Celebrating Strasburg, Colorado, a small, friendly town in the plains east of Denver...
Excitement here on Basil Street in Strasburg as we saw a tornado from our next door neighbor’s porch. It was the first sighting for my wife, eight year-old son, and me. First, a picture:
Second, a video:
I did not hear of any injuries and am not sure it actually was more than a funnel cloud. We love Strasburg, but with every place you’ve got to take the bad with the good…
A day or so ago I discovered that if you did a panoramic photo on iPhone and published it to Facebook, the iPhone Facebook app allowed you to do one of those 360 rotations of the image. Today, on my bicycle ride, I tried to do a full 360, but the iPhone seemed to stop about 270 degrees. I do not know how this Facebook post will show up elsewhere, but here goes. 🙂
If it doesn’t do anything for you here on Strasburg Rocks!, please try opening the Facebook entry on your smartphone…and while you are in Facebook…send me a friend request. 🙂
P.S. This was the original one that keyed me in on the interaction between iPhones and Facebook:
It could be I am such a simple man that pretty un-amazing things excite me, but as I was leaving breakfast at McDonald’s in Bennett, I really found this low-flying crop duster a lot of fun to watch (although I didn’t know it was a crop duster when I took the video):
Mom and the munchkin headed home in her car, and then I climbed on my bicycle for the eight miles back ride. Along the way I decided this might be a good way to spend the rest of Sunday:
Whether you are having a lazy Sunday like the cows…
Are working like the crop duster was…
Or are out-and-about exercising like I did earlier…
Here’s hopin’ you are having an awesome day!
I felt like climbing on my bicycle…and I was going to have to cook for myself ’cause mom and munchkin were going to be gone for a bit…
And I like excuses to eat out…especially if I can reduce the diet-guilt factor through exercise. So…guess what is about 8 miles from where we live in Stradburg…
Now, being a simple man, I see McDonald’s as being an awesome target for a ride (and a great reward for arriving). However, a few pictures will show that the ride itself is also a reward.
This was just as I came to the top of the worst incline on the way to Bennett:
It wasn’t that dark…but I like the effect of the lower exposure.
On the way back I saw someone who was very curious about the strange being on two wheels:
However the deer’s location wasn’t surprising given this being so close:
After snapping pictures of that fellow (gal?) and the creek, I climbed back on my bicycle…and then only stopped to snap a picture of one of my favorite views heading east on 36:
Why do I love that view? Because it’s when you can first see Strasburg.
When you can first see home.
Of course, late in the day as it was, the prettiest views are the other direction:
And with that last picture I wish you and yours a goodnight…mom and munchkin should be home soon. 🙂
Strasburg has no cemetery (to my knowledge), so on Memorial Day we join our neighbors in Bennett to remember those who have given everything so we can have the freedoms we cherish.
The first remembrance was at the Mount View Cemetery at 10:00AM, and the second at the memorial beside the Bennett Recreation Center at 1:30PM. Here is a video from the first one with a couple of biplane flyovers, a 21 gun salute, and taps:
Words can not properly express what we owe the men and women who gave their lives to protect us; nor can they compensate the wives, husbands, parents, and children left behind for what it cost them in tears and heartache.
We cannot thank those who are no longer with us, but we do thank their families. May God bless you and yours this Memorial Day…and may God bless America!
Some additional photos:Continue Reading
At home we have a Bowflex Max Trainer (yes, it is expensive, but it really works). However, in Strasburg nothing beats climbing on a bicycle in beautiful weather. Not quite amber waves of grain, but still a appealing view…especially to a New Englander like me who isn’t used to be being able to see so far:
For those “not from around here,” top is west, bottom is east.
My short trip also brought me past one of my favorite sites in our humble little town:
No, not the trees…the grain towers! 🙂
Now, to finish a Diet Pepsi at the Strasburg Convenience Store and head home!
Although Augie and I hoped to camp out each Friday through winter…circumstances when it first became really chilly (below low 30s) meant we didn’t (e.g. Augie got a bad cold if I remember correctly).
However, I am proud to announce that we did start it back up for 2016 last night!:
And, it appears we were enjoying it: 🙂
I think the low overnight was just 41…so we were toasty in our sleeping bags. I also believe it rained a tiny bit…but our Coleman Instant Tent kept us dry!
