On Saturday, Gallery Two-Ten in Colorado Springs had their 2nd anniversary celebration.  Grace Wever has her fiber collages displayed there and I had the chance to meet her at the gallery.  I have to admit I didn’t know this fine art gallery existed in Colorado Springs.  They represent some artists who create stunning pieces - everything from Raku pottery to photography to painting and collage.  It’s close to downtown and you can try out one of our local restaurants after your visit.  There are many in the downtown and Old Colorado City areas.  I happen to like to go to La Baguette for their french onion soup.

Ready for another great place to go out and eat in Colorado Springs?  Do you like Italian?  Do you like the ambiance of Old Colorado City?  Then try Paravicini’s.  They also have a second location in Palmer Lake named La Zingara.  We like the variety of menu items (love the mussels!), the fresh bread and house salad, and think they have the best calamari fritti.  Located at 2802 W Colorado Ave at the west end of Old Colorado City, there is plenty of parking behind the restaurant.  If you like dessert, the cannoli is pretty yummy.  I like to take one home and put it in the freezer until I’m ready for dessert.

Realtor.org posted this article and I thought it was interesting to see which communities seem to be the most attractive to today’s retirees.  Top of the list is Ft.Collins/Loveland, Colorado.  Both great smaller affordable communities with Colorado’s temperate climate - milder, sunny winters, and pleasant summers.  We do get a lot of retirees in Colorado Springs too.  I love Honolulu (tropical weather and island beauty), Tucson (great winters, lovely desert terrain, but hot summers), Santa Fe (great SW food and shopping, mild summers, but cold winters), and San Diego (gorgeous ocean vistas, great climate, but expensive).  I would consider some of the other cities  but…Michigan??  Those retireees must like cold and snow, but… property is probably very affordable there now.  Here’s the list of the top 15 cities provided by AARP and CNBC.  Looks like you can still catch the Tom Brokaw story on March 4th on CNBC to hear all the details.

15 Top Retirement Cities - Boomers are willing to move farther than previous generations when they retire, and they are choosing places unlike stereotypical retirement hotspots, says Tom Brokaw in his report on Boomer retirement, airing on CNBC, Thursday, March 4 at 9 p.m. ET.The top places listed by AARP and explored on the show are:

1. Loveland/Fort Collins, Colo.
2. Las Cruces, N.M
3. Rehoboth Beach, Del.
4. Portland, Ore.
5. Greenville, S.C.
6. Sarasota, Fla.
7. Ann Arbor, Mich.
8. Tucson, Ariz.
9. Montpelier, Vt.
10. Honolulu
11. Santa Fe, N.M
12. Atlanta
13. Charleston, S.C
14. Northampton, Mass.
15. San Diego, Calif.

Source: CNBC, Paul Toscano (02/05/2010)

I’ve lived in Colorado Springs for 22 years and have seen restaurants come and go.  A few I was sad to see close.  Others were open such a short time it was obvious the owners didn’t plan for enough money to stay afloat until they were solvent.  Or maybe they just didn’t have good food or service.

One of my favorite places for Chinese food is Tsingtao House at the corner of Woodmen and Rangewood, just east of the King Soopers.  I used to have another favorite Chinese restaurant but when new owners took over I didn’t like the food anymore.  Then I found Tsingtao House.  I have to go a few extra miles to get there, but it is worth it.  It’s a great value.  They have a varied menu and the food is consistently good.  They have a great lunch and dinner special that includes soup, crab wonton, eggroll, and hot tea.  Give it a try!  It’s great when we can keep local restaurants open.  And watch for more favorites in the future.  What is your favorite Pikes Peak Region restaurant?

This cozy little BBQ place really satisfies the desire for good ol’ Texas BBQ.  Having spent years driving to Johnnie’s mobile BBQ wagon on Saturday mornings to get a couple huge brisket sandwiches, we’ve missed the mouth watering taste of that Texas treat.  (Okay, so Bird Dog says it’s Oklahoma style, but we won’t dredge up that old rivalry.  :-)  Mesquite or oak smoked, it all tastes great! ) Well, no more waiting!  Colorado Springs loves Bird Dog BBQ and so does my family.  Great pulled pork, brisket, and links and a unique wasabi BBQ sauce that adds just the right tang to your sandwich.  Give it a try.  They are located at Stetson Hills and Powers but I read recently they just opened a new location at Shops at Briargate too.

