Neither Wind, Nor Rain, Nor Sleet, Nor Snow...

We've experienced a joyously gorgeous autumn this year, with many, many opportunities to ride. Following a half-century on the final weekend of October, The Lizard computed his miles for the year and found he needed only 52.4 more miles to achieve his 2010 goal.

So he got back on the bike and did another half century (plus some) to log 4,000 miles in just 10 months. What a GREAT year for him!!!

His enthusiasm got me buzzing with excitement. I've been keeping track of my miles every day, but I had not summed up the total for this year. I was pretty sure I'd already reached my goal of 3,000 miles, too.

Sadly, I am 109 miles short.

Yes, there are two more months, and if the weather holds, I may still be able to pull it off. But my weekends are not mine for the next six weeks or so. That measly 109 miles could be as much of a challenge as any of the bigger rides I've done this year.

I think I can. I think I can. I think I can...

On the bright side, I've walked 325 miles so far this year. And my shoes show it!

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Final Installments

Here are the final two months of my free weekly planner... November and December. Enjoy!

Here's to hoping I am able to do a real, genuine, official version of this calendar in 2011.

Of course, strings are attached... you know, all that legal mumbo jumbo. This calendar is copyrighted and provided by Snowcatcher Photos. You may print the calendar and share the calendar via link back to this site. You may not under any circumstances sell the calendar or any of the images therein. Modification or republication of the calendar or any of the images therein without prior written consent of Snowcatcher is strictly prohibited.

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Working Our Way Through 2010

Almost summer! Almost heaven!

Here are the next two months of my free weekly planner... September and October. Enjoy!

The next installment(s) will be available in June.

Of course, strings are attached... you know, all that legal mumbo jumbo. This calendar is copyrighted and provided by Snowcatcher Photos. You may print the calendar and share the calendar via link back to this site. You may not under any circumstances sell the calendar or any of the images therein. Modification or republication of the calendar or any of the images therein without prior written consent of Snowcatcher is strictly prohibited.

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Even More Free Months

Here we go again. It's income tax day, so you deserve more than one month of summer. Too bad we can't all take vacation today, right?

Here are the next two months of the free weekly planner... July and August. Enjoy!

The next installment(s) will be available in May.

Of course, strings are attached... you know, all that legal mumbo jumbo. This calendar is copyrighted and provided by Snowcatcher Photos. You may print the calendar and share the calendar via link back to this site. You may not under any circumstances sell the calendar or any of the images therein. Modification or republication of the calendar or any of the images therein without prior written consent of Snowcatcher is strictly prohibited.

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America the Beautiful

Last week I was elated to learn my friend Mary Jafek's quilt had been accepted into this year's Denver National Quilt Festival. I've had several requests to show off detail in this marvelous quilt, and I am very happy to oblige.For those who didn't catch the rest of the story last week, Mary's quilt will be hanging at the Denver National Quilt Festival next month.

This quilt has the most amazing story.

Dwila Gerih of Wauneta, Nebraska, hand-embroidered all 50 states, state flowers, state birds and dates of statehood during the long commutes to and from Denver while her husband was being treated by Bruce Jafek, my friend Mary's husband. Dwila presented the embroidered squares to Dr. Jafek as a gift when her husband's treatment was completed. Mary pieced the quilt, and Merrie Jones of Aurora, Colorado, quilted it.

Dwila didn't follow the embroidery guide exactly, a woman I'd love to meet one day. I love when people make designs their own!

She improved upon many of the embroidery designs, in my opinion. After receiving this amazing gift, Mary decided not to try to wash the blue embroidery guides off, at least for now. She didn't want to chance ruining one of the squares with a test washing, and there's no way she could toss the completed quilt into any solutions, regardless of recommendations, without testing on something less valuable first. We may try to duplicate Dwila's efforts later on, but for now, you can see some of the original iron-on blue. To me, the quilt is still fabulous, and knowing Dwila tried to make the designs even better makes me appreciate her work even more.

Dr. Jafek, who toyed with the idea of becoming an architect before deciding surgery was his bag of tricks, designed the quilt layout at his wife's request. He then added one of the finishing touches by coloring and lettering the label (shown above) for the label on the back of the quilt. How's this for a doctor's handwriting?!?

