2015 Subaru Legacy road trip: Paint Mines Interpretive Park

/

I was provided a 2015 Subaru Legacy free for one week for review as part of the #SubaruLegacy blogger program. Opinions are my own.

Last month, I had a sleek and chic sedan for a week. A 2015 Subaru Legacy 3.6R Limited, which I told you much about in this post right here.

During the week I had the Subaru Legacy, I visited a few places nearby that I'd never been to before despite having lived in the area for more than thirty years. One spot I toured: the Paint Mines Interpretive Park in Calhan, CO. My friend Ruth of Cranium Crunches—a devoted fan of minerals, gems, and geological wonders of any sort—was in town for a day and was delighted to sit back in the comfy passenger seat of the Legacy and head off to the Paint Mines with me.

The Paint Mines Interpretive Park is an overlooked gem of a place many folks in Colorado and beyond may not...

Read More

2015 Labor Day Lift Off Balloon Festival

/

Yesterday morning, Jim and I got up bright and early—while it was still dark, in fact—to nab a lakeside seat at Memorial Park in Colorado Springs.

Our super spot was ideal for nabbing some super shots of the annual Labor Day weekend balloon festival, renamed this year as the Colorado Springs Labor Day Lift Off.

colorado springs balloon festival

I've placed forty of my favorites in a Labor Day Lift Off photo album in...

Read More

'The 50 States': 50 surprising facts from an engaging, trivia-stuffed, oversized tome

/

I've never been good at geography, not even United States geography. Those states beginning with vowels located in the center of the country trip me up every time.

I think part of my problem with geography not sticking in my brain is because it was never presented to me in a fun, memorable manner. A book I recently received free for review, though, is fun, is memorable, and is all about the 50 states—even those midwest ones that begin with I's and O's and are situated beneath and between two that begin with M.

The book is aptly titled The 50 States: Explore the U.S.A. with 50 fact-filled maps!, written and researched by Gabrielle Balkan and lavishly—and whimsically—illustrated by Sol Linero. This is the kind of book that encourages kids to learn and remember maps and more, the kind of book that makes a perfect family gift (and school report resource).

the 50 states 

In addition to colorful, informative front and back inside covers...

Read More

2015 Subaru Legacy 3.6R Limited: Out and about in a sleek, stylish sedan

/

I was provided a 2015 Subaru Legacy free for one week for review as part of the #SubaruLegacy blogger program. Opinions are my own.

subaru legacy

My friend Ruth, author and creator of CraniumCrunches.com, visited me for one day last month. It was perfect timing as I had just received a 2015 Subaru Legacy 3.6R Limited free for review as part of the #SubaruLegacy blogger program. The sleek sedan was the ideal vehicle for our day of adventure.

Ruth and I packed tons of fun into our time out and about together in the comfy car. We started off visiting—and walking—a labyrinth downtown...

subaru legacy 

Followed by a drive to the top of Palmer Park so I could treat Ruth to...

Read More

6 best bits: West to Westcliffe and my week driving a 2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R Limited

/

The town of Westcliffe is one of my favorite spots in Colorado. My mom had property outside of town for quite a few years, and my husband and I used to take our daughters camping there a few times each summer for several summers in a row. Some of our most memorable family fun took place in Westcliffe, with the Sangre de Cristo mountain range providing a spectacular backdrop.

Though our favorite camping spot was sold many years ago, my family and I still enjoy the scenic trip west to the tiny town—where my dad now lives. Coming around the curve just before town and seeing the Sangres spread out before us never fails to take our breath away.

subaru outback sangre de cristos

The trip to Westcliffe, with its steep grades and twisty-turny pass through the...

Read More

Saturday movie PREview—and giveaway: The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

/

The last time my husband and I went to see a movie at the theater, we did as we always do: Jim headed off for the popcorn while I made my way to the theater to nab our seats. As I sought out the correct theater, a middle-aged couple walked just ahead of me. Suddenly the woman stopped in her tracks as her hubby kept walking. The woman was mesmerized by the movie poster in the hallway.

As I got closer, I realized what had caught her eye... and I joined her in front of the colorful, oversized promotion for THE SECOND BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL.

second best exotic marigold hotel

"I can't wait to see this! Did you see the first one?" she asked in dreamy tone.

"Oh, yeah," I said in an equally smooth voice as we...

Read More

Once more through my mother-in-law's window

/

"Think for a minute, darling: in fairy tales it's always the children who have the fine adventures. The mothers have to stay at home and wait for the children to fly in the window." 
― Audrey Niffenegger, The Time Traveler's Wife

 

Jim and I, along with Brianna and Andrea, drove to South Dakota Sunday to attend...

Read More

Grandma's holiday helper: 2015 Toyota Rav4 Limited

/

As a freelance writer working from home, I don't have to do a lot of driving. Until holiday time, that is. There's all the shopping, the visiting, the touring holiday displays that light up the neighborhood, and more.

toyota rav4 

For all that extra driving on my itinerary this past Christmas, I had the pleasure of tooling about in a 2015 Toyota Rav4 Limited AWD SUV, courtesy Toyota and Rocky Mountain Redline. The vehicle...

Read More

Beyond grandparenting: 9 things I learned while in the desert

/

I am a grandma. But as all grandparents know, far more goes into who we are and what we do than just those things related to our grandchildren.

With that in mind, here are tidbits I learned while visiting the desert for Jak's baptism, lessons that have nothing to do with my primary focus of the trip (that being those awesome little critters I call my grandsons).

learned while in the desert 

1. I can still...

Read More