Idiot

The person under the blanket here is Eric. He is an idiot.

Christmas in Altoona

We were lucky to have all of the Farmers home for Christmas, with the added bonus of Keith and Marilyn.

Banitsa - the wonderful Bulgarian dish

Among other things, Derick learned in Bulgaria how to make a banitsa. This wonderful pastry can be filled with any number of things, but this version was made with onions, ground beef, feta cheese and yogurt. It was awesome! Kellee served as his trusty, if undervalued, assistant.

opening gifts at home

Jim loves his Kindel, and I love my socks, knitted personally for me by Cheryl.

a real Christmas tree

Jim decided that he had to have a real Christmas tree this year. Here it is. Kerri came and helped us decorate.

Thanksgiving dinner

We were joined on Thanksgiving by Dan and Denise as well as Dana, who was celebrating her first Thanksgiving in the U.S.

Thanksgiving

The Bangerts came to Washington for Thanksgiving. Jim and his mom were able to make the magic happen even in our tiny kitchen.

Kellee in Nights at Saint Januarius

I hope Kellee wins a Fringe Festival Award for best Non-speaking Role!

Farmers and Nelsons at Copper Mountain

The Farmer/Nelson Clan got together at a condo in Copper Mountain for a few days - great time.

One day we took the ski lift up the mountain and went for the short hike at over 11,000 feet. I enjoyed the scenery and then enjoyed watching Kale hike up several hundred feet of boulders - see second picture.

Kellee loves the old West in Durango!

Kellee had fond memories of taking the Durango-Silverton train on a family vacation twenty-five years ago, so we took the train. It was fantastic. We were in a first class car at the end of the train and we a table at the back of the car. Kellee had the best seat on the whole train! The scenery heading up to Silverton, which sits at the tree line, was incredible.

We also went to an old West comedy show and play. Not good. But when your 1880 era hotel has the show - you go for the experience. No regrets, especially since we still had plenty of time to hit the brewpubs in Durango.

A couple more pictures of the Durango-Silverton Train.

Mesa Verde National Park

The settlements at Mesa Verde National Park are quite amazing. Our pictures do not do the buildings or the scenery justice - so google Mesa Verde and I am sure you will see some cool pictures.

We spent a couple nights in the park exploring different old Indian settlements and enjoying the long, beautiful sunsets. At 7,5000 feet with dry air, the colors are fantastic; I now understand why paintings from the Southwest use certain colors/shades. We even saw a bear - at a distance; deer and long feral horses up close.

Fire at Mesa Verde

Over the past couple decades, several fires have swept through parts of Mesa Verde National Parks. Since Pinon and Juniper Pines grow very slowly, the landscape is still extremely stark. Jeff took these pictures.

Flowers of Mesa Verde National Park

Jeff on a Brass Horse Outside a Museum Complex in Santa Fe

Picture 1 - Excitement: While driving out of museum complex in Santa Fe, Jeff saw a brass sculpture celebrating pioneers in New Mexico or something similar. Jeff had me stop the car and he ran like a little schoolgirl to hop on the horse - which was clearly worn from lots of people doing the same thing.

Picture 2 - Shame: While Jeff was posing for a picture, the passengers on an open-air tour bus started waving at Jeff and taking pictures. Then the bus driver got on his loudspeaker and chastised Jeff for disrespecting the statue. This picture shows Jeff climbing off the horse in shame.

Taos Pueblo

We visited the Taos Pueblo; the building behind us are several hundred years old - pre-contact of the Pueblan people with the Spanish. The buildings are not much to look at, but the history of pueblo people is interesting. The old church tower in the cemetary is all that is left of a church that the Spanish destroyed along with lots of Pueblo Indians that were inside.

Yes, that is a fanny pack that Jeff had with him.

Cool Flowers in Southern Colorado

While on the long drive from Boulder to Santa Fe, we (Jeff B, Jim B, and Kellee) saw cool flowers at a National Park Reststop in Southern CO.

Fun in Vegas?

No pictures available.

For some reason there was a "no picture policy" with my group of friends; this policy is best since I do not want to view any pictures of them in swimsuits at the lazy river.

CHIVA Party for Kellee

A Chiva is an old American school bus that is converted into a moving party with a bartender and a DJ. Kel always wanted a Chiva Party and I finally delivered with help from some of Kel's friends. This is authentic Panamanian culture.

Jen's birthday

Our exciting blog has been dormant for some time as we are leaving Panama soon and haven't been doing anything new and exciting. Well, last night we celebrated Jen's 28th (or so) and tried out the chef's table at a new restaurant. A good time was had by all - here is proof....