Beagle stuff

Chamberlain was due for a teeth cleaning, so Peg took him in this morning. For the uninitiated, getting a dog's teeth cleaned is not as simple as telling the dog to smile and then taking a Sonicare to the pearly whites. There's an IV, general anesthesia, morphine and, because Chamberlain has a heart murmur, an EKG involved.

Everything went well, and Peg picked him up in the afternoon. He was still pretty groggy and not stabilizing himself or focusing real well, but he was mobile. He was discharged with the usual care instructions -- limited food for several hours, not a lot of activity, etc. We were also given one warning from the vet: "Dogs who have had morphine administered earlier in the day sometimes wake up howling at night. If this happens to Chamberlain, it's nothing to worry about... he's not hurt or in pain. He's just coming down off his trip." We're hoping for a quiet night.

And while I'm on the topic of beagles, I thought I'd post this link that my brother sent to me. It's pretty amazing... but does give me pause as to why, given what that beagle can do, Chamberlain, well, makes the dietary choices he does sometimes.

Yippee! We're Less a Home!!!

Pop the bottles of bubbly! After being on the market for 3+ months, we closed on our Richboro house today. No more making two housing payments... phew! (I was just about ready to ask Peg to take a second job!)

While we're not particularly keen on renting for the long term, it's been great for us in the short term and we know it has its perks for our particular situation. We suspect we'll take a breather from the housing market for several months, and begin to look for the Schrammel Ranch in 2009 sometime.

Off to do a happy dance!

Site upgrades

For those so inclined...
- I've added a poll to the bottom of this page for readers to chime in on. Sorry, no write-in responses, but your welcome to leave comments with this post.
- I've also added some functionality that (hopefully) allows you to follow this blog a littler easier. On the left side of the screen you'll see a section titled Followers of KnPnCnC, where you can "sign up" to follow this blog. You will need a (free) google account to take advantage of it, though. If it turns out to be a flop, I'll remove it.

Weekend Recap

Saturday
Today was the beginning of a very active weekend. We got up around 7:30a and got Chloe ready for her 1st Soccer game (and mine as assistant coach... a stressful role, indeed.) Unlike in PA, the league she's in here is co-ed (although her team happens to be all girls), and the games are 5-on-5 (including goalie) and are played on a much smaller field. Chloe and her team played well... Chloe scored two of her team's goals, and made some saves when she was the netminder. The most important stat, though, was that the TigerBears (Chloe's team) and the Squirrel Girls (the opponents) had a fun time.

Upon returning from the game and having some lunch, I went on a short, but climbing-intensive ride. It was just a shade over 27 miles long, but involved almost 3,200 feet of climbing. I would have liked to go for a longer ride, but there were important matters to attend to...

Tonight, Peggy and I celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary by going out to dinner at a great restaurant in Boulder's West End. Not having lined up a babysitter, we had Chloe join us and a great time and meal were had by all. Afterwards, we strolled around the Pearl Street mall to get some ice cream (for Chloe and I) and coffee (for Peg). We couldn't make it too late of a night, for there was more in store for tomorrow.

Sunday
Today is the second day in a row where the alarm clock went off at 7:30a. After topping off the stomach's with fuel and getting the right gear on our bodies and loaded into car, we headed to the CU campus to participate in the Buffalo Bicycle Classic. The ride raises money for scholarships that go to students within the CU College of Arts and Sciences. Since it's inception 6 years ago, it has raised over $800,000 and is the single largest source of scholarships for CU's CAS. Like many charity rides, this one offered routes of varying length. We opted for 14-miler, which had its own nickname, the "Little Buffalo."

For our first, big family ride, things got off to an inauspicious start. We got to the Start/Finish line about 30 minutes before our ride started. So we checked in, got ourselves a course map and read that there is a rolling start (meaning we can leave when ever we want too, versus a mass start for everyone riding a particular route). Rather than wait the 30 minutes, we decided to venture off on our own.

