Pikes Peak

Here we are at the beginning of our journey up Pikes Peak with the mountain behind us. We were wearing T-shirts when we started but by the time we reached the top we were bundled up!

Too bad it's not a real bear.

I have fallen in love with the view. 

America is "Beautiful".

 The wind blowing the snow off the peaks was breathtaking.

The wind was so rough I felt like it was going to knock me down!

 The Alpines and the Aspens were so gorgeous.

When Clint was walking down in the snow he feel down!

It was so funny he was just rolling down and he couldn't stop because he was knee deep in snow!

I started getting scared when we were on this peak because there was nothing but sky and drop offs on all sides of us.

Witness something majestic...check. Pike's Peak was so beautiful at the top I cried, then I cried because I was scared and begged Clint to go back down! He laughed at me so hard I thought we were going to drive off the mountain!

1 Kings 19:11-13

So He said, "Go forth and stand on the mountain before the LORD." And behold, the LORD was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice came to him and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

The entry for “Mountain” in Dictionary of Biblical Imagery reads:

Almost from the beginning of the Bible, mountains are sites of transcendent spiritual experiences, encounters with God or appearances by God. 

• Ezekiel 28:13-15 places the Garden of Eden on a mountain.
•  Abraham shows his willingness to sacrifice Isaac and then     encounters God on a mountain (Gen 22:1-14). 
• God appears to Moses and speaks from the burning bush on “Horeb the mountain of God” (Ex 3:1-2 NRSV), and he encounters Elijah on the same site (1 Kings 19:8-18). 
• Most impressive of all is the experience of the Israelites at Mt. Sinai (Ex 19), which Moses ascends in a cloud to meet God.

A similar picture emerges from the NT, where Jesus is associated with mountains. 

• Jesus resorted to mountains to be alone (Jn 6:15), to *pray (Mt 14:23; Lk 6:12) and to teach his listeners (Mt 5:1; Mk 3:13).
•  It was on a mountain that Jesus refuted Satan’s temptation (Mt 4:8; Lk 4:5). 
• He was also transfigured on a mountain (Mt 17:1-8; Mk 9:2-8; Lk 9:28-36),
• and he ascended into heaven from the Mount of Olives (Acts  1:10-12).
• Jesus also designated a mountain in Galilee from which he gave the Great Commission to the eleven (Matthew 28:16). 
• Jesus is both the tabernacle of God among men (John 1:14) and a temple (John 2:19-22) who builds the new temple (Ephesians 2:19-22 [his body, the church]). 
• Hebrews 12:18-24 contrasts Mount Sinai and Mount Zion in the context of the transition from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant. God’s people have gone from one mountain to another. Surely these mountains are symbols of the Old Covenant and the New Covenant and have their foundation in the first mountain-temple, the Garden of Eden.

El Monte Sagrado Resort and Spa, Taos, New Mexico

Okay, I really DO want to be a cowgirl but only if I can stay at the El Monte. I guess I want to be a "pampered" cowgirl! Is that an oxymoron?! Staying at the resort was the best part of the trip (to me.)

This is the Southwest side of the resort. The other side has Native American themed rooms. I didn't get to see one but I hear they are even cooler than this room.

The art work in the hotel and the town of Taos is magnificent. This small little town probably has a dozen art galleries at the very least probably more. The room was filled with beautiful art work.

The picture below is the restaurant at the resort. It was "delicioso."

Here is the art gallery in the hotel.

This sculpture is $8000 if you're interested!

"Clint, get the gun!"

I love the chandeliers!

This is on the Native American side of the resort.

We can't wait to go back!

St. James Hotel Cimarron, New Mexico

The St James Hotel was built in 1872. Its saloon, restaurant and 43 rooms were witness to at least 26 murders during Cimarron's wilder days. Clay Allison, Black Jack Ketchum, Jesse James, and Buffalo Bill Cody have all left their mark on the St. James, as attested by the numerous bullet holes in the ceiling of the main dining room.

http://www.legendsofamerica.com/nm-stjameshotel.html

The hotel is just down the road from the ranch where Clint hunted. It was popular during the gold rush days because it was conveniently located on the Santa Fe trail and most of the famous law men and outlaws stayed here at one time or another. The restaurant and saloon has been completely remodeled but the hotel portion has not changed. You can even stay in the same room that Jesse James slept in during his stay at the St. James, although I wouldn't recommend it. The bathroom is no bigger than a closet!

Below is the maverick room but in the original layout it took up most of the restaurant. Most of the activity in the hotel took place behind it's doors.

Below are pictures of the hotel lobby.

The "Bat Masterson" Room.

The "Jesse James" room.

I took a picture of the staircase because it reminds me of a Clint Eastwood movie. It gave me the feeling a gun fighter was about to go up the stairs looking for somebody!

