The Magic of the Jack O' Lanterns

A few days ago we took our children and grandchildren to a fun local event at Hudson Gardens in Littleton, Colorado called "The Magic of the Jack O' Lanterns," hosted by the Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group.

We walked around the gardens and admired all the Jack O' Lantern and Halloween displays

 

The artwork on the Jack O' Lanterns was very detailed...

...and all the garden's trees were lit with many colored lights.

 Some of the displays also had music and motion to make it extra festive.

There were so many wonderful Halloween displays to enjoy!

Famous artwork portrayed pumpkin style.

It was a very fun night!

Our grandchildren really enjoyed walking through the gardens and seeing all the Jack O' Lanterns and watching all the moving displays. 

This was a fun exhibit that included a Halloween song! To see the video go to my Mille Fiori Favoriti Facebook page on this link to see this video and a few others from the exhibit.  Make sure your click on the sound microphone on the lower right of the video to open it to hear the sound!

Have a Happy and Safe Halloween!

If you carved your own Jack O' Lantern this Halloween, or have uncarved ones that you are going to eventually put into the trash, consider instead using these ideas on the National Wildlife Federation blog on this link to recycle them for the birds and wildlife to eat, or donate them to a local zoo, wildlife rehabilitator or a wildlife rescue group.

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A Magnificent Fall in Colorado!

I have to declare that this has been the most lovely of all fall seasons that I have experienced living on the Colorado Front Range for the last 9 years!  We had a wet spring which allowed for the trees to grow healthy leaves and a warm fall with minor frost that has enabled them to keep their leaves for a long time.  The Emerald Ash tree growing in front of my house is a kaleidoscope of yellow, green, orange, and red leaves!  My oldest granddaughter is standing under it. and behind her is a neighbor's house.

Every time I look out my front window this season I see the glow of leaves from my tree and it makes my spirits soar.  One morning, as I raised my shades, I was treated to a group of deer sitting outside on my lawn.

As always, the deer were interested in what they could eat and enjoyed a salad of the "Snow on the Mountain" perennial plants growing under my tree.

The aspens have been lovely...

...and the cottonwood trees in our neighborhood also turned beautiful shades of yellow and orange.

It has been a colorful joy to walk on our trails and enjoy this autumn season.  Usually, by now we'd have had a hard frost or a snowfall, but this year flowers were still blooming and the wild prickly pear cacti actually grew fruit.

Early one morning we drove over to the nearby town of Golden, Colorado.

There we took a long stroll on paths along Clear Creek. 

Many interesting sculptures line the paths along the creek, and there was also a weekend Farmers' Market in town to enjoy and an outdoor history museum.

One of the foothills above Golden is 7,062-foot (2,152 m) Mount Zion, which is famous for its letter "M."  If you click on the collage above --click twice for full enlargement--you can read a placard that explains that the M is the symbol for the prestigious engineering Colorado School of Mines that is located in Golden. All freshmen attending the school climb the mountain and each adds a rock on the "M" which they can take with them when they graduate. This is a tradition that has been going on since 1908 when the M was first created. The "M" has been permanently lighted since 1932.  Can you spot the paraglides flying above Mount Zion?  That is a popular activity in good weather!

This is a photo taken from our moving car, as my husband and I were on our way to the airport to pick up our daughter from a business trip, but I wanted to show how the high Rocky Mountains in the distance behind the foothills have already had a few snowfalls. A few extra thousands of feet makes a big difference in weather, and some of the ski resorts are actually opening next week. 

I hope fall (or spring if you are in the southern hemisphere) is a beautiful season for you too!

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Sharing the Hope

"In a world that seems so troubled, how do we hold on to hope?"

That is one of the poignant questions that the author Douglas Abrams, of the internationally bestselling co-author of The Book of Joy, asked Jane Goodall, the world's most famous living naturalist. In a world facing a climate crisis, growing political upheaval, a global pandemic, terrorist attacks, and hate crimes it would be easy to become depressed and lose hope, but in The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times Jane Goodall, while acknowledging these challenges, instead chooses to focus on all the amazing stories she has heard of and experienced the courage, steadfastness, and determination of those who are fighting the "forces of evil" in the world.  

Through many interview question and answer sessions with Abrams, Goodall focuses on her “Four Reasons for Hope”: The Amazing Human Intellect, The Resilience of Nature, The Power of Young People, and The Indomitable Human Spirit.  She has hope that people realize that their actions, however small they may seem, will truly make a difference. That the cumulative effect of thousands of ethical actions can help to save and improve our world for future generations.  

