November 2013 Scavenger Hunt: Colorado

I can't wait to see what photographs 

everyone has come up with for November.  

It's been fun chasing down the scavenger hunt items.

1.  Gold

Gold on Galena

Specimen #228 in the Denver Museum of Nature and Science
has tiny crystals of gold on cubic crystals of galena.
It was mined in the Central City District 
of Gilpin County, Colorado.

Denver Museum of Nature and Science 
Photo of Gregory Gulch

Gregory Gulch is the site of Colorado's first gold lode strike.
The diggings are located on North Clear Creek
between Black Hawk and Central City
in Gilpin County, Colorado.

The largest gold rush in American history 

brought a major influx of people into Colorado in 1859 
when Colorado was still part of the Kansas Territory.

The rapid growth in population led 
to the establishment of the Colorado Territory in 1861
and to the formation of the U.S. state of Colorado in 1876.

 Location of Colorado in the U.S.A.
Source:  Wikimedia

Colorado's Largest Known Gold Nugget

This nugget weighs 12 troy ounces 
and was found in Pennsylvania Mountain,
Alma District, Park County.
DMNS # 10549


2.  Five

Five of a Kind is always a welcome sight
when playing Deuces Wild.

  
Even more so when it is sandwiched between
a Straight Flush
and the Four Deuces!

A Modern Strike in Black Hawk!


3.  Patterns

Central City, Colorado

It is fun to walk through historic Central City, Colorado

and look at all the fascinating patterns in the old buildings. 

Patterns in Brick and Paint

Black Hawk, Colorado

Patterns in Lace Curtains,

Central City, Colorado

4.  Bread

Bread and Dough (Investments!)
Central City, Colorado

Bread from Pompeii (Cast)
Denver Museum of Nature and Science Exhibit

Okay ~ I cheated!

I actually took this photograph last January.

I was stunned by this plaster cast 

of a carbonized loaf of bread

recovered from the ruins of Pompeii.

Somebody long forgotten shaped this loaf

and probably died in the 79 AD eruption of Vesuvius.

5.  Happiness

Happiness is visiting our four-footed friends,

Gracie and Rufus on Thanksgiving weekend.

6.  Rain

Snow Guns at Work, Breckenridge

It has not rained in our area this month, 

although it has snowed several times.

This photo of Peak 10 in Breckenridge 

shows snow shooting out of snow guns,

or artificial snowmakers on the runs.
It's a stretch, 
but this is a form of precipitation, if not rain!

I could hear the snow guns working

from the base of Peak 10.

Source:  You Tube ~ Breckenridge Ski Resort

7.  Traffic

I have the most patient

and understanding husband!  

I spent the entire trip 

coming back from the mountains recently photographing traffic 

and looking for the shot!

Really ~ 

260 photos of traffic!

The Stuff of Nightmares!

Sometimes my husband makes a great sucking sound

when we pass trucks like this.

He knows I have a great fear 

of being sucked into rolling wheels .

I don't find it as funny as he does!

My Favorite!

Just passing us by

on E-470!

8.  Boxes

Boxes of light in Breckenridge.

9.  Staircase

Staircase Adjacent to Williams Stable, 
Central City Historic district

10.  Sunset

11.  Park

City of Aurora Park Along Piney Creek

12.  Pair

A Pair of Peaks,  Seen from Frisco

Torreys Peak, 14,275 feet/4,351 meters (left) 

Grays Peak, 14,278 feet/4,352 meters (right)

Thanks to Jill and her Made with Love blog for setting up the hunt.

Blog:  http://suzzie43.blogspot.com/

Hunt:  http://suzzie43.blogspot.com/p/scaerngera.html

December's List:

Silver, 25, Christmas, Religious Icon, Shiny, Movement,
Celebration, Words, Recipe, Candles, Window Display, Cake

800 Miles and Walking … Well into Missouri!

Earlier this week I hit 800 miles
or 1287.5 kilometers of walking!

On day 529 of walking in a row!

St. Anthony, Newfoundland is still a long way off,
but I'll get there, one step at a time.

St. Anthony, Newfoundland

When I last updated you 
on my imaginary walk to St. Anthony,
I was at 640 miles
which put me at the Maple Leaf Lake Conservation Area
about 44 miles into Missouri.

160 miles more, and I am getting closer 
to the eastern border of the state.

800 miles from my doorstep puts me
between Foristell and Wentzville, 
on the outskirts of St. Charles, Missouri.

Foristell, Missouri

Source:  Google

Map: Aurora, Colorado + 800 Miles

Map of the United States of America

Colorado, Kansas, and Missouri are in the Middle

Source:  Wikipedia

My route is real,

as are the walking miles I've tallied.

I'm adding up all the miles I walk 

on the treadmill and the elliptical in gyms, 

on the sidewalks and outdoor trails in my neighborhood,

and on hiking trails anywhere

in my quest to be as healthy and fit as I can.

View from My Treadmill

at the Ameristar in Black Hawk

A Big Truck and Men in Hard Hats

Make Those Miles Fly!

If there is a blizzard or other such bad weather,

I housewalk,

round and round the inside my house

and up and down the stairs.

If I'm in the hospital,

why, I just walk up and down the corridor

dragging my IV with me.

One way or another I'll reach St. Anthony!

I'm going to walk the last few miles for real.

Then I'm headed straight for Timmies

for a giant cup of steaming coffee

and a great big chocolate-covered doughnut.

Tim Hortons, St. Anthony

Whatever it takes! is my motto,

and if a chocolate-covered doughnut

and a steaming cup of coffee

get this honorary Newf to St. Anthony,

so be it.

