May 16, 2014 by coloradotravelingducks

Echter’s in Arvada

I, Zeb the Duck, say it is time to think about planting flowers, trees, vegetables and bushes. Mom and I went to Echter’s in Arvada, Colorado.

Welcome to Echter’s

We have many nursery choices in the Denver area, but we were near Echter’s and they have everything!

Before we even got to the flowers, we saw so many watering cans.

More than I ever saw in my entire Duck life

I love these garden boots.

So colorful!

They have all the gardening tools and equipment I could think of. Yard and patio furniture and accessories are plentiful. In the statuary department this fountain is perfect.

We do have bears in Colorado

Orchids?? I thought they were in Hawaii and other tropical places.

Not just for tropical areas now.

Now, in Colorado, also. This is just fun.

I like this.

Eyes and carrot nose like a snowman. Even a hat and decorated with orange like a pumpkin. I really like this plant arrangement!

Here are brightly colored geraniums and hanging baskets with petunias.

Beautiful bright colors

All of these are beautiful. Echter’s does so much to make planting easy.

Echter’s helps gardeners

Pop and plant is a great idea.

Echter’s has so many flats of flowers to plant at your house

So many choices

and hundreds of hanging plants. Look at these marigolds.

I love yellow

Some of the yellow ones match me. Here is another wonderful fountain.

I love water–I am a duck

Outside there are so many more things to see. If you need pots for your flowers,

We like them all

you can find what you love here. Mom loves lilac bushes;

Lilacs to take home and plant

the white ones and all shades of purple, or lilac. Echter’s even has trees.

Red leaves!!

This Royal Red Norway Maple is beautiful. There is a place for water plants, but they were not in the water yet.

In Denver we should not plant before Mother’s Day. This is my driveway May 12, 2014,

Don’t plant too early

the morning after Mother’s Day. We measured 6.5 inches of snow on a table in the back. Temperatures were below freezing also but the snow was gone Tuesday afternoon. We will plant soon.

Back inside I love the roses.

Roses smell so good

They are pretty and smell good. Echter’s has flowers, houseplants, bushes, trees, vegetables and more. Again, Echtert’s has everything. These tomato plants are pretty big already.

We will be back for tomatoes

Mom didn’t buy any plants today, but she will soon. Before tomato plants, we need to rototill the garden.

Echter’s has colors everywhere and everything you could want or need.

Echter’s has so much!

They even have grass seed and a plant doctor. Echter’s celebrates 55 years as a local, family-owned nursery. I love this place! Visit www.echters.com for information, a virtual tour and other great pictures.

May 14, 2014 by coloradotravelingducks

Tails of the Painted Cats with Zeb the Duck

Yesterday I, Zeb the Duck , and mom explored Lakewood Arts Council Gallery.

We are going to an art gallery

The special exhibit is cats.

Cat Art

This is Tails of the Painted Cats time. We loved all the cat art. Here are a few of the cats.

I like this cat

Movie watchers will recognize this tiger,

I remember Richard Parker

Richard Parker, from Life of Pi. This is the only cat art with real cat whiskers. He looks wonderful

We also like his friend,

Richard Parker and friend Purrlock Holmes

a pipe-smoking cat with a monocle.

The cat art will be auctioned at Tails of the Painted Cats Gala Dinner and Auction on Saturday, July 26, 2014. The auction and dinner will be held at Pinehurst Country Club and benefit of the Cat Care Society.

Aspen Cat, Available at auction

The Cat Care Society offers limited admission cage free shelter for homeless and abused cats while providing community outreach programs to enrich the lives of people and cats.

Could live at your house

Visit www.catcaresociety.org for more information. This is a really interesting and informative website.

New this year is the Flat Cat Paintings.

New this year

What is Flat Cats?

Flat Cats

This cat not only has the glasses he is wearing, but there are two additional pair of glasses the will accompany this cat to his new home.

Now this sees all.

Another flat cat

Love the colors

Mom and I love these cats.

There will also be paintings done by real kittens. These have not been created yet, but kitten paws are put in paint. Then the kittens walk and prance on white or dark canvas. The resulting paintings are wonderful. Go to the auction July 26 and bid on some of these pieces of art.

Colorado cats

Maybe this one? You will be happy you went.

We enjoyed this exhibit at Lakewood Arts Council Gallery at 85 S Union in Lakewood, Colorado. The cats will be here until May 29.

Another cat to enjoy and admire

From May 30 to June 22 this exhibit will be at Main Street Gallery in Evergreen, Colorado. This is a wonderful gallery. We especially appreciated the different types of art. Lakewood Arts Council Gallery is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and it is free. We thought this zebra was fabulous also.

