Luncheonette

Cheeseburger salad, with very American cheese at the perfect level of melt, and a whole lot of pickle! The dressing was mayo, ketchup, and mustard.

Gigante bean caesar salad with olives and parmesan over top.

I have perfected a quick marinade of gochujang, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic, and we’ll let chicken, beef, or pork (pictured) bathe in it overnight, sometimes longer. Greg grills it on our Staub, and makes it pretty. So tasty!

Red chile chicken and a B.L.T. salad

We are very much creatures of habit in this time of our life, with our private luncheonette churning out some sort of protein, accompanied by corn, peas, or a salad on most days. When the weather turns cold, there are more soups and gravies, maybe a potato mash. It is a rare occasion for the rice to appear, and make for a slightly sad looking plate. How vivacious all the color is!

One weekday, we get fast food, usually tacos or a pizza. One weekend day, we make our library visit, grocery and errand run, and choose a place for lunch. It is a rare occasion for us to eat dinner, and, in true old people style, I cannot even recall the last time we dined in a restaurant after 4 p.m. Though, Greg has reminded me, we have had snacks at the Roadhouse Cinema in their deluxe loungers before the show gets to going. Mostly, we have a snack at Greg’s quitting time.

How funny to turn into these people. They’re alright, though…

Distant

The world is so empty if one thinks only of mountains, rivers, and cities; but to know someone who thinks and feels with us, and who, though distant, is close to us in spirit, this makes the earth for us an inhabited garden.

Goethe

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In loving memory of Juniper Beulah

Our goofy…

travel loving

walk seeking

window gazing

hike taking

backpack sporting

laugh making

coat wearing

dirt rolling

hole digging

food begging

garden guarding

couch cuddling

snow stomping

park running

bed snuggling

sight seeing

car traveling

MOST adorable, lovable, and wonderful dog!

She was everything we could ever ask for in a canine companion and will be missed tremendously.

After a hectic patch of changing deadlines and erratic workflow gave Greg more grief than either liked, we decided the best remedy would be a weekend near Salida, a bit of tranquility along the steady flow of the Arkansas. Unrushed, we left mid-morning, no breakfast, just the happy thought of food rewarding us upon our arrival.

East from Wilkerson Pass

Southwest

Then, after our turn at Wilkerson pass, for pictures and feeding our harrumphing pooch (you are one hour late!) we hit a slow serpentine of fellow travelers. A ten minute descent registered an hour, and I wondered aloud, if leaving the house was the actual remedy we needed.

Some very good sniffs…

and spectacular distant granite views answered, “Yes!”

Our 12:30 lunch turned to 2:00, but Salida, as ever, did not disappoint. Friendly servers and very yummy eats. We wandered about in a quick rain, gazed at many a landscape, and bought two small paintings.

We got Juniper’s wiggles out along the spur trail, a converted railroad track of lovely views, wagging tails, and friendly faces. We shopped for provisions, made some excellent choices.

A fifteen minute drive down the road found us at our assigned destination. It was not as we expected, crazy close to the highway. Deep sighs.

We unpacked the car, and while we did so, had Juniper tethered to a post for sniffs and wanderings. Legions of cars and trucks and tractor-trailers boomed along.

Relaxing was not the word. I wondered aloud if we should go home. Greg didn’t want more of a drive.

We settled in by the river, Juniper on another tether, the pair of us on Adirondack chairs. The river flowed. Juniper rolled and investigated. This is water! It is moving! I do not like it! Let me get closer to the pair of you. And so she did.

The geese meandered upstream before floating down again. They bobbed and weaved and heaved their fluffy white bottoms up to feed in the murky underwater.

Above us, the sky a perfect shade of blue. In front, grass and rock, water and Juniper, the geese. Behind us, the steady roar of engines and hiss of tires. Greg had a change of heart. We concurred. And so, without staying the night, we left.

The drive home a reward of stunning vistas, ice cream cones in Canon City, and a peaceful weekend at home, sometimes, it really is best to cut your losses.

I caught these cuties in between splashes. I do believe the upper bather is a Wilson’s Warbler, the bottom a Mountain Chickadee. We have four birdbaths of varying sizes, for our wide variety of visitors. Prime time is around 3:00, guessing because the water is warmest after a day in the sun? A few minutes at the dining table to watch them is time well spent!

Our largest birdbath, for our bigger friends actual baths, and everyone’s sweet and sometimes tentative sips, has been a real hassle to figure out. We have had glazed pottery, which is prettiest, but always cracked quickly and massively leaked. Which is puzzling, because the three smaller baths are all glazed pottery, something about the large volume is my best guess. Then we tried zinc, which rusted pronto, and who wants that?! Next up was a sturdy plastic plant saucer because it was all we could find on short notice, but it got bleached by the sun, quite ugly blotches, and also developed a leak. I finally decided on a very shallow stainless steel pet bowl, which took about a month to arrive, but our fine feathered friends seem to be happy about it over the couple of weeks it has been out. Fingers crossed it is the most durable and easy to maintain.

Finches in the tiniest bath. My heart is full…

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