I hope the sun is shining next time!

Approximately 1,689,600 steps and walking…

On the Long Walk 

with My Favorite Walking Buddies:

Terry, Rufus, and Gracie

 A Favorite Walking Song in My Shuffle

Source:  You Tube ~ MN Rankin 

The E-P Makes Any Walk Better

What are your favorite tricks to keep you motivated

when tackling a major fitness challenge?

For more about House Walkers click here.

The Day the Basketball Teams Cried

One minute you can be a grade eight student
playing in a basketball tournament,
and in the next minute,
your world can change forever.

Wolfville High School Girls' Basketball Team

Photo from the Glooscap Yearbook, June 1964

My team was playing somewhere in a basketball tournament.

My memory says we played at East Kings District High School,

but I can find no record of such a school on line.

The school I remember did look a lot like

West Kings District High School.

And perhaps it was.

The current event of the day overwhelmed my memories.

West Kings District High School

Source: School Website

Truly I can't remember much of that fateful day

except young girls from all over the Annapolis Valley

crowded into a classroom,

looking at a tiny black and white television,

and crying ~ sobbing in disbelief and grief.

I was one of those players, and 
I remember the news reports

that rocked my world. 

The first JFK assassination bulletin

Source:  You Tube ~  King Daevid MacKenzie

We were not Americans.

We were Canadians.

We were not adults.

We were young teenagers.

It did not matter.

We cared deeply.

President Kennedy was someone 

who touched our hearts,

and we couldn't believe his light

was gone from our world.

President and Mrs. Kennedy

Main Street Dallas

Just Minutes Before the Assassination

Source:  Wikipedia

The tournament continued.

Nobody wanted to play.

Girls, teams, came in and went out of the classroom.

I remember nothing of the competition,

just the crying in the darkening room

as the day crawled into night

and my heart ached.

JFK ASSASSINATION BREAKING NEWS REPORTS- 

NBC, ABC, CBS…

Source:  You Tube ~ CHRAMO PRODUCTIONS

I won't presume to speak for my fellow players,

I can only report their stunned and grief-filled reactions.

But for me the world darkened.

People remember JFK for many reasons, but
I remember him for hope and optimism.
I remember him for bringing us back
from the brink of nuclear war.

President Kennedy challenged us 
to ask what we could do for our country
to reach for the moon, 
and to stand for freedom and justice for all.

Nuclear disarmament, service, space, and civil rights
captured my imagination because of JKF 
and have inspired many things I have done in my life.   

I remember when he was elected.



                       Kennedy                                                          Nixon

Presidential election results map. 

Blue denotes states won by Kennedy/Johnson, 

Red denotes those won by Nixon/Lodge. 

Orange denotes the electoral votes for Harry F. Byrd 

by Alabama and Mississippi unpledged electors, and an Oklahoma "faithless elector". 

Numbers indicate the number of electoral votes allotted to each state.

Source:  Wikipedia

I remember President Kennedy's Inauguration 
when he said,

“And so, my fellow Americans: 
ask not what your country can do for you--
ask what you can do for your country.”

All Americans would do well to remember his words today,

especially our leaders.

Chief Justice Earl Warren

Administers the Oath of Office

to the 35th President of the United States of America.

Source:  Wikipedia

I remember when President Kennedy 

launched the Moon Race in September 1962

and committed the USA 

to reaching the moon by the end of the decade.

"We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.

It is for these reasons that I regard the decision last year to shift our efforts in space from low to high gear as among the most important decisions that will be made during my incumbency in the office of the Presidency."

John F. Kennedy,

Speech at Rice University, Houston, 12 September 1962

Source:  Wikipedia

Earthrise from Apollo 10

Source:  Wikimedia

I remember the tense, tense days 

of the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962,

and the day I came home from school

and my mother said,

"President Kennedy saved us from nuclear war today."

Soviet submarine B-59, 

forced to the surface by U.S. Naval forces 

in the Caribbean near Cuba. U.S.

October 28-29, 1962 

Source:  Wikipedia

I remember the traumatic Civil Rights Era

and President Kennedy's Civil Rights Address

on June 11, 1963 when he proposed

what became the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Kennedy called on Americans to recognize civil rights 

as a moral cause and not a legal issue:

"We are confronted primarily with a moral issue.... It is as old as the scriptures and is as clear as the American Constitution.... One hundred years of delay have passed since President Lincoln freed the slaves, yet their heirs... are not fully free. They are not yet freed from the bonds of injustice... this Nation... will not be fully free until all its citizens are free.... Now the time has come for this Nation to fulfill its promise."

Source:  Wikipedia

President Kennedy Delivers His Civil Rights Address

Source:  Wikipedia

I remember Camelot.

The Kennedy's at Hyannisport, August 1963

Source:  Wikipedia

The Kennedy years in my young life

were a time of hope and optimism

when anything seemed possible.

It was incomprehensible that President Kennedy

could be gone in a heartbeat,

that the world could feel colder, darker, 

and more dangerous

in a moment.

I did not understand then what 

the assassination of President Kennedy meant 

politically, economically, socially,

or in terms of national security and foreign affairs.

I only knew that someone who inspired me

more than anyone else at that time was gone

and that if President Kennedy 

could be shot down in a Dallas street

then anything could happen to anyone, 

anywhere, anytime.

Source:  You Tube ~ antdavisonNZ

Source:  You Tube ~ WSJDigitalNetwork

Heroes die,

and it's left to us 

to live fuller and more meaningful lives

for having known them.

Thank you, JFK, for empowering my life.