In the Book of Hope, she shares her own personal stories and photos from her amazing life; She shares her early years of living through World War II, her many years studying chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National Park in Africa, to realizing she had to leave the forest to travel in the world as an advocate for environmental justice.  She was influential in beginning a worldwide youth movement called Roots and Shoots to encourage children and young adults to take action in their own community to make effective change where they see a discord or a need, be it environmental, social injustice, pollution, and so on.   She feels through these actions these youth will gain confidence and strength and become the compassionate global leaders of tomorrow.

I found this book very inspirational.  Reading it filled me with the hope that we all can change the world for the better, that we can keep hope alive--first in our own lives and then in our community.  We can each make a difference, we just have to become proactive and do whatever we can to improve the lives of those around us. Change begins with each of us. I'm sure you will find it will also fill you with hope for the future.

 Many thanks to @CeladonBooks and @JaneGoodallInst for an Advance Readers Copy (ARC) of #TheBookofHope

Today, October 16th, 2021, is a day of "Sharing the Hope."  Celadon Books and Jane Goodall sent us an additional copy of her book and asked us to share it, along with food donation, for a Little Free Pantry in our community.  I found a pantry in the nearby town of Littleton, Colorado, and I added more fresh food to fill the box along with a copy of the book.  Donating to a Little Food Pantry is a small and easy gesture to help someone who has food insecurity, and a way to share Jane's message of hope with them. Find a Little Free Pantry in your area --search this link. Make a food donation and share hope!

#LittleFreePantry #SharingtheHope #CeladonBooks #JaneGoodallInst

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Rambler Ranch--30s to 70's Nostalgia--Part Two

Last week I wrote about a visit I made to Rambler Ranch, located in Elizabeth, Colorado--click here--to read that post.  That post highlighted the fabulous vintage car collection owned and displayed by collector Terry Gale on his sprawling ranch.  This week is a continuation of our visit to Rambler Ranch but now it is all about his also equally amazing collection of memorabilia from the early '30s to the 70s, beginning with Kelvinator appliances!

As you may remember from my previous post, Mr. Gale also collects mannequins, which adds a touch of realism to his displays, as they are dressed in his collection of vintage clothes and accessories. Mr. Gale began his collections with his father's 1954 Nash automobile which he lovingly restored. He then added almost every year of Nash automobile ever made except for one year that eludes him. He then went on to add many other automobiles from other eras, many of which are on display, and others are still waiting for restoration.  On October 27, 1936, it was announced that Nash Motors and Kelvinator Corp. were merging. The merger took effect on January 4, 1937, to form Nash-Kelvinator Corporation as part of a deal that placed George W. Mason at the helm of the combined company.  Because of their connection, Mr. Gale also began collecting and restoring Kelvinator appliances among other automotive-owned appliances made between 1930 to 1970.

It is a fascinating walk back in time to see perfectly preserved appliances that may have graced your grandmother's or mother's kitchen or laundry room! 

Even the appliance colors brought back memories. My first apartment kitchen in the 1970s had a harvest gold refrigerator and my neighbor had avocado green.

 My husband is looking at a range that slides out of a one-piece wall unit with an oven in the collage above.

We visited the Rambler Ranch with friends and I asked them to pose on the front porch of one of the buildings that held the appliances.  We were all amazed by the collection and memories they evoked.

Another bend around a corner of a car display building led to a replica of a diner, complete with jukebox, both stand-alone and individual table models

Notice the collection of novelty cookie jars on the shell near the ceiling and also memorabilia on the windowsills.

On the other side of the room was a replica of a 50's or 60s kitchen!

So many vintage collectibles that Mr. Gale is constantly adding to!

He told me that he often falls asleep at night with an iPad in his hands opened to an online auction site.

The very best is yet to come!

Walk into the door of this porch where "grandpa" is enjoying a cold beer...

...and enter a "Twilight Zone" like episode back into time!

It is an entire house decorated like the 1960s!

The formal living room.

The dining room.

The guest bedroom 

The parent's room with bassinet and chenille bedspread...

...and vanity and dresser.

The pink bathroom with "Mr. and Mrs." towels

The colorful kitchen

I smiled when I saw grandma's beehive hairdo, cat's eyeglasses, and cigarette!

Mr. Gale has associates that help him maintain and restore the cars and kitschy memorabilia, including one man who is skilled in dressing and staging the mannequins so creatively.  He allowed us to peek into the area where he has closets full of vintage clothes and accessories.  So much fun!

Also, scattered through the large car display barns are other collections of vintage toys, advertising brochures, camping supplies, and even a Santa Claus waiting for Christmas! We really enjoyed our visit and spent hours browsing all the displays. 

Rambler Ranch is a private collection.

 All tours are by appointment only on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday beginning at 11 AM

 36370 Forest Trail, Elizabeth, CO. 80107

Call 302-324-6750

Bonus photo of an actual ranch we passed on our drive home from Rambler Ranch for Skywatch Friday.  It has been a beautiful autumn in Colorado this year.

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