Meet Flat Ben!

This is my youngest nephew Ben. He's 8, almost 9. Isn't he adorable?


Ben lives in Ohio. He sent me this letter the other day:

So, without further ado, I introduce Flat Ben!

I am super excited that Ben chose me, of all people, to take Flat Ben around and show him a good time! This little dude is going to have a fantastic few weeks! First, I think I need to clothe Flat Ben in some waterproof gear so he doesn't get all wet and mushy. I thought I'd just put him in a zip loc bag, but he looked like he was stuffed in, well, a zip loc bag. Plus, he didn't fit. Not such a good look for a guy who's going to be a super model in Colorado.

So I made Flat Ben a custom waterproof uni-suit! He's a bit shiny and crinkly, but now he's set for some adventures!

First up, a run against the backdrop of the Continental Divide. Flat Ben and I grabbed the dog and drove up Flagstaff Road all the way to the start of the Tenderfoot Trail.

There, we ran along sweet singletrack trail through patches of snow as the sun set beyond the mountains.

I think Flat Ben had a pretty good start to his visit. I can't wait to see what adventures tomorrow brings him!

Colorado Routine

Routine Item #1 - Skiing on the weekends.

Routine Item #2 - Lots of sleep.

Routine Item #3 - Oatmeal for breakfast.

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We went skiing both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday was a resort day at Copper. Jesper and I met up with Sue and found some mighty good snow.

Jesper in Copper Bowl Saturday

Sunday was epic! We got up early (5:00 am) to meet up with friends (Megan and Ryan) and meet some new friends (Sue and Nancee) for a back country outing at Berthoud Pass.

Gear waiting to be donned

Located near Winter Park resort but unlike the resort, this back country area is not patrolled or avalanche controlled. There is no chair lift. Back country enthusiasts get up in elevation by their own two feet. Our group was all skiers, so we used skins on the bottoms of our skis to gain traction as we "skinned" up. This is a lot of work.

Jesper, Megan and Nancee contemplating where to skin up

Because back country areas are not bombed for avalanche control, back country skiers must be very aware of the potential avalanche dangers. All six of us had beacons, shovels and probes. We had avalanche safety training. We took care to avoid more avalanche prone areas and stick to safer slopes. When we did have to travel on more avalanche prone slopes, we crossed or skied one at a time, carefully watching each skier progress down until he/she reached safety. We were fortunate that the avalanche danger for the day at Berthoud was low to moderate.

Avalanche Rose for Saturday from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center - Yellow is moderate and green is low

It was cold and windy, something like 10 below with the wind chill, so cold we wore our helmets, goggles and hoods when skinning up! Skinning up gets you really warm, so wearing all that meant it was pretty cold.

Nancee and Jesper skinning up in the blowing snow and NOT getting warm

What did we get from all that cold hard work? POWDER, and lots of it!

Jesper hitting the POW through the trees

Sue making turns in the POW down a gully

Run after run, we hit bottomless powder and hardly saw any other people. Big smiles filled our faces; the frigid, blowing wind on the multiple ascents was worth it!

We finished the day with a beer at Southern Sun, tired but happy. Routine Item #1 satisfied completely!

After dinner, Jesper and I went to bed at 8:15!! We slept until 6:45, so we certainly got lots of sleep. Routine Item #2 satisfied completely!

This morning, after ten and a half hours of sleep, I got to enjoy a fabulous bowl of oatmeal. I ate it so fast, I forgot to take a picture of it! Routine Item #3 satisfied completely!

Yesiree - I am back into my routine!

More Berthoud Pics here.

Jesper's pics and write up here.

I'm wearing a grey jacket and a white helmet and Jesper has on an orange jacket with a black helmet.

New Year

It's 2009! Holy crap! Time kinda flies.

I have been trying very hard to resume my "normal" routine after the holidays:

• Get lots of sleep in my own bed
• Wake up at 6:45
• Eat Oatmeal for Breakfast
• Work from home reasonable hours (not too much and not too little)
• Ski a lot
  
• Get out most days for a run or ride

However, much to my disappointment, my life right now is not letting me slide back into my routine.

• Get lots of sleep in my own bed - Even though I'm finally getting to sleep in my own bed, I'm not exactly getting "lots of sleep". I'm waking up every few hours and sometimes can't go back to sleep after 4:30 am. What the heck happened??? Just last month I was able to sleep soundly for 9 hours straight! I attribute this change in sleeping patterns to:

1. A wacky sleep schedule since we returned from Denmark (crazy 40+ hours to get back to the US of A, NYE and such).
   
2. Jet lag from Denmark, which is lingering due to the aforementioned wacky schedule.
3. WORK! This is probably the biggest culprit to my sleeping problems. My work has vacillated between "Hurry up and do an impossible amount of work in too few hours" and "Drop everything, the project is on hold!" I'm either stressed from too much work or stressed wondering if I'll have work. No wonder I can't sleep!

• Wake up at 6:45 - See above.