We left the Start and followed the directions given to us by the volunteers manning the intersections. Right off the bat, we were pointed in the direction opposite of where I knew we needed to go, but I figured it's early, maybe we'll head back the right way after a block or two. As we approached the first intersection, I asked a volunteer if this was the way for the 14 mile route. He said "Yep." I wanted to make sure because I knew if we made this turn and it was wrong, it meant going down a short but moderately steep hill, and that we'd have to go back up said hill to correct things. (Normally, I don't mind climbing hills, as my brief cycling comment for Saturday attests to. But it's a COMPLETELY different ballgame when I'm also pulling around a 45 pound girl on a 15 pound trail-a-bike. In these situations, hills are considerably less attractive.)

We make the turn, go down the hill and continue on for a couple more blocks, still not heading in the direction we need to go. At this point, we pull to the side of the road, consult the course map again, and begin to think the ride organizers don't have the swiftest volunteers manning the course. We turn around, head back up the aforementioned hill and make our way back to the Start/Finish line. By this point, more "Little Buffalo" ride riders have amassed to begin the ride, so we decided to wait a bit and leave with the group. As luck would have it, we met up with friends, Jordan and Baylor, who were also doing the ride with their kids, and pedaled away most of the morning with them. (I can't complain too much about my setup with Chloe... Baylor has a tandem trail-a-bike for his two sons attached to his bike.)

We crossed the finish line around 11:00a, parked our bikes and took in some lunch. And talked about what (longer) route we wanted to do next year. (Photos, top to bottom: Taking a break at the first rest stop; At the finish line; Chloe nearly getting stampeded by a raging buffalo.)

One Month in the Books

We know we're still in the honeymoon phase, but we've been here one month now and so far so good. Here are some observations thus far:
- Boulder is home to its fair share of prairie dog towns, Subarus and Obama supporters.
- Peg is enjoying the work from home lifestyle, and really loving having the "bonus" 2.5 hours per day, hours that used to be spent in traffic to and fro work.
- TV show start times aren't adjusted completely. That is, even though CO is 2 hours behind PA, prime time TV shows start just 1 hour earlier. So, shows that start at 8 o'clock in PA start at 7 here, and the local news is at 10.
- There aren't many mosquitoes here... we saw our first ones just 2 days ago.
- There are many hiking trails in the immediate area.
- Cars in select counties need to have emissions tests done, but not any kind of PA-style inspection.
- The mule deer here are just as acclimated to people as the white tails in Richboro. We've seen several walking through our neighborhood.
- We no longer own Chamberlain. We, well, read on...
- Boulder is known for being an "outdoorsy" town with a populace that likes endurance sports... there are MANY cyclists and runners. But if that isn't your cup of tea, there are other lofty pursuits available, namely paragliding, hot air ballooning and gliding. During my Saturday morning bike ride, I saw 7 hot air balloons aloft just East of town.
- Even though it's early September, there's already plenty of talk about the upcoming ski season. Some resorts open up mid- to late- November, and hope to stay open until early June 2009.

What a Difference a Day Makes

The skies over the foothills had a different look to them this morning, and not necessarily in a pleasing way like last night's sunset. Today, the ridgeline was less visible and covered in a blue-gray haze, and the smell of smoke was noticeable. After a quick peek at a local newspaper's website I learned that the haze and smell wasn't from a fire on the other side of the hill (thankfully); rather, from about 30 small fires in northwest Colorado's, about 150 miles away. (Apparently, local emergency dispatchers were getting flooded with calls thinking the fires were much closer.)

The day wasn't all gloomy, though. While running errands, I drove by a local home (see picture) that's a achieved local landmark status because it's exterior was used during the filming of a mildly popular late-70s/early-80s sitcom. If you can't figure out which one, here are 3 clues: Pam Dawber; rainbow suspenders; Orson.

1st Soccer Practice, and Sunset

Immediately after school today, I took Chloe to her 1st soccer practice. (It also happened to be my 1st practice as assistant coach, too.) Coincidentally, her team is an all-girl team in a co-ed league, so Brad (coach) and I are curious to see how that plays out once the games begin. From what I saw, I think the unnamed-as-of-yet team will fare well... I saw several girls willing to put their boot on the ball when someone else has it. As for team names, Brad took suggestions from the girls, and the choices thus far are: Lions, Tigers, Bears and Yellow Kangaroos. We have another practice next Wednesday, and the first game is September 6. I'll keep you posted.

