A Year of Change

Not much else you can say about Denver. We left Vail around 7am and made it to Cherry Creek by 9. I dropped Lori and headed down south to Cabela’s to do a few trades involving my favorite hobby. By the time I made it back to Lori after a few more stops, it was a bit after 11. When Lori finished around noon, we walked a block or two to one of her favorite stores that was having a sale. She picked up 3 casual dresses and a top for less than what one dress would normally cost her. We’re getting excited to go on vacation!

Next up we met up with Tina and Jeff who are going with us to Italy, for lunch to discuss some last minute details. By the time lunch was over and after a stop at the beauty supply, it was after 2:30. We had Dr. C’s wine tasting party at 6 so straight up the hill we went. We hit traffic which was unexpected at that time of day. Finally around 4:30 we made it home.

Around 6:30 we arrived at the party. It was fun and we mingled and talked with everyone for a couple hours. We didn’t drink but still had fun. It’s almost 7am now and Lori and I are going to take Mojo for a hike while it’s still cool. It must be in the high 40’s or low 50’s which is just about perfect. Denver was a mess and it’s good to be back in the bubble. That’s what we call it up here, the bubble, as it’s somewhat isolated from the problems of the Country and World, at least on the surface.

There were a lot of comments in the past few days about what’s going on in our Country. Glad to see you all are reading and more importantly, paying attention. Just to be straight, we don’t believe the police or groups like Black Lives Matter, or even the politicians and the President are blameless. All are complicant and are doing things to make matters worse. The problem is some people don’t want to solve our issues and live peaceful lives. Some, like the Pres and BLM (Black Lives Matter) have their own agendas and are using the tragedies over the past week to push their ideology. The Pres and the democrats use every act of violence to go after guns. Yesterday he pushed the idea of a Federal Police Force, which is a clear violation of the Constitution. But he doesn’t care. This guy in Dallas was a veteran who also was a felon who legally couldn’t own guns but the Pres wants to take away rights from all legal gun owners. And wait, the guy in Dallas did not,let me repeat myself, did not, have an AR15 assault rifle. Turns out it was a Chinese SKS from 1940 that took 10 round stripper clips meaning it doesn’t even have a magazine, which is nowhere near what the Pres. is talking about. They kept that little detail quiet now, didn’t they, as it wouldn’t help them push their anti-gun agenda. Hillary again blamed white people, expanding on her comments that it’s all our fault and that WE need to change, good God. One more question, why isn’t our govt. investigating Dallas as a hate crime? Anytime a black person or muslim is even punched, it’s a hate crime! The guy in Ft Hood Texas who shot 13 people yelling Allah Akbar was called workplace violence? Yet 5 dead police officers, who were white, were shot in Dallas by a black guy, saying he wanted to kill white people, and yet, this isn’t a hate crime? This is just another example of our Pres and his administration calling things what they want to call them for their own political advantage. Hell, it took a democratic reporter shaming Hillary to get her to say islamic radical terrorism and even then she only did that for votes. And then BLM advocates going after more cops and white people, nice. Last night they threw molotov cocktails and bottles and rebar at police in Minnesota. Hold on people, it’s not over.

Now up here in the bubble, we get along with just about everybody. Occasionally there’s someone who had a bit too much to drink or some crime down valley but for the most part, not much. I saw on the news this morning about a standoff with the police and a guy in Lakewood, where we used to live, who shot two people! In another part of town there was also a police shooting. It’s now a daily occurrence, not good. So in closing, yes there’s economic and social disparity in our Country. Yes there’s racism and  some police shouldn’t be policemen. But what irks me the most is people in power exploiting situations like those of last week for their own agenda. Mark my words, the powers that be will manipulate and use any and all tragedies to continue to take our rights away. They want to divide us as a people and a Country and we can’t let them do it. We must stand up to the social and racial divides they’re pushing to achieve goals totally unrelated. Hillary is dying to keep this subject alive as she just had the worst week ever and doesn’t want to go back to talking about her lying and emails. Elites want to distract from how bad the economy is and change the subject and the govt (Pres and dems) want your guns as they know a citizenry without arms is controllable and easier to suppress. Everyone should be outraged at the suggestion of a Federal Police Force as that’s exactly what Hitler did almost a century ago. And is was all done in the name of being good for the people. When will people understand that anything the govt says or does in the name of being “good for the people”, is actually not good for the people but rather only good for the ones proposing it. Show me one instance where a Constitutional right has been suppressed or taken away from the people that was actually good for them. I’ll save you some time today, you won’t find one, God Bless.

