§ Winter Wonderland on a Green Tree

The past week, I have started and finished decorating the house for the holidays. It took me only most of the week off and on with a few breaks here and there, birding, shopping, laundry, etc. But it's done for 2012!! Starting with the tree. Again, as I did last year, I did the same this year. The evergreen [artificial tree] is all dressed in white and red. The red...simple bows and the tree top is my animated Santa....while the rest of it all is white. From white lights to white and silver ribbon. Added are white decorations from white poinsettia flowers to white Santa heads...along with white dripping icicles, white snowflakes drizzled with glitter. White Doves, angels and crystal snowflakes.

_ _ _

All Aboard!!!---Santa Train
N-LARGE 'em!!!

CONNECTING TO:

MACRO Monday
Mellow Yellow Monday
Ruby Tuesday2
Kimberly's Korner Christmas Tree Link-up

§ Did someone say "Money"?

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...a meme where you match photos to song lyrics

THE GAMBLER Link: by Kenny Rogers [original, and as far as I'm concerned, the best video!]
Photo Credits: A fun one this week...I got out our old fashioned western 'numberless' cards [the way they were in the 'old west' era] and dealt out a winning hand, and a losing hand. "Reading" peoples' faces is a pirate skeleton doll that Bud designed. Train bound for 'nowhere' is a permanently displayed engine in Cheyenne Wyoming [sorry, it's NOT summer...it's a snowy winter day]. The Whiskey is actually iced tea in a Cutty Sark [brand of whiskey] glass. Time for dealing is Bud's old pocket watch...but MY MONEY!! And Jack Daniels poker chips round it all off-----



On a warm summer's evenin' on a train bound for nowhere,


I met up with the gambler; we were both too tired to sleep.
So we took turns a starin' out the window at the darkness
'Til boredom overtook us, and he began to speak.

He said, "Son, I've made my life out of readin' people's faces,


And knowin' what their cards were by the way they held their eyes.
So if you don't mind my sayin', I can see you're out of aces.
For a taste of your whiskey I'll give you some advice."


So I handed him my bottle and he drank down my last swallow.
Then he bummed a cigarette and asked me for a light.


And the night got deathly quiet, and his face lost all expression.
Said, "If you're gonna play the game, boy, ya gotta learn to play it right."

You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table.


There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done.


Now Ev'ry gambler knows that the secret to survivin'
Is knowin' what to throw away and knowing what to keep.
'Cause ev'ry hand's a winner


and ev'ry hand's a loser,



And the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep."

§ An extension of Thursday...

During all the years we lived in Colorado, growing up and then raising our own family in the state...we loved the Rocky Mountains. When no one was in school, or not at work, we'd take a trip in the car to some remote area and enjoy the scenery. Even, as much as I hate it now...in the snow!! One of my favorite memories was a small town high up in the San Juan Mountains, in the southwest area of the state. A town, in a deep valley, surrounded by some of the highest mountain peaks...at the elevation of 9300 some odd feet above sea level. [approximately: 2835 meters]. The population is reported just over 500 residents. Tho, back in my time in Colorado, it was more or less a tourist attraction because of the historic narrow gauge train that ran in the summer months from Durango, Colorado to my favorite mining town...Silverton, Colorado. As I posted yesterday in part, the song recorded by C. W. McCall, "The Silverton", I mentioned I scanned a lot more photos from our trip on the train itself. Most always, back then, Silverton nearly became a ghost town when winter hit. [Now I hear that they remain open during those months with skiers and Olympic trainers...but not when we lived in Colorado.] The snows were atrocious, the heights would be so deep there was no way to get in and out of Silverton very often unless the highway from Ouray Colorado over Red Mountain Pass was opened...and very seldom was it open to traffic in winter. That road trip even in the heat of the summer in mid July to August when the highway was halfway cleared of snow and ice, it was scary and a treacherous drive....what an experience!! Try meeting a family towing a trailer on that narrow, high drop-off highway once!! If you don't have toilet paper with you....you're screwed!! It can be frightful, even to the experienced high mountain driver!!

