A Day Trip in Colorado

Even though we've lived in Colorado for almost 20 years, there still are an amazing number of "tourist traps" that we have somehow missed.  Today's  "missed treasure" is Bishop Castle.  Bishop Castle was built by a single man, beginning in the 1960's.  You can read all about it on his website.
A couple weeks ago, Mr. IM's law partner visited with his daughters and inspired us to go.

 On the road on a gorgeous Saturday morning...

 Surprisingly, the castle is located right off the road-we parked on the side and crossed the highway to join about 250 bikers and a few other tourists driving cars.  Check out that dragon!  Wow!

 This is quite a project for one person--wow!

 We stood at the bottom for a few minutes and admired the castle while deciding what to do first...

 There go Mr IM and The Boy--I decided to stay nearer to the ground.  Mr. IM said something like "oh, just come up, you can just turn around and come down" (later, while watching someone come down these stairs he said, "gee, I wouldn't want to come down those steps!")

 And up and up and up....

 While the boys explored up high, I explored ground level--some interesting things to see.  I also had a funny exchange with another person whose feet were firmly planted on the ground while his friends/family went up--he said, "Not going up?"  I said, "Nope...not gonna do it".  He said, "Yeah, I jump out of airplanes for a living, but I'm not going up there--no chute..."

 I was later convinced to go up two levels using these stairs--it wasn't too bad, since it is enclosed.

 This place really is cool!  I guess weddings and parties can happen here--some of the stairs would be very interesting in heels, but then again, so are grassy meadows...

 Here we are, up one level of stairs--actually a fairly large "party room"--very nice--flat floor

 beautiful stained glass..

 Secret passage?

 View from another floor up--beautiful scenery and large room--if you can get to it, it would be a great wedding/party site!

 Cute bear from the very bottom floor--he is pretty cute.

 I think he might be crying--this is when we wouldn't buy the $50 sword from the gift shop.  I contemplated a $30 purse...then noticed that it not only had a Colorado flag, but also a marijuana leaf.  Hmm.  Not really my style.

 Viet of the scenery, including porta potties (for The Girl, because of her love of porta potties, of course)

 The boys went up in the gatehouse--I again stayed close to the ground...

 Up they go...

 The Boy, waving from the top

 One last view as we head out (look how blue the sky is!  After a month of (unusual) rain, it is soooo nice to have  blue Colorado skies again!

 Couldn't talk about this without showing this shot--motorcycles lined up along the road as far as the eye can see!  The Castle is on a "ride route" and since there are porta potties and snacks, it is a popular stopping point!

 Now what? you ask?  The open road (with Pike's Peak in the distance)

 Ah, What is this?  Well, this, my friends is THE Supermax facility for the United States...name a terrorist and they are probably contained here.  This would be the facility that was "being populated" in the movie Con Air...

 We rounded out the day by driving home past Castlewood Canyon Park--causing The Boy to ask if we could hike there (no...it has been raining for month...anything with the word "canyon" in it isn't a good hiking spot until the water levels go down!)

And home before the thunderstorm!  Whoo!
A great day trip--lots of fun and very pretty!

Another book post? Summer Reading 2015

So this summer we are asking all our students to read one book from the suggested reading list.  I think next summer I'm going to make my own recommended reading list for my students.  I'm still working out how I'll get them to do it, especially if I don't have them in class two years in a row.  So here are my totally random thoughts on the books for this summer.

Aspen by Rebekah Crane--I'm reading this now.  I was hoping it would be light and fluffy, but despite not being (it centers on Aspen, the main character, who sees the ghost of a girl who died in a car accident), it is good so far.
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card--sorry to all you fans, but I've picked up and set down this book approximately fifty times since 1978...but I'll give it one more time this summer..Lots of people love it...
Looking for Alaska by John Green--See my blog from Monday--liked the book, dark, but liked it
The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown-loved it when I read it years ago, although it is certainly not Dan Brown's best book.  A good summer read for some of my students, probably.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee --Read it in high school, couldn't get in to it, read it in my 30's loved it...what more is there to say?
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk-probably not going to read it...looks super dark and disturbing.