It’s Saturday, whoo hoo, and in about a week we’re off to Itaia! Today though Lori and I will bomb down to Denver so she can get her hair done from our friend and fellow traveler, Jeanie. It’s a long way to go for her hair but Jeanie doesn’t charge us and for Lori’s hair, that’s like $250 or more of we had to pay!

Yesterday Jag had a great time on the mountain and arrived home around 6pm. Ty and Jack went into town and then to Max’s house to play and jump on the trampoline until we picked them up at 9pm. They came in around 8 as Max’s mom says she saw a mountain lion (we call them kitty cats up here) up on the mountain, chasing some deer.

Lots of protests around the Country as there should be. The cops that shot the two unarmed black guys need to be prosecuted but the people also need to let the system hopefully work. I understand their frustration as lots of time things that should go one way, go another. It seems if you’re a person in power or in the govt, you can get away with things that would put regular citizens in jail, just look at Hillary! By the way, she came out yesterday and said, are you ready for this, “white people must change their ways”. I don’t know about you but I respect black people just like I do Asians, Indians and all other races. The powers that be are trying to divide us, not us the people. Yesterday a Black Power movement praised the shootings in Dallas saying kill white people. This obviously will make some people nervous and I totally agree with my little sister that you need to look twice and be careful around police officers. Not all police are bad, but even if it’s 1%, that’s enough to make you think twice if pulled over, as these guys have guns and now are really on edge. What we don’t need is Hillary and the likes, condemning white people. Once again that’s like condemning all gun owners for one nut with a gun or all black people for one shooter. It seems the only race that gets a pass from our politicians is muslims as if one muslim commits an act of terrorism, we’re supposed to not condemn all muslims. Now Hillary is clearly pandering for black votes but this might just backfire on her. The people hopefully are not as stupid as she thinks they are. She has to be thrilled this happened as it takes the spot light off her email scandal and being caught lying which they now are investigating. What a freakin mess our Country is in, God help us,

Yesterday was a tragic day in our Country. In Minnesota a white police officer mistakenly shot a black man and then his girlfriend posted him dying on Facebook. While a senseless tragedy that probably wouldn’t have happened if the victim was white, posting this on line set off events that ended with 5 police officers killed in Dallas. A black man who said he hated all white people and wanted to kill white cops, decided to take a rifle and act as a sniper and kill white police officers at a peaceful protest in Dallas over the shooting in Minnesota. As we saw, it only takes one nutjob. Now of course, the Pres goes straight to the guns and decries our gun laws even though he has no idea what type of gun was used, who did the shooting, although we know it was a black man, and how he obtained his weapon. In the famous words of this administration, never miss an opportunity to exploit a tragedy for political purposes. However the common denominator is not the weapon but the anarchy in the heart of the person. That though won’t stop the democrats as I’m sure they’ll be acting like 5 year olds again in Congress for political purposes. By the way, the Orlando shooter was a registered democrat, hmm. In any case, there will be more blacks that hate white people and you won’t change their mind, no matter what. To be honest, black people have been treated unfairly and yes there still is racism in our Country but you don’t see white people running around ambushing black people. What should have happened here is the the law should have been allowed to been played out. The officer in Minnesota should be investigated and if he was wrong, should be charged. We cannot take the law into our own hands. Unfortunately now the majority of white people are going to look twice at black people, and that’s too bad.

So now to yesterday. It was Aunt Ally’s birthday! Sorry I didn’t post it yesterday but I totally forgot it. I did call her and I think Lori, when she arrived home from work at 10:30, did post something on Facebook. Thankfully my brother, eloquently reminded me via text, thanks. Hope it as a good day!

Up here, the boys all went to town. The day was crazy for me as we discovered yesterday morning that we were burglarized at our office in Seattle the night before last. Apparently the suspects had been sleeping on the roof for a few days and came down through a roof vent. They stole computers, blank checks, passports (of one of my partners), and W2’s of employees, and of course a bunch of wine, full cases and even empty bottles. They did leave a large hunting knife right in the middle of the floor, hmm. The police were there all day and this of course caused us a bunch of issues we’re still dealing with, not good.

We finished up the day with the boys all playing soccer at Solaris which is in the heart of Vail. We have a circular field with artificial turf in the summer and it’s an ice rink in the winter. All sorts of kids play there and ours, along with kids from visitors all played for hours. Today Jagger is going up on top of the mountain to Adventure Ridge which is everything from zip lines to a ropes course and other outdoor activities. Ty and Jack, who were up until 2, we’ll let sleep. I’m waiting to hear if my wine, that we flew in yesterday from Italy, has cleared customs at the airport. If so, I’m headed to the airport. I probably will run down anyhow as James reserved a truck for us to rent to bring all our stuff up from our storage until in Denver to our storage unit up here. He’ll be doing that on Sunday.