• Eat Oatmeal for Breakfast - Ahhh... I'm finally getting back on track with this, now that we have restocked the fridge after almost 2 weeks out of the country. So here's how I make it: Use real oats (none of that instant crap), use milk and soy milk instead of water; add some ground flax seed and sliced bananas and cook. Serve chopped walnuts on top. Yum!!! Now don't get me wrong, I loved the traditional Danish breakfast we had every day in Denmark (NO - we did not eat any danishes!). And then we had family visit so we did big egg breakfast stuff. But I like my Oatmeal routine.

• Work from home reasonable hours (not too much and not too little) - My work has been rather crazy, either feast or famine. One day I'll have too little work and then next day, the project will be ON again and I'll work 13 hours straight. In addition, I haven't known what type of day it will be in advance, so I've been unable to make other plans to do anything else.
  

• Ski a lot - Although Denmark was great, we missed a lot of skiing while we were there. Then, when we returned, we were so tired from our sojourn home that we had to pass on skiing new year's day! Then I had family in town and we couldn't ski last Saturday because my nephew broke his wrist! Hopefully we get back into the ski routine soon.

• Get out most days for a run or ride - Since my work has been so crazy (and changing upon the hour), it's been tough to get out to run/ride consistently. I'm not sure where work sits right now, but maybe I just need to get my butt outside and run. It's a good routine for me and the dog.

I'm looking forward to that Oatmeal tomorrow morning!

Merry Jul from Denmark

It's December 25th; Jesper and have been in Denmark for Christmas since December 17th. Time has gone so fast! We cannot believe we leave in 2 days!!! Where did 10 days go?!?!?!?

Our trip started out great, took a downhill turn and then bounced back. We left Boulder midday on December 17th and arrived in Copenhagen on December 18th midday. We arranged to stay in Copenhagen that night and met up with Jens, a friend of Jesper's from his IBM Denmark days, at a very nice restaurant in Tivoli. Before dinner, we made a stop at Hviid's Vinstue, a warm cozy place that's been around for some 300 years. We had Glögg, which is reason enough alone to come to Denmark over Christmas.

Hviid's Vinstue and their yummy Glögg (not bad for an iPhone pic - courtesy Jesper)

After a good night's sleep, we boarded a train to Frederikshavn, Jesper's hometown. We arrived Friday afternoon feeling pretty fresh (not much jet-lag), and went to bed after spending some time with the family. Things went downhill from there...

During the night, I was sick as a dog. Nausea, stomach cramps and severe heartburn. I mean severe. I was pretty much out of commission the next day, although I did manage to make it out for the cutting of the tree with Jesper's father (Ole) and his niece and nephew, Maia and Marcus. Despite not feeling too hot, I still had a great day, mostly because Jesper was so happy to see his family again.

Maia and Marcus cutting down the tree

Saturday, we shopped for Christmas gifts in town, an easy day for me to recover and had dinner over at Jesper's brother's house. The next day, I felt much better, but it was Jesper's turn to feel sick. We would continue to pass the baton all the way through the house to Vibeke (Jesper's Mom) and then finally to Ole. Not exactly the Christmas gift we had in mind!

Due to the funk, Monday was a laid back day with family, although I broke away for an hour to go running. I forgot my camera, which is a shame, because the lighting was very pretty. I ran from the house down to the harbor, where there were a mix of old fishing boats and large, modern commercial craft. It was very picturesque. The lighting in Denmark in the winter is very special (when it's sunny). You are so far north, the sun never gets up very high and the angle of the lighting is low and golden. This golden period of light lasts for hours, as opposed to the ten minutes of perfect lighting you get in Colorado.

Despite a lingering funk, on Tuesday all but Vibeke loaded up in the cars and drove all the way from the East coast of Denmark, where Frederikshavn is located, to the West coast. About a one hour drive - it's a small country. We visited a little fishing town of Lønstrup and the nearby sand dunes, which are advancing rapidly toward the ocean. Both a lighthouse and a very old church are falling into the sea.

Jesper, Lars and Marcus near the lighthouse by the sea

Me at the edge of the sand dune cliffs (courtesy Jesper)

Lars and Marcus by what remains of the old church about to fall into the ocean

A very old gravestone

Wednesday was the 24th, the day the Danes celebrate Christmas. Don't ask me why..... Anyway, they celebrate Christmas at night, so we had all day to relax. Jesper, Ole and I went for a hike up on the hills overlooking the sea. This spot had been used by the Danish army for military defense before being taken taken over by the Germans in WWII. There were over 70 bunkers on the hillside, some for soldiers to seek shelter and others to house guns. Big guns.

Big gun overlooking the sea

WWII Bunker with a large gun

Jesper viewed from the gunners seat through the "view finder" of the cannon

Later that day I went for another run. I'm convinced a midday run staves off jet-lag. It seemesto be working for me, so I figured I'd keep running every day. The last time I was in Denmark for Christmas, I suffered from the sleepies every day, so I have been bound and determined to beat that nasty jet-lag this time around! Later that night, Lars, Lise and the children came over to share a Christmas feast and open the massive pile of presents that had magically appeared under our little tree. I was a very good girl and received many very nice gifts. I count myself lucky.

