While driving down the street , I almost drove past this giant flag without noticing it . . . because it was doing what flags do around here - flapping vigorously in the daily wind.  It is only when flags hang limply from their ropes that we stop in our tracks and say, "Hey, the wind isn't blowing...." as we look around suspiciously. Flag flying here is not for the timid as the message will be delivered  "Loud and Proud".    P.S.  Flags flown here get tattered quickly, needing replaced every 4 to 8 months.          There are probably plans to replace this one.  So please, don't let its tattered condition offend you!  01/20/2011

 Laramie, Wyoming: What Is It? (#1) This wasn't always a pile of rubble - can you guess what it used to be?                 Hints:                 -At the time it was built, it did not use electricity.                -It is located by the river and the railroad tracks.                -Yes, that is solid concrete. It is also true that now this is pretty much an eyesore, but if you enjoyed cold milk, or even perhaps ice cream in the early 1900's, then you had a place like this to thank.  Why? Because this was an Ice House.  Back then, people cut blocks of ice from the river, hauled them up to places like this, and surrounded the ice by thick, layers of sawdust where it could and would last up to a year.  It was quite a business! Surprisingly, I couldn't find anything about this particular... 01/19/2011

(Post #16 in the "Why I Love Laramie" series) Trains.  The Transcontinental Railroad.  The main reason many towns across the mid United Stated exist at all.  Naturally, these towns sprung up on both sides of the tracks and early on people just crossed them to get from one side of town to the other.   However, as towns grew and more tracks were laid, there came a time when it was no longer fitting, and downright dangerous, for people to make their way across the actual tracks. So that is how crossings like the Garfield Street Footbridge came about. You'd think that by now it would be obsolete - a relic of old times.  That everyone going anywhere just goes in a car.  Surprisingly, a good number of people still use this bridge every day.  Most use it as the crossing it was intended to be w... 01/18/2011

(Post #14 in the "Why I Love Laramie" series) The Wyoming Territorial Prison's claim to fame is that it once housed the outlaw Butch Cassidy and other members of his "Hole in the Wall" gang.  The prison was finished in 1872 and held prisoners for offenses that ranged from shoplifting to murder.  When the Wyoming State Penitentiary in Rawlins was completed in 1903, the Wyoming Territorial Prison closed its doors.  Until restoration began in 1989, the prison, outbuildings and grounds were used by the University of Wyoming as an experimental stock farm.  In other words, it became home to cows, sheep and other livestock - even the inside of the prison building itself had animals in it. Fortunately for people who love history, the prison is now fully restored and includes the Horsebarn Theat... 01/16/2011

(Post # 13 in the "Why I Love Laramie" series) The Great Stupa of Dharmakaya                                                                                  The unexpected.  Another reason I love it around here.  When my child's class was scheduled for a field trip to the "Great Stupa", I wondered - "What in the heck is a stupa?"  I looked it up on their website, http://www.shambhalamountain.org/stupa.html, and quickly decided this was a field trip I wanted to go on! It is only about an hour and ten minutes away from Laramie - down Highway 287 into Colorado. I was amazed that this place could exist so close and yet, I knew nothing about it.  A visit there is more than just a day in the mountains surrounded by outdoorsy people. It quickly becomes a tool to glimpse into your own psyche a... 01/15/2011

(Post #12 in the "Why I Love Laramie" series) Wildlife.  I know we don't have an exclusive claim to wildlife in the city, but I still enjoy the animals that do wander in.  These antelope have found themselves in the middle of town because that's where the uncovered grass is.  Most years they just hover around the edge of town or on the golf course, but this year the snow just isn't melting - so here they are.  Resourceful, wouldn't you say?! Do you see them all at first glance?  We didn't!   Why I Love Laramie #1    Why I Love Laramie #2     Why I Love Laramie #3     Why I Love Laramie #4 Why I Love Laramie #5    Why I Love Laramie #6     Why I Love Laramie #7     Why I Love Laramie #8 Why I Love Laramie #9    Why I Love Laramie #10   Why I Love Laramie #11   Why I Love Laramie #12 Why ... 01/14/2011

