First Snow

Last night and into this morning we had our first measurable snow for the season. It was not a heavy snow, only about 2 – 3 inches, but it covered the lawn and sidewalks. I was out shoveling and running the snow blower to clear our walks in hopes that they will melt off under the sunny sky.

Normally I would shovel this amount of snow but my shoulder is still bothering me and I could do only a limited amount of of shoveling, hence the blower.

On Wednesday we drove out to the same tree farm we had visited last year and cut our tree. It is in my bedroom this year as the Media Room is full of Becky’s plants. This is OK by me as I like waking up to the fresh pine scent. The tree is in the stand and full of water; decorating will come over the next few days. Photos will be in my next post.

Pam finished our cards and everything was mailed. We have started to receive cards and it is a great pleasure to open and read the included notes. We don’t have much planned for the holiday season; it is just nice to wake up and know there is nothing critical that needs to be done that day. This is not to say we are not working on projects, we are. Pam has started an embroidery project and I have been editing my transparency (slide) collection. It is just the pace of work is not as frantic as it had been over the good weather months.

I have discovered my slide collection is not well organized. Family photos are mixed in with trip and event photos, and I have a large collection of Colorado fall colors and back road trips. Other topics include old machinery, flowers, waterfalls, mine sites, and landscapes. These are all mixed in the sequence I took them which means they are not grouped by topic. Probably OK when the collection was small, but now I would rather they be in related groups so I have undertaken reorganizing them. That will be a long project!

In summary, we are slowing down a bit as the cold weather and snow build in, but continue work on more sedentary projects. Pam’s sister Becky’s home sale has not yet been finalized so she is not yet with us, but arrangements are moving ahead and we hope to have her at our place within the next week.

The other upcoming event is a planned visit from our son, Toby. It has been a while since we saw him at his South Bend, Indiana, home and we are looking forward to seeing him again.

Photo Archive

Normally I don’t say much about these photos, instead depending on a short intro and captions to describe them. This time will be a bit different; some of these photos require an extended description.

These first two photos are an example of that. These were taken in the late ’70s at the Colorado Yule marble quarry in Marble, Colorado. At that time the quarry was deserted and one could walk up and look into the vast chambers where marble had been quarried. The Tomb of the Unknowns, in Washington , D.C., was a 60-ton solid block of marble from this quarry. Several buildings in Denver, and many more across the country, were built using material from this quarry.

The following photos were taken near the Colorado town of Telluride in the late ’70s and early ’80’s and feature old mine sites. Quite a few were taken from the Savage Basin Road, not as well known as the Black Bear Road, but Savage Basin delivers great vistas and includes a vast amount of mining history.

I will have many more such photos in future posts; I hope you enjoy them.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

As a result of a random comment by daughter Felicity, I’ve been researching the differences between Victorian architectural styles. It appears Heart House is what is known as Folk Victorian, with elements of Queen Anne and Italianate. The Folk Victorian period in the Midwest spanned approximately 1880-1910, exactly the time period Heart House was constructed (1894) and the early years of the Tierney family’s residence (starting in 1907).

Folk Victorian house plans were fairly basic and usually symmetrical. Details were added with available local millwork – usually spindles (below porch rails) and spandrels (upper edges of porches), corbels (in assorted corners high and low), and ginger breading (in the eaves). Heart House has all of these. I characterize it in my mind as ostentatious East Coast Queen Anne meets practical Midwest farmhouse.

I have plans [at some point] to remove one level of our (flat, pseudo Italianate) tower. The tower actually needs a peaked roof for drainage and probably mitigation for bats – yet again. Since the house is a Folk Victorian, I feel we’re free to make tower changes and not ruin the architectural character of the place. Because – no two Folk Victorians look quite the same. Gotta love individuality and creativity.

Final Solstice cards are now beginning their voyages through the USPS; I look to my next project. (I have many projects on my list.)

Happy Trails.