Buckskin Joe's

On Labor Day weekend, our family headed south to Buckskin Joe's, an old west town which was built back in 1958 as a movie set. It was once known as the filming capital of Colorado. You can go here for a list of movies that were filmed there.



Located next to the Royal Gorge Bridge (America's highest suspension bridge), it's been a tourist attraction for many years. Apparently I was there when I was a young girl, but I don't remember much about it, just a few snapshot memories. John & I have talked about taking the boys there for quite awhile, but we just never made it.



Then my mom shared some very sad news with me. Buckskin Joe's had been sold. Not just to a new owner who would continue to run it, but someone who plans to disassemble all the buildings and move them elsewhere. I believe it will still be in Colorado, but no word as to what will be done with them when they're relocated. One of the nice things about its current location is that it's an arid climate which has helped to preserve the buildings for these past 50+ years.



So with a week left until it closed forever, we made the drive down on Labor Day. We got to see a couple of gunfights, check out the town and buildings, walk through a (allegedly) haunted mine, and enjoy lunch at the Silver Dollar Saloon.





They do a number of different gunfights with real firearms loaded with black powder. Everyone lines up along the boardwalk on the south side of town, looking for some shade in which to enjoy the show. Main Street's a couple blocks long, so I had no idea where we ought to sit, but we managed to get a seat very close to the action.



The first gunfight we watched was a comedy, which was a lot of fun and laughs. Later in the day, we saw a gunfight that was a reenactment of a real fight from years past. The actors did a terrific job, but it was kind of sad, knowing that it had actually happened.











There's a horse-drawn trolley which you can take a ride on to see all the sites of the old town. We passed on that and just saw it on foot.



You could get an old fashioned photograph taken, so we headed on over there after lunch. The boys weren't too thrilled at first, but if they didn't cooperate, their Pa might challenge 'em out on Main Street. So they gave up that argument and donned their faux old west clothes.



Somehow, I only got one son and my man. Not sure how that other wily son eluded me in costume. And yeah, they're blurry, but I don't think they really wanted me taking pictures in the place where they get paid to take pictures, know what I mean? Speed was of the essence. Clarity was a secondary maybe.





This old town even has a mayor. He's a donkey. For real. I'm not just insulting someone. He's a pretty laid-back kind of mayor.



After visiting a few more shops, we decided to head over for a ride on the Royal Gorge Scenic Railway. The little tourist train click-clacks along the 15" wide track to Point Alta Vista (must mean the viewpoint with major altitude), which overlooks the Royal Gorge Bridge and the Arkansas River. There's also a very nice train which runs alongside the Arkansas at the bottom of the Gorge which we hope to take one day. It's amazing to look at that bridge and consider what a feat it was to have built that in five months back in 1929. I think we would find it amazing to be built today, let alone over 80 years ago. You can read more facts about this incredible attraction here.






See those teeny tiny things on the bridge? Those are people walking across. Gives you some perspective on the size of things, doesn't it?

There's also a tram (America's longest single-span aerial) that runs across the Gorge next to the bridge, America's steepest incline railway, and America's scariest skycoaster. We didn't go over to the Royal Gorge, but got to see the bridge, gorge, and tram from the lookout point.

BTW, if you're an adrenaline junkie, you should definitely check out the Skycoaster. It's about 1,200 feet above the Arkansas River. I think my stomach would do flip-flops watching other people ride on that!

We had a wonderful time and I'm so grateful that we made it down there before it's closed and gone. I'm also very sad that it will be closed and gone - there's a lot of history there. Much, much more than what I've shared here. Personally, I'm hoping the new owner will make it available to the public again, although I sure wish he'd have left it where it is. But at least we can say that we saw it when it was here.

I'll leave you with my rascal husband getting burned at the stake.

On a Roll

When I began blogging {almost four years ago}, I wrote maybe a few times a week. Along the way, I got into a pretty good groove and posted more often than not. Then I fell into a rut where I only posted for Wordless Wednesday. Once in a great while, I'd get another post or two up in a week, but I lived in this blogging rut for quite some time.

Around the middle of August this year, I began posting again. And now I look back over this past month and see that I have posted almost every single day. It's just flowing - I really haven't had to struggle to find something to write about. I even had posts written beforehand and scheduled to post - something I always wanted to be able to do, but never managed very well. It has been wonderful to post regularly - even when few people, if any, read it. Like overcoming writer's block or something. As if I can breathe deeper.

Last night and this morning, I had no idea what else to write about. I always feel that my daily life is so...well, DAILY. Who wants to read such drivel?

Cue the film noir music...

I got up late, yet again. Started the day with my usual iced chai latte and toasted English muffin. Opened My Utmost for His Highest and partook of breakfast while hearing from the Lord.

I didn't bother with a shower or changing out of my pajamas. I settled in at the sewing machine to whip out some more...

See what I mean? Terribly boring.

But I can't stop writing now. I just can't. I may fall back into the dreadful rut.

Then I read Melissa's post wherein she says, and I quote:

I always tell my blog friends to write even when they don’t feel like writing. That the daily habit of writing actually keeps the juices flowing better than anything.

