Before the bath

In Colorado, we tend to get some late Spring snowstorms that come in, drop several inches of heavy, wet snow, and then move off rather quickly. It's great for watering our newly-awakened spring lawn... but tends to make something of a mud-pen in the parts of our backyard that aren't covered in grass.

A few Mondays ago, I woke up to a gorgeous sight. The storm had snuck in overnight and let loose with snowflakes, and the city was just blanketed. In fact, it snowed for several more hours that morning, I think we ended up with about 5 inches all told.

(Oh, please pardon the reflection of the lamp in that picture. I took this shot at 5-something in the morning and it was too cold to go outside in bare feet! I guess there really are some lengths I just WON'T go to for a good picture, hahaha. )

Not being sure what the weather would be like, I kept Keena inside that morning, and headed off to work. At lunchtime, I zoomed back home so she could be outside for a bit. By then the skies were mostly clear and it was much warmer, so I thought it might be a good idea to leave her outside in the backyard while I was at work for the afternoon. That way she could play in the snow and have fun outside. At least, that was my plan.

Then I came home to this mud-ball of a dog!

Hmm, so it turns out that the really heavy, wet Spring snows also tend to melt rather fast... and in doing so, softens the earth quite a bit, so that digging is the MOST FUN EVER. There was a sizeable hole in the yard over by the well-head... and she was out-of-control hyper.

Oh my goodness, I laughed so hard at the sight of her when I got home, I think she was a little embarassed! But, we went on our afternoon walk anyway, with me giggling about it pretty much the whole way.

I had to pick Chuck up at the airport later that evening, so we didn't have time for a thorough bath. But Keena and I DID spend several minutes in the bathtub, washing the worst of the mud off.
I was kinda sorry to see mud-dog go, she was fun.

New Neighbor

We've got a new neighbor here in the neighborhood. I've heard it yelling at someone a couple times over the last few days.

The First Salute

Well I'm back from a quick trip over a 4-day weekend to Utah to see my cousin Orson (we call him Sam) and his wife Lisa graduate from BYU. Sam was in the Air Force ROTC and the cadets were first in line to get there degrees and a handshake from the Dean.



Sam and Lisa are 4th & 5th from the right in the first row way, way down there...



Sam getting his handshake from the dean... sorry Lisa I got your picture just as you were walking away from the dean.



Upon graduating the cadets are commissioned as 2nd lieutenants in the United States Air Force. Sam's older brother Paul, as a Major in the Air Force, was able to perform the ceremony for Sam's commission as a 2nd Lieutenant. Paul spoke of the special friends Sam & Lisa will make as they are stationed from post to post, the things they will do that many of us will never experience as well as the solemn occasion and respect we should show towards those people that join the military to defend our nation during times of war.



After the smaller ceremony with just family and friends witnessing Sam's commission we went and saw the rest of the cadets and Sam get sworn into the Air Force and then get their 2nd lieutenants' bars pinned to their uniform. Marilyn (Sam's mother) & Lisa pinned Sam with the very same 2nd lieutenant bars Paul wore when he went into the Air Force. When Sam moves up in rank he will wear the 1st lieutenant and captain's bars that his father Orson wore during his time in the Air Force. As a newly commissioned 2nd lieutenant in the United States Air Force Sam is entitled to be saluted. There is a special tradition for the First Salute of a newly commissioned officer.

The following in what I found on the Something About Everything Military website:

The First Salute

By saluting first, the person is demonstrating deference to the senior rank, not inferiority to the person being saluted. One tradition associated with the hand salute has withstood the test of time. The tradition is that of newly appointed officer giving a silver dollar to the first enlisted person to salute them after they have received their commission.

The exact origin of this custom is arguable. Researchers suggest that it came from the British regiments stationed in Colonial America. They brought with them a number of customs and traditions that were retained by the newly formed American Units. For example, newly commissioned British officers were assigned an enlisted soldier to train them, teach them the regiment's history and traditions, and ensure that his equipment met appropriate standards. Grateful lieutenants often showed their heartfelt gratitude by informally compensating the enlisted man with a small sum of money.

This custom continued to grow within the British military and newly formed American units. American second Lieutenants, in 1816, received a monthly base pay of $25, a $3 ration allowance, and $1 for an enlisted advisor. This advisor's pay was later discontinued, but the responsibility for teaching the newly commissioned officer continued. The present day tradition is thought to have its roots in this relationship.

Authorized by Congress on April 2, 1792, the silver dollar traditionally is the only coin given in exchange for the first salute. The coin should represent more than a dollar in currency. To every new officer, it has a special significance. It represents the symbolic receipt of respect due a newly earned rank and position.

It signifies a deep sense of gratitude for the knowledge-enlisted personnel, especially NCOs, have passed on to them during training. It's acknowledgement from one professional to another saying, "Welcome to our service and to the profession of arms."

The coin is an expression of respect shared together, as are all tasks and missions that are given together for the officer and enlisted to perform. The values and ethics that are passed on to the newly commissioned officer are there to be shared and remembered and to be passed on again when the time comes.