I was honored to add just a tad to the quilt, too. I added the hanging sleeve, and I attached the quilt label. I now must attach a bigger label in another corner of the back of the quilt before "America the Beautiful" goes back on exhibit. Quilts at the Capitol last year wanted a 4-inch label at the top of the quilt; the Denver National Quilt Festival wants a bigger label at the bottom of the quilt. So Dr. Jafek made two.

Mary and her husband currently are serving a medical mission in the Philippines. That's why I've been entrusted with her priceless quilt. This is will be the second show it's been accepted into since it came into my care.

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More Free Months

Because my cycling season is in full gear now, I've decided to go ahead and release the next couple months of the 2010 free weekly planner now. This way, you have a head start on your summer planning!

So, here they are... May and June. Enjoy!

The next installment(s) will be available in April.

Of course, strings are attached... you know, all that legal mumbo jumbo. This calendar is copyrighted and provided by Snowcatcher Photos. You may print the calendar and share the calendar via link back to this site. You may not under any circumstances sell the calendar or any of the images therein. Modification or republication of the calendar or any of the images therein without prior written consent of Snowcatcher is strictly prohibited.

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Let the Training Begin!

Re: Selected in Lottery

Dear Snowcatcher:

Congratulations! Your application for the 2010 Denver Post Ride The Rockies has been selected.

You will receive a Rider Manual full of event details on March 26. In the interim, please visit our tour web site at www.ridetherockies.com for information on training, nutrition, equipment, transportation, etc.

Please take a moment to verify that your information below is accurate:

Jersey: Women Specific Cut
Lodging Preference: Camping
Purchase: In-Training Tech-T

We look forward to seeing you in June!

Happy Training,

Ride The Rockies Staff

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Joy!!!

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One Down, One to Go!

Completed the first of my Ravellenics socks on the train yesterday and got the second one started. Although there is a Sock Hockey category, I've entered these in the Snow Cross because I knitted the rib instead of crocheting. Snow Cross, which I think is one of the coolest Ravellenics event names, is combining more than one craft, such as crocheting and knitting, as I've done here. I hope to complete at least one more Snow Cross in the allotted 16 days because I just love combining crafts.

This is the first time I’ve ever used Wisdom yarn (yes, that’s really the name!), which is made in Turkey. This particular yarn also has a cool name. It’s called Poems. Poems by Wisdom. Is that cool or what?!?

I love the feel of the yarn. I love the colors. I love the content (wool that doesn’t itch). I’m not crazy about how much the yarn splits while working with small needles. I also became very annoyed last night when, four rows from completing the heel, a knot in the middle of the skein came up.

I can work around knots. No big deal. But this knot joined the second half of the skein in a different area of the colorway. It would have made a bright red blotch on the very tip of my heel, very obvious. So I had to wind off quite a bit of yarn to get back to the right color, which makes me worry I might not have enough to finish the second sock (and stick to the flow of the colorway).

Then, when I completed the first sock, I noticed the second half of the skein had the colorway going in the wrong direction! If I didn’t wind the yarn into a ball and start at the other end, the colors in my second sock would be upside down to how the first sock is done. I think you could see steam coming from my ears at this point! But it might have been the unplanned 55-minute wait for my next bus in 11 degrees that fueled part of that. [Big grin!]

While on our extremely romantic cross-country skiing extended Valentine weekend, I did complete four more Ravellenics projects, but I haven’t had a chance to photograph them yet. I have three more projects waiting in the wings. The finish line is still a week and a half away, so I just have to hope for time management miracles and weather and road conditions that accommodate long commutes. Could we call this a Miracle on Ice if I get them all done in time? Ha ha!

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Part Two

The second installment of my free weekly planner has been released!

This planner is chockfull of photos from all over Colorado. I hope you enjoy yet another little corner of my world.

For those who are taking advantage of this free offering on a monthly basis, that daily holiday feature is a bit more of a chore than I anticipated. I succeeded once again, but I'm finding my creative juices getting squeezed. Oh, well. When life hands you lemons, you make facial cleaner, right? (huge grin)

This calendar is being released in sections on a monthly basis (to spread out bandwidth usage throughout the year as opposed to one big server crunch).

The next installment will be available in February.

