More snow

We had a few more significant snow days at the end of October, but November was fairly dry & even warm some days. Now, December has been different yet again. It got much colder almost from the 1st day of the month and stayed cold. Temps have even gone to the single digits or even negative values overnight.

an indicator for winter?

We had a super cold weekend. Temperatures were in the 20s on Saturday & barely 30F on Sunday. We had freezing drizzle and fog. The roads were pretty slick & the fog made it hard to see. Our mailbox door was frozen shut. It took 2 days to get it open. There was such an accumulation of frozen drizzle that the trees were all bowing down under the weight. Everyone says it unusual weather for CO. Does this mean we'll have a colder than normal winter? All I know is that it was delightful to see the sun again today. It made 50F feel wonderful. I'm looking forward to a warmer, milder week.

First hint of snow

We had our first little wave of COLD weather & even some snow last week. It was a bit of a shock since we were near 80 on Sunday. Then, on Monday morning - BOOM, cold & flurries of snow. Nothing really stuck to the ground (or not for long), but it was a sight to see. This is the first time I've seen snow before October. The cold weather held on for 3 or 4 days before we finally got a break & back to more normal temps. This past weekend was pretty warm again - high 70s & today we were in the 80s. Time to remind myself that the seasons are changing & the weather will be doing crazy things.

We went up to the mountains this weekend to see the fall colors. We stayed in Leadville (10,200 ft) & rode the Leadville train. On the way home, we stopped in Buena Vista. They have a new area called "South Main" where they are building homes, shops, restaurants & a park near the Arkansas River. It's cute. We had fun sticking our feet in the cold river water.

Autumn

More signs of Autumn...temps dropping into the 60s, plants turning colors (burning bush, aspens...)...Next week we'll have temps in the 50s for a few days. Summer is over.

'09 Balloon Classic

We made it to Memorial Park for the 33rd Annual Colorado Balloon Classic this morning. It was a really nice experience. There was a bit of fog that delayed the start, but we had a nice time watching the balloons inflate & launch. The event is free to the public every Labor Day weekend. There are many vendors, so we got some yummy mini donuts & coffee to get the morning going. Also, we brought along some snacks. Parking is where you can find it on neighborhood side streets, or you can pay to park in lots that are set up in the area. We were lucky to find a spot just 2 blocks north on Bijou. If you are in the area or just love hot air balloons, this is a great event.

Cooling off

It feels like it's cooling off early this year. Summer is hit or miss these days. We still have thunderstorms & rain showers in the afternoon/evening, but it cools off fast at night. The highs have barely been in the 70s some days, well below average. I hope we'll get some surprise warm days in Sept/Oct.

Bear Creek/Father's Day

We went for a short hike at Bear Creek Nature Center today. There weren't many people around, so it was really nice. There are a few trails at Bear Creek that loop around & connect to each other (easy to moderate). A ton of ladybugs are out. We also saw birds & butterflies. The weather got very warm today - in the 80s, but there was a good breeze. Seems like Summer is suddenly here - the forecast shows us in the mid-upper 80s for the next 7 days.

Summer thunderstorms

Nice, warm day with stormy afternoons...Now, this is the weather people had told us about when we moved here. We got some hail yesterday & some lightning & thunder today. I don't mind it, just don't like the tornado watches that come along w/it sometimes.

We took advantage of the nice, warm part of the day today & went for a bike ride. This is something that I hope becomes a habit :)

Sunny days

You can get quite spoiled by the sunshine in CO. The average is somewhere around 300 days of sunshine a year. Impressive :) Although, that means that the few days when it's cloudy all day I get a little blue. I just expect to see the sun every.single.day, even in the winter.

We've gotten quite a bit of rain & had some cooler days this late in the Spring season. We managed to meet our May avg. for rainfall, which makes the grass & my water bill happy. It's only been in the 60s the last few days. That's ok. I'm not ready for the heat yet (it's been in the 90s & 100s in other parts of the country). We can save that for late July/early Aug. Thanks, Mother Nature!

Gold Rush Day

We went to the Western Museum of Mining & Industry today for Gold Rush Day, celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Colorado Gold Rush (1859). Admission was an easy $1.50, while the kids under 3 were free (bonus!). I was disappointed that the burros weren't out, but it was fun. The kids got to pan for good (or spill water all over themselves). We also got to see the Stamp Mill up on the hill. It's not always open, usually only in the summer/warmer months. The kids also received a "gold" spike which was a cute keepsake.

What survived...

