Cozy Comments

When I founded Koffee Kompanions, my family told me that I must learn how to use a computer if I were to run a business. I went kicking and screaming into the computer age! Now, I find my computer indispensable for business and personal needs.

                                                                   Using Yahoo! Instant messenger, Colleen, a communication specialist at a nonprofit professional association, sent “Your cute lime green Kup Kap with the bugs on it is keeping my Celestial Seasonings True Blueberry tea hot as I work this afternoon!” 

I responded immediately, “Photo?!” Within minutes I received a photo Colleen took with her phone camera! Using Adobe Photoshop, I cropped, adjusted brightness, and sized her photo for my blog. I’m such a nerd!

Marigold Café & Bakery is a wonderful restaurant in our Colorado Springs neighborhood! I like the contemporary décor with many windows, light wood furniture, and interesting wall art.

                                                                     Our salads came crispy and fresh with the dressings on the side. We enjoyed the bread basket full of a variety of freshly baked breads.  Perry’s coffee stayed hot with his Kup Kap (cup lid). My iced tea stayed cold with my Kup Kollar (cup sleeve)!

                                            Perry ordered salmon; I had scallops. Both entrees were very, very delicious!

                                                             For dessert, we had flan with fresh berries. Excellent! With a competent and friendly staff, we’re glad Marigold Café & Bakery is in our neighborhood!

Within 2 miles of exit 146 on I-25: Marigold Café & Bakery, 4605 Centennial Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO, Phone 719-599-4776

                                                         You’re out running errands and you get thirsty but you don’t want a soft drink. I suggest McDonald’s iced tea. You can go through the drive thru, place your Kup Kollar (cup wrap) on the container so the ice won’t melt fast, and enjoy a cold drink without spending a lot of time or money. It has zero calories if you don’t add anything to the cup!

                                                     Throughout the day Pam and I returned to the vendors’ building several times at the Estes Park Wool Market. It was a paradise of beautiful fibers and yarns which all began as bags of hair from animals!

                                                    And when those hair fibers are spun into yarn, you can knit a stylish purse! I knitted this one with 5 different yarns.  Of course, it had to have a color coordinated Kup Kollar (cup wrap) for hot and cold drinks!

                                                                            Pam and I went to the arena to watch the llamas at the Estes Park Wool Market. They were competing for best pack animal. The judge explained the strengths and weaknesses of each animal when she gave out the 6 ribbons. The llama in the photo won the blue ribbon. While watching, I ate a snack and drank cool water thanks to my Kup Kollar (bottle wrap) on the bottle!

                                                             Next we watched the Llama Limbo. The owners led the llamas to the cross pole and tried to get them to go under. The cross pole was moved down a notch each time the group finished a round. If the llama knocked the cross pole off, it was eliminated. Some of the llamas dropped to their knees and slowly scooted under. One llama trotted up to the cross pole as if it were going under but stopped short and put its chin on the pole!

                                                          In the next game the llamas had to jump over the cross pole with the same rules as above. As the pole was placed higher, it became harder for the owners to leap over the pole than the llamas!

                                                                     There were many activities at the Estes Park Wool Market. This black lamb didn’t seem to care whether he won a ribbon! His handler had a problem getting him to walk in a circle with the other lambs. 

                                                       This isn’t an oversized cotton ball with a face and ears! We saw several breeds of bunnies being sold. You can buy a cuddly pet that gives you soft hair fibers to spin into yarn!

                                                                     In a large arena, we watched Shepard dogs herd sheep. This sheep challenged the dog several times. In the end, the dog won and the sheep joined the others!

                                                          Saturday I met Pam at the Estes Park fairgrounds for the wool market. She knitted the felted purse with the colorful diamond shapes hanging on her right shoulder. It always has a project in it ready to knit for all those times in life she has to wait!

                                                                         We watched the wool fiber judging. The judge was choosing the overall winner from all the blue ribbon winners. It was fascinating watching her feel and pull the fibers. 

                                                 Near the end of the trail in the Rocky Mountain National Park, we took a side hike to Bear Lake. Ice 500 feet thick moved across this basin 15,000-30,000 years ago to help form this area of lakes and peaks! 

                                                       This is the last photo I took for the day. It shows part of the large root system of a fallen pine tree. 

After we left the park, we went to an afternoon movie in Estes Park. We enjoyed “Kung Fu Panda” very much. Sean has experience with kempo karate, budo taijutsu, tai chi, Eastern culture, and is a BIG fan of the actor Jackie Chan so he explained some of the humor that we missed!

                                                                   We arrived at the lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. The Kup Kollars (bottle wraps) kept our water cold. After a refreshing drink, Perry and I sat on the rocky boulders to enjoy the beautiful scenery.

                                                         Pam and Sean had a different watering system. Sean had a Camelbak hydration pack from REI strapped on his back. Pam is demonstrating how you drink the water through a tube that is connected to the bag. 

                                                                     We took a last look at the serene lake and began hiking back down the trail.

Pam & I belong to Ravelry, an online knit & crochet community. The 153,109 registered users store their projects on this site so that others may get ideas, yarn information, patterns, and much, much more.

                                                                     Pam brought along her beautiful blue knitted hat so that I could take photos to put on her Ravelry notebook. She knew she would have a magnificent setting in Rocky Mountain National Park! 

                                              Before taking her photo, Pam gave her hiking hat to Sean. When we finished, we discovered Sean was wearing it on top of his hat. Notice how he stylishly turned up the brim!

                                                             I aimed the camera at Pam, Sean, and Perry to shoot a photo. Suddenly, Pam broke from the group and just went silly. I believe she had reached her breaking point of watching me take a “1000” photos in less than two hours!