Spring Break Adventures

Do you every have a time when your plans don't necessarily work out the way you thought they would but you have a joyous time anyways? Well, that was what happened to us over Spring Break!

My dear friend Cathy from Alaska came down to visit. We have known each other for probably 10 years and used to live near one another. Now we don't, but when we get together, it's like we just left off the day before! Cathy is an accomplished fiber artist. She spins, weaves and knits and has been working at corrupting me for years! I came home one day last year and found a big box on my front porch. This is what was in it:





So I was very excited about a spinning wheel and went to my favorite store - Green Valley Weavers and took a short lesson on how to spin. I learned to put the wheel together and how to operate it and I came home and created some very thick yarn! It was very hard. Then my dog chewed up the yarn, and I put the wheel in the closet. So once Cathy got here for spring break, we pulled the wheel out and I had some private lessons! I spun some great yarn for a first try, posted earlier on the blog and we proceeded to spend some time visiting several fiber stores and I got a lot of great fiber! Here are a few of the samples and yarn that I spun




One of the other things that we enjoy doing is going to antique stores, flea markets and places where great bargains can be found! In Fort Collins, Cathy found a great basket for her spinning supplies and in Colorado Springs I found an awesome shelf which is now displaying some great fiber!



So one of our traditions is that we love to go to Pagosa Springs to soak in the hot springs there. We decided that instead of doing that, we would explore some other hot springs. So we made reservations for Cottonwood Hot Springs in Buena Vista. We saw online photos of the accommodations and while they didn't look like Pagosa Springs, they looked clean and like it would be a nice substitute. The bonus is that they allow dogs, so we were able to take the dogs with us We made reservations and on Wednesday drove to Buena Vista. We arrived at Cottonwood about 4 p.m. and checked in. We walked into our cabin and were assailed by the smell of stale cigarettes, cat urine and musty odor. None of the windows would open and the place was less than clean. We went back to the office and asked to change accommodations. We were told that another one was available (the last) but that the housekeepers needed to get it ready for us. We unloaded the food, and went for a soak. When we returned to the cabin, it had been cleaned and while musty, did not smell like the other one. We cooked dinner and Jake soaked in the outdoor hot springs. While we were cooking, I kept hearing the toilet bubbling and remarked that I didn't think that was a good sign. We were all sort of icked out and jumpy and silly and wishing we had not been there. After dinner, I used the restroom and when I flushed the toilet, the water began rising. I tried to open the bathroom door and couldn't get the knob to turn and banged on the door and yelled for help. We all started laughing hysterically and when we finally got the door open, I went to the office to inform them that the plumbing wasn't working. Before going to the office, we decided that we were going to ask for our money back and leave. The lady from the office came over and spent about 30 minutes trying to unstick the toilet, asking "Did you flush any sanitary products down the toilet?" We explained multiple times that the only stuff that had gone into the toilet was TP and liquid. At that point, we were given a refund and went back into town where we found some very nice rooms at a very nice rate. While we did not get to relax in the springs for long, we have a story that will remain in our family lore forever!

All was not a total loss though, as the next day we had a nice breakfast and the boys climbed on some rocks down by the river in a rock park:




Then we found a lovely yarn shop in Buena Vista called Serendipity. Wow! I can't say enough things about it. They are getting ready to open their online store, so if you are a knitter or spinner, I recommend you check them out online if you can't get there in person. Hands down, it's the best LYS (Little Yarn Shop) I have ever been to. The women working there were wonderful, friendly and helpful. They welcomed the boys into their store and even gave the dogs some water. I'll go back to Buena Vista just for that store! Check them out on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Serendipity-Yarn-Gifts/80742706057




So while we did a lot of other things and didn't quite do what we planned, spring break was really awesome. Good friends, good food, good fiber and good fun! You just can't beat that!