The Puppy has Landed
Aug/099
Tara, our red sable German Shepherd Dog
I’d like you all to meet Tara, our new German Shepherd. After waiting eight long months for the right puppy, we got this gorgeous little girl from Von Gluckhaus Kennels in Paonia, Colorado. Paonia is less than five hours from Denver, but the husband and I opted to make this a two-day trip, as the drive would take us through some of Colorado’s prime fly fishing territory.
Crystal Mill, Crystal, Colorado
After taking The Boss to his Mamaw’s house, we left Denver and headed to Glenwood Springs, Colorado and then went south toward Marble, Colorado. We camped at the Bogan Flats Campground, which is at the base of McClure Pass, just four miles outside of Marble. Our campsite was on the Crystal River, with our tent about 10 yards from the river. We found it’s called the Crystal River for good reason – the water was perfectly clear and pristine – and had an abundance of large Trout. This area is also the home of the famed Crystal Mill, one of Colorado’s most photographed locations.
We got to camp and I immediately put my fly line in the water and I caught a beautiful, 14-inch Rainbow Trout. Much to the dismay of a die-hard Red Wings fan at the next campsite over, I released this beauty back into the river…gotta stick it to Red Wings fans any chance I get! Go Avs! But, I digress…. We fished until dark, went to bed, then got up at 5:30 am and fished until noon. As much as we hated to leave the beautiful scenery and great fishing, it was time to pick up our much anticipated puppy.
The Husband setting up camp...in his Chacos.
We headed over McClure pass and rolled into Paonia. In addition to being home to Von Gluckhaus Kennels, Paonia is also home to Chaco. And, if you stop by the Chaco warehouse, which is just outside of town, you can shop the “funkies” – returned and new Chaco sandals, all priced at a mere $10. If you go, here is a helpful tip: walk into this place in a pair of Chacos, not Crocs. I wasn’t thrown out mind you, but I got more than one raised eyebrow while walking around in my University of Texas Crocs.
We finally got to Von Gluckhaus Kennels and picked up Tara. We did our research before selecting the breed of dog we were going to bring home, and the GSD had all the attributes we wanted. And, upon first meeting Tara, she did not disappoint. Intelligent, self confident, and inquisitive, she was exactly what we were looking for in a dog. It was important to me that this newest member of our family have a strong and dignified name. The German Shepherd Dog is one of the best protection dogs there is, and will guard her home and family to the death if threatened. This being the case, I picked the name Tara because she is the Goddess of Peace and Protection.
The Boss & Tara
Tara got very sick less than a week after we brought her home. I want to thank Dr. Sharon Eckert, DVM at Alameda East Veterinary Hospital for taking such wonderful care of our baby girl – not to mention Tara’s distressed family. After being treated for a nasty bacterial infection and spending one night in the hospital, Tara came home as good as new.
You can expect to see many, many pictures of Tara here in the months and years to come!
Fish & Fonts – The Story behind Angler
Jul/090
I’m often asked how I came up with the names of Family Plaque’s text styles. The answer is less than glamorous: I locked myself in the office until I figured them out. And, although I’m emotionally attached to them all because of that, one stands out above the others: Angler.
When my husband and I moved to Colorado in 2001, I took to fly fishing like a duck to water. Now, I grew up Bass fishing in the Ozarks with my dad, but I’ve got to tell you, nothing compares to fly fishing for Trout. It requires a lot of patience, technique and passion – and love. You have to love it to be able to put so much work into catching (and releasing) a Trout. So, that day I locked myself in the office, I took one look at the list of fonts before me and the one that became Angler was a no brainer. Looking at the pictures below, I think you’ll see why:
A beautiful fly cast creates the "F" in our Angler text style.
Angler would become Family Plaque’s signature font and most popular text style, and for good reason. The lines are clean and smooth, just like a great fly cast.
All our text styles have a special place in my heart, but just as Bass fishing can’t compare to Trout fishing, nothing compares to Angler.
Roxanne, releasing what was surely a large and impressive Trout, on the waters of the Miracle Mile, Colorado.