I am up at the cabin early this morning, bending conduit and attaching the electrical boxes I purchased this week. I’ve given instructions to Pepe where they are to be placed in the outer retaining walls. These boxes will be a place to mount my outdoor patio lights a couple of feet off the patio floor.
Today is vacation day for the kids and Roger (as well as Lynn & me) and we head out for Cortez, do a few quick errands and then head for Mesa Verde National Park. This month is the 100th anniversary of the park. Max, our dog, is with us and is not allowed down near the Anasazi ruins, so I sit with him at the trail head while the others go down. Max doesn't seem to mind sitting this one out & I've seen the ruins before so let the others go enjoy the sites. A park volunteer tells me that some squirrels have been found in the park with Bubonic Plague and that dogs are not allowed off on the path, for fear that the disease might spread.
Everyone has enjoyed the walk to the Spruce Tree House cliff dwellings. Max and I can see them from our vantage point up on the hill. The girls each buy a necklace for themselves at the local gift shop and also a pair of silver earrings for their mom…
It has rained on and off today and we take the back road from Mancos into Dolores. We’re headed up onto Granath Mesa to my cousin, Kathy’s house. The old farm house hasn’t changed much and this place is truly one of my favorites. My dad was born in this house and this is where my grandparents homesteaded. My Uncle Paul who passed away recently spent his whole life living in this house.
Kathy is building a new barn for the Alpacas that she raises. Alison, who is afraid of dogs, braves going into the barn where she keeps the Alpacas and her two special dogs, Milo and Maggie. These dogs are a certain type of shepherd ( sorry I don’t remember the type) and very large. Milo weighs in at about 135 pounds and stands at about my mid-thigh. Maggie is a little smaller at about 90 pounds…these dogs live in the barn and protect the Alpacas at night from marauding bears and mountain lions which freely roam this country…Kathy says she never has to worry about her animals with these dogs around.
Kathy, now retired from teaching school, has become an expert on Alpacas. She also now works as the children’s librarian in Dolores. Inside the house, she allows Alison to sit at her weaving machine and patiently shows Ali how she weaves the Alpaca wool. Ali loves it and Kathy invites her and Chloe to come back and spend more time next summer with her. She is great with kids.
Dinner at the Naked Moose in Dolores, another great place to eat. We’ve all had a great day hiking and seeing the sights. We've completely worn out Max too. I am bone tired tonite and we all turn in early. Must be all that fresh mountain air.
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