So just another day, right? As Lori says, it’s so sad. Hopefully we can somehow get passed the hate as a people but I’m afraid that won’t happen until we have a change in leadership that will be a uniter rather than a divider. And by the way, then State Department has reopened an investigation into whether Hillary mishandled classified material as she lied under oath according to the Director of the FBI. Also important to note, this is a democratic State Dept and administration. Not sure what they’ll do as they can’t blame this one on the republicans. What a crazy World, God Bless.

Yesterday Ty and I left at 7am for Denver to deliver some wine to a sales rep from Boulder. We made it down around 8:30 and stopped at Target as Ty needed some new clothes desperately. After that it was downtown for a few more stops before our rendezvous with our rep. Then it was back to the mall for some more clothes for Ty from his favorite store that wasn’t open at 8:30. Next up was the dry cleaners, Barnes and Noble for the boys summer reading books, and Whole Foods for some lunch and a few other stops. We also hit Petsmart for some dog food. The bags of dog food are now 6 pounds lighter, or 20% less and $50 instead of $42 or 20% more! That’s a big swing in cost. I don’t know why I’m surprised as everything is going up. Normally companies just shrink the size or raise the price one at a time, not both at the same time! I guess the days of trying to fool the consumer are over.

Then Ty decided he wanted to invite his friend Jack up for a few days. Tomorrow I need to go to the airport to pick up some wine samples being flown in (which means I’m back in Denver) so I agreed to let him come up for a couple nights.

We finally headed up the hill sometime after 2:30 and stopped in Frisco for some groceries. That put us home a bit after 5pm. Lori made it home an hour later and she and I just sat on the couch, looking at each other not believing how tired we were.

Today she has a dinner with 10 people after work about a spine seminar she’s putting together. I have some computer work to do but will need to get the kids outside somewhere today. It was really hot in Denver and nice to get back up in the mountains. I’m going to the gym this morning and I’m sure all three boys will still be sleeping when I get home. Guess I’ll run, time to get moving as it’s almost 7am. Hope you all are well, GB.

It’s 5:30 in the morning and over the mountain there’s a touch of pink in the sky as the sun rises. It’s a bit early but when I go hunting in two months, I will have already hiked a few miles by this time of the day. I’m looking forward to Italy but even more to going hunting. Oh well, that’s a few weeks and months away but they’ll both be here quick.

Yesterday I took 4 boys including our two, to lunch and then dropped them to play some basketball. Our boys called me a few hours later from the Ritz Carlton where they ended up playing some pool. By 5 or so they were home and worn out. We’re trying to keep them occupied to wean them from video games. There’s actually about 5 of us groups of parents that have all joined forces to get all of our kids off video games once and for all. At the party the other night we began talking and discovered that we all think our kids play too much and we all want them off the damn games. So we’re all trying to make sure they have different outdoor activities each day to keep them busy. I’m afraid the only solution though is to just take the game consoles out of the house. One parent has already done so and we did for a bit but then gave in to the relentless badgering and gave it back. Big mistake, we won’t fall for that again!

So yesterday it was announced that Hillary won’t face formal charges but did violate numerous federal laws and used extremely dangerous poor judgement. That right there should disqualify her to be President but if you’re a Hill fan, she can do no wrong. No matter though as for the majority of the public, not charging her is almost worse than charging her as it just reinforces how the system is rigged. Supposedly OB didn’t know yet before anything was announced they were together on Air Force 1 heading to a campaign event. Now let me ask you, do you really think he’d take her on a plane chancing that they might announce she would be indicted mid flight? I don’t think so, just another example of how it’s all rigged. I’m not sure why she even wants him to campaign with her as he’s so smug and condescending that most people don’t like him either. I guess more people despise her than him which is hard to believe. Oh well, we’re pretty much screwed no matter which way you look at it. God help us!

LAWS ARE FOR LITTLE PEOPLE

Yesterday we had everyone moving by 8am and headed out to the parade. Again there were thousands and thousands of people in town. Jag took off with a couple friends and Ty too went off on his own to meet 2 friends as well. Lori and I visited with some friends for 30 minutes or so but then decided we’d had enough of the crowds and headed back to our car to go down valley for a salad for lunch. We knew we needed to rest up for the next party which started around 4 and would go until 10:30 when the fireworks were over.