While cleaning up the kitchen tonight, I happened to look out the window and into the foothills to see a very pretty sunset taking place. So I ran upstairs, grabbed the camera and went up the street a bit to get this unobstructed view. (click on the picture to see a larger version.)

1st Family Hike

With it being another sunny day here – a quite often occurrence as Boulder typically has 300+ days of sun per year – Peggy organized our first family hike. With lunches, dog treats and camera packed, we got in the car and headed to Bald Mountain (insert joke about me here), which is at 7,160 feet and just 5 miles outside of town. Soon after arriving, we found that it is a pretty popular place for families with younger children, as we saw several within steps of the parking lot. We parked on the East side of the mountain, but once we made our way around to the West side, we got a much better view of the Back Range. We could also see the very distinctive roof of Denver International Airport, which is about 38 miles away. It was a short hike (listed at 1.5 miles) but a great way to introduce Chloe to hiking.

Not wanting to head home, Peg consulted her guide to good hikes with children, and we made our up way up Boulder Creek Canyon to Boulder Falls. (Pictures, top to bottom: the warning sign that awaits you at the trailhead; Peggy, Chloe and Chamberlain breaking trail; view of the Back Range; Chloe by Boulder Falls; and Chloe in Picture Rock.)

Also, I added a picture of Chloe getting off the bus on her 1st day of school. Visit the "One Giant Step" post to see it.

One Giant Step

Today was Chloe's first day in Kindergarten, and man, was she excited about it! She woke up at 6:24a wanting to eat breakfast and get dressed and brush her teeth and... (From a parent's perspective, I found this refreshing not only because I'm glad she's looking forward to it, but also because it was the 1st time in a LONG time when she was ready EARLY!) We left the house a couple of minutes before 8:00a and walked 2 blocks to the bus stop. After a couple of minutes of waiting and meeting some neighborhood kids and parents, bus 514 came along, Chloe stepped on and started yet another new chapter — for her, for Peg and for me. (Pictures, top to bottom: Chloe modeling her "Apple Dress"; Peggy and Chloe at the bus stop; One Giant Step; and putting Day 1 in the books.)


First Day Recap
She got off the bus shortly after 3:00p and it's Peg and my belief that we have one tired Kindergartener on our hands. Despite the barrage of questions, this is what we were able to get out of her — she did some arts and crafts, ate snack outside, had a lot of books read to her, sang 'hello' and 'goodbye' songs, and oh yeah, saw a dead fox on the sidewalk while riding the bus home.

A Trip on the Highest Paved Road in the U.S.*

With the rain of the previous two days seemingly behind us, the sun shining brightly and the temps in the mid 60s, we thought it would be nice to take a drive and see some more of our new home state. So after lunch, we jumped in the car and headed to Mt. Evans (14,264 ft), which is just west of Denver. After about 75 minutes, we arrive at the ranger station, only to see the sign "Mt. Evans road - Closed." Are you kidding me?!?

I went into the station to find out if the sign out front was right. The ranger said it was, kind of. She told us we could drive up about 20 miles, but the last couple miles of the road were closed because road crews were up there trying to clear away the 6 - 9 inches of snow and ice they received last night!

Not remembering the last time we saw snow in August before, we drove on up as far as we were allowed. The drive up was pretty interesting... the temps were dropping as we ascended, and there was no guardrail. Nonetheless, it was a pretty amazing sight once we got above tree line to see the snow accumulation.

(Picture: Chloe and I at Summit Lake [12,800 ft.] In 32 degree temperatures. In snow flurries. In August.)

* The road to the top of Mount Evans is the highest paved road in North America but reaches a dead end at the summit. Trail Ridge Road in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park is the highest paved continuous highway in the United States and reaches a maximum elevation of 12,183 ft.