their house - just beautiful. The race the next day was crazy-we met Ben at the half way point and helped him with water and snacks (briefly). It took him from 6:00 a.m.to 4:00 p.m. to complete the race. He did great because the terrain was incredibly technical. It was really fun! Brenda ran the Bolder Boulder (sp). They are busy this summer going to Wisconsin, Tennessee and I don't know where else.

Josh and Bree are really enjoying their house in Colorado Springs. It is so much roomier for them with the boys getting older. Josh has embarked on a terracing yard project. I went down one day to watch him with the skid loader-I held my breath most of the day because the yard is so steep. He enjoyed it, and when Ben arrived it was like they were both kids again! Josh really loves his job as an Assistant Principal at Fountain Middle School. Being so close to home has been a great advantage compared to his commute when they lived in Pueblo. Bree is still doing tutoring on-line and taking care of the kiddos. She has a great group of friends and keeps busy with them. Owen is 4 and quite the expert on dinosaurs. He can say all of the names and is quick to correct me if I mispronounce the names. His visit to the Dinosaur museum in Woodland Park and in Oklahoma were big hits. He is full of information about every aspect of each dinosaur. He doesn't sing as much as he used to as a performance (I miss that). He likes his books just like Logan! Wyatt is 1 1/2 and just as cute as Josh was at that age. He has that little grin and those long eyelashes. What a joy he is, running around immitating his brother. They have a great blog showing him jumping-it is a must see. He is really happy following Owen around and loves to throw balls. I got to spend a few nights babysitting this spring while Josh and Bree played softball. It was great to get some extra Nana time with them! Josh is bringing them down this Friday to give Bree a break. We'll either go to the zoo or the swim beach at Pueblo Reservoir. They love the water and I am sure there will be plenty of rocks to throw-isn't that what boys do? There will be another Hobgood baby in late December. We're pretty excited - that will make 7 grandchildren from 0-4.

I went to GJ for a week and just got back on July 6. I saw more people there than I did when I lived in the area. What fun to catch up with old friends! Mara Phillips had a wedding reception, so it gave Becky and I an excuse to visit. Becky had to drive 8 hours! She met Wendy in Salida, and left her car. Coming back, Becky and I drove to Salida and she continued on from there by herself. It was great to get caught up for four hours in the car. I wish I could have seen everyone I wanted to on the trip, but people were out of town or times didn't work out. I surely do miss the Monument and the Grand Mesa. I like where I live, but there is nothing quite like the view from the valley. I stayed a few nights with Sherry and then with the Feathers. Sherry and I had a great time and her hospitality can't be beat. When I got to the Feathers, Larry and I did the usual fix it things like swamp coolers. trapping and/or shooting pack rats and a little landscaping thrown in. Joanna is always good for a laugh - after we left a movie, she was gesturing as she spoke and threw a cup of popcorn on my head. We laughed so hard the tears ran down our faces - then three ushers came with their dustpans and brooms to clean up the mess. It was like old times.

My future plans include finding part time work. I am officially retired but the income is certainly not going to be enough to live on. I made some great contacts at the university, so networking should not be as hard as it was when I first moved here. I have faith that things will work out. I just feel like my life is so blessed with a great family and lots of good friends. What more could I ask?

Make sure you keep checking for the family updates. Just click to the right on their site.

Miss you all

Linda