Of course, strings are attached... you know, all that legal mumbo jumbo. This calendar is copyrighted and provided by Snowcatcher Photos. You may print the calendar and share the calendar via link back to this site. You may not under any circumstances sell the calendar or any of the images therein. Modification or republication of the calendar or any of the images therein without prior written consent of Snowcatcher is strictly prohibited.

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Color My World

Sometimes I get a little bored with white. So I need some spice.

I made nearly 70 snowflakes from about mid-September to the end of December. That includes about 50 I designed, and 20 of those 50 I've written patterns for now.

I still love snowflakes, but by Christmas Day, I was yearning for color. A few skeins of Furrari took care of that very nicely. I finished a sweater back on Christmas Day, and the front was about halfway done by New Year's Eve.

Then I received a package in the mail yesterday. Oooooh la la!!! My first Noro EVER! I'm going to have SO much fun with this stuff!

I'm not done with white, though. Another gem I picked up in December was when my very dear friend Shonna asked if I'd like to help her destash. She had a bunch of thread her grandmother left her, and she doesn't do thread crochet. She knows I do. I'm going to have some fun with this stuff, too!

While counting up snowflakes, I thought I'd compile a list of all the stuff I did in 2009. Now don't go getting bored or intimidated. I get to work on crafts during my workday commute on public transportation. And I'm really trigger happy with the camera.

Here are the rest of my 2009 stats:

• 22 scarves.
• 3 hats.
• 18 micro bears (an inch and a half or smaller).
• 10 4-inch bears.
• One 8-inch bear.
• One 10-inch bear.
• One 6-inch hedgehog.
• One and a half 12-inch dragons.
• One 6-inch lamb.
• One 6-inch squirrel.
• One 8-inch lizard.
• One 3-inch dragonfly.
• 30 baby harp seals, 2 inches to 4 inches.
• 6 bunnies, 2 inches to 2 feet.
• 6 mice, 2 to six inches.
• One handkerchief hemline skirt and one quilted shoulder bag.
• Zero quilts. (Yikes!)
• Nearly 500 greeting cards designed!!!
• 18,466 photographs.

What did you make in 2009? What are you going to make in 2010? Please post links to pictures, if you have them. We'd love to see your creations!

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Wishes for a New Decade

And here is the link, in case you are unable to view the incredible above.

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It's Here!

The first installment of my free weekly planner has been released!

This planner is chockfull of photos from all over Colorado. I hope you enjoy my little corner of the world.

Also, because I'm doing this myself this year with no corporate backing, I get a little bit of freedom. (Can you hear me sing?!?) I decided to include a daily holiday, just for fun. Let me tell you, that took some digging and research!

This calendar is being released in sections on a monthly basis (to spread out bandwidth usage throughout the year as opposed to one big server crunch).

The next installment will be available in January.

Of course, strings are attached... you know, all that legal mumbo jumbo. This calendar is copyrighted and provided by Snowcatcher Photos. You may print the calendar and share the calendar via link back to this site. You may not under any circumstances sell the calendar or any of the images therein. Modification or republication of the calendar or any of the images therein without prior written consent of Snowcatcher is strictly prohibited.

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Hot off the Press!

For the past six years, my employer has published a pocket-sized weekly planner. Budget constraints in 2009 made it impossible to offer the calendar again in 2010. My husband and I looked into printing the calendar ourselves, but that, too, was cost-prohibitive.

For the past six years, most of my weekends and vacations have literally focused on filling the next year's calendar with up to 60 photographs. That's a very hard habit to break!

I hope and pray the world financial situation will improve in the coming year and that publication of our weekly planner can resume in 2011. But for now, this calendar is my gift to the world in these troubled financial times.

I also plan to release a free version of the weekly planner in sections on a monthly basis (to spread out bandwidth usage throughout the year instead of one big server crunch now through January). The first installment will be available in December.

Of course, strings are attached... you know, all that legal mumbo jumbo. This calendar is copyrighted and provided by Snowcatcher Photos. You may print the calendar and share the calendar via link back to this site. A permanent link will appear in the right-hand column. You may not under any circumstances sell the calendar or any of the images therein. Modification or republication of the calendar or any of the images therein without prior written consent of Snowcatcher is strictly prohibited.

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