ralphtheunitard

I went for a walk today to catch some of the fall colors.

I took a walk around the neighborhood this evening. Perfect night to take pictures.

Caterpillar on the hiking trail.

My friend Rocko and I went to the Cleveland Art Museum's Chalk Festival yesterday. The weather was perfect and we both took over 90 pictures each! It was very hard picking just one photo.

I took a walk today in the cemetery. Something I haven't done recently.

I wanted to take a picture today, but I decided to cheat and post another picture from Philadelphia.

Petunias from the front yard

A picture taken in Columbus, Ohio during today's trip home.

We went to the Opening Party for the Cleveland Museum of Art's new East Wing. Beautiful new addition to the museum. This was a display outside for the celebration which was called "Wood Pile". It really is swimming pool noodles glued together.

Still from vacation ... but this is Monica and I saying goodbye in downtown Denver on Wednesday.

One story from my trip to Wyoming. It relates to Mike.

Back in April 07 when Mike and I went out West, we saw a Sinclair gas station in Las Vegas. Sinclair is only in the West, and the mascot is a green dinosaur, so when he saw it he gasped. He didn't know that they still existed. He then told me a story about this dinosaur that he had when he was a child and I think that he lost it at some point when he was moving around as an adult. We took a picture of the station:



We went inside to find a dinosaur, but they didn't have any. I always wanted to order one for him, but less than five months after this he was gone.

Two years later, I find myself back in the West and driving past this large Sinclair gas station on the interstate in Wyoming. I was in a wonderful mood, enjoying the drive and the scenery, but this station reminded me of the above story. Which led me to cry and cry thinking about getting a silly little green dinosaur. A happy little cry.

After a while, I decided that I should look for a dinosaur for the road trip. I stopped at a few other Sinclairs, but I could not find it. On my way back to Colorado, I found myself driving past the same gas station in Wyoming that started this memory. I stopped and looked around, but didn't find the toy. So I bought my snacks and started to walk out the door when there they were. Two of them. One of them is now mine.

Mike, the dinosaur, and I had a very nice conversation on the way back to Colorado. At one point I told him that I loved him. Then I looked off to the left and saw a small piece of a rainbow.

Today I visited Mt. Rushmore, the Crazy Horse monument, and Wind Cave National Park. I guess I can take that off my bucket list now!

Wyoming is a beautiful state to drive through. But now that I've done it for 5 hours+, I'm ready to move on.

But I came here to see Devil's Tower. Quite stunning. The second picture shows climbers on this thing. I had to add some arrows so that you can pick them out.

I went to Boulder today and hiked in the mountains. I am still amazed at what I am seeing.

But this sign caught my eye. It is from a closed bowling alley right around the corner from my friend's house in Westminster, Colorado.

Hard to pick just one from today! This is the Bighorn Crossing in the park.

One of my views while driving to Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG! I just received this in the mail today! The print of the Simpsons new 44 cent stamps. I have an illness ...

The University has a old victorian house they run called Hower House. The tulips in the spring are amazing. I was almost too late taking this picture since some of the flowers were starting to fade.

I love that our weather went from 40 degrees on Tuesday to 85 degrees today. Gah! But today I accomplished a few things in the yard. One item on the list is a total revamp of the flower beds. Here is a picture of the first one. Only four more to go! But now I have a process.

It is a little chilly in the house, so I turned on the space heater. Lex seems to approve!