We received a strange email a while back wanting to use on of our Denver photos to promote travel to the Denver area. We were a little skeptical at first, but then decided what the heck… Here is the original solicitation:
:: Schmap: Denver Photo Short-list
Hi jmonsters,
I am writing to let you know that one of your photos has
been short-listed for inclusion in the fourth edition of
our Schmap Denver Guide, to be published mid-December 2007.
http://www.schmap.com/shortlist/p=65557634N00/c=SF20183614
Clicking this link will take you to a page where you can:
i) See which of your photos has been short-listed.
ii) Submit or withdraw your photo from our final selection
phase.
iii) Learn how we credit photos in our Schmap Guides.
iv) Browse online or download the second edition of our
Schmap Denver Guide.
While we offer no payment for publication, many
photographers are pleased to submit their photos, as Schmap
Guides give their work recognition and wide exposure, and
are free of charge to readers. Photos are published at a
maximum width of 150 pixels, are clearly attributed, and
link to high-resolution originals at Flickr.
Our submission deadline is Sunday, December 9. If you
happen to be reading this message after this date, please
still click on the link above (our Schmap Guides are
updated frequently – photos submitted after this deadline
will be considered for later releases).
Best regards,
Emma Williams,
Managing Editor, Schmap Guides
————————————————————
A little while after agreeing we received this email:
:: Schmap Denver Fourth Edition: Photo Inclusion
Hi jmonsters,
I am delighted to let you know that your submitted photo
has been selected for inclusion in the newly released
fourth edition of our Schmap Denver Guide:
Red Rocks Amphitheatre
http://www.schmap.com/denver/sights_outandabout/p=321582/i=321582_5.jpg
If you like the guide and have a website, blog or personal
page, then please also check out our schmapplets -
customizable widgetized versions of our Schmap Denver
Guide, complete with your published photo:
http://www.schmap.com/schmapplets/p=65557634N00/c=SF20182714
Thanks so much for letting us include your photo – please
enjoy the guide!
Best regards,
Emma Williams,
Managing Editor, Schmap Guides
————————————————————
Our Red Rock’s Amphitheater photo is there you have to wait for the picture to scroll through. Pretty neat, but we will keep our day jobs…
We pulled in around 2:00 and the jmonsters were ready for action. Nothing really pleases them more than seeing the boys from down South. The theme of this trip was basketball, ping pong, and Monopoly. After inhaling a quick lunch the jmonsters and Arachnuts (their geocache handle) went off to play games. We would only see the boys when they were hungry or thirsty.
The beautiful weather beckoned us outside for a few games of pig. Jonah showed off his half court shot and won. Daddy had to oink after being eliminated.
Saturday was warm and sunny and the jmonsters and arachnuts went off Geocaching all morning. They were successful with two and did not find the micro-cache at the rec center. They blamed it on a muggle.
After lunch their neighborhood friend Jackson came down and we all joined in a adults vs. kids basketball game. The hoop was only 7' high so Daddy did his best Shaq impersonation but ended up injuring his wrist. (He blamed his watch and the rim). All and all an absolutely perfect day and a great ending to our trip…
flickr: Set – Detail – Slide Show – Map
: Web Album
GEO: Jim and Maureen's [GP:jim]
There is food and then there is food. Aunt Belinda is a master in the kitchen and there wasn't enough time or stomach room to give each dish the proper respect.
The morning started out with a little bit of gathering, not much of an opportunity for the hunting part. We fired up the John Deere and started out back for some firewood for tonight's fire on the back porch. There was the usual taming of Tallmonster's expectations on just how big this fire would be and the use of flammables and explosives was strictly forbidden.
Mindy, Austin, and Frank made it in, and we sat down to eat in the early afternoon. A feast to end all feasts, we decided to move down South for the food alone, although the weather couldn't be beat sunny and 65.
We made an attempt to clean up, still not sure if Aunt Belinda will ever find all of her dishes after we put them away, and watched a bit of football. More eating and drinking finished the afternoon.
That evening the fire-pit was stoked and some of the neighbors came down for the Friday night meeting that was rescheduled for Thursday. What a great bunch. We laughed and laughed when the stories really started flowing after a few adult beverages.
