Yogurt Making! A Cultured Return To The Blogosphere

Pop-up Camping: Third Time's a Charm?

So, we decided to try out our pop-up camper again. This was the third time out and we were hoping to hit a home run in terms of everything functioning on the trailer and good weather. Last time, I was camping by myself in the spring (read: very cold in Colorado) and the heater didn't work and I flood the galley. The time before that, the fridge didn't work and I flooded the galley. We understand that we are not very good at this but we were hoping for a little good camping karma. We didn't get it.  I won't keep you waiting to hear how it went. The heater didn't work, Roby would not go to sleep. The wind picked up during the night an almost ripped the awing off and...I flooded the galley.


The upside was that the state park we camped at, St. Vrain State Park near Longmont, CO, was right next to US 25, had no trees (no shade), was filled with drunk rednecks and mosquitoes, had no bathrooms and it was 94 degrees.

All jokes aside, we had a good time trying to stay out of the heat and we saw a ton of beautiful birds and plants. Check out some pics...

Roby loves to play in the trailer...for about three minutes.

Daddy is making todays catch, Sockeye salmon.

Roby is helping Daddy cook.  Gravel is a nice side dish.

Salmon, Arugla, etc.

Sylvia went for an evening paddle.  She was eaten by mosquitoes and never seen again.

The Front Range in the background.

Morning hike around the Rookery.

Old spillway for the surrounding horse and cow farms. 

Comorants on the lake. 

Nice plant of unidentified nature. 

Thistle.

Cattails. 

Sylvia of the identified nature.

See ya!

ALERT! ALERT!

Sorry everyone.  I am on a temporary hiatus due to grad school.  I'll return when my brain feels a little less squished.  Thank you for your understanding.  Follow me on Twitter @jcthurmond or we can be friends on Facebook.   

Roby: One Year Ago...

Look at that sweet little baby one year ago.

Here she is now...


What a difference a year makes!

I can't help myself...one picture with Santa.

Lack of downhill is looking up!

Something very exciting is finally happening at the Thurmond house, "rebirth" after "the birth." "The birth," of course, refers to the greatest thing that has ever happened to us, Roby! The "rebirth" is that we are finally breaking out of our long slumber that was total baby-stimulated recreation deprivation. Until recently, the baby robot was unable to engage in many of the fun activities that Sylvia and I enjoy but now that has all changed! Today was a Big day. First, we got all of our snow clothes on and got in the car.

Next, we loaded up the car, grabbed the dog and some gear and headed up to the mountains.

Then we loaded up Roby in her backpack and off we went...

By Ski! Well, by foot and then By Ski!

Here we are at the top of our climb! The snow was perfect and the temperature was a very tolerable 32 degrees.

Sylvia was delighted to be back on her skis!

The snow was pretty deep. Govy could only stay afloat with the help DFD (dog flotation device).

It was great trip!

This is a poem I heard on NPR...and I liked it!

The Health-Food Diner

No sprouted wheat and soya shoots And Brussels in a cake, 

Carrot straw and spinach raw, (Today, I need a steak).  

Not thick brown rice and rice pilaw Or mushrooms creamed on toast, 

Turnips mashed and parsnips hashed, (I'm dreaming of a roast).  

Health-food folks around the world Are thinned by anxious zeal,

They look for help in seafood kelp (I count on breaded veal).  

No smoking signs, raw mustard greens, Zucchini by the ton, 

Uncooked kale and bodies frail Are sure to make me run  to  

Loins of pork and chicken thighs And standing rib, so prime, 

Pork chops brown and fresh ground round (I crave them all the time).  

Irish stews and boiled corned beef and hot dogs by the scores, 

or any place that saves a space For smoking carnivores. 

-- Maya Angelou