The Pines at Beulah, to die for.

Loaded my friend Nancy in the car today and headed West across the beautiful Beulah Valley to my favorite place in the whole world, The Stompin' Grounds Coffee shop on Main Street.

Yep, the sign was still there!

Little Jan was still inside!

The refrigerator was still covered with bumper stickers!

And up the road was the thing that had brought me to Beulah in the first place, the dragon by John Clay.

But now Jan has a new job.  She is helping run the Pines at Beulah.

Take a tour here by simply a click!

These are cabins up the road from the coffee shop.  They have kitchens and everything you need for a little get-away in the mountains and the cost is dirt cheap.  Oh, you could go to a Motel 6 and for a lot more money you could have asphalt all around you and you could eat at the McDonald's up the block.  These cabins are nestled in the pines and have all the amenities of home.  I could see how getting together with the family could be a joy!

Nancy and I walked up the road and peeked in the windows.  Hell, I may just go hide out in one of those some time when I am wanting to get away from it all.  They even have a fire pit out back.  Course it is a propane fire under artificial logs, but who wants to start a forest fire anyway?  Not me!
I did forget my camera so the pictures above are old, but you would not have known that if I hadn't told you!
That aside, I love Beulah.  It is a 30 minute drive from Pueblo, but it is another world.  When I first came to Colorado back in 1977 one of the first places I visited was the Host Restaurant in Beulah.  That was a real treat to set in that little place and watch the Hummingbirds and the soft rain that seemed to fall every afternoon.
I did not know about the Pines of Beulah until Jan told me today.  So I made up my feeble little mind that I would blog about it and then put it on Facebook and maybe someone would want to take me up there for a nice relaxing day and night in the mountains.  Hmmmmm.  Maybe Jesse and Bernadette could go there for their honeymoon.  Or Ross and Chaz?  Well, somebody could and then they could invite me up for coffee.  OK.  So I guess I won't be going, but you could.  Be sure and click on that link below the picture for phone number, pictures and prices.
And tell them Lou sent you!!

Oh, we are the battleground state aren't we?

Ok, I went to town early this morning to take the dog to the beauty shop.  I knew President Obama was in town and expected lots of traffic.  As it turned out traffic was light, but my route had to be altered slightly since all around the Marriot was barricaded.  So I dropped her off at 7:30 and came home.  He called at 9:30 and said she was ready.  Great!  I knew he would be at the Ag building at 10:45 so I thought I was home free. 
As I passed Romero's I happened to notice several men in dark suits talking up their sleeve.  Ah ha!  I knew where he was going to eat breakfast.  I was confident that I would be able to grab the dog and get home before traffic got clogged up.  Now bear in mind that the city end of Santa Fe was securely blockaded causing me to go up Grand to Main, over to Union, then to fourth and out Fourth to the groomer. 
Now you need to know one thing here.  There are 3 ways to get to the Mesa.  The first way is East on Santa Fe Drive.  The second is out Fourth, down Stockyards, under the Bridge, through Salt Creek and via Aspen and then East on South Road.  That is inconvenient, but not as far as out Fourth to 50 Highway to Baxter Road, across to business highway 50 and back West to Blende and then South to South Road and then to my house.  The first is direct and the one everyone uses.  The second is rather tricky and not much fun and the third is about 20 miles out of my way.
So I grabbed the dog and started out Santa Fe.  Road closed.  No signs, no nothing just a giant traffic backup.  After 20 minutes of this grid lock, I made a u-turn and headed back to town.  I grabbed the Interstate (since that end of Santa Fe was blockaded) and got off on First Street.  Then to fourth, out Joplin, under the bridge, East on Roselawn, through Salt Creek since I needed eggs, to the Mexican store, who did not have eggs and then home.
Now you should know I am a devoted Obama fan.  Love the man and did not go to the rally cause I wanted to leave my ticket for someone who might need swayed.  I would dearly love to see him up close and personal, but me and crowds just aren't a happening thing.
So now that the frustration of fighting the police at every turn is behind me and I am safe in my little home once more, I have a few things I want to say to President Obama.  I hope he reads this because I mean it all in a very nice way.
"Mr. President, I am so happy that you were able to spend a night and day in our fair city.  I know you like Mexican Food and I am in complete agreement with you there, but next time, could you just have those guys run out and pick it up for you?  It would make my life a lot easier.  See there is only one road onto the Mesa and it makes it really hard on us who have to go there.  Or maybe you could eat a little faster? 
Any way, you have my vote, whatever and where ever you eat, I am in it for the long haul.  Oh, and give my regards to Michelle."
There, that being said I am off to watch the news.  I just love it when he waves at me and flashes his pearly whites my way.