Did you ever want to be an astronaut?  Do you get feeds from the NASA website regularly?  Are you a space geek?  Then get to the Fine Arts Center soon to see the current exhibit on the history of NASA.  I love looking at Hubble photos and have used them as inspiration for ATCs (artist trading cards).

I was sent this article today and thought it was quite clever and deserved a wider audience.  If you know who the author is, please let me know so we can give credit where it is due.  Enjoy!

A New Element Added to the Periodic Table

Research has led to the discovery of the heaviest element yet known to science. The new element, Governmentium (Gv), has one neuron, 25 assistant neurons, 88 deputy neurons, and 198 assistant deputy neurons, giving it anatomic mass of 312.

These 312 particles are held together by forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons. Since Governmentium has no electrons, it is inert; however, it can be detected, because it impedes every reaction with which it comes into contact.

A minute amount of Governmentium can cause a reaction that would normally take less than a second to take from four days to four years to complete.  Governmentium has a normal half-life of 2-6 years; it does not decay, but instead undergoes a reorganization in which a portion of the assistant neurons and deputy neurons exchange places. In fact, Governmentium’s mass will actually increase over time, since each reorganization will cause more morons to become neurons, forming isodopes.

This characteristic of moron promotion leads some scientists to believe that Governmentium is formed whenever morons reach a critical concentration. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as critical morass. When catalyzed with money, Governmentium becomes Administratium, an element that radiates just as much energy as Governmentium since it has half as many peons but twice as many morons.

Happy New Year and Welcome to 2010!  Tear off your rear view mirror and start driving with purpose.  I am very excited about the new year.  I have plans for myself and my business.  Real written plans.  Do you?  So I have my map and I’m going to use it to get to December 31, 2010 and applaud what occurred during the year.  I spent a few minutes reading through some old posts on my blog and I realized that one theme came through - be positive and believe in yourself.  Yes, that can sound trite, but if you don’t have a vision of where you will be 12 months from now, you will be in the same place or worse.  I plan to be in a better place even though I’m pretty happy with where I’m at now.  Success builds on success.  Let’s all have a plan for success in 2010.  Join me.  I’ll be waiting at the finish line next December with a glass of champagne in my hand.  How about you?  If you need a little motivation, just come back here and start reading.  We’ll keep the positive vibes coming for you.

This isn’t what I normally post about, but I’m a fiber artist and I happened to run across this website since a group I meet with once a month just moved to The Bead Corner in Monument.  The quilt shop where we used to meet, Wild Heather, moved to Denver.  I’ll have to make it to Denver occasionally because Wild Heather carries a lot of neat stuff for fiber artists.  While searching for The Bead Corner, I found this site which lists all the bead shops in Colorado.  So if you like beads, check it out.  Thanks Rocky Mountain Bead Society for making it easier for us to spend money and help the economy!

I had a rare play day yesterday which was full of laughter and camaraderie.  I had committed last year to be a member of the audience during the taping of the online tv show, The Quilt Show.  Tapings are done twice a year and orchestrated by my fellow PDQ guild member, Lilo Bowman.  So yesterday was the big day and I and a friend drove 2 hours to La Veta, CO, a very cute little mountain town, to spend the day participating in the taping of 2 shows.  The taping was done by a very professional and efficient crew.  It was a lot of fun!  I even had the opportunity to be on camera to ask a question of guest, Carol Doak.

The Quilt Show is a great quilter’s site that is hosted by Ricky Tims and Alex Anderson.  HGTV cancelled Alex’s popular Simply Quilts a few years ago and The Quilt Show is the result of filling in that gap.  One thing I like about the site is the series of demonstration videos by Bernina.  I have a Bernina machine and the videos are great for learning new ways to use this powerhouse machine.  One of my favorite features is my needle felting attachment.  It’s a total right brain activity that’s easy to do when I don’t want to have to think too hard.