December 21, 2016 by coloradotravelingducks

Colorado Traveling Ducks Remember and Enjoy Christmas Decorations

Today we want to show you great Christmas decorations. Some are from this year, some for previous years, and some are repeated every year. Denver’s train station, Union Station, has a great tree this year.

Beautiful tree inside Denver’s Union Station

While we were there, a group of employees came here posing for mannequin photos.

Humans being mannequins

These humans posed, in a frozen position, for several seconds. It was interesting to see. Outside, in front of Union Station, I liked this star.

Star outside Union Station

I, Zeb the Duck, really need to talk to Santa. I have a Christmas request. Chanel and I will wait for him.

Zen the Duck and Chanel the Bear waiting for Santa

Zeb the Duck and Chanel the Bear waiting for Santa

At the Colorado governor’s residence, the staircase is very festive.

Great staircase

Our shopping malls have a Santa Claus and a decorated area. Here Santa is enjoying a moment of calm before the next children arrive.

Santa sees us!

Of course, I, Zeb the Duck, wear my Christmas hat to show my Christmas spirit.

Christmas is fun

We, the Colorado Traveling Ducks, liked this display.

Our first time riding reindeer

We are riding reindeer. Denver, and many cities, have outdoor ice skating rinks during the holidays.

Big Christmas tree with ice skater

Santa has a village and toy shop in Colorado Springs, on the way to the summit of Pikes Peak.

At the North Pole with Santa

At a restaurant, the Buckhorn Exchange, even the animals dress for Christmas.

Merry Christmas. Buckhorn Exchange in Denver

We remember this wagon full, of presents, at Torres Mazatlán, in Mazatlán, Mexico.

Presents everywhere

A favorite is the lighting display at Denver’s City and County Building.

City and County Building of Denver, Colorado

Remembering, as the saying goes, “don’t forget the reason for the season”.

Remember Jesus is the reason for this Christmas season

There are so many beautiful decorations and displays of lights and we appreciate and love them all.

December 9, 2016 by coloradotravelingducks

Christmas Train in Georgetown, Colorado with Zeb and Soapy Smith Duck

I, Zeb the Duck, and Soapy Smith Duck, are going on the Christmas train. We love trains and we love Christmas and we love Georgetown.

Georgetown, Colorado

A perfect time for us. Arriving early, while still daylight, we find the path to the warming hut and our train.

Path to train station and white warming hut

But first we see Jeremy roasting chestnuts.

Jeremy is roasting chestnuts

Of course we try some. Very nice. Our first time eating roasted chestnuts. Jeff shows us some knives he recently made. He is a blacksmith and also carves the handles for his knives.

Jeff makes and sells great knives

Some of the handles are bone, some are antlers or animal horns. All the knives he makes are one of a kind and personally crafted by Jeff. Heading to the train station, we love these guys in the canoe.

Canoe with friends in Clear Creek

They are floating on the partially frozen Clear Creek. This creek also winds through downtown Denver. Looking the other direction on Clear Creek, we see the train crossing Devil’s Gate High Bridge.

Train on Devil’s Gate High Bridge

The train will cross Clear Creek 4 times on this loop ride. This narrow gauge train was completed in 1884 to connect the two mining towns of Georgetown and Silver Plume. Now it is primarily a tourist train. It is rather chilly here in the mountains, so we head to the warming hut. Inside we admire the decorations.

Inside warming hut

Our train has not arrived yet, but this one is here. Freight cars decorated for the Christmas season.

Decorated train cars

There are lights everywhere. Inside our train, there are more lights.

Inside night train

It is dark outside now, and we pass so many displays of lights. Some lighting displays are synchronized with music. Since this is a Christmas train, Santa is here.

Santa in train

We ducks tell Santa what we want for Christmas. Maybe we will get it? Maybe not? But, we love Santa and we love this train ride. The towns of Georgetown and Silver Plume are only 2 miles (3.2 km) apart, but climbing the mountain, we ride 4.5 miles (7.2 km) on this train. Returning to the Georgetown train station, we enjoy hot chocolate and sugar cookies from Steph.

Hot chocolate and sugar cookies here

Looking back, we love the lights leading to the train. If you visit Colorado this month, we hope you ride the Georgetown Christmas train. We think you will love it as much as we did.

December 7, 2016 by coloradotravelingducks

Georgetown Christmas Market with Zeb and Soapy Smith Duck

One of our favorite nearby mountain towns is Georgetown, Colorado.

You will enjoy visiting Georgetown, Colorado.

We are going to the Christmas market. Georgetown has a special Christmas market the first two weekends of December.

Entering Christmas market

We went last weekend. We hope you visit this weekend. The area is small, but you will find things here that you do not see everywhere else. We bought some jewelry. The favorite items for our moms were eye masks. They are filled with cherry pits.