Lars, Marcus, Ole and Maia dancing around the tree before the presents were placed

Today is Thursday, December 25th and it has been another relaxing day, since no stores are open. Jepser and I saved one present each to give each other on this American Christmas morning. Jesper's gift to me was very creative. He gave me a DVD to play right away. When I popped it in the player, it showed a video of Jesper at home in Boulder with Strelka, along with a very large present. Jesper and Strelka proceeded to open said present, which was for me. It was a scanner/printer/fax machine/copier! The gift is great and the presentation was very sweet and well done. I've got a keeper in that Jesper....

Jesper and I both went for a long run in the afternoon through the countryside, the woods and then through some farmer's fileds and up a wooded hill to Jesper's Uncle's house. They were surprised to see us show up that way, and we certainly solidified our outdoorsy image thay had gleaned from our websites! We hadn't seen them yet, since they were avoiding Ole and Vibeke's house of plague.

Running past the fields

... and the farms

... and through the woods

Everyone is well now. We have two more days in Denmark; no doubt at least one more jet-lag fighting run and hopefully some more Glögg. I'll post more pics and links to Jesper's fine photos later.

Merry Jul!

Farewell Soot

This morning we had Soot, our 19 year old kitty, put down. She had a great life until a few months ago, when she began to lose weight, unable to keep her food down. A trip to the Vet showed that she had a large abdominal mass (i.e., cancer). Other bodily functions were also shutting down; probably her kidneys. We tried medication to slow down the tumor growth and help her appetite, but she only vomited more. She began to live in her litter box, getting filth all over her, something a healthy cat does not do. Upon hearing of her lack of response to the medication, our Vet recommended what we had been thinking - it was time to put Soot down.

I feel right about our decision to end her life. My personal views also favor euthanasia for people, so it's not surprising that I would be comfortable with ending a pet's life. But still, I don't take it lightly, ending another being's life.

Soot as a kitten

Having her put down brought back all kinds of memories. I got Soot when I was in my mid-20's, living in an old brewery in Columbus, Ohio, Der Zimpfer Street Brewery. Mid-20's! I was just a baby! I had another kitty, Kahlua, that I had gotten when I was in college (Kahlua lived to be almost 19!), and a black lab named Lajka. I picked up Soot on a whim, thinking she would be a good companion to Kahlua. Turned out that those two cats wanted to have nothing to do with each other!

I intended Soot to be an indoor cat, so I had her front claws removed when she started scratching the couch. Although I don't plan to get another cat, if I ever did, I would not remove its claws. I still recall how awful I felt when I got poor little Soot, just a kitten, back from the Vet with her paws wrapped up. Although Soot bounced back from the surgery, I felt like I had mutilated her (which I had).

Soot did get outside a few times, much to her consternation. Once, in the brewery house, Soot jumped out of the 2nd story window, I suppose because she saw a bird or a squirrel out there. I found her hunkered down in the tall grass beside the house, scared to death. I don't think she moved more than a foot from where she landed! She got out of the house once in Boulder too. We found her under the back porch after she had spent a night outside, fortunately in the warm months.

Soot made it through three dogs; Lajka (who passed away in 1995), Mushka (who passed away this summer) and Strelka. She didn't like any of the dogs except Strelka. They got along well, having many staring contests in my office while I worked. I am sure Strleka will notice Soot's absence.

Soot made it through many boyfriends, although I am confident the current one is the last one! Although she didn't like most men, Soot took to Jesper right away.

Soot, feeling comfortable enough with Jesper to pose for the camera

Soot survived two moves; one to Cleveland and one to Boulder. She did not like Cleveland, but once I moved her out to Boulder, she came out of her shell and became a much more social cat. She usually slept with us, especially in the winter. It is amazing to me how much room a 10 pound animal can take up on a bed!

Soot under the covers

I am glad she came out of her shell and had a few good years as an interactive member of the family.

Farewell Soot.

Unwelcome Guests

We get a lot of guests, being that we live in such a desirable place (Boulder). Most of them, we like and are happy to host.

But sometimes, some guests,....

Well you know the type.

They assume they can come.

They stay too long.

They bring their friends (friends we don't like)

They eat everything in sight.

They make a HUGE mess and don't clean up after themselves.

Well NO MORE!

Jesper and I are cracking down on these unwelcome guests!













Note to our human guests! We love having each and every one of you!

Cynthia's Birthday Celebration

Last night, a gaggle of hip, healthy Boulderites gathered at Zolo Southwestern Grill to celebrate Cynthia's 48th Birthday!

Part of our large group

Cynthia may cringe that I posted her age, but I hope she's proud. She's beautiful, super fit and youthful.

Cynthia looking so young, Jesper is compelled to serenade her!

It was a great time and I hope Cynthia feels special, 'cause she is! I guess Jesper is special too!

Dana and Cynthia making a Jesper Sandwich