The parade was an old fashioned small town parade with firetrucks and horses. Lots of local organizations had floats too and there were silly things like the Precision Lawn Chair Team. Here’s a shot of the boys playing basketball at the party last night and a few of the parade. The town was packed!

Today Lori is off to work early and so am I. The boys are getting some  much needed rest as is Mojo. He apparently had a hard time with the fireworks as when we came home he had messed up the house a bit. Dogs and fireworks just don’t mix. The party was great with some old friends and new. A couple from Florida who’s quite successful just bought a great house down the road from us. He’s a good guy, owns a small community bank there and a bunch of other business. It’ll be good to have him in the neighborhood. Fortunately he thinks people ought to work for their money meaning he’s more of a republican or conservative than a liberal. There’s a mix up here but the only liberals with money are ones who were handed money from family and didn’t have to work for it. Those with money that actually made it themselves, are of course conservative. So there you have it, a great 4th of July with good friends and small town fun. We’re glad it’s over though so all the people will leave town! God Bless.

Today is a special day. Not for fireworks and baseball but because 240 years ago today we declared our Independence from the British and became a Country. I wonder what our Founders would be thinking today if they knew how the people in charge, that are supposedly in office to serve the people, have manipulated and worked the system to their own benefit. Do you think they’d approve? I think not. I’ll move on now but it’s really sad not what we as a people have become but what our leaders have become, on both sides. I say kick them all out and let’s start over. Mark my words, that’s what’s going to happen anyhow, so let’s just skip all the hardships that come with collapsing civilizations and reset now. No, that’d be too simple. Both sides are dug in trying to hold onto power and ignoring the will of the people. We’re living in historic times whether you know it or not. The history books will not be kind when looking back on these days.

Yesterday Lori, Mojo and I started out with a hike up the mountain for a good hour. We had to turn around when Mojo became tired and started to sit down on the trail. The boys were still sleeping as we headed out early to beat the heat. Then she and I went into the Farmers Market in Vail and couldn’t believe all the people in town. I guess every hotel is sold out and the parking structures were full. We parked at the hospital as Lori has a sticker on her car giving us access. We walked around a bit, bought some fresh local peaches and cherries and saw some people we knew. We then headed home to get the boys moving. We all then jumped on our bikes and took an hour ride into Vail and back stopping just short of the crowds. So it was a good day for exercise for us. At 3:30 Lori went to get her nails done while the boys and I hung out. Jag’s friend Harmon, came over around 5:30 and spent the night with us.

This morning we’re all headed into town for the 4th of July parade at 10am so we need to get moving. They had fireworks in Avon last night but it looked cool and windy and we’re glad we stayed home. This evening we’re headed to some friends whose son is in Jag’s class, for a bbq and then will watch the fireworks over Vail Mountain. We aren’t looking forward to staying up so late but it’ll be fun.

We leave 2 weeks from today for Italy so we’re watching what we eat and drink trying to lose some extra pounds before our trip. It’ll be here fast so lots to do. Hard to believe 2 months from today I’ll be elk hunting too! Time sure goes fast. So have a great day, enjoy some good food and take it easy. Tomorrow it’ll be back to work. God Bless.

So far so good, they say we might get a few showers today but nothing like yesterday. In the morning we all walked down to the market which is every Saturday and includes all kinds of artists, food vendors, and much more. After a bit it started to rain. We ducked under one of the exhibitors tents but finally decided to just brave the rain and walk home. By the time we walked the few blocks, we were all soaked. Jag and Ty ran ahead but Lori was in sandals and couldn’t run, so being the good husband, I too walked and thus was soaked even more when we made it home. Later in the day we went down valley to try a new restaurant and ran into some friends while we waited for some food for the boys. The duck and lobster shrimp and grits were really delicious.

The rest of the night we watched a little tv before going to sleep. Ty fell asleep on the couch and is still here with his legs on me as I write. Today we’re getting in a bike ride or a hike or maybe both. Everyone is still sleeping here at 7:21.

I’m so disgusted with politics that I just have to stay away. The whole system is rigged which will one day result in some sort of trouble. We’ve already lasted longer than the average for great civilizations and history never lies. I don’t know where or how but sooner or later I think the people are going to say enough is enough. Time to run before I ruin my whole day getting sucked into it again. God Bless.