This zebra is so cute

Mom and I will come back here. We hope you do, too. Visit www.Lakewoodartscouncil.org for more information.

May 12, 2014 by coloradotravelingducks

Hard as Nails Mud Race

It’s Zeb the Duck again. Mom and I went to the Westin Hotel in Westminster, Colorado for the Hard as Nails Obstacle and Mud Race.

Starting point for Hard as Nails Mud Race

My first mud race!

Participants, not us, ran or jogged, conquered obstacles, climbed in mud, waded in the river and slid down the slip and slide.

Sliding on wet slide

Watching was great, but I’m glad we did not participate in this. By the time we left, it was cool and we felt a light drizzle.

This watery slip and slide looked like a lot of fun.

I think this would be fun!

Participants ran to the next obstacle, involving climbing.

Next obstacle

These pipes slowed things down a little.

Obstacles

You must crawl through the first set of pipes, climb through the higher short one and then crawl through the last set.

Professional photographers at the scene.

Younger children, accompanied by an adult ran the .5 km race. Older children ran the 1 km race.

Next, let’s get a little muddy at the Mud Mixer.

Yep–mud

I stayed clean and dry,

In there??

but not the kids.

Fun for kids? And ducks??

Adult teams ran the 5 km race. Teams must use a fireman carry to arrive at a second set of pipes.

Fireman carry? I am by the second sign

This bunny must be a judge;

He is real and alive

he is so still.

The river, with a net over it, required getting further in the water and bending low.

Previous participants lost race numbers

Up they go

Around the bend, was a slight river obstacle requiring a little climbing. Wow, the river gets deeper.

Deeper and cold river

Now, participants climb out of the mud pit.

Climb up mud wall

Fun, but very messy! These geese were rather vocal about all the people around their home.

Geese talking to racers

There was a beer garden, music and some venders.

Part of the profit went to Growing Home, a local charity that fights poverty for families. This was an entertaining day and also helped people. We hope you go to a mud race near you. They are fun. Maybe you will participate. Maybe we will next time??

Through the river

May 11, 2014 by coloradotravelingducks

Happy Mother’s Day

Colorado Traveling Ducks and their humans wish a Happy Mother’s Day to moms everywhere.

Wikipedia says Mother’s Day started in the United States in 1908 when Anna Jarvis held a memorial for her mother in Grafton, West Virginia. She was successful in 1914 to have Mother’s Day recognized as a holiday in the United States.

Mother’s Day is celebrated in many countries of the world, mostly in the spring.

Happy Mother’s Day!!

May 9, 2014 by coloradotravelingducks

Bird World at Denver Zoo

Zeb the Duck here. We are at the Denver Zoo again.

The Denver Zoo

This time we head for Bird World.

I love birds!

We will see many of my kind of creatures. Penguins greet us in front of the building.

Penguin greeters

These are warm weather penguins.

These penguins live in warm climates

I love them!

My friends

Here is our first greeter.

Welcome!!

So colorful. Heading into the rain forest area.

Warm and humid here

Look at the bright red head of this green winged macaw.

Macaws

His friend is the blue and gold macaw. These macaws eat clay from the riverbanks. This neutralizes toxins in some of the poisonous plants they eat. They use their large, strong beaks to crack nuts and crush seeds and also as a third leg to grab branches while climbing trees.

The Hotttentot Teal is my relative. This is the smallest African duck

My little African cousins

and he lives in freshwater marshes in sub Sahara Africa. He feds by putting his bill under water feeling for, and eating, seeds, invertebrates and plants. He takes cover in shoreline vegetation. This little duck grows to 11 inches.

This Elegant Crested Tinamou is a secretive bird. You will hear him more often that see him.

Regal crest

His feathers provide a great camouflage in the dense vegetation he calls home. This tinamou lives in the low dry shrub land of Argentina and Southern Chile.

Another relative. This African Pygmy Goose is not really a goose.

A duck called goose

He is one of Africa’s small ducks. This guy grows to 13 inches. He lives in freshwater lakes and streams of sub Sahara African and Madagascar. The African Pygmy Goose (a duck relative) hides in floating vegetation.

Between rooms in Bird World we delighted in seeing this Rhinoceros Hornbill.

Hornbill

Rhinoceros Hornbill information

He moves real fast!

White-faced Whistling Ducks certainly are curious.

information

The sign says they are attentive to each other. That is only partially true.

I am the new duck in town

Best friends now

We became good friends.

This Tawny Frogmouth hunts like an owl at night and during the day he perches motionless on a branch.

