Summer Vacation, phase 1

Yea, Summer vacation is here! Chuck and I both have the whole week off from work, so we decided to head up to the cabin (near Steamboat Springs, Colo) for a week of fun in the mountains.

We arrived at the cabin Saturday afternoon and got right to work setting up house for the week. I filled the hummingbird feeders, Chuck opened all the windows to let the fresh air in, and lit the torches on the deck to start convincing the mosquitos that they didnt want to hang out right outside the door. Keena was really tired from the drive up the mountain (she didn't settle down and sleep very well, too many exciting things to see out the car window I suppose) so she sacked out for the afternoon... she really knows what a vacation is all about!

As you can see in the photo below, the wildflowers and grasses have grown quite tall in our absence, and it was pretty much a jungle getting from the truck door to the deck stairs.

Sunday morning Chuck decided the front "yard" needed to be mowed in an attempt to keep things under control. I doused him liberally with bug spray and put some gatorade in the fridge to chill for later, and sent him out the door. It took him about 3 hours in total to get the front and sides mowed down, and he didn't even make it to the driveway! Here's an action shot, and then a photo of the yard after all his hard work was done.

Phew! So much for relaxing on this vacation. As we ate lunch, we made a list of all the little maintenance chores we'd like to get done this week... and it wasn't too long before the list got longer and longer. I think it will be worth the effort to spruce up things, and it'll be easier to enjoy the cabin during the winter months.

Uncle Jim and cousin Travis are planning to come up and repaint the siding later this summer, so Chuck and I are going to scrape, sand and prime the exterior this week. Chuck also wants to reinforce the deck a bit. The heavy winter snowfall (It slides off the roof and onto the deck all winter long) has caused some problems with the railing in the last couple years, and if you look carefully in the above pic, you'll see some bowing in the length of the deck.

The weekend wasn't all hard work and no play, there were plenty of naps and relaxing on the couch, and we got to see the beautiful full moon rise over the crest of the mountain Saturday night.

We also took Keena on long walks in the early evening. She is really excited to smell all the new smells up here! It's so green and lush right now, just lovely everywhere you look with the wildflowers, blue sky and bright green aspens. I took the camera with me on our walks, so you can see just what I'm talking about...

Keena rested in her playpen during the day. She is pretty well house-trained at this point, but I don't think Chuck is comfortable with giving her the run of the house quite yet. From the looks of it- she's not lacking in the toy department, that's for sure. She loves the little stuffed hedgehog the most I think, and takes it to bed with her every night. We bought a bigger version of the hedgehog for when she's grown out of the smaller one. I think she's growing so fast, she's gonna need it sooner than I originally thought!

We came back into town today just for the afternoon. Keena has puppy class again tonight, and we didn't want her to miss out. Tonight she learned to "stay"- which I think was worth the drive!! I also wanted to take my friend Jen out for her birthday (Happy B-day Jen!!) so we met up this afternoon and got pedicures and then met Chuck for sushi later on. yum! Tomorrow we'll head back up the hill, this time Pat is joining us for a few days. I can hardly wait to be back in my favorite spot in the cabin...

So take care all, and I'll see you next week. The cabin is calling me...!

The flower beds and veggie gardens are doing great this year. Chuck and Pat and I have really worked hard in the last couple years to build up the flower beds in the front yard. We re-did the planter between the two front doors last summer, and that led to many other projects in sprucing up the front yard. It looks so nice now, with everything in bloom. I love being out there in the early evening as the day cools off, just watering the flowers, or dead-headding the spent blossoms, mostly just enjoying the beauty of each plant.

I just did that very thing, except I had the camera with me, so I could share the flowers and plants with you! Here are some of our roses blooming this afternoon:



And the coreopsis and verbena in the big planter outside Pat's front door. I love the contrast of the purple and yellow flowers. The other plant is vinca that's spilling over the edge, it has a nice grayish tone to the leaves which looks good with the dark foilage of the moonbeam coreopsis.
In the back yard, Pat has several big pots full of brightly colored petunias and geraniums, they are in their full summer glory right now, and attract lots of butterflies into the yard.

My herb garden is growing well this year. Basil, peppermint, catnip, parsley, and some marigolds because they keep the bad insects away, while attracting the beneficial ones. I had radishes in the empty squares, but they were harvested last week. And the lettuce in the lower right corner is looking like it's next to go. yum!
The big zucchini plants are starting to produce. We've had zucchini for dinner, and I've given a few away, and I think I'll be making zucchini bread this weekend. Anyone interested in some delicious zucchini? Just let me know- I've got plenty!!

I took a bunch more photos, but Chuck and Pat want to go to dinner now, so this will have to do. I'll post again soon! :)

Introducing Keena

I'd like you all to meet our new Siberian Husky puppy, Keena. We got her from a breeder in Pueblo, Colorado (who was nice enough to meet us in Castle Rock, only 40 minutes south of us, as opposed to the 3 hour drive to Pueblo!!) on May 24, 2008. Keena was only 8 weeks old then, and as you can see, just a tiny little ball of sweet fluff!

Later that day, we took her by Donna & Bill's house so they could meet her. We also wanted to say hi to their new baby (a real baby this time!) little David. Here you see David meeting Keena (his future playmate) for the first time.

Did I mention that Chuck and I got Keena on a weekend that Pat was out of town? oh yeah... we sorta didn't mention it to her until we picked her up at the airport the next week, with Keena in the truck with us! hee hee hee. Mom was a good sport about it, and I think she knew eventually Chuck would want another dog. I think we suprised her though.

Yep- your eyes are not deceiving you- that is snow in June!! We spent a weekend at the cabin, and the snowbank was still pretty big around the north side of the cabin. Keena immediately loved playing in the snow, we know she'll really enjoy winters in Denver, and especially being up at the cabin in the snow.

And for the final photo, this time from just a few days ago. Keena discovered the joy of playing with ice cubes on a hot day. We put a bunch of ice in her water dish, thinking she would enjoy cold water to drink and she went bobbing for ice cubes, taking one out at a time to play with (until it mysteriously disappeared) and then ran back to the dish for another chunk of ice. Chuck and I just sat back on the couch and laughed at her antics for nearly a half an hour until she was out of ice. silly puppy!

She is getting so big- she weighs over 20lbs now! Keena has started puppy school at our local PetSmart, she is learning to sit, lay down, and lots of other good behaviors.

She is definitely a husky, and loves to pull at the leash on her twice daily walks around the neighborhood. I know why the breed is so successful at dogsledding. Chuck is working with some new techniques for helping her learn how WE would like her to walk with the leash, although she is showing her stubborn streak a bit.

Keena's mask on her face is beggining to fade and recede, and she's got some new dark freckles on her nose. As her undercoat develops, her coloring will most likely change a bit too, so it's fun to compare pictures of her week to week. We just adore her, and she is really becoming a part of the family.

What's the Chukani Tribe?!

It all began back in 2003, when Chuck and I were first dating.

I would chat with my friend Steph on the phone to give her the scoop on the latest date... "Chuck and I went to the new Matrix movie... Chuck and I went to a cool sushi restaurant for dinner... Chuck and I went to the park last night and had a nice talk walking around... Chuck and I... Chuck and I..."

You get the point.

One night Steph laughed and said it sounded like I was talking about an indian tribe or something, and promptly started teasing me about the ChuckandI tribe. We both found it hilarious, and even more so that I couldn't stop saying it!

Time passes quickly, and now here it is, 3 blissful years into our marriage, and the Chukani tribe is here to stay.

So welcome dear family and friends, as we share the highlights of day to day life.

I promise lots of pictures too!