Craft Sale at First Congregational United Church of Christ.

Ah, some of the home baked stuff!

And Jill wants a picture of it also!

And Don Hustead will regal Carol Hobbs, Mary Jane Voelker, and Tracy Mosley with some wild tale!

Lois Duvall is an avid bronco fan!   

Her son, Mark will keep her under control as her daughter Heather makes fun on the situation. 

I can almost tell Theresa Cordova and Steve Parke are up to no good in this shot! 

Patty Timm is manning my table because I have wandered off to the kitchen!

 

This is the view across the aisle from my table.

Matt and Tia hard at work holding down a couple chairs.

And here is Don spinning a wild tale for Patty Crehan in the kitchen.

Diane Hustead hard at work in the kitchen with Jeremy (forgot his last name.)

So, a good time was had by all and I wound up with this picture of Jill that I can not get to delete, or center or do anything I want it to, so I guess I will leave you to look at the back of her shirt.  Try to make the sale next year.  It is a hoot.

 

 

 

 

Weaver Guild Christmas Party!!

Now if you will click on that slide show it will get very big.  then you will be able to read what they are also.  I did not put names on them because that would take way to much of my valuable time.  Suffice it to say a good time was had by all!  A better time was had by these two!

Joanne Caldwell brought some wedding punch which contains a quart of Tequila.  She omitted the Tequila since we were all driving, but these two did not know that!  This is Donna Graham and Cathy Coatney who normally are very quiet and sedate, you know respectable members of the guild, but for some reason it was laugh at Lou day and I did not say anything to get them started.  I was my usual quiet sedate self.  They were discussing Mistletoe and I may have made an off handed remark, but I can not be sure.

So, any way, there was lots of very good food there and if you ever get a chance pop in on a pot luck hosted by a bunch of gabby women trying to out do each other.  I am thinking of joining a lot of these womens groups so I can get big and fat.  Or not.

Just want to say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to my Handweavers Guild of Pueblo.  Probably not going to see most of you until the next meeting, so this is for all of you:

May your joys be many,

Your heartaches be few.

And may the dear Baby Jesus

Sprinkle Star Dust on You!

Smiles, Lou



This is a refrigerator covered with bumper stickers or are they refrigerator stickers?

Well, in  case you do not know where this refrigerator is located, I  am going to tell you!  It is not in my home.  Wish it was, but it isn't.  I especially like the one that says "There is no way to peace, Peace is the way".  Bet you think this is the refrigerator of a Bleeding Heart Liberal, and you are about half right.  This belongs to a woman who is younger than I am, but can remember when it was all about peace and love.  My generation was more the "Beat Generation" with Ginsberg, while Jan was the John Lennon devotee.
I was busy having babies in the 60's and then divorced in the 70's and it was mostly a blur after that.  But I remember the bumper stickers, "If it feels good do it!"  "Insanity is doing the same thing over in the same way and expecting different results." My personal favorite was "Ten Commandments are not multiple choice."

So this refrigerator is in the coffee house I go to in Beulah.  I found this place this spring  when I was wandering around with the tall fellow.  I did not have the privilege of seeing this until my second visit.  I was enthralled, but the tall guy was offended (my first clue). 

This is the lovely proprietress, Jan Miller.  Her place of business is the Stompin' Grounds Coffee Shop.  This broad can rival Starbucks with the selections she has of coffee and tea.  And there is a bunch of breakfast sandwiches and a lunch menu also.  I am not sure if she still does the BBQ on Saturday evening.  Good excuse to go up there and see her I am a thinking!  She is open everyday until 2:00 PM except Monday and Tuesday.  I usually wander in about coffee break time almost any day that grabs me just right.  Like to take my friends up when I can catch one which is not every day, but sometimes.

                                  

There you have my musings for the day.  I have succeeded in making myself lonely for the Coffee Shop so I must now work in a visit to see my friend.  Not going to be today, but very soon.  Maybe I will see you up there!  And if you get there before I do, please be sure you tell my BFF that Lou Mercer sent you and she should be along directly!

The human side of the Cuban Caravan, my new best friends!

Here is the first person off the bus!! It is Kathryn Hall-Trujillo from Albuquerque, New Mexico.  She had already called me on her cell phone when they left Colorado Springs, so I knew she was there. She is a happy little thing and was just a plethora  of information on the Cuban Five as well as the Medical School down there.  Apparently if you want an education there, it is free.

The next one off the bus was Gary Erb.  I understand that this is not Gary's first rodeo!  It takes dedicated people like these 2 here to make any project a success.  As I write, the bus is wending it's way toward

 Dallas, Texas.

