Day 57 – 3 Balloons

On our second oldest son’s third birthday, we gave him a huge red helium-filled balloon. I not only tied the ribbon to his wrist, but also to the strap of his Osh Kosh B’gosh overalls that he was wearing that day.

He went outside to play in the backyard with his older brother and I watched them having fun running to and fro with the balloon trailing behind.

All of sudden I heard him yell as the balloon wriggled away from his grip. It shot straight up. We just stood there and watched it as it slowly disappeared from sight.

The birthday boy turned to me and pointed at the balloon and solemnly said, “Mama, go get it, please!?!?!”

Day 56 – Jim’s Barber Shop

Here we are at Day 56 and the end of Week 8 already. At the end of this past week’s block is Jim’s neighborhood barber shop. It’s a great place for the guys to gather and jabber about politics, weather and the latest news around town. It’s most likely been that way for centuries.

Since the Middle Ages, barbers not only cut hair, but also performed surgery and dentistry. They used the colored stripes to indicate if they were prepared to bleed their patients (red), set bones or pull teeth (white), or give a shave if nothing more urgent was needed (blue).

In Forest Grove, Oregon, the “World’s Tallest Barber Shop Pole” measures 72 feet.

Day 55 – The Bumgarner Building

The Bumgarner Building just off Main Street in Kremmling is home to several little businesses, including the local town newspaper, the Grand Gazette, the Zumba workout space, and the thrift store known as Second Time Round.

The Bumgarner Building is named for the local family that moved here in the Dust Bowl and Depression Days to start a dairy farm and then later a ranch in the Blue Valley area.

Day 54 – The Purple Tea House

Chai, Sencha, Matcha, Oolong, Green, White…..These are some names of different teas that we are familiar with. The various words for tea come from two words: “te-derived” (Min) and “cha-derived” (Cantonese and Mandarin).

When one travels the world, one can trace the origin of the local name used for tea to various sources. For instance, Portuguese traders were the first to use the word “cha.” They borrowed the Cantonese word for tea (chá) in the 1550s because of their their trading posts stationed in the south of China, especially Macau.

In Russia, the word for tea is “chai,” whereas in America we know Chai as the spices black tea from India.

Conversely, the Dutch word for “tea” (thee) comes from Min Chinese because of their trade with people from Fujian or Formosa, or from Malay traders in Java.

No matter how you say it, the history of tea drinking is a fascinating one, which includes all the varieties of teas, brewing methods and drinking styles. Speaking of which, I think it’s time to brew a cup for myself and sit back and enjoy! .

Day 53 – Lydia’s Book Nook

Where else can someone go and not feel so relaxed and calm as in Lydia’s Book Nook? There’s always something to read or glance at. And if you love working puzzles, Lydia always has one in progress on one of the shop’s tables.

This is a place one can find The Hobbit and curl up in a over-stuffed chair and get lost in the world of Gandalf, Hobbits, dragons, and Orcs.

Lydia’s favorite part of the shop are the children’s books with their all the colorful illustrations, such as Winnie the Pooh, Velveteen Rabbit, Curious George, and Madeleine.

Another fun section is the travel section with loads of maps and Lonely Planet travel guides to every place on the globe. Lydia’s goal is to have something interesting to read for readers of all ages and tastes.

Day 52 – Sarah’s Camera Shop

Sarah owns this little shop with every kind of camera gizmo you could think of. She’s a true blue shutterbug and one can see it in the many framed photographs she has displayed around the shop.

What she loves the most about her shop are the dinner plate sized sunflowers that grow right next to the shop. Every year they proliferate and nearly crowd each other out a place to grow. What’s fun is to watch how they track the sun as it rises and sets each day.

Day 51 – Elise’s Game Shop

Elise loves all kinds of games – board games such as Chinese checkers, chess, Monopoly, Scrabble, Boggle, and other games such as jacks, ping pig, badminton and so forth.   The best part is that she gets to try out all the newest kinds of games as part of running her little shop. It’s a very cheery place to visit, especially on a rainy day.

Day 50 – The Post Office

There are little sayings we hear in life that become truisms. Some of them are very wise and are just plain old common sense.

There are some I call “-isms.” My personal favorite is one I learned from a cowboy many years ago: “Don’t cook bacon naked.” That’s one has always stuck with me.

Another bit of wisdom is about going to town to pick up the mail: “Don’t go to town in your grubby sweats or jammies. You inevitably run into someone you know.” This has been the case every single trip we’ve made to town to fetch the mail. It’s one of the nicest features about living in a rural area.

All in all, we have great friends and neighbors in our area. It’s one of the best things of life up here.

Day 49 – Boo’s Rock Shop

Here is Boo’s Rock and Gem Shop, right next door to the winery. It’s really fun to browse through, with all kinds of rocks and gems from all over the globe. Boo’s favorites are the geodes and the amythest, tourmaline, and smoky quartz crystals.

Boo is definitely a rock hound and has been all her life. She has followed in her grandmother’s footsteps, picking up all kinds of rocks on every hike she has gone on. What a great way to travel – to go visit the many famous places where rocks, minerals and gems are found.

Trees

“You know me, I think there ought to be a big old tree right there. And let’s give him a friend. Everybody needs a friend.” ― Bob Ross