This Rockies fan falls asleep

What? Sleeping through a Rockies game? Well, lately I've been sleeping through them too! It's like nobody can pitch and nobody can hit. So, I decided to look at pictures of my granddaughter. It's a better choice, wouldn't you say? She could care less what our OBP is or why Nicasio can't find the strike zone.

More on St. John

We're still thinking about our vacation. In reality, you don't just enjoy your vacation while you're having it, thankfully. You can enjoy it long after you've returned. I'm just sharing it with you.

We ate dinner at Skinny Legs, which is a very popular spot on the island. Their burgers are excellent. It's also a good place to buy T-shirts, hats, and junk stuff, not to mention making an idiot of yourself as pictured below...

The beach was great. Noelle picked up some UV shirts we wore when we were snorkeling. We needed the protection from the sun.

The Ballet

I think I'd like the ballet, but no matter where I sit, I can't hear a word they're saying! My Granddaughter, the  one on the right with her friend after their very first ballet performance. What I want to know is; why do they dance on their toes? Why don't they just hire taller dancers? Believe it or not, the little one's got all the clapping and Ohhhh's, and how cute's!

We were very proud Grand parents, to say the least. You know, I would have been a good dancer if it weren't for two things, my feet!

Holding hands in St. John

I found myself holding hands a lot in St. John last week. It just seemed like more fun to stick together most of the time. We saw a lot of fish together this way. The Blue Tangs, the Parrotfish, all the different Angel fish and Trunk fish. Wow! But there was nothing quite like the squid. At one point we saw four squid all hovering together, so we floated together and watched them for at least 10 minutes!

Many of the fish traveled together, so I figured fish must be brain food because the travel in schools. Too bad they can't hold hands!

Returning to our house after a day of snorkeling was really nice. We'd sit around and relax and then go out to dinner when it was dark. The house was high up on Ajax Mountain and had a pretty spectacular view of the bay and other islands in the area. It caused me to reflect on vacations in general. Here are my thoughts: A vacation is a one-week holiday that makes you feel good enough to go back to work - and poor enough to have to!

Our partners on this vacation were Teena and Mark who did exactly the same thing we did. They held hands and enjoyed the area. This whole trip was their idea, so we have them to thank for a great time!

The beaches were superb. There were very few people around (and of course no one to give Nancy a ride). I like it when you go to the beach and there aren't a lot of people around. Otherwise, I have to hold in my stomach, which throws out my back! Later in the day however, a few bikini clad girls showed up. A bikini is the closest thing to a barbed wire fence - it protects the property without obstructing any of the view. One of the girls was real thin. Every time she got up from her chair, a dog buried her!

Back at our house, we enjoyed lots of flowers and of course everything was green and lush. The Orchids below were not uncommon in the area.  More on this trip later.

St John USVI

In case you're wondering where we've been, well we've been at the beach every day, snorkeling, soaking up the sun, eating out, National Park visits seeing deer and mongoose, did I say beach time? Sleeping in, watching the sunsets from our perch on top of Ajax Mountain, seeing turtles, manta rays, squid, octopus, star fish, an eel, barracuda, and many beautiful colorful fish, tons of coral, all in the national park.

I followed a sting ray out here until the water got too deep to really see him anymore, maybe 30 or 40 feet. He was hugging the bottom closely. I also saw a turtle out here.

The view from our balcony was very nice. We could see Coral Bay (on the East side of St. John). There were several very nice places to eat on Coral Bay including Miss Lucy's, Shipwreck Grill, and Skinny Legs.

The beaches were not crowded (notice the lack of footprints except the deer, yes there were deer at the beach leaving their footprints!), the water was just right, and the sun was bright. Hmmm... sounds nice to me. I guess I want to go back.

This beach had the same characteristics as mentioned above. However, the snorkeling was different. At one bay we saw lots of star fish and at another we would see more turtles and sting rays. One beach seemed to have more squid (they were wonderful to watch). You watch them and they watch you.

After laying in the sun a while, Mark and I decided to cool off in the water on our last day there. Leaving was a sad day for all of us, but we'll be back.

Politicians

I was hiking in the desert the other day and what did I see? A bunch of politicians! Then, to my surprise they all turned around and I realized I was looking at kind, gentle horses! Let's hope our view of politicians changes on the next election!

Hard "bill" to swallow

I'm not sure how many people realize what's in the "bill" or I mean "pill," but it's not good medicine and does nothing to cut the cost of  healthcare, which is what we all wanted.

Things are beginning to stack up

Every time I go to Arizona, there is a bundle of fun and I want to be in on it! Noelle is a great Mom but what I'm wondering is, how does she get them to be still long enough to do this?

Rockies owner

I have new respect for the owner of the Rockies, Dick Monfort. Here he is shoveling snow off Coors field in preparation for a game. How many owners would do this? I was actually very impressed. Okay Mr. Monfort, what about the pitching?

I sometimes think our scouts are out there asking the wrong questions, like "What's the number that new pitching prospect is wearing?" Then, when the pitcher reports it's, "Hey buddy,  He's wearing number 9, three points below his ERA."

Then, a scout reported he'd really discovered a great pitcher. "In last night's game," he said by phone to the manager, "he struck out all twenty-seven men on the other team. What's more, he got all of them in three pitches, except for one guy who hit a foul ball."

The manager said, "Get the name of the guy who hit the foul. "We need hitters!"

Game over

I enjoyed watching the kids T-Ball game. The score was 27 to 32, hey! we won! Players are pretty sophisticated these days. During the game the coach called the bullpen and got an answering service. The kids have everything you can imagine except experience. They have gloves, hats, cleats on their shoes, cell phones, and everything. Unfortunately, they don't have a team bus. They have a team bike. Okay not really, they really have team moms!

I'm just glad the big kid was on little Andy's team.

Morning Wildlife

We got up this morning and decided to go for a walk. We got about 100 feet from our house and behind the group mail boxes was a cow elk grazing on the grass. Nancy waited while I ran into the house to get my camera. By then, it had walked up the trail a ways after grazing on the neighbors crab apple tree (lower left).

We followed her up the trail and she jumped the fence and walked South across the open space toward Lockheed Martin. Many of our neighbors were standing on their back porches taking photos and saying, "did you see that?"   We see deer on many of our morning walks but I could count on one hand the number of times we've seen elk.

We walked up to the lake and saw this blue heron guarding the best fishing spot on the lake. He let me get pretty close, so it must be a good spot.

Then there was more wildlife on the trail, but she decided to take me home and make breakfast for me. I guess I'm about the luckiest guy in the world! Praise God for His incredible blessings and the riches of His glory!

This isn't wildlife, but it was our last shot of the lake before we walked back to the house this morning. Just then, I saw two skunks scurry under someones back porch before I could take a picture! The mother skunk told her friend, "Junior just keeps rambling. He makes no scents!"

Babies

From my point of view, my new granddaughter is the most beautiful child in the world. From her older brother's point of view, the police are still looking for the stork who brought her! Not to worry Eli, when all is gone and everybody has abandoned you, your family is still there. Nobody ever moves out of the house.

We are blessed beyond measure!

May 1 snow!

It rained all night and is snowing now, in the morning! Nancy and I are sitting in the study looking out the front of the house at the oversize flakes accumulating in the yard. The real question is, will they accumulate in the streets and my driveway? Ahh, Colorado!