Whatever the origin of the "silver dollar salute", it is part of all soldier's, sailor's, airman's, and marine's love of duty and their respect for each other, and it strengthens their commitment and responsibility to serve their country. Over the years each branch of service has put it's own spin on the tradition of the "silver dollar salute."

Some of the newly commissioned 2nd lieutenants received their first salute from enlisted personnel there helping with the ceremony. Others received their first salute from family members that were past or are present members of the military. Sam had asked cousin Dale if he would do the honor of presenting him with his "first salute". Dale served in the US Navy as a chief petty officer. As Dale was headed up to the stage Col. Jacobs, the officer presiding over the ceremony, saw that Dale was wearing his Viet Nam Veteran ball cap and quickly asked everyone present to rise to their feet and give him an ovation as a thankyou for his service to our country. If that doesn't get you a little bit teary eyed you don't have a heart! Hopefully somebody can get the colonel's contact info so we can thank him for what he did for Dale.



I'm glad I was able to go over and witness this special occasion. There will be things to laugh about like the fire drill the morning of the commission ceremony and "borrowing chairs" from the terrace room where they were holding the reception after the ceremony. But hey if they knew the size of our family they'd have known to have a lot more chairs in the room for Sam's commission ceremony! At least there were a few chairs left for the group photo in the terrace after the ceremonies.



Nicole and I are hoping we can get "over the hill" for a visit here sometime this summer.

Trip to Albuquerque

Well, I'm back from New Mexico, it was a really good trip. The weather was sunny and warm (except for the day I arrived- it rained all day) which was a nice change from the Colorado snow!

Jen and I had a fun time shopping, trying new restaurants, going to movies, and just hanging out in her air-conditioned apartment. We met with her realtor Saturday morning to look at a few houses (she's probably going to buy a house within the next few weeks!) visited the Rio Grande Zoo, Botanic Gardens and Aquarium and even treated ourselves to pedicures before she dropped me off at the airport Monday afternoon.

Here are some pictures from the weekend:

We visited a really cool bakery where they specialize in awesome cupcakes. Each day they have 15-20 different varieties. When we visited Saturday afternoon, we picked out 6 to try, but only ended up eating a total of two each over the course of 3 days. (Jen cut each one in half, to be scientific about tasting them) I think we were pretty restrained, all things considered. My favorite was the lemon custard cupcake (lower right). Yum!

Sunday we headed to the zoo. The three facilities were part of what the city calls the "bio park" and one modest fee gets you into all three, plus a train ride between the zoo and aquarium. It was a beautiful day, blue skies and plenty of sunshine. Jen and I had a good time walking around.

The polar bear at the zoo was amazing! When we were outside he was walking around the edge of the pool, but as soon as he jumped in we headed downstairs, and I'm glad we did, it was awesome to see him playing in the water.

I love the bright colors of the flamingos. So distinctive! And they were all awake when I snapped this shot, but I noticed when we walked back through on our way out several house later- most of them were snoozing the afternoon away.

And oh my gosh- these prarie dogs made me laugh! While their friends were busily scurrying to and fro, these two just laid still and soaked up the sunshine. They are so adorable!

After the zoo, we hopped aboard the train to see the aquarium. It wasn't a very big facility, but they did have a nice sized salt water tank with lots of sharks, sting rays, big fish, and even turtles. I could have stood there watching them swim by for hours.

To finish off the afternoon, we walked through the Botanic Gardens... and it's already Spring down in New Mexico! C'mon Colorado... we're waiting... enough with the snow! Their tulips were nearly finished, and the roses almost in bloom, while here in Denver I'm excited that my daffodils have finally bloomed.

The main grounds of the garden were still a desert landscape to be sure, and xeriscaping was a big focus. But they did have lots of lawn and a pretty bulb garden laid out.

Also, there's a new Japanese Garden feature which looks to be really nice once the weather warms up and things start filling in. Another feature in the garden were two big conservatories, one with a desert climate and landscape, the other a mediterranean climate with simply lovely flowers. Just outside was a fruit tree in full bloom, you can see the walls of the conservatory behind it:


I liked the Botanic Garden the most, but that's the gardener in me I'm sure. Which one did you like the best, Jen?

Here's Jen smiling with glee at a big kitchen in one of the houses we viewed. This particular house came in second overall, and actually the dark burgundy paint with floral border was not much of a selling point for us. Cosmetics can be changed though, and this house had good "bones".

I really learned a lot touring the houses with her realtor, he was very knowledgeable about the Abq market, house values and what things to watch out for. It was like being on one of those HGTV real estates shows, without all the cameras and commercials.

It was a wonderful trip. Nice to get a few days away from work, and great to see Jen. I really liked the opportunity to be somewhere I've never been before, the adventure of finding out about a new city and what it has to offer.

Next up it's Chuck's turn to travel, he heads to Utah to see lots of family and Sam's graduation/comissioning into the Air Force. Have a good week everyone!

Cooper Kitty

Do you think my cat is trashy??!