DENVER DOGGIES and BOULDER SNOWFALL September 28-October 9, 2017

Recently I joined the website called Trusted Housesitters. After having pets in our life forever, living without that companionship is so hard, but we both knew it really wouldn't be the best idea to have a new puppy with our nomadic traveling style. Foster was such a sweet little buddy and adapted to the change in his lifestyle when we started this adventure.  

But, instead of beginning again with a new pup, by joining Trusted Housesitters we'll have the best of both travel and the love of pets. So, I signed up, set up our profile with photos and decided since we'd never spent much time in Denver, I'd look for our first experience there. And so began our stay with 3 sweet little ones in the Cherry Creek neighborhood of Denver for 8 days late September.

And it was wonderful! We met the couple a week before they were leaving, had a tour of the house, and learned about the doggies and their care. The home owners were taking a very early flight to Hawaii the day we began so we drove over about 9am and let ourselves in, to be met with the happiest little ones. 

Meet Gracie, the youngest of the gang

Here's Mitty who loved the computer and TV, barking at everything that moved!

And here's Ariel with Gracie in her favorite hangout. What we really loved was to take these three out for long walks around their neighborhood. The houses and gardens were so beautiful, varied architecture and huge leafy tree lined streets.  All of this was within two blocks of a high end shopping district with plenty of restaurants and coffee shops mixed in. Such a  fun place to walk and with warm days we'd walk for an hour at least twice a day which the pups seemed to love...but once we were back at the condo this is what they looked like within minutes of finding a comfy place to rest.

Our friends, Steve and Sherry, joined us on Friday afternoon. They flew from Boise to Denver to pick up their new SAAB, our older one and drive it back home. What a fun weekend we had! Lots of talking, walking and dining.  

Lunch on the porch at the Chatauqua Restaurant

Sunday was gray and chilly so we spent most of the afternoon at the Denver Musuem of Art. Another fabulous exhibit. This work, part of the Mi Tierra exhibition by contemporary Latino artists was made completely of tissue paper pieces...amazing and beautiful filling an entire room, all walls and floor. What a experience that must have been to create it!

Sherry and Steve headed back to Idaho Monday morning in their new car, we took the afternoon to visit the Denver Botanical Gardens. Always beautiful in every season.

Earlier that week I'd made a spontaneous decision to fly to California and surprise a dear friend at her retirement party, leaving the doggies in PK's care.  Turned out the owners needed us to stay one extra night and I already had my tickets, it worked out perfectly. I flew over the snow-dusted Rockies into warm and sunny LAX with a four hour bus ride up to Santa Maria. A long travel day, but the coast route makes it all worth it. I had a wonderful overnight and beach walk the next morning with Sheri then onto Los Osos and a stay with Marcy. Again anther beautiful walk on the bluffs of Montana de Oro before meeting up with everyone in Atascadero for Jill's party and reconnecting with ALL eleven of my  Summer Sisters that usually only happens at our annual summer time together. 

The beauty of the surf at Montana de Oro 

Friend, Katie, Maria and Diane ready to party!

Our sweet retiree, Jill and her son Matt.

Celebrating Jill's amazing career in education with Debbie, Gini and me. Wonderful food and drink, a warm Atascadero evening with a fantastic live combo playing a mix of Caribbean vibes on their new deck, so fun!!!I was sooooooooo happy I'd made the trip out, and the luck of finding a RT ticket for a total of $120 helped make it happen.

While, back in Boulder...a surprise snowfall hit and covered everything in a lovely white blanket Sunday evening. Definitely the first time we've ever been in snow with the RV, most of it gone by the time I got back Monday afternoon.

                                              The same day I returned from California the devastating fires began in Santa Rosa and Napa Valley with fierce and heartbreaking destruction. We have family in the Healdsburg and Potter Valley and followed it all closely, praying that the winds would die down and fires contained. It finally happened but not before the area was devastated. Our family was safe, but so many others were not. How quickly life can spin out of control.