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein (fiction)-tried to read it last summer but it was sooo sad...will try again this summer
Say You’re One of Them by Uwem Akpan (fiction)-started it last summer, lost interest, will try again
The Crossing by Gary Paulsen (fiction)--Not a terrible book, but I wonder if they really meant to choose "Crossing the Wire" (Hobbs)...Paulsen is a good writer (author of one of my all time favorites, "Masters of Disaster"), but Crossing the Wire is a better book...
The Color of Water by James McBride (nonfiction)--another of my all time favorites-a good book
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (fiction)--Mixed feelings about this one--it is short and the reading level is easy, but the content is disturbing (I call it the sex-drugs and rock and roll book)--
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison (fiction)no, just no...only book I've ever thrown out (when it was assigned for a women's lit class in college).  Highly recommended by many, but the content is too disturbing for me...
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand (nonfiction)--another favorite--read it last summer and love that man!
Death with Interruptions by Jose Saramago (fiction)--In the pile to read this summer
A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest P. Gaines (fiction)-My office mate says this is one of her favorites, so it was moved to the top of the "to read" list (as soon as I finish Aspen)
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri (fiction)-Might try it again--started last summer and never finished...

When I look at this list I think there are an awful lot of books about death and dying on the list. One of my co-workers and I briefly discussed that "issue" today and hypothesize that maybe that is because every good story starts with some kind of loss and then growth and  that's what makes it good...but I would love to have some ideas of great books (classic or new) to suggest for next summer that don't seem so dark.  I jokingly said, "ummm, Anne of Green Gables?"...then realized that it starts with the premise that Anne is orphaned..therefore if starts with death.  Hmmm....We also wondered about if maybe we should just give kids a list of "classic" books and have them choose...but then what makes a classic?  Is it books written by "dead, white men"?  And the the dual issues of identification and accessibility---How do we choose books that our very diverse student body identify with and also can access, no matter what their native language or current reading level is....and how do we make a list with challenging books at every level?  Egads...I'm actually happy I'm not on the committee to choose the books....

Anyway, I'd love to know what all of you are reading..especially if you've found someone who writes like Elizabeth Peters...Happy Summer!

What I read in May 2015

There are a couple of books on this month's list that might make this year's top 10--here we go...

1.  Child of Mine (Beverly and David Lewis)-Picked it up as a "fluff" book and ended up really enjoying it.  Although it was a "typical Beverly Lewis Amish book" in many ways, it also had some unexpected plot twists.  Might not make the top 10, but worth reading.
2.  Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)-recommended by a couple friends, this is book 1 of a 7 (8?) book series--each about 400 pages each.  The book was very entertaining.  I really enjoyed the time traveling and the characters were interesting.  The only thing I didn't love was a couple "love" scenes that I wouldn't want to read with my mom or my daughter :) (Just sayin....). I may pick up book 2 sometime this summer. Added/Revision--Ha!  After I hit submit I remembered the other reason I loved this book--my favorite author of all time, Elizabeth Peters, once wrote a book where she "made fun of" historical romance writers and her main character was a parody of herself.  The main character in the book decides to write "one of those historical romance books" to make money...and that is one of the things I kept thinking about as I read a "real" historical romance....
3.  Day After Night (Anita Diamant)--Interesting read, although it took me a little while to get into it.  This book is set in Israel right after WWII and is based on a true story about a "prison break" out of a refugee detention center.
4.  Surviving Bear Island (Paul Greci)- Another recommendation from a friend.  Written for upper elementary school kids, it reminded me a lot of "Hatchet".  It was a quick read, worth it and if you love "Hatchet" style stories you'll enjoy this one!
5.  Tattoos on the Heart (Gregory Boyle)-This one might make the top 10 list.  It reminded me a bit of "Thrift Store Saints" that I read last year.  It is written by a priest who works with teens in the inner city of LA, especially with kids in gangs and trying to get out.  Father Boyle has taught as well as being a priest and has great advice for teachers--my favorite being something like "learn all your students' names by the second day and it is more important for them to know that you know them than it is for them to know what you know".
6.  The Last Days of Dogtown (Anita Diamont)--Another book I had trouble getting into but then enjoyed.  It is based loosely on a true location, although I'm not sure it is based on true events.  Anita Diamont really does write interesting characters.
7. Looking For Alaska (John Green)-Against my will I did like this book.  It is on the summer reading choice list for my high school and falls in the category of "another sex-drugs-rock and roll book".  It was a little dark, but I think all John Green books are a little dark (or a lot as the case may be). It was a fairly quick book to read.

