The animals continue to visit us daily. The only way the squirrel can get food out of the bird feeder is to hang upside-down from the tree limb, but as soon as we open the motor home door he scurries away because he knows Abby will be there in a flash! The fox comes by occasionally but spends most of his time stalking the moles and field mice. Mama deer also likes the stuff we put in the feeder - nut and grain mix.
We have 2 hummingbird feeders which we fill every day - did have 3 but the bear got to one of them during the night and tore it up! It amazes us that the deer that come through the campground are so tame. They will stand and watch us as long as we continue to stand and watch them!
It's been so dry here that a fire ban has been in effect for several months. The first night after the ban was lifted, the volunteers came to our camp site for a campfire. You'll notice many have on coats/jackets - the nights here are cool!
Most of the folks who come to Ponderosa are from junior high age to seniors adults. This is 4-year-old Emma, the daughter of the camp nurse and her husband. She is a delightful child and we enjoy having her around. Her favorite place to go is the Rock House for ice cream.
Russ took 3 of the volunteers on a jeep trip in the mountains west of Colorado Springs. They started out with the top up and everyone sitting on the seats with seat belts. When they returned, the top was down and the 2 ladies were perched on the back of the seat whooping and hollering as they came through he camp. Certainly got everyone's attention!
Not only is it our job to run the snack bar, but when there are no campers on site and the snack bar is closed, we are asked to do other chores as well. Last week, following the unexpected departure of the housekeeping crew for an undetermined period of time, we loaded the jeep with cleaning supplies and hit the road, broom handles and toilet paper streaming out the windows. We had several mottos depending on the chores: Making beds for the Master...Scrubbing toilets for the Savior...Vaccuming for Victory...Cleaning for Christ...etc. It took us 2 days to shampoo the padded seats and clean the metal frames of the 300+ chairs in the chapel! After scraping several wads of gum off the bottom of chairs, Nancy can only say "there better not be gum on the chairs when she gets to Heaven."
These are 2 of 6 cabins they call "The Aspens" - probably because they are located on the north end of the camp in a field of aspen trees! Each cabin has a different decor (sleeps 4-5 people), a kitchenette, and bathroom. It's a little scary driving down there on the housekeeping golf cart because we have to pass right by a stream where the local bear comes to drink and we never know when he might appear!
Sign on the road going up Pkes Peak. By the way, we never saw Big Foot! We went back up on Pikes Peak with another couple on a cloudy, rainy day with very low visibility. In fact, we were in the gift shop at the summit and they announced the road had been closed coming up the mountain so that people going down could drive in the middle of the road - the fog was so dense you couldn't even see the sides of the road!
We went to a Diamondbacks/Rockies baseball game in Denver and before the game, ate lunch at a restaurant called Casa Bonita. Dining tables were located around a lagoon where cliff divers did fancy dives, as well as various other activities. The food was good, the entertainment great, and...the Diamondbacks won!
Summer is drawing to a close, the kids have started back to school, but various groups continue to use the campground throughout the winter months. Seven volunteer couples have given many hours to make this place what it is -- a facility that honors and glorifies God. Some have gone to other places to volunteer and after this weekend, we will be the only volunteers remaining. They have asked us to stay until mid-September. After that, we will spend a couple of weeks in the Durango area and then go to Farmington, NM for a Family Motor Coach Assoc. rally. We will continue to keep you posted until we arrive back home in Phoenix.
