Keystone | CamilyWand

Beautiful Snow Frosting the Rocky Mountains was our Mothers Day gift this year in Colorado! It was a wet snowman kind of snow – just what we need in the springtime!

What a Mothers Day Gift from Mother Nature herself! I couldn’t resist sharing this photo from my friend Linda, as my tulips in Colorado Springs haven’t quite woken up yet! We have such a gorgeous frosting of snow in the mountains and on the front range, providing us with much needed moisture. May flowers love it; we wait to plant or cover our vegetation during our occasional frosty evenings.

This past weekend I’ve was a homebody, like I used to be when growing up in Wisconsin during the cold months. We would put together jigsaw puzzles, knit or sew, work on scrapbooks, have fires in the fireplace, roast marshmallows, bake cookies, and in general hunker down during those times. It’s strange to do that in May in Colorado, however it happens often here at odd times. Many years we have had blizzards that can and do leave feet of snow along the front range of the Rocky Mountains. This snow had enough moisture to make great snowmen!

In my home, I keep my Silhouette® window shadings covering the glass for insulation and enjoy the view through the sheers. It helps with energy savings and I still see the budding bulbs and perennial flowers that can withstand the frosts. Many of the Hunter Douglas Shadings have similar properties where readers may enjoy views, insulation and partial privacy at the same time. They have side openings, which allows for part of their energy efficiency.

Those same side openings allow bugs and debris to enter the shading, because they love the sunlight and warmth. Those pesky insects often die in those openings and need to be removed. That is WHY we developed our CamilyWand™ Sticky Bug Removal Tool™ to preserve your views and investment in your shadings. It is an easy to use, safe tool, made of an extension pole and a sticky CamilyTip on the end. It “grabs” the insects from the spaces between the vanes to easily keep your shades clear of debris. One Silhouette® owner commented that it “is a brilliant” tool. What a nice compliment~~~

We at CamilyWand™ hope you’re enjoying your Springtime fun and are safe!

Ski season is starting in Colorado! Bring on the snow for the skiers who flock to Colorado and for the water to fill the aquifers that supply water to us coloradans. We got a nice fall snow storm in the Colorado Rocky Mountains this past November weekend, to help signal the start of ski season. People will travel from all over the world to enjoy our snow and winter time.

If you are traveling to Telluride in the San Juan mountains, or Aspen, Beaver Creek and Vail in the central Colorado Rockies, and the many other ski resorts, you’ll find many things to do besides skiing. There are other snow sports and activities, such as ice skating and snowboarding, educational opportunities and shopping. Each town is different and has developed its own style, so it is fun to check out other areas when you’re in Colorado. Some resorts have opportunities to take chair lifts to the top of the mountains even if you’re not a skier. The views up there are spectacular and make you feel like you’re at the top of the world. That’s always the greatest feeling whichever mountain you’re visiting.

There are beautiful hotels, condominiums, bed and breakfast inns and many other places to stay after a hard day of skiing. Some are actually on the slopes of the resorts. Ski in or ski out right at your door is a favorite thing to do. Apres ski parties and dinners are always special.

Hotels and condominiums are often beautifully decorated. They use top of the line furnishings and window shadings to take advantage of views. You’ll see Silhouette® window shadings, shutters and wood blinds on many of the windows. Some rooms will have Pirouettes®, Luminettes®, Nantuckets™, Vignettes® or Shangri-La shadings to cover their windows. To protect the window shading investments, we have invented our CamilyWand Sticky Bug Removal Tool™ to remove bugs and debris from the tubular spaces between the vanes. These upscale window shadings deserve to be maintained to keep them from becoming stained from bug spots and other unactractive insects. The shadings filter the light, give you a view and insulation at the same time and soften the light in your rooms. They attract bugs during certain times of the year and the bugs aren’t able to get out of the shadings. Our CamilyWand™ will remove them easily and safely to protect your shadings, keeping your shading investment looking like new.

You’ll have the opportunity to enjoy decorating and design in a different way at the ski resorts. Regardless of which town you visit, you’ll find interesting architecture and retail offerings that often differ by the specific town. Vail is the most european of them all, with a Swiss/Austrian mountain look throughout the downtown. Many of the shops have adopted that feel and offer european items for sale. Breckenridge is more rustic, somewhat of an old mining atmosphere in my opinion. They have a fantastic ice sculpture show in the middle of winter, where ice carving artists from all over the world hone their craft in amazing art works. Beaver Creek is a newer area, upscale as well. Aspen draws musicians in the summer to the Aspen Music Festival and is famous for the celebrities who visit and live there. Each town is unique, offers special and fun events for everyone, along with the skiing emphasis. They are all fun to visit and worth a trip to Colorado.

If you’ve never been here, the majesty of the mountains is breathtaking. When you move west from the eastern plains and the front range of Colorado, majesty awaits wherever you look. Besides the ski slopes, we have the huge Lake Dillon and Grand Lake, many rivers and streams which attract fishermen and boaters. Those lakes are nestled in the mountains. The Keystone resort is close to Lake Dillon, so you can take advantage of the water views one day and skiing the next. Steamboat Springs is nearer the Grand Lake area; both are interesting and fun to visit.

We look forward to a great snow season, bringing white powder snow to the mountains and water for the rest of the state. Winter will bring magical beauty, frosting our green mountain forests with snow and gorgeous views. We hope you’ll be able to see it and enjoy it as much as those of us who love living here.