- - -

Okay, so at the time the rest of these photos were taken, it was a another extended weekend trip we took to the Durango, Silverton area. Both kids were small and our son, Erik, loved trains. What boy doesn't? And a few years prior to this trip, the classic movie, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, starring Robert Redford and Paul Newman was filmed in part here. The engine #473 was used for the movie. We wanted to treat Erik to a chance of a lifetime to ride the rails of a narrow gauge train. The old ones!!! But, I must admit, this time we came into Durango [where the train station is] from the EAST side of Colorado through Colorado Springs and heading west over Wolf Creek Pass [by the way, C. W. McCall also recorded a song called Wolf Creek Pass which is so true in words! If you haven't ever experienced driving over Colorado Mountain Passes, you've missed out on some hairy, scary, adventures!!! Here is the link to the "Wolf Creek Pass" song.] I, of course, with my infatuation with the two celebrities and the movie being a favorite of ours, what lady with hormones couldn't pass up the chance of having the opportunity to sit on the same train those two guys did!! Be prepared, if you ever go...make sure you get an open car...where you can lean over the edge and view the river way down the drop off of the canyon!! It's just a lot of fun. The scenery is just breathtaking...the history of the train and the area is phenomenal...the little town of Silverton is out of this world 'old Victorian'. Of course, with the town relying on the tourism, the townspeople are super friendly and all in all it is something to do...the memories will last a lifetime!! I scanned scads of photos of the area, but settled for just posting these. I sure hope it doesn't slow down loading time very much. I made them all in thumbnail size, hoping it'll be quicker to load. You can click on any or all the photos to enlarge 'em. They'll open in new windows/tabs....








FURTHER READING:

History of the Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Train

History of Silverton, Colorado

Hillside Cemetery in Silverton Colorado

Filming Locations of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid [1969]

§ Al-l-l-l-l-l-l-l A-b-b-b-oard!!!

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...a meme where you match photos to song lyrics





She was born one mornin' on a Sun Juan summer back in 18-an'-80-an'-1
She was a beautiful daughter of the D & RG and she weighed about a thousand ton

Well it's a 45 mile thru the Animas Canyon so they set her on the narrow-gauge

She drunk a whole lotta water and she ate a lotta coal
And they called her the Silverton (Silverton Train)
(Here comes the Silverton up from Durango
Here come the Silverton a shovelin' coal
Here comes the Silverton up from the canyon
See the smoke and hear the whistle blow)


Well now listen to the whistle in the rockwood cut on the high line to Silverton Town
And you're gonna get a shiver when you check out the river
Which is four hundred feet straight down

Take on some water and the Needleton tank and then I struggle up a two-five grade

And by the time you get your hide past the snowshed slide
You've had a ride on the Silverton (Silverton Train)
(Here comes the Silverton...
[ strings ]
(Here comes the Silverton...

Now down by the station early in the mornin' there's a whole lotta people in line
And they all got a ticket on the train to yesterday and it's a gonna leave on time
Well it's a 45 mile thru the Animas Canyon so they set her on the narrow-gauge
She takes a whole lotta water and she ate a lotta coal
And they called her the Silverton (Silverton Train)

(Here comes the Silverton...
(Here comes the Silverton...


SONG CREDIT: C. W. McCall Title: The Silverton Train
Link: CLICK HERE


PHOTO CREDIT: This is especially for Madi's Dad today....I found out a while ago he likes trains. I scanned a whole lotta photos from one of our trips to Silverton [high in the Colorado Rocky Mountains] on the train. In a day or two, I'll come back and post more photos as I conclude the 45 mile trip through the canyon...with a bit more to write about. All photos are of the Durango/Silverton Narrow Gauge Train Ride. Bud, Erik, Irene and I were aboard.