Snow & Hail in August

Yesterday,we didn't have snow here in Manitou Springs proper, but we sure did have the hail and lots of torrential rain. They say that the creek near us rose 4 feet in just a few hours with all of the run-off.

However,yesterday was the 50th running of the Pikes Peak Ascent (1/2 a marathon - starts in town at an elevation of 6400 feet and goes up to 14,100 ft. in just 13 miles). They had rain, hail and some snow. It was the worst weather that they have had in the 50 years of running the race. It left a lot of people stranded up top for a few hours until they could get the snowplows out of storage and up to clear the roads going up the Peak to bring the runners back down. It also made for some very unsafe conditions for the runners. There were many lightening strikes as well as ice and snow conditions, they ended up having to stop people from continuing all the way to the top.

Our friend Kathy Steffen has tried for the last two years to make it to the top within the cutoff time. Last year she was just a few minutes late and they turned her around at A-frame (10 miles up). This means that instead of going 13 miles, she had to turn around and go back down the same way she just came up. So, it was a 20 mile trip. This year, she made it to A-frame with 7 minutes to spare. However, the weather had gotten too harsh and they stopped runners from going any further. So, her race was another 20 mile trip.

Her husband Rob, made it up to the top before the weather turned unbearable. However, once he got up there he got caught by the bad weather and had to wait in the cold for over two hours until the vans could get up to bring the racers back down. The gift shop and restaurant were over flowing with people waiting for the vans. But since the snow slowed things down so much the lines were very very long.

Today was the round trip Ultra Marathon (26 plus miles from the center of town up the mountain and back down again). The runners take the same route up to the top, grab a glass of water, and head back down the same way. So now you have two sets of people running on this narrow trail that has probably become rutted out with all of the rain from yesterday.

Makes me glad that I am not a runner. Of course if you really want to be crazy, you could run the Leadville 100. This is a mountain race covering 100 miles. The winner did it in 15 hrs. A new record for that race. Now that is even crazier than running up and down Pikes Peak.

I guess we would be considered couch potatoes by these athletes.

Happy Traveling,
T & T

I've Caught Another Bug.

Well, it had to happen sometime. Just like a cold, most bugs you catch eventually go away. However, that doesn't mean that you will remain bug free for the rest of your life. Same thing happens with things you are interested in. When our interest dries up in one area, it is eventually replaced with another interest in a different area.

We have had the Cottageitus bug for many years. Those of you who know us have seen our collection of David Winter Cottages grow. We started with one which I (Lynda) purchased somewhere around 1987. It graced our wall unit and had other brother and sister cottages join it over the years. That number has increased to upwards of 140. The cottages now reside all over the house. We stopped collecting the cottages partly because we had no more space to put them and partly because they changed the material and way they were produced.

So we were bug free at last. Opps, another bug has invaded. It is called the Quiltitus bug and was brought into our lives by Howard's sister of all people. Marsha has had this bug herself for many years. Her quilts grace the rooms of many in our family. She is an expert seamstress and artist. She was out to visit this past week for a few days. It was nice to actually be able to do things with her and not have to worry about getting back to the B&B for check-in. We took her to see the Chihuly glass exhibit (our second trip), and went to see our cousin Kathy in Parker. Along the way, we we were going to stop at some quilt stores. Marsha was looking for some flannel fabric for a new quilt project. She figured we would have a better selection up here, where it gets colder, than she would find in the Los Angeles area.

We went to a shop she had read about in one of her quilt magazines. In we walked and the "bug" invaded my (Lynda's) body and mind. My eyes found something I liked and thought would not be too hard to make. Marsha became my technical advisor and teacher. Off we went running around the shop looking for fabrics. Howard, patient soul that he is, sat himself down with another gentlemen to wait us out. His only complaint being that there was no TV to while away the time.

Of course, once you have the fabric you are not finished. You need the rulers, cutting tool, mat to cut on, special thread, special needles, special foot for the sewing machine, and special marking pencil. Some of these items we found in the shop. The others we would gather at other stores. Thank heavens I already had the sewing machine, iron and ironing board. Howard, willingly paid the bill and off we went. Marsha didn't find any fabric at the first store, but she did at the second. I also found some more "stuff" I needed and Howard again paid the bill.

We had a nice dinner and visit with our cousin Kathy. She also expressed an interest in quilting, but right now doesn't have the time to pursue that interest. I must warn her that the "bug" bites hard when you get it. The next day, Marsha & I visited two more stores. I added to my growing collection of needed "stuff" and Marsha added to her collection of fabrics. We picked up a quilting newspaper and store class flyers. After all, I will need someone to get more lessons from after Marsha returned to LA.

That evening, Marsha taught me the basics of cutting and layout for quilting. For those of you who sew, this is different than how we learned to cut and layout fabric. Fortunately, I was a fast learner. Marsha & Howard watched TV and I cut out my pieces. We went over how to attach fabrics to build the binding strip and some general other general quilting terminology and facts. Marsha took a copy of the instructions with her so that she could advise me if I get stuck on a step in the process. It is hard when your teacher lives so far away.

So, I've caught a new bug real fast and it is here to stay for some time. How long, who knows. Howard, groans and our Citibank card says thank you.


T&T