Ok, now you see me and my 2 new best friends.  We are setting at the picnic table at Christ Congregational Church in Belmont, discussing very important  things, like where is the best place to get coffee and where is the best place to get coffee if you have a really long bus you need to park to get the said coffee.  I was all for skipping the whole idea cause I have coffee at home, but David Bemis was all for Solar Roast because it is maybe the best coffee in the whole world.  Just maybe.

So here we set.  Know that the bus will pick up more passengers along the way and  more cargo will be added.. After it leaves Dallas it will go to Austin, Texas.  It will arrive in McAllen, Texas on Sunday.  The plan is to cross the border on the July 21.  From there it is a little shadowy as to what happens and where.  I do know the bus will be loaded on a Freight Ship at Tampico and will be headed for Cuba.  The human cargo on the bus will fly via a charter flight to Cuba.

Upon arrival they will be whisked to the graduation ceremony.  What they will eat and where remains a mystery to me.  I am sure they will not starve and somebody will let them sleep somewhere.  If I get any more info I will be for giving you an update.  I trust Kris Allen will keep me posted as her friend Scott barrels for the border in his big yellow school bus.

Run for the Border, Scott!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Beulah, Colorado the friendliest place on earth, and good food, too!!!

Today I wandered off to Beulah, Colorado, a little spot about 20 miles West of Pueblo, on highway 78.  I went with a purpose in mind. I had gone on a picnic at the Mountain Park a few days before and had seen what appeared to be a Dragon Tree, which is a dead tree sculpted to be a Dragon along with flowers and all. Convinced that I was probably nuts, I strong armed someone to go with me.  So off we went with me at the wheel.  Let me interject just a bit of my homespun wisdom here.
A man, any man is at a distinct disadvantage when in a car that is not his, with a woman he knows slightly, headed to he knows not where to see he knows not what and the only thing he is sure of is that he has not had his daily ration of coffee.  I must say he was a real sport! Hats off to the German Guy!

After due time we arrived at the Dragon Tree that I had seen.  We parked the car. Now, him being a foot taller then me, decided he would take the pictures.  He thought  he would be a lot closer to the dragons mouth. Me being the person I am decided he would probably just stand there and get himself ran over.  Between the two of us we got some beautiful shots, but that will need to keep for another day.

We then decided to go visit the lovely town of Beulah.  After a quick trip up to the park, we drove to the fair city of Beulah. If you have not been there, you have got to go!  Call me, I will go with you!

There is located in this fair mountain town, a small eating place called The Stompin' Grounds  Coffee House. See the first picture up there?  That is my new BFF (best friend forever).  We walked in and this lady had the sweetest smile of welcome. Her name is Jan Miller and she is the proprietor of this place.  See there behind her is a pink peace sign that someone made her. The Peace Sign along with the one outside that said "Hippies use back door" told me I was in my kind of place.

The picture below Jan is the menu. Lots of coffee and some of this or that to eat. Below the menu is some of the customers.  Oh! It is Kris Allen and her mom! They live right next door and along with half the town pop in for coffee or tea after exercise or a walk or whatever.  Just down home folks, although I have known Kris for many years and was very happy to see her.                                                                  The mantra is on the wall.  Jan had her friends come up with something that would describe the ambiance of the place and they did a beautiful job! All the tables and chairs are eclectic (which means they do not match!). It is just a real comfortable place to be.       
This is the front.  Has a table and chairs out there also, in case you want to set in the fresh air. 

There is a totem pole of sorts over there on the left and a close up can be seen in the last picture.  The sign there in the front says there are special artist days.

By the time I finished my coffee and left the place, Jan was my new BFF, I had caught up with Kris on all the news of the Cuba Caravan.  It was certainly a fruitful day.  Which brings me to this conclusion; Had I not gone to Beulah searching for the dragon, would I have ever met Jan?  Would I have ever wandered into the Stompin' Grounds? You think of predestination and wonder.  Seems like this whole business today was laid out in a grand plan!

You will read about the Dragon Tree and a lot of other Beulah sites as soon as I make the proper contacts, but for now, we have Jan and the Stompin' Grounds Coffee Shop, 8913 Grand Avenue, Beulah, Colorado. It is open every day from 7:30 AM till 2 PM except Thursday.  No Thursday.  Thursday it is closed.  Ah, and Saturday night from 5-8 PM is special also.  That is when they have Pizza, Calzones, Salad and Desserts.  Oh, Saturday night in a tiny mountain town!  What more can you want?  Oh, might want to call just to make sure they are there and have some food for you..I know the coffee is the best I have lucked into for quite a spell.  That phone number is 719-485-0852.  When you drop in tell Jan that Lou said "Hi!"