End of the school year...or not?

I read the best blog last week--Jen Hatmaker's "Worst End of School Year Mom Ever" and couldn't stop laughing because it is like she is in my house.  We are also limping to the finish line...not sure exactly where/when it is, or what will happen when we get there...but we're getting there...

Once again, The Ranch is a one car household....about a month ago, on the way home from a late volleyball game with The Girl, Mr. IM's car "threw a rod through the short block".  Now, please don't ask me what all that entails...all I can tell you is that the car shop said 3-6 weeks and we are on week 4.  Thanks to the generosity of friends we have managed to get everywhere we are supposed to (school, work, music lessons....)--I realize again how wonderful our village is--one of my friends not only got me to and from work for almost a month, but loaned me her car often so I could get my kids (and I) from point A to B to Z...

School is fine, busy as always, but I think that all my end of year paperwork is done (or at least mostly done), so I can start working on plans for next year.  Unless things change (which they will) I will be teaching two US History classes  and two Government classes and probably a Freshman Orientation class.  One each of the History and of the Government classes are labeled "foundations", so I'm spending some of my free time surfing Amazon for great deals on the (almost) 20 year old text book that I love (1 cent plus $3.99 shipping?  Used--Very Good?  Done!!). I'm also continuing on the Advisory team--which is technically one more prep (but a fun one!)

The Girl "graduated" from 8th grade last week and we had both sets of grandparents here for the weekend. The Girl is going on a trip with her Grandmother next week, so Grandma is back this week. They've been busily packing and getting ready.  

Another indication of the level of crazy is that my garden is still in plastic crates in the living room--although it hailed again tonight, so I'm celebrating that it is (mostly) inside and not smashed...

I suppose the next post will be "What I read in May"....Stay tuned!

The yard is pretty...

Because we continue to have random hail and snow (not kidding...had a foot of snow last weekend), the plants are still in the house--tomatoes, cucumbers, dragon fruit, peppers....Hopefully I'll get them all in the garden soon.  

 The back yard looks pretty good, all things considered--this is before Mr. IM added some mulch today--notice  the new flower boxes with herbs and flowers in them

I think they turned out very nice!

Hope you are enjoying lovely spring weather!

Monarch Road

There are at least two ways to get home from church to our house--one being the highway (which is always under construction) and the other being Monarch Road.  When The Girl and The Boy were much younger I always took the highway, because Monarch Road seemed so long and so foreign.  The other night, as I drove home on Monarch, enjoying the peace and the dark--we even stopped to let three deer cross the road--I thought how interesting it is how something can become so commonplace that the old way seems silly---going out of my way to take the highway now just seems like a waste of time.  

I think it works that way in the rest of my life too--both good things and not so good--that if I do something enough it just becomes "how things are done".  As I drove,  I thought how good that can be when it is something like reading a daily devotional every morning how it is not good when it is neglecting my nightly walk.  

I think I'll keep taking Monarch Road home to remind myself to reinforce good habits and try to change the not so good (and to see the deer).

Books I read in April 2015

I had a really good schedule going there for a while...maybe no one noticed :)  I was getting pretty good at posting on Wednesdays and Saturdays...today I realized I haven't posted since last Saturday--oops.  In my defense, not only is the end of the school year chaos in full swing, but I seem to have acquired allergies that may actually be a cold or flu...Last Sunday I actually got up long enough to decide that I shouldn't be up...Mr. IM tucked me back into bed, he took the kids to church and I woke up long enough a couple times to eat, read (for about 5 minutes), prep my Monday morning plans and lunch.... and go back to bed until Monday morning...this weekend I managed to complete most of my regular weekend tasks, but ugh, I'll be glad when this clears up...

I feel like I didn't read much in April, but there are a surprising number of books, some actually not "young adult novels" on the list.  I'm going to trust that if you're interested in these books (or want to check my description, or whatever) that you are able to google them or paste them into Amazon or your local library...I'm not sure I'm up to copying and pasting right now...