(Post #11 in the "Why I Love Laramie" series) History.  I hated it in school, but the older I get the more I find the history all around us fascinating.  One could never keep up with it all.  It isn't too difficult however to keep up with local Laramie history by just visiting places around town.  One of those places is the historic Ivinson Mansion.  The Ivinson family was one of the first influential founding families way back when Laramie was barely more than a dusty railroad stop on the high plains.  If you take one of the guided tours of the mansion you'll get a glimpse of what life was like back then, maybe even find out what happened to the fancy dishes when one of the Ivinsons moved out and just where all that beautiful, expensive furniture came from.  So if you find yourself in ... 01/13/2011

(post #10 in the "Why I Love Laramie" series) Predictability.  Some claim to be annoyed by the very idea of it, yet who doesn't take at least some comfort in the mundane and expected.  Things like the practice emergency sirens that startlingly blare at 10:00 a.m. on the first Saturday of every month or even knowing when to switch lanes lane ahead of time so you don't end up in a mandatory turn lane at the next intersection.  Just the other day I realized one of the checkers at a local grocery store had been checking there as long as I had been shopping there -23 years! A predictable friendly face.  And so it is with the wind in Laramie.  You can predict that it will nearly always blow and from which direction.  Annoying?  Yes, often it is.  But the wind in your face is also one of those... 01/12/2011

(post #9 of the "Why I Love Laramie" series) The Whole Foods Market in Fort Collins, 75 minutes away, is usually packed. When I take a day trips to the south its a place I always try to visit.  I love their variety of specialty foods and foods with real ingredients on the label.  But what to do when you want the same thing here?!  Fortunately, Laramie has their own, albeit much smaller, versions.  I said versions on purpose because it is the combination of two little home owned stores - one by private owner, the other by co-op, that gives you enough variety to make it between trips to the giant store to the south. The first , The Whole Earth Grainery, has been around for years and years.  For a huge selection of vitamins, wholistic cures, essential oils,  foriegn packaged foods, nuts, c... 01/11/2011

(Post #8 in the "Why I Love Laramie" series)      Any of you who have seen Sarah Palin's Alaska will know that there are some of us who enjoy the simpler things in life.  Hanging out with our families, the great outdoors, playing on our computers or just renting movies to watch with the kids.  We're the ones that wait six months to see a movie on DVD rather than pay big bucks at the theater. Others may find  us uninspired or even, gasp, dull.  But never fear, there is a place for everybody in this world.  That is why this blog series is titled "Why I love Laramie"..... For every ordinary thing that I love, there will be something completely different that someone else loves.   As such here are some things that other people  love or like to do around here: Attend University of Wyoming sp... 01/10/2011

 (Post #7 in the Why I Love Laramie series) The beauty of Laramie is that we can still be in Wyoming, the least populated state in the U.S., but close enough to escape to the bustle of a city in just a day trip.  This may not sound like much, but in many other parts of Wyoming, going to a mall is a minimum of 3 hours one way!  Whereas we in Laramie can make it over to Cheyenne and our nearest mall in just 50 minutes (on a clear day).  We can do some shopping, even eat at someplace fancy like the Olive Garden, then head over the pass back home and still have hours left in the day.  For a major day trip we can drive just over 2 hours to Denver and spend the day at the Zoo, Museum of Natural History, whatever we want.  It's a real city and the possibilities are endless.  They even have a f... 01/09/2011

(Post #6 in the "Why I Love Laramie" series) The following true story illustrates one of the great advantages of living in a small town: Before my life as a realtor and mom, I used to teach elementary school.  The wonderful little school at which I taught was 40 miles north of Laramie in a town called Rock River.  Most of the teachers who taught there also lived in Laramie. So, an arrangement had been made to have a bus available just for transporting the teachers to and from school.  We met at 7:00 a.m. in the parking lot of the Laramie High School, boarded the bus and off we went.  On the coldest, darkest mornings we kept our cars running until the very moment when the bus arrived. That way we could hop out and scramble on to the sometimes warmed bus with as little exposure to the col... 01/08/2011