It’s Tawny

This Tawny Frogmouth is alive. No dead stuffed birds in Bird World.

I like the blue-breasted kingfisher.

He is alive also

This kingfisher lives in tropical Africa and prefers wooded habitats where insects are plentiful.

Love the colors!

He grows to 10 inches and is related to our local belted kingfisher.

Green Aracari is a type of toucan. His large, but lightweight bill, is perfect for feeding on tropical fruit

Toucan type here

and caring for those beautiful feathers. He is about 10 inches and lives in the lowland forests of northeast South America.

These birds, some are my relatives, are magnificent. You will love seeing them. Mom and I spent a long time at Bird World. Hope to see you at the Denver soon, but if you don’t live here, visit your local zoo. You will have a great day there!

He is waiting for you

May 7, 2014 by coloradotravelingducks

Duck Races in Estes Park

I, Zeb the Duck and “Soapy” Smith Duck viewed the Duck Races in Estes Park, Colorado.

We love duck races

We love duck races and we love Estes Park, so it was a perfect day for us! We saw lots of duck stuff for sale. We now have a new little member of our duck family.

Soapy, Zeb and The Green Lantern watching duck necklaces

Meet our superhero, the Green Lantern.

The first ducks to race down the river were the larger, corporate sponsored ducks. They were decorated.

Great duck

Some arrived swimming rapidly and

Some up and some down

some were turned over by the power of the river. Several large ducks got caught

Oh no!

on a rock and then they were rescued.

Saved! Thank you

Here we are with some large ducks that finished the race early.

So many ducks

We watch the races.

Beautiful day and beautiful river!

Next the smaller ducks raced for the finish line. The rocks didn’t catch these little guys;

Swim little cousins

they just kept swimming for the end of the race. The ducks were caught in large fishnets

Wow! At the finish line

and then checked for numbers to determine prizes.

Did we win???

Soapy and Zeb met our bigger relative.

Our bigger cousin

We liked him! During the races some people made bets on the duck squat.

Does it really mean that??

You can guess what that is. Live ducks in the large enclosed area will make a deposit on the winning square. So undignified, but so funny.

The duck races are loved in Estes Park. The door to the Wheel Bar has pictures of us and cousins!

We ducks love Estes Park!

Duck races must make humans hungry.

Green Lantern Duck at Bob and Tony’s Pizza

Our moms decided to eat at Bob and Tony’s Pizza. Visit http://www.bobandtonyspizza.com

Yum! Hawaiian Pizza

We liked it too.

Our moms said there would be other duck races this summer. We want to go. We hope you can watch duck races also. Either with us in Colorado, or at a river near you. Try them, you will have fun!

Duck racing!

May 5, 2014 by coloradotravelingducks

Cinco de mayo in Denver

I, Zeb the Duck, went to Denver’s Cinco de mayo festival Sunday. Mom and her friend went with me. We listened to music from 3 different stages. The Cinco de mayo celebration is held at Civic Center park in downtown Denver.

Some Denver streets were closed and filled with venders.

Many visitors, many venders

We did a lot of looking,

Like the hat

some shopping

Another hat and whistles

and some eating.

Lots of food and it was good!

But, let me explain a little about cinco de mayo. On May 5, 1862, France was ruled by Napoleon II. About 8,000 French soldiers attacked the city of Puebla, Mexico. The Mexico soldiers were outnumbered, but the Mexican soldiers, led by General Ignacio Zaragoza Sequin, defeated Napoleon’s French Army. This French army had not suffered a significant defeat for almost 50 years. That is why cinco de mayo is celebrated today.

However, within one year, Napoleon II sent more soldiers to Mexico and the French captured Mexico City and French Emperor Maximilian I ruled Mexico for three years.

After eating, we watched the Chihuahua races.

Yes! Chihuahua races. Top prize is $500.

These little dogs raced in groups of 4 and were so cute.

Ready to race

It was difficult to get good photos because of the crowds, but you would love seeing these little dogs run. The racing area had glass on each side of race lanes to guide and protect the little dogs.

Racing

The race was sponsored by Jammin 101.5 radio. The radio mascot watches the races.

Radio mascot watching races

Walking around the park I saw more Chihuahuas than I had seen in my whole life.

So cute

This festival was fun.

Chihuahua with hat

I want to go again next year and we hope you will go to a cinco de mayo festival in Denver or wherever you will be next year. It was fun.

Colorado Traveling Ducks and the humans wish you a very happy Cinco do Mayo today and hope you had fun celebrating this weekend.

