The Haunted Stanley

Yesterday (Monday) we went on a little trip to Estes Park where the Stanley Hotel is located.  The Stanley Hotel is famous for the book by Stephen King and the move "The Shining".  This is a side entrance but it is a gorgeous old building.   I would like to stay there some time.  It is on my bucket list along with the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.  The inside of the hotel looks as it did a century ago and it is beautiful.   They are famous for their ghost sightings and my friend Gordy has seen two on a previous trip.  I was hoping to bump into one but no such luck for me.  The views from the hotel are stunning.  It is on a hill and everything is just so beautiful.  Even in a snow storm.

Before we ventured up to the Stanley, we had lunch and hit some shops in downtown Estes Park.  We ate at the Grubstake and I bought a hooded sweatshirt at one of the shops.  I told the lady to cut the tags off and skip the bag because I wanted to wear it.  (It was about 20 degrees and I needed something warm under my jacket.)  So as I was trying to zip up the sweatshirt I couldn't get the zipper to line up right.  I made a comment and the sales lady came around the counter and said "Honey, you are zipping it up to the wrong zipper."  I was trying to zip the sweatshirt with my jacket zipper.  I had an outburst and said "I'm such a retard."  That made everyone laugh.  Well everyone except Bentley. 

Bentley is my girlfriend's dog.  He is a champion Miniature Schnauzer and he is beautiful.  He's also the most laid back dog I've ever met.  I'm sure he doesn't like me but Debbie said that is just how he is and he does like me.  Bentley went with us yesterday on our adventure. 

We decided to not head into Rocky Mountain National Park but to head home because it was starting to get dark and with the snow it was getting a little icy in spots.  But on the way back we stopped at a house along the Big Thompson River that Debbie is trying to sell to one of her clients.  This place was a dump but the location was oh so beautiful.  The scenery was stunning and we got to see some beaver work up close.  The beavers have selected this spot as a place to build a dam and they are very busy cutting down aspens.  It was very fastinating to get up close to the trees and take a good look at how beavers operate.

BIGHORNS!!!

Yesterday we took a ride to the old mining towns of Black Hawk and Central City which are now casino towns.  It's really kind of a shame that they have ruined the character of these quaint old towns.  But anyway, we had a good time at the casino for a couple of hours.   Then my sister and I shot our winnings on some beautiful CZ rings.  After the ride to the casino, we were going to meet up with my friends, Debbie and Gordy, at Edgewater Pizza and then spend a few days with them.  So on the way  back we decided to take a turn and head to Idaho Springs.  As we were cruising along, we were going around a curve in the mountains and all of a sudden the traffic stopped.  We are all wondering "WTH???" and I looked out the window and saw a sheep's ass in the window.  I yelled "SHEEP"!!!  Cindy told Tom to flip a U-turn so that we could stop and take these pictures.  We thought at first that there were only four or five sheep by the road but the more we looked the more we saw.  Then low and behold, this big ram came down the mountain to round up his girls.  What a great opportunity to see wildlife up close.

WE'RE HERE!!!!

Day 1: We arrived in Denver around noon yesterday. We didn't do a whole lot on our first day here but hang out with Tom and Cindy and eat. We hit a couple of really good places to eat. The first one was Village Inn, which Cindy and Tom refers to as an upscale Denny's. I had a bowl of potato soup and half of a "grown up grilled cheese" sandwich which was yummy. After that we came back to Tom and Cindy's condo. Tom has a bug of some sort and wasn't feeling the best so we hung out until it was time to eat again and hit the road for Deli Zone where Cindy's son, Cody, works. Had a yummy Frech dip sandwich. Back to Tom and Cindy's where we had a shot of Patrone tequila. After that I had the instant sensation that I was going to puke. After I let out a few belches and had some 7Up my stomach calmed down. We watched TV for a while and being utterly exhausted, Dianne and I went up to our room and crashed about 8:30 Denver time.

Day 2: Slept in today. Tom had a doctors appointment so we are just hanging out for a while. I guess we are going to hit Wal-Mart later today. Tom wants to make ribs tomorrow and I guess they are killer good. I don't expect anything too much today except maybe seeing some great mountain views on the way to Wal-Mart. I'll update you all later.

COUNTDOWN CONTINUES

Denver is getting closer!!! Today was my last day of work for two weeks. Tomorrow I will have a full day. I have to get up early to take my girls to camp. Then I'll stop at my good friend, Deb's, for a haircut. Then I have to beat feet home so I can grab my suitcase and head for Chicago. Well actually Elk Grove Village. My sister and I are going to do some last minute things at her place, like take her dog to camp and pack her stuff for the trip.