(Post #5 in the "Why I Love Laramie" series) Just what does writing a series about "Why I love my Hometown" have to do with realty?  Why everything, of course!  People relocating might pick up a thing or two about what to expect when they move here.  People who already live here might chuckle and relate to the familiar places and happenings.  And anyone else who stumbles onto the blog? ... Hopefully, they'll be mildly entertained.  Beyond the technicalities of the real estate process, consumers also want someone they can relate to, someone they feel they know.  By sharing my perspective, people can learn about Laramie and a little about me in the process.   They can get a peek at my personality, general knowledge and where I stand.  This lets them evaluate from a safe arm's length if I ... 01/07/2011

(Post #4 in the Why I Love Laramie series) Anyone who has been here through one cycle of the seasons knows that spring, which runs from April through June, is wholly unpredictable.  It is the time when we get the most moisture with intermittent bouts of sunshine - just enough to get our hopes up that summer is out there. . .  somewhere.  Why would a snow storm in April, May or June be fun?  It's all about duration and timing - short in duration and timed to melt fast.  When it snows in October, the air is only going to get colder, the days darker and the wind windier. It is novel and fun for awhile but by mid-January the long, cold days make it hard to remember going outside without a coat.   But when it snows in the spring (remember - April, May, June) you know that it is going to melt... 01/06/2011

(Post #3 in the Why I Love Laramie  series) One of the nearest places to go for some foresty pine-smelling air is Vedauwoo.   Spelling it is way harder than saying it - "vee duh voo".  The word comes from an angelicized version of an Arapaho Indian word that means earthborn.   You can see how all the giant boulders look like they were, indeed, thrown up from, or born from the earth.  It is only about 18 miles east of Laramie just north of and accessible from Interstate I-80.  A word of warning to the fair hearted though - it is not for small children if you hope to relax by the campfire while the kids roam and play.  There are rocks and boulders everywhere so plan on spending most of your time following the kids around preventing them from falling off the rocks they WILL climb on.  I'd ... 01/05/2011

(Part 2 of the Why I love Laramie series) Another thing I love about Laramie is that we have AMAZING hailstorms.  It may sound funny but by the time we get a hailstorm we know that summer is finally around the corner.  The storms come on fast and furious, shaking the whole house with the wind gusting and the hailstones pinging off the windows.  At our house, we are always drawn to an open door so we can hear the full fury of the storm.  Hail bounces everywhere, clogging the downspouts until the hail rolls off the roof and the water in the street gutters rapidly rises.  Then before you know it blue sky peeks through the edge of the storm as it rolls on to another location. Whoops, we should have waited to plant those flowers! Can you believe that sky!  Amazing! Why I Love Laramie #1    W... 01/04/2011

Things I LOVE about my hometown - Laramie, Wyoming  I did it!  I found my voice.  My current blogging mission is to highlight what I love about my hometown of Laramie, Wyoming!  I'd do it in a countdown from the top ten, however - that would take too much organization and forethought for me.  So...  If you haven't discovered the University of Wyoming Geological Museum by now, then you probably won't.  It was "officially" closed to the public a year and a half ago, but is unofficially open on some Saturdays and by private arrangement.  So even though it would take some effort and detective work to find a time to get in, it is still one of the places I love in Laramie.                              Why I Love Laramie #1    Why I Love Laramie #2     Why I Love Laramie #3     Why I Love Lara... 01/03/2011

Information gathered from the energy audit will be used to determine energy efficiency, retrofitting and weatherization projects using funds from the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants (EECBG). Retrofitting projects will include air infiltration, energy efficient windows and doors, insulation levels, weather-stripping and caulking, and electric base loads.   Using its EECBG formula funding to retrofit and improve the energy efficiency of a number of it's municipal buildings that will result in substantial reduction in energy usage. EECBG Formula grants can be used for energy efficiency and conservation programs and projects community wide, as well as renewable energy installations on local municipal buildings, city facilities, local city and county government buildings. EEC... 03/20/2010