Alina & Tommy sitting in a tree?

Here is Alina, the very proud mother!!!

Here is great Aunt Lou and the lovely little Adriana!

Now here is a picture of daddy Tom and Grandma Donna!  The only other picture I have of Tom also has grandma on the other side.  As you kow I do not use pictures without permission and I did not get permission from Donna for any picture except this one.  Sorry.

The red writing below is now moot since you have your pictures!!

I must apologize because there are no pictures here, but I can not figure how to get them with someone elses software.  When I get home I will add pictures.  Thanks for understanding an old woman who is clueless on a computer!!

As you know I am on vacation!  This is my first evening. Left Pueblo this morning, well actually yesterday, which was Sunday. Stopped in Lakin for lunch with the kiddies, but that is a whole nuther blog!  Arrived in Hutchinson, Kansas around 7:00 PM.  Where is the first place we had to go upon arrival at my sister Donna's house?  You guessed it!!  She has a brand new, and the only one in the world at the time, Grand Daughter!  Her only son, Tom Bartholomew and his lovely wife, Alina are the proud parents of a bouncing baby girl, born only the day before.  How exciting is that? And this precious little baby was wanting to meet me! Me! Can you beleive that? At least that is what Donna told me and of course I beleive everything people tell me.

Now, I want to go on record as saying, this may look like a normal baby, but such is not the case.  Far be it from me to brag about my family of which I am the official Matriarch, having outlived the other older siblings, but I shall digress and do just that.  Her mother is Alina Aldatova, formerly of Russia and current and former Karate/Kick Boxing Champion of the World.  I kid you not! Go Google Alina and there she pops up.  My traveling companion, the wiccan, reminded me to mind my manners as I had not yet met Alina, and I sometimes come across a tad bit overbearing. She did, however, say she had my back.  Yeah, my waaaaaaay back.

Alina is a very sweet and wonderful person and I think she liked me as I left the room in one piece! I had seen pictures of her in her karate poses and asked if she would show me how she could put her foot clear up over her head while standing flat footed on the floor.  She declined, but there will be another day.

While Alina is a world wide celebrity, Tom is fairly well known in this area,  He is a salesman for Sysco Foods which sells to resturants and institutions.  Not just your old run of the mill salesman either.  Boy has been very succesful in this field.  Wins all sorts of awards, but the best part is his customers love him to death. He is one of the sweetest little (and I use the term lovingly, not literally) kids I have ever known.  But while Tom is a celebrity in the food service circle, his mother is a celebrity in the resturaunt circle.

Donna Bartholomew along with her partner, Karen LeShure own and operate Skaets Steak Shop in Hutchinson, Kansas.  Now this place has been around for quite some time.  My first job was washing dishes at Skaets in 1959. At that time it was owned by Norman Deschene and his wife.  I was 18 at the time, a mere slip of a girl, unsullied by the world.  But there is a whole new kettle of worms! 

Tomorrow I shall give you the history of  Bartholomew involvement in food service in Hutchinson, Kansas.  For now we shall just wait till Donna gets up and I can verify a few things before I post this. In the meantime, I am going to pull on some shorts and tee shirt and a pair of tennies and jog on over to McDonalds on the highway to meet my boy cousins.  I have not talked to them, but I did email them that I was headed this way and I think they will get the telepathic message.  If they are there I will eat yogurt, if not I will do the sausage and grease thing. BBL (In chat room talk that means Be Back Later!)

Oh, and tomorrow I will be lunching with the girl cousin and a Kansas politician of rather high standing, who just happens to be a Republican. Need a picture of him for my phone.