1.  The Dancing Floor (Barbara Michaels)--An old standby--I think I started it at the end of my spring break because I knew I needed something absolutely mindless. It is about a young woman who stumbles into a mystery and of course meets more than one eligible man.  Completely clean--I'd let my daughter or mother read it :)  Not as good as some of Michael's other books (and certainly not as good as the books she wrote as Elizabeth Peters) but a good bubble gum read.
2.  The Maze Runner (James Dashner)-I've checked this book out a few times before and can't count the number of people (including my friend, T, who has never steered me wrong) that I had to read it.  Ok, I read it (and the sequels--see number 3 and 4).  It was good, entertaining...I liked this book better than the sequels.  No spoilers (I don't think?) but the 2nd and 3rd had some zombie-like characters in them and that freaked me out more than it should have. All three books were good, now I can tell everyone I read them...but they aren't going to make my "favorite books of 2015" (Sorry, T....)
3. The Scorch Trials (James Dashner)
4.  The Death Cure (James Dashner)
5.  The Dark on the Other Side (Barbara Michaels)--We were in Breck for the last weekend of snowboard fun and I wanted a book to read on my phone while I hung out in the sunshine.  This was the cheapest of the Michaels/Peters/Mertz books (it was 99 cents...) and after reading it was clear why.  I think I actually read it years ago...it was good entertainment, but had a coven of witches who weren't very smart and a main character who was even more clueless.  Meh.
6.  Naked Once More (Elizabeth Peters)--One of my favorite Peters' books--I never heard her speak specifically about this book, but it fits with things I've heard her say.  The main character of the book is a former librarian, who finding herself suddenly in need of income, decides to write a "trashy novel"...because certainly she can write a best seller.  Of course the fictional author goes on to write many novels and her publisher suggests she enter a contest to write the sequel to a book (whose author died) with "naked" in the title ("naked" was in the title because that makes books sell better, according to the fictional editor).  There are cute little "she sheds" years before that was a thing (they are actually guest cottages).  Good book...I'm willing to loan it if you're local and promise to bring it back (its hard cover--ooh, ah)
7. Thou Art With Me (Debbie Viguie)--The long awaited 7th (8th? 10th? 5th? I don't know...) book in the series...entertaining, not as exciting as some of the earlier books.  I was describing the series to a friend and told her that I loved the first couple books and now I just want to know what happens to end the whole series so I can move on to something else.  The author is advertising a cross series connection with one of her other series, but her other series doesn't sound all that interesting to me...so I just wait for these books, read them in a couple hours and then sigh.  The good news is that she "promises" to produce a book about every 3 months from now until she finishes the 15 (ish) book series, but she is historically 1-3 months slower than promised...but still...
8. Pioneer Girl (Laura Ingalls Wilder)--Hmm.  I was on the waiting list for months to get this and it was good...but it wasn't what I thought it would be.  I guess I glossed over the "annotated" part when I first saw it.  I think if I read it again I'd enjoy it more--I wanted to read the "unedited" version of Laura's story, but kept getting bogged down in the annotations.  It was interesting to read and included pictures and documents I'd never seen--a history dork's dream!
9.  The Honest Toddler:  A Child's Guide to Parenting (Bunmi Laditan)--Bunmi is one of Mr. IM's clients and I've been "meaning to read her book" for months. It was funny--I think her twitter/facebook posts are funnier, because they are more "one liners"--but I'd also seen a lot of this material already on facebook and on her blog, so she still gets funny points.
10.  The Boston Girl (Anita Diamant)--Really enjoyed this book--I read "The Red Tent" by the same author several years ago and enjoyed it (historical fiction, follows a Biblical family...kept cross referencing it with the Bible...).  The Boston Girl is about a first generation American woman, her sisters and parents immigrated to Boston just before the turn of the last century and the main character was born around 1900.  The Boston Girl is presented as a story she tells her granddaughter in about 1985.  Lots of interesting history and an interesting plot--this one might make the top 10 of 2015...we'll see what else appears in the next few months!

This month I'm starting with Outlander (someone recommended it--who were you so we can discuss it....). So far it is interesting, but I'm having trouble getting into it...(but maybe it is my constantly dripping nose interfering with my ability to think...).  Happy May...some garden posts are coming...later...maybe Wednesday (or Saturday...)