Nikki Post: Denver Botanic Gardens - Better Late Than Never?

I took these photos MONTHS ago, but because I didn't file them properly on my computer, I had completely forgotten they existed until recently. I was finally able to edit the photos today. Normally, I'd post them on my Facebook photography page, but you can see the pictures better (and larger) on Blogger. Please enjoy these pics from the Denver Botanic Gardens!

Reptile Show

On Saturday, Steve, Nikki, and I all went to the Rocky Mountain Reptile Expo north of Denver. Steve's new obsession is snakes, and since Nikki isn't scared of snakes (unlike fish), she's been pretty supportive of his new hobby.

Here are some pictures of me and some scaly creatures! If you suffer from ophidiophobia (fear of snakes), maybe this isn't the blog entry for you. ;p

The coolest snakes we saw were the pied pythons, which according to Steve, are a new craze in the snake breeding community. (I'm talking about the one in the container closest to me on the bottom row.) They're a mix of normal snakes and albino snakes, and we even saw one that only had color on its head; the rest of it was pure white! They're CRAZY expensive, and Nikki said they looked too weird, so Steve wasn't allowed to get one. (Also, he prefers boas, for reasons I'll get into later.)

I wonder if the "Least" snakes are cheaper! Hahaha!

This turtle spent a long time trying to climb out of his Tupperware prison. Poor little guy.

Eeeeeek!! It's a caiman! This crocodile cousin was only a little bigger than Nikki's hand. [Not that I held it. - Nikki] It kinda looks evil though. Why would you want to own an evil pet? Maybe he's just misunderstood...

According to Steve, this is "some sort of gecko." (I forgot to write down what kind exactly.) The guy who was selling this little guy told me that he gets people asking him ALL THE TIME if he sells any geckos that look like the Geico spokesreptile. "But real geckos don't walk on two legs or talk in Australian accents," he said. I REALLY hope there aren't humans out there expecting geckos to look like a computer-animated cartoon!

This is a baby Green Tree Python. Steve said that the snakes are born either yellow or red so they blend in with the undergrowth where they live. As they age and move into trees, they turn green to blend in with the leaves. (How cool!) Steve's a big fan of these snakes, but he can't get one because a) they're REALLY expensive (like, $300!!), and b) Nikki (irrationally) dislikes them because she gets this kind of snake confused with the kind that's in The Poisonwood Bible. [Jeez, spoiler alert much, Claire?! I had to edit this so it doesn't ruin the ending for anyone who hasn't read the book yet. By the way, this is one of my top five favorite books of all time. I TOTALLY recommend it! - Nikki]

PYTHONS!!!

This lady snake used to be someone's pet. The woman holding her told me that the snake ended up being abandoned by her owner in a nasty divorce battle and so was sent to the Rocky Mountain Reptile Rescue. Most of the pythons that end up here are former pets that just got too big for their homes. Steve signed up to be a foster parent for reptiles. If he brings home something this big, I'm pretty sure Tasha and I will riot!! Down with pets that could (and want to!) eat us!

I tried to get Nikki to buy me this BOSS tee-shirt, but she said that they didn't have any in my size. I told her that we could always shrink one! She still said no. :(

Steve DID make a purchase at the Expo: two Sinaloan Milk Snakes, which Nikki named Cristina and Alejandro (A.J. for short). The picture above is of Cristina, but A.J. looks just like her, so you're not missing out by not having a picture of each. Nikki SWEARS that Cristina's nose is a little pointier than A.J.'s, but I'm not buying it. A.J. is shyer though. They're both TINY, only about three or four months old. Unfortunately, King Snakes (like Lady Josephine) aren't friendly with other snakes, so the milk snakes will never be able to hang out with our original snake pet. But when they're older, I'm pretty sure Steve's going to try to get Cristina and Alejandro to breed (because he's a scientist like that), so it's not like they'll be lonely. ;)

SNOWVENTURE!

Trex and I are driving up to Evergreen, CO to visit Steve's aunt and uncle's house. (Well, Steve is driving. Trex's eyes are on the sides of his head, which makes him not very good at seeing in front of him, and I don't have my driver's license yet.) Colorado just got hit with a HUGE blizzard, which dumped over a foot of snow on us in Denver but TWO FEET in Evergreen. (In Black Hawk, which is an old casino town in the mountains, they got FOUR FEET of snow!!) Uncle Rob and Aunt Pam live on top of a hill that goes down to a wide open meadow, so they have, essentially, the PERFECT sledding hill! Nikki told me that when she was a kid, she and her family used to go to this park near their house that had a great, steep sledding hill. Only problem: it ended at the road that led you in and out of the park. So kids used to go FLYING down this hill, only to have to roll off their sleds at the bottom, or risk going under a truck! (Apparently, parents didn't care if their kids lived or died back when Nikki was a child. She says it was a simpler time.)

