Travis got a puppy...

that lives at Bobbi's house. He is a boxer named Jax. I haven't met him yet. But I need to.

Ironhorse Acres Hayride

Sunday evening we had an association meeting and so beforehand Bryan offered to take anyone who wanted to go on a hayride. It was a perfect evening for that. Now if I could have just skipped the meeting...

Pulgogi Festival 2013

Friday, October 25. It was that time again. Hayride, Good food, carving pumpkins, lots of people (32 to be exact) 

The week was full of prep and decorating and cooking and baking. Getting everything ready for Friday night.

Monday evening I got all my trail and "pumpkin patch" decorations ready. Prepped some of the food and got stuff out of the freezer to thaw. 

Tuesday was a beautiful day and I went out after cleaning in the morning and put a few things up around the trail. Then hoped it wouldn't rain! Or that the wind wouldn't blow it all down.

It was so nice this year to have the E-Z-GO to haul stuff. This cut out of Ashley has become a family joke so she made and appearance in the "Pumpkin Patch"

This "pumpkin patch" is really just a mowed area that we take purchased pumpkins out to for the hayriders to pick up. It makes for a fun activity.

Tuesday went by and after work on Wednesday I decorated the cookies I had made earlier and frozen.

Vampire teeth with bugs in them.

That was about all I accomplished that evening besides some more cleaning. 

Thursday evening I finished food prep and decorated cake balls for the kids. They were supposed to be bats but I think they look more like owls. Still cute.

Friday at 5:00 a.m. I had to pick Bobbi up and take her to the Surgical Center to have an outpatient surgery. So we got home on Friday at about 11:00 a.m. and she rested on the couch while I set tables, got out all the carving supplies and set up for the cooking that would happen later. Also cleaned the basement because I hadn't gotten to that during the week.

Ashley came at about 1:00 and started making eggrolls. 

Jill showed up after school to help and I really appreciated their help. Jill decorated my little S'mores cakes for me. 

Piper and Kelsey with their little cutie, Roscoe, came and she jumped right in to doing dishes we had in the sink. 

Where was I you ask? I was out in the garage frying Pulgogi over the gas burner on our grill. It was so much nicer out there and I didn't end up with the grease spattered all over the kitchen. Plus it was a beautiful day. Also it cooks better than my electric stove. I started frying 16 pounds of meat at 4:00 and finished at 6:00. Ashley fried up 48 eggrolls and we put them in the oven to keep warm. We made about 3 gallons of Chop Cheh. That was a new addition this year and everyone loved it. Jayme, Fred and Cathy arrived. Then Chelsey and her 3 kids, Carrie and her 2 kids, (their husbands were on their way to Minnisota for the game) all 5 Griesers, Reisingers and their 2 kids, Josh & Molly Clark and their baby, Jake and then Travis got here just in time to eat.  At 6:15 everyone who wanted to went on the hayride. I stayed behind to make sure all was in order for supper. 

A stop at the pumpkin patch and then back to the house to eat. It was a beautiful evening for a hayride.

After eating a lot of food we cleared the tables and set about carving some pumpkins. Those with babies that needed to go to be left and the rest of us carved and visited. 

The result is always a lot of creativity. 

I took this the next morning because I forgot to take one the night before.

There is always a bit of a mess the next morning. But well worth it.

Did I get right to cleaning up this mess? Yes but then I got sidetracked by a nice round pumpkin I found sitting in the laundry room and I carved this.

Thus ended another wonderful time with family and friends. 

The last 20 some days

Let's just say time has flown! The Wednesday after we returned from Durango (it seems so long ago) I helped Hudson's kindergarten class on a field trip to Roca Berry Farm. Goodness it wasn't peaceful. There were about 6 schools there with all kindergarteners. It was crazy. But he had such a good time.

I admit to falling into the car when they got on the bus and being very relieved that I was done chasing all those kids around the farm.

Bryan left that Wednesday morning for a conference in Dallas and got home Thursday night. I went out to the garage on Wednesday night to take the garbage down and this snake fell off the garage door as I was getting the garbage can. It fell right past my head. I screamed then took a picture.

Then he left again on Sunday for Rogue in Colorado. That's a guy thing.  So on that Sunday, the 12th, the kids came out to the house because the next day was a fall break vacation day and we figured we would end up back at my house anyway so they spent the night and saved me a trip. It was a really rainy day so we did inside stuff. Hudson wanted to make and decorate cookies so that is what we did.

Boden was "helping" me and when I turned around once and turned back this is what he was doing. I laughed so hard. He was just eating away on the dough.

They had a great time decorating and eating what they created.