Eye mask filled with cherry pits

Our moms put them in the freezer and use them in the morning. They say their eyes are tired in the morning and a little swollen. The cold, but not frigid, mask makes eyes feel better and reduces the slight swelling. The lady that makes and sells them also has larger ones. They can also be put in the freezer, but usually a put in a microwave for no more than 2 minutes. The pad with cherry pits will stay warm, not hot, for 1-2 hours. We ducks are wondering if our moms will be saving and using cherry pits this summer? We saw several people here, but it was not overly crowded.

Comfortable amount of humans

That large barrel is for roasting chestnuts and cooking other food. Several types of hats were also available.

Soapy’s mom had to help us. We fell off the hats. Several times!

Shopping always makes humans, and ducks, hungry. Pretzels and other snacks were available here.

Pretzels and snacks

Other food choices were also sold on the street and at Georgetown’s many restaurants.

Georgetown’s tourist and business street

It does get cold in the mountains, especially when the sun goes behind the mountains, so this fire pit was a welcome and popular spot.

Love the warmth of fire pits

We love the lights on live trees in Georgetown. There are many beautiful trees growing in town, so they do not need to cut a special Christmas tree.

Merry Christmas!

This is not the largest Christmas market, but it is very nice and fun to visit. After, or before, visiting this market, you may wish to ride the Georgetown Loop narrow gauge train. The lighting for Christmas is very festive. We will show you photos of the train next time. Visit Georgetown soon and you will have a good time. We did.

November 24, 2016 by coloradotravelingducks

Happy Thanksgiving 2016

Today is Thanksgiving in the United States of America. Today is a day for family and friends to be together. We give thanks for our many blessing. For most Americans, we first give thanks for our family and our friends. We believe we are blessed to live in this country.

Thankful for having plenty

Thanksgiving has been celebrated on the 4th Thursday of November since 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed it a national holiday. The first American Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621 when the pilgrims had their first harvest in the New World. This first Thanksgiving was shared with 90 Native American Indians and 53 pilgrims.

American pilgrims and Native American Indians sharing and celebrating

The Colorado Traveling Ducks and their humans wish you a pleasant day with your family and friends, giving thanks while enjoying a wonderful meal.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone

November 11, 2016 by coloradotravelingducks

Happy Veteran’s Day 2016

Today, and every day, we thank those brave men and women that have served, and those currently serving, the United States of America. Today, November 11 is the official holiday to honor all our veterans. Please call and thank a veteran today. Perhaps take a veteran for coffee or a meal. Visit a hospitalized veteran. We, the Colorado Traveling Ducks and our humans, pause to reflect on how much we owe our veterans.

Happy Veteran’s Day

Thank you veterans.

November 6, 2016 by coloradotravelingducks

It is Back. The Colorado Traveling Ducks found the Lost Hour

Today is longer than yesterday. Today, November 6, 2016 has 25 hours. That extra hour of sleep was so nice. Remember in March, Daylight Savings Time started and we lost an hour during the night. Now, Daylight Savings Time has ended and at 2:00 a.m. today, the clocks were turned back an hour. More sleep for the Colorado Traveling Ducks.

Set clocks back one hour at 2:00 a.m. today.

Now it will be light earlier in the morning. That is nice for people that get up and drive to work in the morning. And, especially nice for the human students. They will not be going to school in the dark tomorrow. But mom reminds us the sun will set about 5:00 p.m. tonight. It takes a couple days to adjust to the time change, but we do adjust. This means winter really is coming soon. If you live in the United States, don’t forget to change your clocks. I am not sure what other countries have Daylight Savings Time.

October 31, 2016 by coloradotravelingducks

Happy Halloween 2016 from the Colorado Traveling Ducks

Today is Halloween. Our neighborhood has many Halloween decorations. Some are friendly and some are really spooky. We like this house.

We like this

Not too scary, but certainly showing Halloween spirit. Some houses have a holiday display on the front porch.

Porch decorations

We were going to take a ride with this guy, but he looked a little too skinny to be riding.

We don’t want to ride with him, mom

He might fall out of the Jeep. Another neighbor made a graveyard in the front yard.

Rest in Peace

We ducks usually don’t look, talk and laugh in graveyards, but the humans said we could, this is Halloween. Are these friendly spiders?

Giant spiders in the tree???

We think so. We are pretty close to one. Even the tall guy on the right–the green and purple one, seems friendly, when the sun is shining.

Friendly if it sunny

A friendly guy, he even has a cowboy hat on.

We love him

We like him a lot. There is a day care in this house.