A year ago, Lori, Jag and I all got new mountain bikes when we were told Lori could not ride a road bike anymore due to her neck surgery. We all rode throughout the year as a family but Ty was still on his old hard tail as he was still growing into an adult bike. It is now too small for him as he’s grown a bunch so yesterday, after some haggling over bikes and wine, Ty came home with a new bike like the rest of the family’s. Now we all have full suspension bikes which are a must up here on the mountain and single tracks. If you don’t understand what I mean, that’s ok as it’s all bike speak. In any case, our new buddy, Big Jim, hooked us up and was thrilled to meet us as he’s been drinking many of our wines for years. He looks like a big biker with his grey pony tail and he must weigh over 300 pounds in his black Harley Davidson t-shirt. He’s had his little bike shop up here for 23 years and coincidentally, we have the same cardiologist! It was one of those chance meetings where we knew a lot of the same people and have a lot of the same interests. That’s what’s so great about being in a small town. The only bad thing is, this morning it’s raining outside! I’m sure it’ll clear up later and tomorrow and Monday are supposed to be nice so we can all go ride. Lori’s been bugging me for a week to get the bikes tuned and tires pumped up. Ty was very respectful after Big Jim spent a good 45 minutes with him out back of the shop tuning the bike to custom fit him and stuck out his hand and said “thank you very much, nice to meet you”. Not many kids our boys age look people in the eye and shake their hands. People always appreciate it and tell us what well mannered boys we have, hmm. He also spent time with Jag and adjusted his bike as he’s grown since it was fitted to him last year. So now we’re ready to go!

Lori finished up a long week and made sure Dr. C finished all his work. She’s indispensable to him and is really hitting her stride. Nothing happens there without her knowing and approving it. If you have a spine or neck injury and need one of the best surgeons in the World, you’d better know Lori! She sure needs the 3 day weekend and will hopefully get some much needed rest.

Now to a little politics as it’s July 4th or Independence Day weekend and then I’ll leave it alone. Jagger was astonished when he was watching the news and learned about Bill C meeting with the Attorney General on the tarmac in Phoenix, who is investigating Hillary. Even as a 14 year old, his first response  was “they can’t do that”! I replied no they can’t but this administration seems to do whatever they want, legal or not. He then said “Grandpa would be rolling over in his grave being a lawyer and all”, which I’m sure is true. What a joke our system has become. The media now shapes what they want you to see and how they want you to think. If a republican administration did this, the dems would be up in arms. In fact years ago Obama, Hillary and others signed a letter and made a big stink when the then Attorney General just bumped into a member of Bush’s staff for less than a minute in a restaurant in D.C.! This was a private 30 minute meeting with no security or no one else, between the person who will decide if Hillary is charged and her husband who is also under investigation as the Clinton Foundation is part of it! The Attorney General then said we only talked about grandchildren and golf. But wait, Clinton hasn’t golfed in over 10 years! You may not realize it but we’re more a country like Russia. media wise, than the land of the free when it comes to the govt trying to think for you. The govt and their media, which are the 3 major networks, only tell you what they want you to hear and not what they don’t. The only problem is things are getting so bad, their lies aren’t working anymore as most all they say never is true, and people are realizing it as it’s now personally affecting them. So, you need to think for yourself, and stop being one of the sheeple which are people that act like sheep! Most of the Country and yes, some of you, fall into that category without even realizing it. What happened to the 60’s and 70’s when people would always question authority? Hell, we even had bumper stickers saying those two words. Now most people believe everything they see and hear on tv and no longer think for themselves. Trust me, one day you’ll wake up and it’ll be too late. So wake the hell up now! Let’s remember what July 4th stands for, our Independence,  and take back our Country! God Bless

Ok, today or this afternoon, the 3 day holiday weekend begins. We don’t have any big plans except on Monday when we’re headed to a bbq in the afternoon and then to watch the fireworks at night. Tomorrow we hope to get in a bike ride and plant our planters that are on the deck. We had some rain yesterday but nothing too serious, just enough to wash the cars. Ty fell asleep on the couch watching the Batman Superman movie that is 3 hours long. Lori worked until 7:30 and will have a much needed 3 day rest starting tonight. Every time her doctor goes on vacation, it’s tough on her when he returns as she’s had to schedule so much extra work to get caught up. She was late last night due to numerous phone consults that were backed up. Her eyes are also getting better everyday.

The month came together pretty well for me at work which means the first half of the year was ok, but I always could have done better. My biggest challenge is getting containers packed, not selling wine, which is all logistics. Oh well, it is what it is. Guess I’ll run, no gym today as I worked out hard the last two days, God Bless.