Bryan got home on Wednesday night and his traveling in October was done. 

I was beginning my prep for Pulgogi Festival which was on the calendar for the 25th. I made eggroll filling to put in the freezer.

which required me to make two to test... Freeze the filling and on to cutting up 16 pounds of meat. That took me 4 hours. Put that into the freezer to await marinade. 

I created a scarecrow for my garden.

and cleaned but not a whole lot since we make a huge mess of my house. Which brings us to the festival.

Cowboy Poetry and Music Festival - Days 4 & 5

Sunday and we all decided to attend Cowboy Church at the hotel. It was a wonderful service. Several of the perfromers recited poems and scripture, sang old hymns and then Jack, a pastor of a Cowboy church from Texas, spoke. It really was so nice. After that we headed down the road. We wanted to get to Denver so we wouldn't have such a long drive on Monday.

We stopped for lunch in Pagosa Springs at a resturant next to the river. It was beautiful.

Good food in a beautiful place with fun people. 

Then we drove and drove and drove and looked at the beauty that is Colorado. Brenda made us answer questions out of her book of ice breaker questions. It was good for a laugh. We told stories and talked and read books and tried to make the 8 hours go by faster.

Finally at supper time we made it to Aurora and stopped to eat at PF Chang's. I took  this picture because it just looked so funny with all of them on their phones. Bryan was booking us a hotel, in all fairness to him.

We had a wonderful dinner and then crashed for the night.

Monday morning we left Aurora and headed for home. We did make a couple stops to stretch our legs and wander around some antique stores. Finally at about 8:30 Monday evening we arrived back home. It was a wonderful time. 

Cowboy Poetry and Music - Day 3

Saturday, and we decided to watch the parade which went right by the hotel. It was nice but not what I expected. Mostly people on horses. But all part of the event. 

The sun was shining and the hotel looked so pretty.

We did a little wandering around town for a couple hours.

Tim had to leave for meetings in Frisco, CO so the rest of us loaded into the pickup and headed for Silverton and explored that town. It made me feel like I went back in time to the old west. 

I didn't take any pictures while we were there. I'm not sure why not. We came back to Durango for supper and had some delicious food at Francisco's. That evening there were performers in the lobby again. We sat in some chairs in the lobby and had a semi-private concert given by several musicians and poets. 

Cowboy Poetry and Music - Day 2

Yesterday we had reservations on the Durango/Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. It was a train ride I will never forget. I can't even describe how fun it was or how beautiful. Bryan had booked our tickets and opted to have us ride in the open cars. Good choice!

We left Durango at about 10 a.m. It was just such a beautiful day! Probably in the 50's at the warmest. 

As we went along so many people were stopped along the tracks taking pictures of the train. I thought about that and then realized that even if I lived there and saw it everyday I would probably stop what I was doing and watch it go by. The fall colors were so amazing. 

I apologize if you get tired of seeing pictures of the train in different situations but it was just so amazing I can't help myself!

It was the Cowboy Poetry and Music Train so as we went a long different cowboys and cowgirls came and sang and recited their poems to us. 

The train passes right behind Honeyville, which is owned by my dad's cousin. It is just down on the road below this little display.

Chan looking out at the scenery.

I just love this sound!

It was a long way down...

Here we are on the train.

We were heading into Cascade Canyon.

This singer built her own banjos and was just so nice and a good singer. We did hear "Ghost Riders in the Sky" quite a few times. But it fit the occasion.

This guy got my vote for best mustache and best stories and poems. He was so funny!

We stopped in Cascade Canyon for lunch. It was amazing BBQ sandwiches and chips. It tasted amazing out there in the sunshine and next to the river. This train ride was just to Cascade Canyon so 2 hours there and 2 hours back after lunch. But while there we had time to really see the train and the scenery.

Why does food always taste so much better outside in the sun? 

Here are all 6 of us at the Canyon.

Four of the perfromers in front of our train in the canyon.

 Tim and Chan enjoying lunch by the river.

All Aboard, time to head back to Durango. This train ride only went to the canyon and back. The full round-trip train ride to Silverton is about and 8-9 hour day. 

One more of the train on the way back.

I would not be a true Pierson if I hadn't brought a rock back from the canyon. It wasn't a tiny rock either. Oh, I had small rocks also...

At supper time we all met back at the hotel and decided to eat in the Saloon there at the hotel. It was a good choice. Piano music and good food. After supper the performers gathered in the lobby and we stayed down there listening to great music for several hours. The little girl on the fiddle was 12 and no matter what song they suggested she kept up without missing a beat. The cello and gut bucket just made the night for Bryan.

It was a great end to a long, wonderful day.