Estes Park Police Department Safety Fair 2023

 

It's back - after several Covid years - the Safety Fair is BACK for 2023!

This fun event is FREE to the public and a great way to show adults and children the various forms of safety offered in the Estes Valley, Larimer County and the the State of Colorado.

The Estes Park Police Department Sworn Officers and Auxiliary host the event with help from LETA 911, Restortive Justice, Larimer County Humane Society, Estes Park Health EMTs/Paramedics, Larimer County Search and Rescue, Laramier Sheriff Wildland Fire, Laramier County Sheriff Dept, Glen Haven Fire, Big Elk Meadows Fire, Estes Valley Fire Protection District, Rocky Mountain National Park, American Red Cross, Upper Thompson Sanitation District, Piblic Works, Estes Valley Crisis Advocates, Gun Safety, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, UCHealth LifeLine Helicopters, Salud Health, Laramier County Mounted Patrol, Loveland K-9, Laramier County K-9 and so much more. 

There were tons of SWAG - stickers, bike helmets, water bottles, free popcorn, candy, hamburgers and hot dogs, and even the Clown Twilite making balloon animals! 

It runs from 10 am to 2 pm and there are drawings for fun things like bicycles, theatre tickets, etc. 

This annual event was put on hold in 2020, 2021 and 2022 due to Covid. The 2023 was well attended and the weather held so that the Helicopter, dog demonstrations, and a kids bouncy house could be used the whole time - Thank you Mother Nature for that! 

Please enjoy some of the shots I was able to get at the event of all the fun stuff! 

Using a Palette of Colors

I received this group of Earth Pigments as a gift a couple years ago and I finally decided that I would use them all up. I took two Micro Minis and two Curio foal scale models. 

I painted them all in a gesso white base, then added another layer that was a mix of Testors Craft White, Ceramcoat Oyster white, Ceramcoat fleshtone, and Ceramcoat pearl mixed with acrylic blending gel. (I learned this from Stephanie Blaylock's Instragram.)

My first one was a Safari Micro Mini Warmblood - i did this fellow with the Pearl Essence, the light pink, and the light ochre. My vision was the real horse in the photo below. 

 

The  Breyer Mini Whinnies American Saddlebred was much more difficult. I was going to do her as a lovely palomino/flaxen chestnut but she insisted on being darker. I originally wanted her like the horse below.

This is how she ended up looking after layers of pigment, acrylic washes trying to adjust the color and more pigment. And a new reference.

Next I moved on to two foals and I added a Stablemate standing warmblood and a 3-D printed cat who was also my Challenge piece for the month of January. The foals were done in an acrylic base mix of flesh, white, oyster white and a tiny amount of pink. 

The Stablemate was done in gray primer with an acrylic base of oyster white airbrushed on and then I started the earth pigments.

The cat was done with a primer base of two coats of Gesso and then an acrylic base of tawny medium. 

Then a second layer of burnt sienna earth pigments.

Then I added Red Ocher mixed with Yellow Ocher.

I put white acrylic markings on and then I did a new trick for me that I saw on Instagram. I mixed my earth pigments with water and I made the tabby markings, highlights, toe beans and nose. I used acrylics for the eyes and I finished this lovely fellow with Rust-o-leum Satin Clear.  

I put a layer of of Yellow Ocher on to the two foals. 

I spent several hours working on the first foal. Layers of light ocher, light sienna, and natural umber. I used wet and dry earth pigments. Acrylic on the eyes and the white markings. 

The other foal took me a bit longer, because I was trying a color and pattern. And I was suffering for extreme emotions and things - I didn't get any shots of it until around February 22, 2023.

It's been a little rougher with this foal. I lost my first reference and one that I found that I like okay, just isn't what I am wanting with the foal. But I have been watching an artist that uses acrylic washes inbetween layers and I am trying that to fix mistakes I make along the way. 

There was a stop in my process for NaMoPaiMo in February and in March because I just didn't seem to be able to work on models. I picked up again slightly in April, by completing the following models using the colors in this palette with acrylic additions.

I switched over to using my pan pastels on some other models and might start a part two on this at a later date. It is fun to see how many different colors you can get from one set palette. 

Snow Mountain Ranch Trip April 2023

 

This was a mix of a work trip and a vacation. Since I do reservations for Estes Park and Snow Mountain, I had to come over to SMR to see the lay of the land. I was supposed to come in February, but had some issues that I couldn't make it so came now.

I have to admit, I wasn't excited about this trip. I was coming to a place I didn't know and was traveling by myself, so I wasn't all that thrilled. After working my front desk shift at EPPD,  I left Estes Park around 1:15 pm. I drove up through Allenspark. I always have to try to get pictures of the church there because its so photogenic. It didn't disappoint. 

I then drove through Ward, Nederland, Black Hawk and Central City, before getting to Idaho Springs and getting on I-70. Then I took 40 to Empire, Berthoud Falls and up the twistiest road ever - the curves on this road put Trail Ridge Road to shame - and I swear the pot holes were trying to eat Buttercup (the yellow Ford Ranger). The through Fraser and Tabernash to Snow Mountain Ranch. 

I was staying in Indian Peaks lodge. This lodge is great - 2 queen beds and a queen sleeper, and I was on the second floor and had a balcony (lower floors have a porch). And it had BEAUTIFUL views! 

In the entrance hall was a lovely fire place. And then the room was awesome. 

And the views from the balcony.

Saturday morning I went to Grand Lake to see it in the snow because I always see it in summer. Didn't go to the Park, because my pass was expired and I couldn't get a new one until payday, but Grand Lake was pretty in the snow. The lake was unrecognisable as a lake! 

The only activites going on at SMR were skiing and due to an old knee injury, I don't ski - down hill or cross country. The dog sledding was closed or I would have signed up for that and the sleigh ride. 

I do want to come back in the summer and go horse back riding and hiking. And I want to come back in the winter and do the dog sledding and the winter horse ride and the winter sleigh ride. 

When I got up this morning - it was cold and snowy and beautiful. 

Got on the road - I have to say the pot holes were WORSE. Stopped at a gas station in Central City and found out my CC had been run to $0. I am pretty sure that a gas station in Granby is where it happened, because supposedly the girl couldn't get it to work. Now I have to follow up and try to get my $$ back. 

That was the only suck of my weekend. Buttercup did well and got some great gas mileage. And it was nice to see the other property.