The jmonsters were in there glory, as the adults were outside they had the run of the upstairs with some of the neighbor kids and Austin. We would come in only to stop something from being broken or a trip to the hospital. After staying up to eleven, a new jmonsters record we decided to call it a night.
flickr: Set – Detail – Slide Show – Map
: Web Album
GEO: Uncle Corky [GP:UncleCorky]
Uncle Corky and Uncle John, meet us along the way to escort us to the house. What a house, set on a hill in a small dead end road, with horses and jack-asses (the jmonsters love it when you say this) in the backyards, this place is beautiful.
The jmonsters were eager to stretch their atrophied muscles and run around the backyard. Everyone was there and Grandma in Florida greeted the jmonsters with big hugs for her little “pumpkins”, not sure what they hate more the little part or the pumpkin part.
Grandma in Florida had brought a little puppy with her, because she has trouble traveling without a canine at times. This pup was destined for a home in New York, but Mommy and Daddy were successful in smiling and nodding while trying not tot get involved. Smallmonster took an immediate liking to the devil dog, it had light blue eyes, and was happy to walk it around the yard.
After a beer or two and lots of good eats, Aunt Belinda is an excellent cook, Mommy and Daddy took a breath and decided the trip wasn’t so bad after all.
We made a quick dash to Home Depot to puchase a fire pit for the back deck, the jmonsters love a fire. They were a little dissappointed that the fire was just a dura-flame log. Tallmonster had a tough time understanding that not all fires needed to be a raging bon-fire, so he kinda shrugged and went in to watch some TV.
flickr: Set – Detail – Slide Show – Map
GEO: Uncle Corky [GP:UncleCorky]
Our trip started without a hitch, on the road by 5:00pm. The jmonsters were pretty excited and happy, with enough electronics packed into the van to land the space shuttle.
Mommy did most of the driving, she made it all the way to Ohio. We stopped at the welcome center to switch drivers and go potty. The hand dryer in this place sounded like a jet engine. It scared Smallmonster, then we couldn’t stop laughing. We loaded up and headed for Cleveland with our ears ringing.
Made it down passed Cleveland and decided to stay at a Holiday Inn Express, in case we wanted to do some brain surgery or design nuclear power plants today. Everyone was tired and fell asleep quickly.
Up at 6:15 and the monsters are already asking about breakfast. Hope the free breakfast is up to snuff or we’ll be hearing it from the monsters until Columbus (or lunch). We are ready for our next adventure…
flickr: Set – Detail – Slide Show – Map
GEO: Holiday Inn Express [GP:hie]
Armed with the new toy and ready to start out on the trip to Tennessee tonight Daddy was in rare form this morning and couldn't wait to take some photos. The jmonsters were somewhat accommodating, Mommy really didn't have the patients for Daddy's cheerful mood.
Most seemed somewhat relieved when Daddy decided that it was indeed time to go to work "time to make the doughnuts".
flickr: Set – Detail – Slide Show – Map
GEO: jmonsters [GP:jmonsters]
Daddy has been threatening, since the trip to Colorado over the Summer. We went to Circuit City and Best Buy today, part of a negotiation of mommy getting to go to The Christmas Tree Shop and Michael's. Anyway, Daddy finally wore Mommy down and bought his Christmas present a little early, a Nikon D50. Best Buy won out on the price, they pretty much matched the price on Amazon.com. We opted for the insurance, the jmonsters harping that they wanted to try it and touching every camera on display sealed that sales pitch. Now we can drop, drown, and roll it with some piece of mind.
So we have been busy snapping pictures here and there, and trying to figure out how this fancy thing works. All of the holiday memories will be captured and preserved in top quality. (Daddy may have used this line to close the deal, Mommy still isn't buying it).
flickr: Set – Detail – Slide Show – Map
GEO: jmonsters [GP:jmonsters]
What have they done? Soon they will have to move out and let the dogs have the houses. We think that it is official: They canines outnumber the humans. The Animal Farm prophecy will take place and the majority will rule.
Here’s the scoop:
I’ve been trying to find a new puppy to kind of help the hurt of losing Roscoe …
This morning’s paper had AKC bassets 8 weeks old for sale for $100, which is an unbelievably low price.
