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December 30, 2006 Happy 30th Birthday, Pete! Pete got to have his mom with him on this milestone birthday! |
| December 24, 2006 Pete's mom and stepdad, Gail and Mark, survived the Blizzard of 2006 and made it to Colorado to visit us for the holidays. This photograph was taken at my parents' house, where we celebrated Christmas Eve with a fondue dinner and opening presents. While they were here, we also went to Keystone to see the famed Chocolate Village, to Vail to see the famed lighted trees, to Breckenridge (for dinner), and we toured the Molly Brown House in Denver. We had made additional plans, but not only was their arrival delayed 3 days because of snow, we got more snow while they were here and were snowed-in (again)! Luckily, between the several movies we had rented, and playing board and card games, we were able to keep ourselves entertained. |
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December 23, 2006 I admired this whimsical snowman that our next door neighbors made. |
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December 21, 2006 -- Blizzard of 2006 Can you say, "White Christmas"? :-) Can you say, "Airport closed, all flights cancelled, hope you finished your shopping early because all the roads are impassable and the stores are closed"? :-) Those are some of the things people were saying in the Denver metro area. Pete and I were very fortunate that we didn't have anywhere to be, and we had enough food, shelter, electricity, etc. We "only" got around 20 inches of snow, but, as you probably know: Blizzard = snow + wind. I am mentioning this especially for the (understandably bitter) California man stranded at Denver International Airport who told TV cameras, "You'd think Colorado gets enough snow that this [incompetent] city would learn how to handle it by now." Snow removal equipment can handle snow, but blizzards are impossible to keep up with. Just when we would finish shoveling the driveway, the wind would come out again and decide the snow would look prettier back on the driveway where it had been. This is me shoveling the driveway; I had to stop when the piles of snow were as tall as me! We were supposed to pick Pete's parents up from the airport that day, but obviously, their flight was cancelled; they decided to drive here instead, since there was a major backlog of airline passengers needing flights. |
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| December 18, 2006 I have been into three exciting new musical experiences lately. First, although I have known about it since January, I only recently created my own Pandora station. Pandora is an online radio station that streams free music to you based on your musical preferences. You give Pandora feedback that helps it further select music you would like. I thought melodic speed metal style like I like was dead, but Pandora has exposed me to many new bands out there that are still making this great type of music. I also have heard good songs that I haven't heard in years! Second, I finally acquired a used copy of the soundtrack to Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas (all music and lyrics by Danny Elfman). I have wanted this for years, and it has been such a joy to listen to the expertly crafted music and entertaining lyrics. Some of the lyrics are pretty humorous, such as when the Pumpkin King from Halloween Town discovers Christmas Town, and is astonished to observe, "There are children throwing snowballs here, instead of throwing heads..." This is not heavy metal; it's very orchestral, filled with fun sound effects, very Disney. Third, the best new music I discovered through Pandora is Avantasia: The Metal Opera. There is a complex story line, sung by over ten different characters. You have to read the booklet that comes with the CD to understand the opera's setting and get the full story. The band is a collaboration of some of the best power metal musicians around. It is a 2-CD project; I only have the first CD (but will have to get the second CD soon!). I love the high, soaring tenor vocals (most of the characters are male), and the impossibly fast, pseudo-classical guitar playing. With music this exciting, who needs caffeine? |
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October 31, 2006 Happy Halloween!!!!! This picture is also borrowed from Keith's Halloween party photos; it's one of the many creative outdoor vignettes he has this year. |
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October 28, 2006 We attended Keith Schwols's awesome Halloween party again this year! The costumes were so creative and well-done, the food was great, and the decorations, indoors and out, were fabulous! There are sereval pictures here because it was too hard to pick just one, and even narrowing it down to this few was challenging. View more pics here.  |
| October 20, 2006 This summer when Pete and I were vacationing at Holden Beach, we splurged on a gorgeous Halloween snowglobe that plays this melody -- (halloween_midi.mid). (It will stop playing after 59 seconds.) Can you name that tune? E-mail me with the correct answer before Halloween 2006, and win a special surprise! (You must be someone I know in order to be eligible.) I will post the correct answer after Halloween. Update: There were no correct guesses, but thanks to those who tried! The song is Disney's Haunted Mansion. |  |
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October 7, 2006 Casey investigates a pile of autumn leaves in our neighborhood. |
| October 7, 2006 Ah, as the weather gets colder, there's nothing more enjoyable than sleeping-in. (A bit of marital advice: when photographing your husband sleeping-in, avoid using the flash; apparently it's annoying.) |
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October 7, 2006 Here's a look down our street today. It's been a beautiful autumn in suburbia. Our street isn't really this wide; it's just the camera angle. |
| October 4, 2006 The grass seeds we planted last month are coming up nicely. This picture is zoomed-in to show the contrast between the old grass and the new. |
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October 4, 2006 Casey is a sensitive young man, who takes time to admire the fall mums and reflect on the changing seasons. |