El Mostacho

Meet Pablo. One of the three thugs in Sister Act. Tracy says this is her favorite look so far. First Company Theater, March 22 through April 7, 2019.

"Don't leave me, here in distress!"

"Who squealed?"

"Kill her.."

"Dios mio!"

Bomb Cyclone

How about an "Albuquerque Low" (a storm which tracks from the southwest). Bomb cyclone sounds worse. Both terms have been used for today's storm. Both terms we've heard for the first time leading up to and during today's blizzard. It's been a long time since Nana and Papa have seen a white out - where it appears you're driving/walking blindly into a wall of whiteness. And they say just five or ten miles to the south of us it's pretty mild. This has been going on since 9am this morning (it's 2pm now). By far the most powerful snow storm we've experienced in Colorado. I've coined the term "snow plaster," where the snow is wind-blown against anything (glass, walls, doors, whatever) and coats the surface. #snowmageddon

Tracy: "Aftermath of the Cyclone Bomb.
Still waiting for tow trucks and plows to remove.
Road closed until further notice.
#pileuponi25 #kidsdidntlistentoweatherman #crashed "

Love how drifts are sculpted.
And this patio is covered.

This patio is covered, too.

See how the snow is encasing the bulbs?!

Nana (and Matt) really want the mail.

Pretty close to white out.

Warmer days at Till (there is hope)

Peter Pan Jr

Fina plays Peter Pan in her Middle School Drama Department's production of Peter Pan Jr. And all despite the "big blizzard of 2019" in Colorado (and other states). Final dress rehearsal was to be tonight, but today was called a snow day before last night's rehearsal was even over. So no final dress, just on to opening night tomorrow! (Jamie's Sister Act rehearsal is in doubt for tonight, too.)

Update: They just announced another snow day for today (Friday the 15th), so opening night is now Saturday, March 16. That'll be closing night, too, if things stay as they are. They lost final dress and the first two shows of the run. We understand the powers that be are trying to do some rescheduling... We'll see.

The latest: Good news about Peter Pan! After having their final dress rehearsal and the first two shows cancelled due to the weather, DCC Middle School Drama has just announced TWO shows Saturday (tomorrow, March 16). 1pm and 7pm. Tickets are $3 for students, $7 for adults, and free for all DCC Staff with ID. They're going to do a quick final dress, an opening show, a closing show, and strike all in one day. I don't think I've ever seen that before...

That green light to the left is Tinkerbell.

Poucha Poucha

Poucha, poucha, poucha. That's the sound (sorta) that any kind of pneumatic machine makes when operating. I've had very few exhilarating experiences more memorable than when Trevor's Odyssey of the Mind team (Arroyo Grande High School, California about 1993) turned on their pneumatic car at one of the competitions. Off it went, poucha, poucha, poucha. The spectators erupted! The team had chosen the most difficult approach to solving the car problem, and the darn thing actually worked. They didn't get to World that year as the car did have issues, but they did win an OMER award. (Quite a few years ago, California shifted from Odyssey of the Mind to Destination Imagination. The two are very similar.)

So you'll have to pardon another "post from the archives" as I've been through five more boxes, still not finding what I'm looking for, but oh my goodness, the things I have found. I'm sure they'll dribble out over time.

Charles Lang (teammate, at left on the car) added on FB: Holy cow this is a photo of me back in the early ‘90s on a pneumatic car (actually capable of fully electric or fully pneumatic modes) we built for Odyssey of the Mind competition. We used a cylinder arm attached to a rotating component together with a system of valves, much like a steam engine. Despite months of work, it was only on competition day when we finally got it to function. The innovation was to attach weights to the rotating component, thus allowing for momentum like with a flywheel. We were better than World that thing should have gone straight into the Smithsonian! LOL.

It was a spaghetti of tubes and erector-set-like parts.

The Team

More from the Archives

Here's some more interesting stuff from the archives. Funny thing is, I can't find what I'm looking for (Skeptic Tank logo, shirt, or anything).

Tracy's Odyssey of the Mind team that went to World Finals.
Yes, that's the Harry Shum of Glee fame, etc.

Nana and Papa's first house on Belinder Avenue in Westwood, KS.
Late 1970s.

Jamie's Mom, Dad, sister Vickie, spouses, and the first 3 cousins.

All-State Choir

Fina sang with the Colorado Middle School All-State Choir 2019 this evening. She spent yesterday and all day today in Denver prepping for the concert after having memorized the music long before. Auditions were quite a while ago. Tracy and Matt drove up this evening for the concert at Bellco Theatre.

Dr. Quinn Medicine Women

I found a batch of photos today from 1997 when Tracy spent her 9th grade year on the set of the TV show Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman being the nanny to the triplets playing Dr. Quinn's baby. The set was on Paramount Ranch just off Highway 101 not far from Thousand Oaks, CA. What caught my eye going through the pics was the one with "Colorado Springs" on the sign. I had no recollection of the setting. And now we're here/there! Too bad there wasn't a shot of the locomotive in the batch I found.

While we were there, we actually got to watch them film a couple scenes. One was outside in the town's main street where there were all kinds of townspeople milling about, horses and carriages ambling by, etc. I don't how many times they reset everyone, horses and all, and took the shot again. The other scene we watched was in a bedroom in a house. Very tiny room, and we were back in the corner watching all kinds of tech people, equipment, and the actors doing a scene not 3 feet from us. Action!

Tracy did end up on screen one time as an extra in a town barn dance scene. I remember watching that episode very intently, and sure enough, there she was!

Tracy and Papa Bill at the depot

Tracy and her Dad.