BELLY ENDEAVORS Blog

I had a wonderful weekend with my good friend Sherry in her cabin at Crystal Lakes (about 50 miles NW of Fort Collins, CO).  Crystal Lakes is a private mountain subdivision near Red Feather Lakes and surrounded by the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests.  The cabin is almost at the very top of the mountain with an elevation just over 9,000 feet.        

Although Sherry and I talk practically every day on our cell phones, we always manage to have plenty to talk about.  Our first night together at the cabin we spent many hours talking     

while sitting out on the deck all bundled up in a blanket sipping a glass of red wine.  The 

view on the mountain top was breathtaking.   The air was fresh, crisp, and cool.  We listened to the coyotes howling, the whirling sounds of the wind sweeping up the mountain side, and the rustling sounds of the Aspen trees leaves.  Storm clouds drifted in and out and soon enough the stars were out.  We could see for miles and miles.     

During the day, we smiled at the antics of Chipmunks competing to get the next peanut.  A Robin was busy feeding her hatch-lings.  She stayed close on a bare tree top and kept an eye on us to be sure we wouldn’t get closer and cause harm to her little ones. The hummingbirds were happily drinking the nectar from the feeders.     

The cabin is surrounded by Aspen and Pine trees.  We cut and removed about 20 small, very small, Aspen trees using a chain saw and woman power.    Sherry did most of the cutting; I hauled away the trees.  If you are not from Colorado, you may not be familiar with this tree.  Aspen trees have small round leaves, and a white trunk with black knots that resemble black eyes.  When the seasons change to fall, the leaves turn from green to colors of red, yellow, and orange.  Road trips are very popular in Colorado during the fall because of these beautiful trees.  Here is an interesting fact.  An Aspen Tree grove is connected by a single underground root system.  The trees form root sprouts that come off an original parent tree.  Sherry and I took out small root sprouts, some 10 feet high or so, but as you can see in the photo, these trees are not very thick.    

Dinner. I will only mention one dinner in this blog post because it was AMAZING and mouth-watering.  We grilled stuffed portabella mushrooms!  First we rinsed off the mushrooms, removed the stem, then lightly scraped out the middle.  We sprayed the mushrooms with grape seed oil and filled the center of the schroom with chopped roasted Anaheim chili’s, grilled white onion, a layer of spinach,  avocado, a touch of sea salt, yummy crushed minced garlic, and three cheeses: Havarti, Parmesan  and white Sharp Cheddar.  We grilled these scrumptious portabellas on medium for about 15 minutes.  Every bite was a real tasteful pleasure.     

Shambhala Mountain Center  

We walked the meadows through the Shambhala Mountain Center following colorful flags up the path to The Great Stupa.  The gentle hike up to “The Great Stupa” was a fascinating find.   Stupas are said to promote harmony, prosperity, longevity, good health, peace, and freedom from ignorance. They subdue fear, corruption, and pollution, and bring blessings to the environment in which they are built, to those who build them, and to those who visit and venerate them. In this way, they ensure that the living quality of the Buddhist teachings will always be available. For more on this, go to  http://www.shambhalamountain.org/stupa.html.  Inside this stupa is a very large Buddha.   Duncan and I saw many temples in Thailand in 2005.  I would have never thought Colorado could be home to a Buddha temple as beautiful as this.  The Shambhala Mountain Center holds classes on meditation, yoga, and various guidance courses that train the mind, body and spirit.  A retreat here should be very relaxing and calming.  Hm, I will certainly plan to schedule a retreat one day at this center!       

We watched a couple of movies: Avatar and Australia.  Both very enjoyable movies!     

We painted terra cotta pots!  Spray painted these pots crimson red, relaxed for hours of painting, then clear coated with a varnish spray.  We had an enjoyable afternoon. 

Spring mountain wild flowers are everywhere in the colors of yellow, purple, blue, and white.    

I left the mountain in the early morning and very much enjoyed the drive back to Denver, CO.  I looked forward to seeing Duncan and my dogs, Alli & Buster.  

I enjoyed spending time with my sister friend and look forward to seeing hopefully in the near future.  

Thank you Sherry for inviting me up to your mountain getaway!  

Love you, Susan