Philmont Ranch

I went with Clint to the Philmont Ranch in New Mexico this year. The last day of the hunt was Wednesday November 4th so I flew out that day so we could sight see together. I had so much fun. Clint will not be going back without me! Next year I plan to actually go on the hunt as long as I don't have to get out of the truck or touch anything dead!

You see why I would have to stay in the truck. I can't handle this much land.

Here's Bambi's daddy in better days.

Clint with his trophy. Now that THAT is over we can have some fun!

This is where we stayed on the ranch.

The deer were everywhere. I woke up to find a deer right outside the door eating under the tree you see in the picture above.

This is the chapel the Boy Scouts use during the summer. Clint said he woke up every morning and found deer laying on the benches.

Here is a picture of another chapel on the ranch. It was so peaceful and beautiful.

I feel in love with the adobe house. I can't believe how well they hold up over the years. I can just imagine it being used by Native Americans thousands of years ago. The oldest inhabitated Pueblo is located very near this ranch. We didn't get a chance to go this time but I won't miss it next time. It was built in 1000 A.D.

The Phillip's summer home on the ranch.

Picture from the living room.

The desk below is a 15th century traveling desk. You can close the top and it has handles on the side so it can be carried. I thought, "So this is what a 15th century laptop looked like."

This chest is also from the 15th century. The craftsmanship is mangnificient. The Phillips' collected antiques from Europe.

This window has a scene of Native Americans on the prarie. So much of the house reflects the ranch.

This table is downstairs in the "men's" room. It has the initials of Waite Phillips and his brothers carved into it on July 4th, 1927 the day they moved into the house.

The "men's" room, Clint's favorite part of the house.

Picture of the fountain behind the house.

It's a stunning place, especially to have been built in 1927. They had a lot of luxuries for that time period. It was just a summer home but Waite Phillips' son, Elliot, especially loved the property and still consults with the ranch owners to keep the history of the ranch accurate. He especially loved "ranch life" and wanted to be a cowboy. His nickname when he was a child was Chope which means "short" in Native American. He is still called Chope today, he's now in his 90's and he is still a cowboy.

Blue Angels Air Show

We went to see the Blue Angels in Pensacola this weekend. I admit it was one of the hardest days I've ever had. We had to walk miles to get to the airfield from where we parked. The Blue Angels were really great but the girls were mostly playing and dancing around. Then Jessica wanted to walk all the way back to the museum (which was a long way) between the day show and the night show. We had a hard time getting her to leave the museum, they both wanted to play. By the time we walked back out to the airfield I was exhausted. Luckily, Clint carried Samantha on his shoulders most of the time. (You know she can't walk!) The night show was even better than the day show but I spent the entire time in line for food (crazy!) By the time I got back with the funnel cakes everyone was ready to leave. Then the real fun began! We walked all the way back to the museum and then had to decide what road to take to our car. We couldn't remember where we'd parked the car. Well... I chose the wrong road. The road was very dark and we could only see when cars were coming by, during one of the dark times Hanna fell flat on her face and we laughed at her. (Yes, that was mean.) About a mile down the road I realized it was the wrong road and Jessica panicked! She was crying and wanted to call 911 to get a "nice" police officer to take us back to our car. When we did see police officers back at the intersection in front of the museum I was afraid they were going to think I'd kidnapped her because she was hysterical! Finally we found the right road and saw our car. Well... then another funny thing happened. We started walking through a field to the car and we got to a drainage ditch. Jessica and Clint both jumped over it (Sam was on Clint's shoulders). Hanna and I were not so brave. We couldn't see because a car was shining it's headlights right at us and we were both squatted down trying to see the ditch to jump. I started laughing so hard because we were both so scared to jump that I wet my pants! It was hilarious! They wouldn't stop making fun of me. We finally got in the car and Jessica couldn't stop talking because she was so happy we didn't get lost "forever." We made it back to the hotel (it was an LBA Courtyard) then we went to eat at the Shrimp Shack. It was such a hard day but one of the most memorable I have ever had (in a good way!)

50th Day of School

Well, the 50th day of school finally came. It's tradition at G.W. Long for the kindergarten to have a 50's day instead of a Halloween party. Samantha was so excited because they have a hula hoop contest and she is a pro! Of course she won. She was still hula hooping when the song was over. Always the "entertainer."

"Come on baby, let's do the twist!"

Cookie smile.

Okay, now you can take my picture.

Emmaline and Samantha after the party.

Blake and Samantha waiting for the school dance to start.

Samantha's Lion.

Jessica and Hayden worked the face painting booth at the school dance.

He's cute Jes.

Hayden painting faces. That's Kelly behind her.

Samantha the boy magnet...REALLY. Clint and I will have our hands full in a few years! UGH!