Then Thursday morning we have to get up bright and early and go to Carol's house so that we can park our car there and get a ride to Midway airport. It's a 2 hour non stop flight to Denver. By noon,Denver time, we will be in Colorado hugging my cousin, Tom, and his wife, Cindy.

Can you tell I'm excited? I cannot wait!!!

NOT MUCH NEW TODAY...

Not much new today, my friends. I had a bout of anal glaucoma this morning where I really couldn't see my ass going to work. But I decided to go in anyway. Unfortunately my left contact was inside out when I put it in so I could hardly see and could hardly keep my eye open. So until about 9am when I went and yanked it out of my eye I just couldn't get with the program. WTH am I talking about. I couldn't get with the program all damn day. You know how you reach a certain point of the day and you know that you just won't get much more done at work? Well that hit me about 8am.

But I got through the day. Looked at the crap on my desk trying to decide what I should pack up so I don't have too much to take home if we close down and decided I don't have too much left that I have to take except for my picture of Wyatt Earp, Lawdog, and my pencil cup and paperclip holder. Oh yeah and my dog a day calendar. That's about all I have left that I want to take with me.

Countdown to Denver is 40 days!!! YAY!!! Can't wait. Okay I gotta go now and check out my girlfriend, Deb's, real estate website to see what's new in the condo community in Denver. See ya soon!!!

BUT THAT'S GROSS!!!

Okay...the countdown continues at 44 days. As I mentioned yesterday, my sister and I are heading out to Denver next month. Cannot wait. I need a vacation. Could be a permanent vacation if the Teamsters don't vote in the "new" contract for YRC and save our asses.

So anyway, YRC, the parent company of Holland, have negotiated a five year deal with the Teamsters. The Teamster rank & file would be giving up just a shit load in concessions that many guys and gals have stood on picket lines for over the years. Sad, so sad. What makes me mad are the people in the ivory tower that thinks the company's woes are soley the result of the Teamsters. HELLO!!! People if it were not for unions, we would not be making the money we make or have the benefits we have now. Of course, now with the economy the way it is and the younger generation thinking they don't need unions, things are in the crapper. Well anyway, I kind of strayed from the reason for this rant. Our leader, Mr. Jeff Rogers, had a town hall meeting this afternoon to explain how the CEO of YRC, Mr. Bill Zollars is retiring (part of the union negotiations) and how we need the Teamsters to vote "yes" for the contract or we will be done and we will all be out of jobs. So when Mr. Rogers started at Holland, I roughly introduced myself at a town hall meeting. I asked him something about "What happens if YRC goes into the crapper. Will they cut us loose before they flush?" Needless to say, this one question made it's way to many of the terminals. Very funny. Very, very funny. Today, when Mr. Rogers asked for any questions, I raised my hand. He looked at me for a split second before he asked my question. I decided to play nice, so I simply asked "when is the vote?". After the meeting, my boss asked me what kind of chaos I stirred up in the meeting. (He knows me pretty well.) I said that I only asked one question about the vote. Then here comes Mr. Rogers down the cubicle hallway. Louie kind of called him into the cube and I confessed there were really two questions I wanted to ask. He said "what was the other question?" So I said "How much was Mr. Zollar's good-bye bonus?" He said "A lot." So I pushed it further "like over $7M?" He said "Yes, but that's gross." DUH...your damn right it's GROSS that the guy that has mismanged YRC for the last 14 years is only getting $7M gross. Like gross or net really makes much difference when you are getting something in the millions.

So that is my funny story for the day. Hope you enjoyed it!!! Stay tuned for more. I can foresee many new adventures in my near, near future.

COUNTDOWN GURU...WHERE ARE YOU???

So, Bev's Wild Adventures are fixin' to commence again. This time the destination is Denver, Colorado. Well actually my sister, Dianne, and I will be visiting my cousin that we visited in San Francisco two years ago. Only now, Tom and Cindy live in Centennial, Colorado. They moved a year ago September and they both love it there.

I formulated a plan a year ago for moving to Denver when YRC finishes kicking the crap out of us. So while we are out there, we are going to hook up with one of my best friends, Deb, who is in real estate. We want to check out the area so we can decide what area of Denver we want to relocate to when we do move. My sister is thinking about Golden,CO, as a possible location. She said if we don't have a mountain view, she is going to insist that we take a trip to Nepal to see Mt. Everest. I think a mountain view in the states would be a whole lot easier. (Please Debbie, find a place with a mountain view.)

Right now we are at 45 days and counting!!! Time is ticking away. I can't wait!!!