beluga

beluga

Sunday, July 5, 2015

Back home

We arrived "home" on Friday afternoon after a longish drive from Raton, NM.  We'll be here in Golden until we take off to explore more of Colorado in mid-August.  

We all had a quiet 4th of July, the way we like it.   Sasha has always had real problems with thunder/fireworks (the reason she was released from Guiding Eyes for the Blind all those years ago), so we didn't want to leave her alone while we went to watch the 4th of July displays.    Not much of a sacrifice really.    Dave grilled some delicious shrimp and then we settled down for the evening.

It was hot and very windy last night so we had the windows closed,  air conditioning running, and the tv on.    It must have been enough insulation from the banging outside because she slept soundly in front of "her" fan all evening.  What an exciting couple we are!

Today, while our searching for somewhere to buy rhubarb (someone's traditional birthday pie) we came upon an unusual and fragrant local attraction.   A rose garden.


 A rose garden planted and cared for by inmates in the Jefferson County Jail.

no...this is not an inmate

 A rose garden on the site of a former landfill.


A rose garden with over 400 varieties




Hmmmmm, I seem to have only taken pictures of pink varieties, I wonder what that means.....   Perhaps it was the black sky and rumbling thunder that caused me to only really linger in one area, the pink section, before hi tailing it back to the jeep.     There were whites, and pale yellows.  Deep crimson, neon yellow, pale lilac and salmon.   Red stripes, yellow stripes, most any color a rose comes in was represented.  

Sadly, it seems there must be a waning interest in maintaining this garden.  Maybe there are no more inmates in the jail?    Budget constraints perhaps?


Weeds are taking over the rose beds and prickers are invading the stone walkways.   The grass needs mowing badly, and the edging is....well not edging anymore.    Too bad because these roses are growing valiantly despite their recent neglect.    Maybe the rose inmates have been reassigned, released, escaped?

This afternoon we enjoyed the traditional 4th of July meal of hot dogs and macaroni salad with Jesse and Erin at their house in Denver and right now, Dave is happily watching the rain delayed NASCAR race on network tv.   Since we don't have cable or satellite tv he hasn't been able to see a race in quite awhile, so its a good end to a good day.

Tomorrow Beluga gets her chipped windshield repaired, oh goody!


5 comments:

  1. Glad to know you are safely back in your "home!" Did you move into the back-in site? The park should really be in full swing now since summer is officially here after the 4th.

    I was surprised to read that the fireworks would have bothered Sasha since she isn't hearing. Can she feel the vibration? Does the popping and banging bother Lewis?

    Hot dogs and macaroni salad is what I call a 4th kind of meal...yum! Good to spend it with Jesse and Erin. How are they enjoying their new house now that they have been there awhile? How is Jesse's new job going?

    The roses you photographed are so pretty. I love the red tipped one at the beginning, but my favorite is the second to last one, that variegated red and white one:) Maybe there has just been too much rain for the inmates to get out and work in the garden. Are you sure that isn't a picture of an inmate? The guy looks a little shady smelling the roses!!

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  2. I hate seeing that garden go to waste. What a good idea though to take a landfill and make it beautiful. If you ever get to Portland, be sure to see their rose garden. It is stunning.

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  3. That rose garden is an interesting find, though kind of sad that it is being neglected.

    We had ZERO fireworks within earshot of our RV park this year! A welcome surprise after a good 24 hours of fireworks last year in Portland, OR!

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  4. I'm sure the garden comes with a great story as well as those beautiful pink blooms - pink means you have excellent taste :-) Hope you found the rhubarb! At least you were still awake when the fireworks were going off....we were as exciting as Sasha.

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  5. I actually enjoy those quiet days once and a while! You will be back in super busy mode soon enough!

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