So here I am. Writing.

And there you are. Reading.

It's an interesting arrangement, don't you think?


It's a fox. Standing on our fence. I didn't know they could do that.

Shot with hubby's Droid X and emailed to me.

I haven't posted one of my randomly rambling posts in awhile, but this may become one. But back to sewing. I'm making a bunch of goodies to sell at a craft fair. My son is making more clay sock monkeys. They really are the cutest things ever. Since we're moving into holiday craft season, he's also making some lovely snowflake ornaments. I can't really describe them, so you'll have to wait until they're done and I can show you pictures.

And speaking of pictures . . . and photography . . . thus cameras . . . (that's the most coherent linkage I've had in awhile!), I've been using back-button focus for a week or so and I really, really like it! For anyone who is a photographer (paid or not), who has actually stayed with my babblings, have you ever used back button focus? What do you think about it?

And one last thing. Remember that ShootSac I won? It ROCKS!!! I am SO loving it. I am SO grateful to have won it. I took it to the Balloon Classic & Buckskin Joe's last weekend. Speaking of Buckskin Joe's, I need to write a post about that. Sweet, I've got Sunday covered. Even though this is so late, it nearly qualifies as a Sunday post.

More Balloons

Since I took over 650 pictures at the Balloon Classic, I figure I'll share a few more.

www.whenpigsfly.biz


My handsome honey, not a balloon.

You can also see a few more here.

Math Tutor Reviews

I recently had the opportunity to review two of Math Tutor’s DVDs: Pre-Algebra Tutor, Volume I and The Texas Instruments TI-83/TI-84 Calculator Tutor.

Pre-Algebra Tutor, Volume I
I would love to have had the Pre-Algebra Tutor before my boys started down the Algebra path. The instructor, Jason, does a good job of explaining things in laymen’s terms. There can be times when you read a definition or rule in Algebra in your textbook and come away feeling a little confused. Jason just tells it like it is. Both of my boys agreed that even though they’re both beyond the scope of this particular Math Tutor DVD, it was a helpful review as they jump back into the school year. In fact, my older son has struggled with Absolute Value, but when Jason explained it on the DVD, it suddenly clicked for him. I think this year will be a little easier now that he understands it better.

Jason writes everything on a white board, provides plenty of examples, and speaks conversationally. Now I will admit that when I watched it, I kind of got drowsy. But I think it doesn’t fit my learning style, as I seem to get that way with most instructional DVDs (my apologies to all those wonderful people who make them!). There are also sample videos on the website, so check those out to get a sense of what the DVDs are like.

My youngest son has a hard time learning Algebra from me, even though I understand it just fine. As you can imagine, this has caused some issues during math for us. But a program like this makes all the difference in the world. He loves computers and videos and this really works for him. There are those times that you need a little outside help and if it’s in Pre-Algebra, I would recommend getting this DVD set. Of course, they also have DVDs covering all other areas of Math, so whatever your need, you should be able to find something to help.

Because the concepts are divided into different segments, you can easily get to a specific concept to work on with your child – whether that child is learning it for the first time or needs a little review. These can be watched by your child independently, but if you watch along, you’ll be able to reinforce what Jason has taught. The two DVDs are broken down into nine lessons for a total of five hours of instruction. Concepts covered in this set are:

1. Real Numbers
2. The Number Line
3. Great Than, Less Than, Equal To
4. Absolute Value & Adding Integers
5. Subtracting Integers
6. Multiplying Integers
7. Dividing Integers
8. Powers and Exponents
9. Order of Operations

The retail price of this set is $34.99 – quite a value for a good foundation in your child’s Algebra education.

Texas Instruments TI-83/TI-84 Calculator Tutor
If you’re not familiar with them, the TI-83 and TI-84 are both graphing calculators with advanced functions. For those who don’t really enjoy reading through typically dry product manuals, Math Tutor’s DVD is the way to go. They have an enlarged working calculator on the screen and they walk you through the myriad of functions available on this calculator. It’s great to see exactly how to operate it. They give a number of examples for each function, allowing you to follow along and try it for yourself.

The DVDs work very well for anyone. Personally, I’m a right-brained, visual person, so seeing the functions done in a way that I can follow along was great. My son is right-brained and doesn’t always learn as well directly from me, and he thought this was a wonderful way to learn.

It comes with three DVDs which contain a total of eight hours of video. With 37 total lessons, they average around just 13 minutes each. Having your child use the DVDs will enable them to learn all the functions of the calculator and get the most out of it. At a list price of $31.99, it’s a good value for all your child can learn (or you, if you’re interested!).

Your child could watch these independently as they don’t require any parental oversight. Since it’s on DVD, you have the convenience of letting them watch on the computer, TV, or a portable DVD player – whatever works best for your family.

You can also see what other TOS Crew members had to say in their reviews here.

Disclaimer: I was provided free copies of these two Math Tutor DVDs to review. The opinions stated here are my own.

WW - Famous Bathtub

To see what others aren't saying, check out Gabriel's blog and the Wordless Wednesday hub.