Rural America...in Los Angeles???

OK...so I had to drive out to Santa Clarita to take some jeans back to the Boot Barn...they're one of the few stores that carry longs in my size jeans. On the way I decided to go have lunch at the Halfway House Cafe...a great burger and you name it joint near where some friends of ours live on the "Old Dirt Road"...honestly...that's the name of the road they live on. Well, I thought I turned in the wrong direction so I made a U turn and there was this cool horse boarding ranch on the side of the road. With camera in the car I thought...ooooh...I can take some pictures out here and show how rural it is, even in LA county...so I stopped to take some pics...

Unfortunately, I scared the owner of this beautiful horse because they'd had some people scouting the area with cameras in hand with ne're do well plans of horse theft etc....my apologies to the owner of Chief (yep...that's the horse's name...pretty cool coincidence, eh?) The owner of the Gentle Barn horse boarding was very gracious and offered me the opportunity of coming out sometime and taking some pics in her ranch...an opportunity I would love take her up on!

After confirming that my only intention was to take pics of rural America, while still in Los Angeles County...I took off and headed for the Halfway House Cafe...

You might just recognize this cafe as it has been in numerous movies and TV spots...it's a great location shot...and just about 30 minutes from LA...depending on the traffic...

Haven't had their Bar B Que but their burgers are great!!!

We're taking off again...goin' on a transatlantic repositioning cruise! We'll only be checking the internet occasionally until mid December...

Happy Thanksgiving to you all, and I'll post again when I get back!!!

The Baltic...a retrospective...

OK...so here's the deal...I'm trying to figure out the new computer and how it organizes it's photos and uploads and all that stuff...iPhoto and My Pictures have virtually nothing in common...and I'm a bit befuddled!!! At any rate...I'm still figuring it all out...and in the meantime...here's a bit of a retrospective...we went to Copenhagen for the Rotary International Conference in 2006...one of the reason's I agreed to my hubby's being President of his club that year was the added bonus that he was expected to attend the international conference...when he told me where it was I told him he absolutely had a responsibility to serve his Rotary community as he'd been called on to do....

(tee hee!!!)

During the conference, we attended an event in Malmo Sweden, just across the Baltic from Copenhagen...it was almost Midsummer's Eve and the Swede's hosting our event entertained us with a traditional Midsummer's Eve dance...and believe it or not...this was taken close to 10:00 in the evening!!!

Sunset was finally around 11:00...

Several of the Rotary clubs arranged for a cruise in the Baltic...we stopped in St. Petersburg, Russia...a special stop for me as that is the birthplace of my paternal grandfather...

This is St. Isaac's Cathedral...one of St. Petersburg's largest cathedrals...

Opulence abounds in historic Russia...quite in contrast with the more current architecture of past the Soviet Union...

This is one of the most photographed churches in St. Petersburg...and you can see why...it's fabulous!!! It is commonly known as the Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood. It was constructed on the site where Czar Alexander II was assassinated in 1881. The actual name is Church of the Resurrection of Christ. Alexander II was known for having freed the Russian serf's in 1861...unfortunately for him, he grew more conservative as his reign continued and as revolution was beginning to foment. He became a target of the revolutionaries and was assassinated.

Denver Colorado...Part 3...16th St. Mall Architecture

When I took this shot, I was approached by a security guard...he told me that his boss was watching and he had to tell me that I couldn't take pictures of the buildings...apparently I fit the profile of a dangerous potential terrorist...I had a camera and was taking pictures of the buildings...

On the one hand, I'm glad to see that they're taking security of these buildings seriously...on the other hand....do I really look so sinister that I could be a potential terrorist???

I was especially taken with the juxtaposition of the old buildings next to the new...

I happened to be photographing this building when my hubby was talking on the phone to his daughter...it turned out that this building happens to be owned by Phillip Anschutz, the owner of Anschutz Entertainment Group...the company she works for!!!

This is the exterior of the Brown Palace Hotel...

and a bit of the fabulous interior of the hotel...

I loved the clouds and the fabulous blue sky next to this impressive building...

Great old buildings!!!

Again, the old and the new...

And this shot is the essence of the 16th St. Mall...a beautiful day...and a beautiful setting...

