Our Newest Family Member

Meet my new baby, Sophia Benelli. I love her, we're getting to know eachother quite well! I named her Sophia because she's italian. Does she look like me?? (ha ha)

12 gauge, semi automatic, satin walnut stock - very nice shooting gun. And she's pretty too!

To the Moon and Back...

Last week while plotting our route to Wyoming we saw something on the map that sounded crazy! Then we Google'd it and realized it WAS crazy! We had to see it ... we had to stop by ... it was (pardon the pun) OUT OF THIS WORLD!

We went to Craters On The Moon National Monument and Preserve. What an amazing place! Early pioneers referred to it as "Satan's Vomit" (gross...I know) and it is just sooo odd to see this black jagged lava landscape right next to the potato fields of Idaho. Quite the contrast!

Murray and I took a guided hike across lava beds and through caves - it was sooo interesting. The NPS does a great job of educating park visitors. Here are some pictures!

Those are the Spatter Cones behind us...very interesting! And next to us (not in the pic) is a cone called "Snow Cone" - it was 85 degrees so the surface temp was like, 150 degrees! But inside some of the caves there is still snow from the winter - it's very insulated so it doesn't melt! Neat, huh?


Here we are in a cave that was formerly a Lava Tube - you might be able to make out the cave opening behind us. The guy who took the picture did NOT take any creative license on this....grrrrr....

This is me surveying the rugged terrain - sooo odd!!!

Murray and our "son" Petey in the middle of a lava field!

Our New Ranch

We are planning our retirement and have decided that we will be buying a ranch in Laramie, Wyoming. We already have started the process of buying our lot - it's in a development called "Wild Horse Ranch". The website is: http://www.wildhorseranchwy.com/ The development just opened in April '07 and when completed will be a gated community with all owners having 35-45 acres each. Our lot is GORGEOUS! It is 40.15 acres and just amazing! We have Lake Hattie views that are wonderful and 360 degree views all around of mountains - Sheep Mountain, Rocky Mountains, Table Top Mountain, and Snowy Ridge. The lot itself is rolling hills and is situated on the corner of Lakeview Drive and Outlaw Road - perfect combination of civilization and wild wild west!!!

We will not be retiring until October 2008 so we will be taking the time in the interim to decide what type of house we want to build and what kind of budget we're going to try to stick to! It's very exciting! Our house will be 12 miles west of Laramie, and about 5 minutes west of us is Medicine Bow National Forest - and it is gorgeous!!!!

We have wildlife - true to it's name, Wild Horse Ranch has .... wild horses! And also antelope, deer, elk, coyotes, an occassional black bear (just a baby one), and little things like chipmunks, ground hogs and prairie dogs...

Here are some pictures, you can double click on them to see larger views - and more will follow!


Me and Murray "pinning" our property - Lot #168 is OURS!


On the Northwest corner of the property looking toward Lake Hattie


Murray surveying his new ranch - that is Sheep Mountain in the background.

Our Lake View!

Wyotech in Laramie, WY

Murray is planning to retire next October and we decided that it would be a great time for both of us to pursue our dreams - and his dream is to attend school to become a car/truck/motorcycle genius! And after a tour of Wyotech - we were both sold. It is a very well known institution that turns out sought after professionals - and they have programs that are awesome. The programs that Murray is planning to take are: Diesel/Advanced Diesel, Automotive/Advanced Automotive, Chassis & High Performance Engine, Street Rod/Custom Fabrication and maybe Collision and Interior Upholstry.

Another cool tidbit of information - there was an episode of "Overhaulin'" filmed at the school - pretty awesome, huh????

The school has 3 campuses in Laramie and they are all spotless - the students are required to do 40 hour weeks and maintain a professional appearance and demeanor (clean shaven, required uniform, code of conduct, strict adherance to attendance and punctuality). Just like the Navy...but cooler! The shirts are cooler too...color coded depending on your specialty.

Here are some pictures from our tour - it was so great to see all that Wyotech had to offer and Murray can't wait to enter the program and pursue his dreams!!!!


Murray's new alma mater - this is the East Campus, the newest building with the Street Rod, Custom Fabrication, Custom Paint, Diesel, Advance Diesel, Chassis & High Performance Engines. There were some great examples of finished projects and also some projects in progress. The school allows students to bring in their own projects to work on once they have completed their core competency (6 month program). Murray plans to bring in his 1974 Olds Omega for an "Overhaul"!


Murray in the '57 Chevy couch - a creation built by Wyotech students.


Every student gets to fabricate their own mailbox! From start to finish - they get the metal and they have to form it and weld it together - and then finish it off with a custom paint job! Very awesome!


A hood designed by a student - Murray was sooooo impressed. Pictures don't do it justice, you have to see it in person. (Double click on it for larger image).


Here are two tanks designed by students - these were pretty cool too!

Our New Hobby....
Our new hobby is trap shooting! It's so much fun, enjoy the pictures!

Picture 1: Darian is our Pigeon Flinger

Picture 2: Tish's first day with the Mossberg

Picture 3: Murray and his shotgun, Mossberg Silver Reserve Over Under 12 gauge

Picture 4: Ooooohhhh.....look at that smoking barrel!

Picture 5: Murray taking out another pigeon...