So, CG, Andy Zach and I took off for Atmore, AL to pick out the pup.
They were owned by an elderly man who needs surgery next week and was selling both parents and 2 male puppies and had reduced their price from $300 to $100 because he could no longer care for them.
Andy selected his puppy, but I wanted the other one as well as the parents. After repeated tries to get me to leave, I finally got into the van and we left. When we got back, Andy and CG and Dad talked, and, of course, I was encouraging this idea and we went back and bought the rest of them.
So now, CG and Andy are in the Bassets by the Bay business with both the mom and dad dogs and are going to sell the other puppy to pay for them. (Tom is refusing to let me keep him because I just bought my china base and he doesn’t want any more puppies.)
If you want a boy basset puppy, I’m sure they would let you have him and we could exchange at Thanksgiving. 
The mother and father dog absolutely raced around the yard like puppies. When Andy was putting them in the van, the man said this was the closest they had ever been ‘to town.’ They lived outside in a nice kennel, but they had not received the attention or exercise they needed and they acted like they were in heaven.
We had s’mores with our new firepit and laughed at all of the dogs’ antics. Keilli’s a little jealous, but the bassets are so delighted with their new life he can’t help buy join in. Abbie and Jess just want them to stay home.
That was quite an adventure we had today.
Love,
Mom (Grandma in Florida)
and there is more:
One puppy wasn’t enough…
We returned and got Mommy and Dad and little brother.
First puppy’s name is Flash. Brother’s name is Cash. (aka Wilbur because he makes noises like the pig in Charlotte’s Web.
Cash =$ when they sell (or, IF they sell him.) He will probably pay for the purchase of all 4 dogs. Dad is BinBo and Mom is Sadie Mae. These pictures show the dogs enjoying marshmallows – from s’mores.
as Olbermann would say “God Bless and Good Luck”…
flickr: Set – Detail – Slide Show – Map
Videos: 10-28-2006 10-48-55 PM.mov and 10-28-2006 10-49-09 PM.mov
GEO: Grandma in Florida [GP:ginfla]
Went down to the Moravian Carmichael’s for a spooky Halloween party. Loads of costumed kids with plenty of tricks and treats, especially treats. The jmonsters were pretty excited to show off their Halloween duds. Tallmonster was worried about getting his mummy costume dirty, and we could never quite make the connection on why mummys were supposed to be dirty, but he has no qualms of making his brand new school clothes dirty. Smallmonster loved being a cowboy and had everyone at the party “sticking ‘ em up” as he passed.
Some other fantastic costumes included Anna-Bee’s Martha Washington, and Cara-Lou of coursed modeled multiple costumes of a ghost, spook, and ghoul. Todd had the sheik thing going while Jeff played tribute to the recently departed Steve Erwin, with the crocodiles paying homage. Shelley was a witch, things are different how?, Mommy came as a potatoe sack and Daddy did his best Antonio Banderas, as Zorro.
There were lots of kids. Really tons of kids. There were kids no one knew and at times you couldn’t navigate through he garage or house. We are still convinced that they were busing them in, because Moravia doesn’t have the population to support the number of people in the house.
After things settled done a bit, J&S were able to get the house back in some kind of order that resembled their former abode. And we were able to visit with Scott & Wendy and Jeff & Shelley for a while. The kids polished off anymore candy they could find and raised Cain in the basement, burning off the sugar high they fixed.
flickr: Set – Detail – Slide Show – Map
GEO: Moravian Carmichael’s [GP:moravia]
Daddy turned thirty eight today, still a couple of years shy of the big four – oh!
While Daddy and tallmonster were at the chess tournament, mommy and smallmonster went to Grandma’s to finish tallmonsters mummy costume. It was a good visit and mommy is happy that the costume is finished. Hopefully, it will last through a couple of Halloween parties.
After dinner we celebrated Daddy’s birthday with cake and ice cream. He then opened his present. He got a new Carhart jacket. It wasn’t the Ipod he was hoping for but there’s always Santa…
Flickr: Set – Slide Show – Map
Video: 10-22-2006 9-03-47 PM.mov
Geo: jmonsters Place [GP:jmonsters]
