Simpsonize Me

First, let's start with a Ouray photo of Isabella. I think Kathie took it the day she kept Isabella and we went up to Owl Creek.













Now, on to Simpsonizing. You can do it, too. Upload a picture to www.simpsonizeme.com.


Here is Isabella, simpsonized using the above photo.















And Alison comes out looking like this.

Cheese Singles and Bestsellers

Here are several photos that have only one person in them...hence, the name of this blog.


One of the things we all love to do is get outside and hike and play and build dams. Here is Denise making the most of being in beautiful Yankee Boy Basin in Ouray. She is reading Marilynne Robinson's second novel, Gilead. According to amazon.com, "The narrator, John Ames, is 76, a preacher who has lived almost all of his life in Gilead, Iowa. He is writing a letter to his almost seven-year-old son, the blessing of his second marriage. It is a summing-up, an apologia, a consideration of his life. Robinson takes the story away from being simply the reminiscences of one man and moves it into the realm of a meditation on fathers and children, particularly sons, on faith, and on the imperfectability of man."


Her husband, Rick, has gone as far as he can between the twin waterfalls. Maybe he lost his book? I think he is reading The Book of Useless Information, by Noel Botham and the Useless Information Society.


Stumpy, meanwhile, went off looking for the perfect stump in Yankee Boy. Did he find it? We'll just have to wait and see. He did find an abandoned mine. I think he is reading 90 Minutes in Heaven, by Don Piper with Cecil Murphey.


GrandDad saved his alone time for Owl Creek Pass near Ridgway. Behind him is the John Wayne Meadow where a climactic scene from True Grit was filmed. Ahead of him is Chimney Rock, which you can see in the photo. I think he is reading Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki.


Back in Ouray, behind our apartment, Isabella found a bridge across the Uncompaghre River and paused for some personal time. I think her mommy is reading What to Expect When You're Expecting, by Heidi Murkoff, Arlene Eisenberg and Sandee Hathaway

Some Ouray Thoughts and Shots

Here is most of us up at Alta Lake, just south of Telluride. Notice that only the Pastor of Pahrump has on a hat, and the girls who want to look cool have on sunglasses.


Looks like Kim has identified a place with no established church. Village Missions, are you listening?


Village Missions, go back home. We can now see exactly how the Pistol-packin' Pastor of Pahrump gets people to attend his services.


I debated long and hard about revealing this, but we stumbled upon the remains of Noah's Ark in southwestern Colorado.


A possible sighting of ghosts in Animas Forks Ghost Town south of Ouray.


Well, we lost Lady Bird Johnson last week. She was well known to have worked to beautify Texas by protecting fields of wildflowers, and asking that citizens plant trees, bushes and shrubs. Here, Isabella is doing her part, watering whatever she could find, including Mommy, Daddy, and Uncle Ben.


Finally, sometimes galleries put pretty things outside to draw in customers. Look what I happened to see in front of the Ouray Gallery one evening.

Hats Off (or On) to a Good Time

A tradition with Kyle and Lyndsay. Trying on hats and taking a picture. Usually done at Disneyland. So, here we are in downtown Ouray and they came across a hat stand. The rest is photographic history.

More from Southwestern Colorado

Here is Carey taking a photo of the scenery I was taking a photo of. More soon. And Lauri, I chose one of my favorites because it is a panorama from the road to Owl Creek Pass. Whether or not there are people is incidental to a photo speaking to me...and to you, I hope.

Most of the Walkers at Cascade Falls, Ouray

Here is most all of us together in Ouray this summer. More later

New Photos from Ouray

Here is a photo from Yankee Boy Basin in Ouray, CO. As you can see, it appears that Lyndsay and Kyle are in nature's hot tub.


Poor Jay. His cabin didn't have running water, so he did what he could to wash his hair.


Let's end with a shot of Isabella. After all, it's been too long since I posted one. Here she is downing water from a huge bottle. Next time, let's just give her a 2-liter size and see how she does.

Ouray Pic for Lauri

Ouray Trip - Part 1

Let's start off a series of posts about Ouray with a few fireworks photos. That is the key reason to brave Ouray on what is probably the busiest week of the year.


Of course, I am sure there are displays that are bigger, more choreographed, longer. However, we are sitting in a valley with mountains all around, with family that we love, in cool temperatures. The noise from the explosions bounces off the surrounding hills impressively. It is worth the crowds and the 10-hour drive.

The area is isolated enough, and the town small enough, that there is little glow from the town during the fireworks, so it all adds up to be a great evening. It is becoming a tradition for the family.

Now, in case you thought there would be a post without Isabella, I cannot do that.

Before the fireworks started, the park area where our family sat had numerous smaller fireworks for almost the entire hour we waited. One of the things that most fascinated Bella were sparklers. There was a family behind us that had those huge, 3-foot tall ones. So, Isabella and I went near them and she was mesmerized. Other fireworks were set off in the park, but most were not close to us, and lasted only a short time, so we stayed near the sparklers.

Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?

Strange title, huh? Well, that's because we just got back from Ouray, CO. We went up expecting highs in the low 80s and lows in the upper 40s. We actually had highs in the upper 80s and lows in the low 50s. Rain had also been forecast. So, while it was a lot cooler that highs in the upper 110s and lows in the mid 90s here in PHX, it wasn't exactly what I expected. Still, now that we are back, I miss being in a place where the hughs are lower than our lows.

No pictures just yet. So that I would not fill my camera's memory card, I offloaded the photos to preacher brother's laptop each night. I am waiting to get a copy of my photos plus his plus sister's plus whoever else offloaded. I know we ended up with over 1200 pics, so it will be exciting. I could be posting photos from now until I get a job .