Happy cinco de mayo

May 3, 2014 by coloradotravelingducks

Kayaking in Golden Colorado

Clear Creek runs through Golden, Colorado. Brave souls kayak on this water.

Clear Creek Whitewater Park

In the spring the water, new snowmelt, is very cold and runs fast.

Kayaking area

We watched these men prepare and enter Clear Creek with kayaks.

Entering the river

As they waited for the rest of the group, these two ventured into the small rapids.

To the rapids

Practicing rolling over, under water, and then returning to an upright position,

Rolling in the kayak

these men didn’t seem to mind the cold temperatures. The water and air were fairly cold this late April day, and the wind was also chilling. I, Zeb the Duck and my human friends, loved watching these kayakers.

Maybe later???

We did not kayak today. Maybe we will on a warmer day, but I’m not too sure about this. If you want to kayak, Golden, Colorado is a beautiful place to start.

May 2, 2014 by coloradotravelingducks

Sherpa House with Zeb

I, Zeb the Duck, and my humans visited the Sherpa House Restaurant and Cultural Center in Golden, Colorado.

Sherpa House in Golden, Colorado

This place is a restaurant in a typical Sherpa house decorated, as it would be in Nepal. The Buddhist prayer wheel is fantastic.

Prayer wheel outside

This sign explains some of the culture.

About Sherpa life

Ler’s go inside

We sat on the enclosed patio and sampled the lunch buffet.

Buffet is labeled so we know what we are trying

We tried various kinds of chicken. We also had yak. I liked all of these. We tried a spicy stew, and it was very spicy. Then we ate naan, tasty fried bread. The Saag, spinach with a little cream sauce, was very good. Vegetarian lo mien was great also.

Ready to taste our first plate

The humans tried and enjoyed almost all that was offered. They drank lots of Chai tea. They smiled and it really smelled good.

In warmer weather we could eat outside on this patio.

We eat here when it is warmer

It was too cool today. After eating, many items in the house fascinated the humans.

Shrine room

Information about a beverage

Raksi set

Actually, they were interesting to me; I am a curious duck.

You will enjoy the Sherpa House in Golden, Colorado. After visiting, eating and looking at the items and photographs, you might even want to visit the Himalayas.

Prayer wheel by main door

Mom has been there, but I think she should go again and take me. For more information visit www.ussherpahouse.com There is so much to see you will love it and maybe want to return many times.

Visit the Sherpa House Restaurant and Cultural Center

Don’t miss this piece of Nepal in Colorado.

April 30, 2014 by coloradotravelingducks

Garden of the Gods with Zeb and Soapy Duck

This Colorado Springs park boasts beautiful and unusual rock formations.

Natural rock formation

Zeb and Soapy Duck explored Garden of the Gods Saturday with our moms. It was great!

Stopping at the Visitors Center, we appreciated the view of some rock formations and a slightly snow covered Pikes Peak in the background. Some remodeling taking place at the Visitors Center, but everything is open and functional. The 15-minute movie, gift shop, restaurant and the most important park rangers and their vast knowledge were appreciated.

Kissing camels???

The rock formation at the right of the photo is called kissing camels. Also, you can see a man ready for the Segway tour. So much to see and do here.

After driving to the rock formations, we wandered through many areas.

Stunning

Each formation is equally breathtaking.

Uprooted tree on rock

The children of Charles Elliott Perkins gave this park to the city of Colorado Springs in 1909. Mr. Perkins died before completing the transfer of land to the city, but his children honored his wishes.

Thanks to the Perkins family

The Garden of the Gods is to be forever free for all to enjoy.

Garden of the Gods is home to various animals. You may see these birds or different kinds.

He enjoys living at the Garden of the Gods

Most of the rock formations are red,

Variety of rocks here

so this white rock was very noticeable. As was the bird watching over the park.

Guardian of Garden of the Gods

This young deer was so close to us.

Our new friend

We think he liked us and he will like you, too. We watched deer at a few places among the rock formations.

He likes us!

This park is so beautiful and peaceful that wedding parties come here for pictures.

Congratulations to these happy newlyweds

Several hiking trails cross through the park. You can hike as long as you wish. Many of the trails are paved, so strollers and wheelchairs are welcome. Horse and Segway tours can be arranged. Technical climbs are permitted with a permit.

Technical rock climbers

You will marvel at balanced rock.

Balanced Rock

The rock looks like it will fall any time, but it has been balancing there for millions of years. Opposite balanced rock this other formation fascinated our moms.

Massive rock

At the nearby Trading Post, enjoy a muffin and browse the art gallery. You will love both. For more information visit www.gardenofgods.com We will look for you next time we visit the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs.

Visit Garden of the Gods

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