Sorry it took me so long to post this week...Yea!!! It's for a terrific reason!!! I've been setting up my anniversary gift...a new iMac!!! My first Mac...everyone I've spoken to has basically told me "...once you go Mac, you never go back!!!

Yea!!!! Thank you, darlin'!!!

Colorado...part two!!!

Our friends told us we'd love the Rocky Mountains National Park because it was so beautiful, and because there were herds of Elk near the road...
This is the first glimpse of one so close we could have walked up and touched it...

Fabulous vistas....

We saw this elk from the road...went about 100 yds past it. My hubby and I hiked back to where it was (he's a great elk guide) and he pointed me in the right direction. I snuck up on this one while he was nibbling on the grass...safely behind a stand of trees I might add! And by the way...this was taken with an 18/70 lens...no telephoto...I was literally about 20 feet from this magnificent creature...

I tossed a pinecone...

He saw me...but could've cared less...as long as all I had was a camera....

On our way back down the mountains to Denver, we were looking for some elk that we had seen on the way up, on the golf course. All of a sudden, one of us yelled and we practically skidded to a stop when we saw the elk on the lawn of one of the houses across the street from the golf course!!! Those darn elk just don't stay put for very long!!!!

Again, we could have reached out and touched them...and I'm not so sure they would have minded!!!

Check back next time for the architecture of Denver's 16th street mall...

Sorry about the annoying white strips above and below each picture...I decided to try watermarking the photos (with Adobe Lightroom) and had to do it in JPEG print mode...at any rate, for some reason when I uploaded the pics, those pesky strips showed up...

The Ultimate Boy Toys...

Yesterday we got back from Denver, Colorado and the ultimate boys will be boys conference...the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Now, you might mention, there are quite a number of successful women in this organization shattering that increasingly fragile glass ceiling...but let's face it girls...there's a real testosterone rush seeing all these toys!!!

The competitive juices start flowing as soon as you walk into the exhibit hall. One of the women who has made it to the rank of Police Chief was once described as "a woman who likes to roll around in the gutter, then go shopping for shoes!" (And I have to note here that she absolutely agreed with this description of herself!!!) Having retired from a career working with juvenile offenders who were in psychiatric residential placement following incarceration in juvenile hall...I can relate to that concept.
All kidding aside, it has been a real pleasure and honor for me to join my husband at these conferences and for me to meet the many men and women who so honorably serve the public.

Did I hear someone say cocktails????

One dry Rob Roy on the rocks with a lemon twist...easy on the Vermouth....

And for the lady...





DD and AH...I'm afraid my delivery time via the internet is a tad slower than when I was a cocktail waitress at Springfield Wagon Works, San Diego....of course, that was a few years ago...
waitressing was a great job in college!!!

Back to the "Big House"...did I hear someone say cocktails???

On the way back to the "Big House" from our afternoon at the bridge...


One end of our favorite porch...perfect for games, chit-chat, drying wet shoes and t-shirts...and did I say cocktails???


The other end of our favorite porch...perfect spot for afternoon reading, chit-chat, slumber, watching the trees grow...and did I say cocktails???


Yep...this is the "Big House"!!!!


Love this place...no picture does it justice...everytime I round the bend of the switchback where the house comes into view, I am stunned by the beauty of this place...and my good fortune to be able to visit here each year and make it our home away from home, even for a short period of time...

Okay...time to go in...

Anyone ready for the Name Game???

Hmmmmm....who's got dinner duty tonight???

Aside from our newly remodeled kitchen at home, this is by far my favorite kitchen!!!

Love this fireplace...especially with a roaring fire in it!!!

One of our favorite spots to hang out, play games, chit-chat, slumber....did I say cocktails???

Leaving is always bittersweet...and I often think of how beautiful it would be to live here...

Hmmmm....the trees, the animals, the quiet, lot's and lot's of picturesque winter snow...

no central heat, water from the mountain, electricity dependent on the flow of water, no snow plows, mountain closed by the US Forestry Service, no stores...

Hmmmm....maybe going home each year is a good thing!!! Love my comfy bed!!!
And love returning every year to watch the trees grow...