Looks like we can finally call it - the Eastern Red Bud tree did not make it back. It was planted in early Nov, but there's no sign of life now. We'll probably wait a bit longer to replace it just b/c we have no clue what to put in its place.

On the other hand, the vine (have to see if I can find the name or type) that we planted looked completely dead only to sprout leaves in the last few days. It's the strangest thing I've seen. The vine looks seriously dry & dead, but the leaves are poking out.

We relocated a few of the dwarf Korean lilacs so that we can add an evergreen(s) to the front of the house. We want something that will stay green or with color through the winter since everything we planted dies off or goes dormant. We're considering Firethorn (Pyracantha) since it's orange berries hold through winter. Or there's Rhododendron...

Colorado "beach"

We took a day trip down to the Great Sand Dunes National Park. A bit of a long drive (~3 hrs from COS), but it was nice. We got a late start, so we didn't get to stay as long as planned. Left home just before 10am & arrived around 1pm. The park seemed pretty packed, probably b/c the previous holiday weekend was rather rainy. After paying the $3 pp entrance fee (16 yrs & older), we drove down to the parking lot for Medano Creek (a seasonal creek that runs past the dunes). It was very full. We had to circle around before finding a space to squeeze in near the picnic tables. An intern approached us for a children's nature walk, so we joined up. Quickly realized that Olivia was not paying attention, so we went for a walk along the creek. It was great. We tried to start hiking up the dunes but the sand was hot & Olivia did NOT want to put her shoes back on her feet. great...More walking along the creek before we decided to go back & have a picnic. After eating, we grabbed our beach chairs, changed in to some swim clothes & went back to the creek. The wind began to pick up & the temp. started dropping, but it was a lot of fun. Before leaving the park, we drove up around the Pinon Flats camping area to check it out & see if we'd find some co-workers camping up there. Looks like we need to come back & camp there. They have some nice flat areas for the tent, a large metal cabinet to lock up your food (bears in the area) & a pit to light camp fires.

Memorial Day Hike

We went to Garden of the Gods on Memorial Day this year. It was cool & grey, but we went out to see how far we would get. We chose the Siamese Twins Trail after reading about it in a book we got from Aunt D. The park was pretty busy being a holiday, but we found a spot to park at the Spring Canyon trailhead. It was really nice to try a different trail & not have to take the stroller along. Olivia did really well. We wound up doing 2 trails - Cabin Canon Trail & Siamese Twins Trail. There were people riding horses on the trail. We had Olivia tracking the horseshoe prints & she started pretending to ride a horse. It was a nice day. The rain caught up with us at the end of the STtrail, so we hurried back to the car.

The weather

Getting used to the weather out here can be challenging, esp. after moving from a place as predictable as S. FL. The weather can change & change fast out here. For example, it was in the low 70s yesterday, but we woke up to 40s, misty rain & fog this morning before barely hitting 60 in the late afternoon. Even on days that are predicted to reach the 80s can turn quickly, esp. in the transition between seasons. I can't forget the weekend that we spent out here to look for a place to live. It was a weekend in October. There was plenty of sun & near 80 on Sat, but we woke up to snow & 40s the following day. We had a similar October weekend this past Autumn. Our first big snow came over Thanksgiving weekend, but we didn't get much more until February & March, into April this year.

We went to the "Gigantic Plant Sale" hosted by the Horticultural Arts Society today. It's down at their demonstration gardens near Monument Valley Park. A neat little event. I haven't been down in that area in a few months (near Colorado College). It was nice to see all of the trees opening.

Spring is here

We've learned a lot about landscaping & xeriscaping since moving here. We bought a house & had to install full landscaping. The different climate zone, altitude & water restrictions posed a challenge for us initially. It took awhile to research & understand what lives out here. Our yard went in pretty late last year, so, it's nice to see things coming back to life.
Our Newport Plum tree is my favorite. It had some beautiful pink flowers & now deep red leaves. The aspens & crabapple trees are doing well, too. The single Swedish Aspen is a late bloomer (last of the aspens to open). The Austrian pines are nice, but need a little more attention. We also have 2 fruit trees - apple & apricot. Oh, and our street tree - a nice Oak.

Something new

We've been in CO for about 1.5 years already. This is just a place for me to chronicle places we've been & how our life is changing out here.

We moved here quickly & somewhat unexpectedly from Miami, FL. My husband was looking for a new job & the city of Colorado Springs became our next adventure. I find it a bit ironic or coincidental to be here. My husband & I were here in 1997 as COS was the finishline for Sunrayce '97 (a solar car racing project that we both participated in at our university). So, to find ourselves living here 10 years later was pretty neat.