I'm updating this from Nikki's phone on our way up to the mountains. I'll be posting all the AWESOME pics and videos later.

 Here's us all dressed up for the cold!

An ALARMING Metaphor

What is WITH you English-speaking humans and your ability to come up with the most ALARMINGLY inappropriate metaphors?! While I was Googling myself yesterday (don't act like you don't do this), I found this article towards the top of the front page. Horrified, I clicked the link, and it turns out, they were just talking about some jerk filming an open forum meeting at a library or something. I tried Googling the phrase "armadillo on fire" to find its etymological origins, but all I found were some upsetting videos on YouTube and more links to the above blog post.

I certainly hope that their Claire the armadillo wasn't harmed in the writing of their sensationalist story.

Nikki Post: Idaho Springs

While I definitely need to take Claire out on more adventures, this particular outing need to be exclusively for just me and Steve. We celebrated our five-year anniversary the first weekend of January by driving north to the mountains to Idaho Springs, Colorado. Our ultimate destination was the Indian Hot Springs and their healing mineral waters. We shared a private bath, and it was heavenly. I'd love to go back and try a mud bath or maybe spend time in the geothermal caves. (The caves are segregated by gender, and Steve wanted us to be together since "it was our anniversary." <3 <3 <3 ) We stayed at a small inn and dined at Tommyknocker Brewery, where I had the most delicious roasted red pepper soup I've ever had and where Steve drank their home-brewed root beer. We watched some football and eavesdropped on snow bunnies who were stranded in town because a snow storm closed I-70 heading back to Denver. The next morning, Steve and I walked around main street after having a healthy, hippie breakfast at a local coffeeshop. Everything was so beautiful in the new snow. I'd love to go back to Idaho Springs and explore some more.

View of the mountains from across the street from our hotel, the Columbine Inn

View from the front of our hotel

 

 

 

There was a small table and two chairs tucked into the trees outside the hotel. I thought it was so romantic! If only it hadn't been snowing; maybe I could've made Steve eat a midnight snack there with me. ;)

There's something so beautiful about snow piled precariously on tree branches.

The next set of photos were taken on Miner Street, which is essentially the main street in Idaho Springs.

 

Relaxin' on main street

This "door to nowhere" is in an alley behind Miner Street. I just thought it was so ridiculous to have a door and a doorframe leading only to the roof of a building. I wonder if there was more to this building back in the day?

Bridge that lets Miner Street travel over the creek that runs through town.


The aforementioned creek, which I think is named Clear Creek, although it's not clear from the Google map. If you click on the image, you can see it full-sized and see how the sun streaming down was causing the water to steam up through the ice!

Next to the creek is an old locomotive, located behind City Hall and alongside a water wheel trail. (We couldn't check out the trail because the snow leading to it was too deep. Another time, perhaps.)

The train is in beautiful condition, despite its age.

Like I said, I can't wait to return in the spring and do some more exploring of the trails along the water and also take a tour of the local mine! There are so many good restaurants up there, and Idaho Springs is so close to so many of the ski resorts that we might not wait until things thaw out to visit the town again.

Nikki Post: Shameless Self-Promotion

Way back at the end of autumn, Steve and I drove up to Echo Lake Park on a chilly, breezy day to take pictures and revel in the glory and beauty of nature. Maybe we had also been camping the day before. I can't remember now; it was quite a while ago. We took some photos and ate a sandwich (Steve) or chips and hummus (me) with numb fingers, hiked around for a bit, then eventually succumbed to the cold and drove home. Unfortunately, the road to Mount Evans had JUST closed a few days before for the season. (Snow falls up there MUCH sooner than it does in Denver because of the altitude.) So there wasn't much to see. I hope that we get a chance to go back in the spring/summer to explore more of the area.

I posted some of my photos (the ones without me mugging for the camera) to my Facebook Fan Page. Please take a look and feel free to comment if you want. I always enjoy feedback/praise. Good for my self-esteem, and it reminds me why I continue to take photos and post them on the internet. :) (PS: If the link doesn't work, please comment below so I can fix it.)

New Family Member

Hiya! Quick blog post about a new addition to my family.

This new member of our family came courtesy of Steve as a Christmas gift for Nikki:

His name is T-Rex, and in addition to having his own Tumblr documenting his adventures, he also has his own comic strip (that he shares with a couple of his dinosaur friends). He's ENORMOUS, and Nikki's made me promise to let him occasionally be featured in some of my travels.