Friendly

They really have a lot of decorations. Even motorcycles. The next house, also part of the day care, has many things.

Through the gate to the house

Tonight when children come trick or treating, they will walk through this arch to receive candy. They also have Dead End Cemetery here.

Dead End Cemetery

Halloween is the night that children wear costumes and go from house to house saying “trick or treat”. The people in the houses have purchased huge amounts of candy to give to the children tonight. Most young children are accompanied by adults. We ducks and humans really liked this house.

Lots of work was done here

There is so much here. From another view, some old farm equipment has been used in the Halloween display.

Even farm equipment

The weather in Denver has really been warm and beautiful, so many humans put a lot of time and work into the Halloween decorations this year. We appreciate all they have done and love looking at them. At our house, we are ready for many trick or treaters this year.

We are ready for children to come here

The evening is forecast to be perfect for Halloween, so we expect many children. The humans usually sit on the front porch giving candy. There will be a crock pot of chili inside for our humans, friends and neighbors. Happy Halloween to each of you from the Colorado Traveling Ducks and our humans.

October 29, 2016 by coloradotravelingducks

Day of the Dead in Longmont, Colorado With Zeb and Soapy Smith Duck

Prepare for the spirits of your deceased relatives and friends to come back. What? November 1 and November 2 is Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. This Latin American holiday is gaining popularity in Colorado. Many humans believe that the spirits of deceased relatives and friends will return on these two days, so preparations are made. During this time, death is not feared, but embraced and incorporated into everyday life. Skeletons are everywhere. Sugar skulls are prevalent. Ofrendas, or altars are filled with photos of the deceased person and some of his/her favorite things. We drove to the Longmont Museum to view an exhibit. These are the greeters.

Skeleton Greeters at Longmont Museum

Inside, we walk through the Arch of Compassion.

Arch of Compassion

In Latin America, arches of marigolds are common. Here we are invited to write a tribute to honor a loved one and place the paper in the arch. Sugar skulls are popular.

Sugar Skulls

This ofrenda is typical, including serving utensils and other favorite things.

Ofrenda

We are impressed with these displays. Each one was made for a particular human and we read tributes for the deceased human. Skulls are everywhere.

Embracing death

This ofrenda is dedicated to all men and women who have served this country with honor and distinction.

To all that served their country

This one remembers Miriam O’Leary, a cancer victim.

To Miriam O’Leary

Day of the Dead is not just for Latin Americans. An altar, or ofrenda to Lost Immigrants.

To Lost Immigrants

Here we remember teachers from the local high school.

High School teachers remembered

Since mom used to teach in a different high school, this really got to her. In June of this year, the United States suffered a terrible loss. In Orlando, Florida 49 people lost their lives at a Nightclub. This was the largest mass shooting loss in the United States. Those victims are remembered here and their spirits welcomed back for a visit.

Orlando, Florida nightclub shooting victims. June 12, 2016

Look at this.

A skull in the flowers

Even a skull in a flower arrangement. This exhibit will be open through Saturday, November 5. On that Saturday, there will be entertainment and many activities. We hope you visit Longmont Museum in Longmont, Colorado. When you leave, be sure to stop at the gift shop. Here is a sample of some great gifts and souvenirs.

Stop at the Gift Shop

Don’t wait too long to go.

October 10, 2016 by coloradotravelingducks

Happy Columbus Day 2016

Today is the official Federal holiday to honor the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Western Hemisphere. In the United States, the holiday had been celebrated on October 12. In 1971 the US Congress changed the holiday to the second Monday in October. Although many cities and schools no longer celebrate this holiday, it is still a Federal holiday. So today, all Federal offices, courthouses, banks and the US Post Office will be closed. No mail delivery in the United States today. In 1492 Christopher Columbus, with his three ships, the Niña, Pinta, and Santa María touched land in what is now the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean Sea. This changed the history of the world. This is the photo we, the Colorado Traveling Ducks, took when we were in Washington D.C. this summer, right before our trip to Africa. This statue is in front of the train station in Washington D.C. We hope you all enjoy this holiday today.

Statue recognizing Columbus’s arrival in the New World

October 4, 2016 by coloradotravelingducks

National Taco Day 2016

Yea! Today, October 4, is National Taco Day. According to NationalTacoDay.com the true origin of the taco is not known, but last year Americans ate over 4.5 Billion tacos! That is a lot. We, the Colorado Traveling Ducks, ate some, but not billions. But we do like tacos and our humans love an excuse to get together. So, tonight, we ducks and humans, will go to On The Border Mexican Grill and Cantina for tacos. They are offering 50 cent mini crispy tacos all day. We will start with mini tacos, but probably will also get some other things to eat. We wish you all a very Happy National Taco Day.

Taco. Yum!

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