When Chuck Norris does a pushup, he isn'’t lifting himself up, he's pushing the Earth down.---------------------------------------------------
I had to go do some work at a client site in Loveland today. Loveland has quite a few distinctions that make it a very unique and interesting place. First, it's the home of Heidi's parents and grandma. Second, every year, for Valentine's Day, thousands of people send their love letters and valentine cards to Loveland to be post-marked there, so that they can appear to come from the real "Love-land". Finally, it has an amazing view of my all-time favorite 14er (and favorite mountain), Longs Peak. (Try here or here or here to find out more about Longs Peak, and notice how the National Park Service site states the height of Longs as 14,259 feet, when the accepted, official height, according to the US Geological Survey's maps, is 14,255 feet. As one who's seen the summit marker, I know what I'm talking about.)
Longs was my first 14er...admittedly, a difficult one to be the first, given how many easier 14ers there are, and doubly so considering I'd never been on the side of a mountain in my life. Even in ideal conditions, Longs is no picnic, and many people have died on this incredible massif. While on my way down after summiting, I experienced the only real moment of terror of mortal peril I've ever felt. It came as I was working my way along a narrow ledge of rock on Longs' west face, 2000 feet over Wild Basin; a thunderstorm had come in as we were on our way down, and it had brought with it lightning, wind, and sleet, any of which could have removed me from the side of the mountain very efficiently. With thunder ringing in my ears, the wind buffeting me, and the rock growing increasingly slick under my hands and feet, I eventually worked my way down without dying. We returned to the car, completely exhausted. I had not felt such a feeling of accomplishment in a long time, and from that moment, I was in love with the 14ers, and especially Longs.
As I was saying, from Loveland, you get a wonderful view of Longs, its 13,911-foot companion, Mount Meeker, and the Loft, the saddle which connects the two. You have a direct view of Longs' east face, including the infamous Diamond, a sheer 1900-foot cliff that serves as Colorado's answer to Yosemite's El Capitan. You can clearly see the Notch, one of Longs' most distinguishing features. Also visible are Mount Lady Washington, Longs' companion to its northeast, and Storm Peak, attached to Longs on the northwest side.
Needless to say, it's breathtaking, and one of my favorite things about Loveland. I always enjoy my visits.
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March can be a good month...the weather begins its gradual change from winter into spring, spring football practice begins, spring training for the majors is in full swing. There are bad things about March, though...March is usually Colorado's heaviest snow month, and of course, there's always COLLEGE BASKETBALL. Weeknights and weekends find all sports channels filled with nothing but college basketball, usually featuring high-profile schools like Ball State, Manhattan College, and Southwest Missouri A&M. It's no secret I don't like basketball, so this time of year really grates on my nerves. On the other hand, it gives me a nice incentive to keep the TV off on weekends and actually do other things. Now, if we can just keep the weather nice...
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Heidi is an amazing cook. She is equally comfortable producing complete meals out of boxes, or whipping up wonderful potables from what appears to be very little to a kitchen-imbecile like me. Tonight we had a very good beef stroganoff dish with peas. All I can say is, baby, I'm happy to let you cook all you like...I'll do all the dishes.
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My dog Dash is a nut. He's a very handsome harrier mix (soon I'll post some pictures). I wish I could take more time to train him...perhaps soon things will settle down a bit more and I can focus on getting him trained. I know a little bit about it, and Heidi does, as well, so perhaps we'll be able to whip him into shape. He does pretty well when we take him out for walks, even when he's off his leash. He's still a puppy in some ways, as he's not even two years old yet, so he still lacks some necessary decorum. He's a really good dog, though. One of his favorite games is "Tease the Cat." He has discovered that he can run around the house in circles, with one point of the circle coming very close to the side table under which Ebony is sitting. She will obligingly hiss and swat at him. He continues running in his circle, and when he comes back around to that spot, she again hisses and swats, just as obligingly as before. This can continue for close on to a minute before he stops, sets to attack, and barks. Interestingly, for a hound, Ebony is about the only thing we've heard him back at. Sometimes, he runs like a coward, then runs back to where she is, freezes, and stares her down. They stare at each other for 10-15 seconds, neither making a sound, until Dash eventually loses his cool and breaks again. Lately, the rules of the game have changed; now, Ebony occasionally chases him around the living room, actually running after him with claws and fangs bared.
Ebony didn't like him much, at first, and she still puts up a good front, but I think he's growing on her. Sometimes, every once in a while, she baits him, and so, The Game begins.
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Thanks for reading along.
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