Starbucks, The Stitchin' Den and Small Town Life

Yesterday morning my wonderful husband called me from Starbucks and asked if  I would like a mocha. Me, turn down a mocha?  Not on your life. The sight of that Starbucks cup brought a big smile to my face. Oh sure, the coffee with chocolate gave reason to cheer, but just look at that greeting written on the side of the cup. Now I ask you, where you gonna get that kind of personal service in a big city? (Thanks, Keely, you are a joy giver, for sure.)

We may have a Starbucks here in Estes Park, but it's still a small town. I know this to be true because recently I tried to find a store that sells eyebrow pencils. I may as well have been on a quest for the Holy Grail. Several women had this to say about that, "If you can't find it at True Value or Safeway, you gotta go down the hill".  "Down the hill" means to Loveland or Boulder. A 45-minute drive for an eyebrow pencil?  I don't think so. Avon to the rescue with a 2 for 1 sale. My advise to any small town woman who use cosmetics -- get yourself an Avon Lady. It beats going down the hill.

Just another word about small town living and then I'll sign off. Dennis and I were recruited for an ad for The Stitchin' Den. We had just come home from hiking when Susan, the owner, hailed us and asked if we'd sit and chat for the cameraman in exchange for a cup of coffee. "Heck, yes," we said, "we can do that." We had a good time, as you'll see from this You Tube video.  Feel the joy!

Beary Interesting

House hunting is fun.  Dennis and I have been at it for a couple of months now.  We never know what we're going to find when we tour properties. Like this bear paw print on the gate, for instance.

Mr. Bear didn't manage to get inside the garden, but the resident of the house did tell us that the critter sat on the fence at the back of the house, watching the Estes Park vacationers go by. As I understand it, this is the time of year when the bears come into town looking for food. I guess they must be out of porridge back at the homestead. This morning I posted this photo on Facebook and told my friends I feel like Goldilocks. I wonder if she lived in Estes Park at the time the story was written. Maybe she came from Columbus, Ohio...an ex-city girl like me. At any rate, no matter how tired or hungry I might become, I have no plans to try out the sleeping rooms and cereal at Three Bear's Bed and Breakfast. No siree.

Finding Joy in Quacks and Slacks

Dennis and I left the homestead early this morning and headed to Mc D's for coffee and food.  While we were waiting in the drive-thru line a mother duck and her three babies made an appearance.  They were headed for the little stream that runs through the Stanley Village shopping center in Estes Park.  I managed to get a couple of shots of the little family just before they reached the water. 

Here the little guys were trotting along the curb that mom had already crossed.  They appeared a bit boggled by the prospect of jumping up over the curb. 

After a foot or so, the lead duckling made a mad leap up onto the sidewalk and the other two followed.

They were too fast for my camera to catch them in the act, but I did nab them after the fact.  No doubt the leader is the oldest of the three and the control freak.  You gotta love the birth order.

After purchasing our breakfast, we drove up to Rocky Mountain National Park for our morning scripture reading and prayer (we're currently studying 1 Samuel and Proverbs).  We found a quiet, scenic place to park.  A young couple walked by that we earlier had passed while driving to our destination.  When we first saw them we were intrigued with the young man's beautiful pants of many colors and mentioned that it would be fun to snap a photo of the unique slacks for my blog.  Given a second chance at a possible photo op, Dennis couldn't resist asking them if they would pose for me.  They graciously agreed. Here's a big "thank you" to Ben and Ali, a very cool couple from Texas, for allowing me the privilege of photographing them, along with Ben's fabulous Peruvian pants.