Finally, if you are interested…here are some highlights of my shortwave listening in the tent. It was a great night for shortwave radio…with some very far away and some first time finds (and a combination of both!)Continue Reading
Quite the hail storm yesterday…
…means we got to meet Brian from CJ Restoration today! 🙂
We called Brian because someone in a local Facebook group was so impressed with him…and we can see why. He was upfront about what the process would be, found a bunch of damage I would have missed (and he only did an initial cursory look), and already has started the process with our insurance company on a good foot.
Although CJ Restoration can be called at (303) 690-9253 (squinting for the selfie I couldn’t see Brian’s left hand was covering the final “3”), we recommend you call him directly at (720) 486-3540. We’ll do a more formal review of CJ Restoration after they do all our repairs (they are a general contractor, so they can do everything…not just our roof)…but for now, thanks to Brian, they get a Strasburg Rocks! “We Recommend.”
If you are anywhere near Strasburg and haven’t checked out he Comanche Crossing Museum, please be sure to when it opens in June. You can read here about the special visit one of our local Cub Scout Packs made today:
“Mr. Smith Goes to Comanche Crossing Museum”
Thanks to Strasburg Elementary School Cliff Smith and the Comanche Crossing Museum for helping our Scouts earn their rank badges with a special tour!
How did you celebrate the amazing weather? Did you catch some opening day baseball? Something else?
I’ve been meaning to write about a local restaurant Michelle and I first discovered when we wanted to eat somewhere new on Valentine’s Day. We love Strasburg’s offerings, but wanted something different…and not by heading toward Aurora.
Michelle had heard nice feedback about The DT Stampede Bar & Grill…so we hopped into the car and buzzed 18 miles east to Deer Trail. We couldn’t have been happier. Why?
Well, the food is good to great to begin with…and the prices are reasonable. However, the thing that sold us most on it was the friendliness of the staff and the family atmosphere. The owners were as congenial as they come, and it rubbed off on their staff…which may or may not be another family member. 🙂
They also have a pool table in the front bar, so yesterday afternoon Augie and zipped over there for a couple games. Sadly, it was already in use…and then Steve (one of the husband/wife owners) told us there were two more tables out back. Go figure, there is a huuuuuuuge bar in the back. As you can see, we took Steve up on his offer to play there:Continue Reading
There is nothing better to do on a Sunday than spend time outdoor with family and friends…especially if you can sneak in a couple other things while doing it. 🙂
So…we headed over to Richmil Ranch Open Space in Deer Trail for a walk with some good friends of ours…and I brought along a shortwave radio and my new Canon 70D. The former was so I could see what I could pick up without normal housing electrical interference, and the latter to give it its first real use. (Our refund was a nice size this year, and this makes up for the T4i and accessories I had to sell when being out-of-work meant funds weren’t as plentiful.)
Shortwave listening was pretty good…even got a station out of India. As for the 70D…I left it in auto mode for now…but I’m pretty happy with the results below. Not all are great, but some are pretty slick. I especially like the windmill ones. I didn’t take quite as many as I might ’cause I didn’t want to be anti-social on a Sunday. 🙂
Hope you all had a great weekend!
…life. 🙂
I don’t know if the gentleman involved is just proclaiming his love, or if flowers weren’t enough to make up for something… 🙂
But I gotta admit this put a big smile on my face:
I don’t know about the rest of you, but when I shoveled before dinner last night I thought, “Wimpy snow.” I knew I would have to shovel a bit again this morning, but slept confident it wouldn’t be much of a task.
I will never mentally insult the snow again. 🙂
Okay, it wasn’t horrendous…but I will feel what I just did all day. I’m not sure how much there was because of the way it drifts…and after an hour I still have the sidewalks to do. Okay, I’ll admit that I’m hoping the nice guy with the snowblower will do it while I’m working today. 🙂
With the wind and the snow, everyone stay safe. Last I knew I-70 and 36 were both closed…so no reason to even attempt something dangerous right now. Wait a bit for crews to clear things up…
P.S. Is our complex the only one where they just plow down the middle of the road?
It’s done!
World, we present you the one…the only…
Pinewood Derby…
Minion Flamester!!!
Cub Scout Pack 439’s Pinewood Derby is this coming Saturday, February 6. It starts at 9AM at the Strasburg Elementary School. If you have any questions, please contact Pack 439 or me.
In case one picture isn’t enough… 🙂
Fellow Cub Scout Pack 439 Scouts…are you ready to race?!?!?! 🙂