MERRY CHRISTMAS

MERRY CHRISTMAS

and

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM COLORADO!

Jerry Eller's 2023 Christmas Card

Another unbelievable and amazing year! If you've paid attention to my Christmas Cards in prior years you would know I've changed what I start out writing every year!!! ;)

Ended 2022 with a great trip to Taos New Mexico & an awesome Christmas party at my Mom's assisted living with Marcia!

Had the awesome privilege of representing our American Legion with Jay by giving $500 to Pueblo West parks & recreation for the Christmas Season! My buddy Michael was here after Christmas & into the new year, we went skiing to Taos, Winter Park & Crested Butte for his first time at all 3! Have to check out the awesome video of us at: https://youtu.be/xFbfoZ3D2ls

Had the chance to take the greatest fisherman ever skiing for his first time in years! Chris had a blast & loved every minute of our time at Copper Mountain! I was pretty impressed for someone that hadn't skied in a while but stick to fishing Chris! ;)

Sad day for our American Legion Post 207, Curtis Larson passed away. :( He was a fireman, past commander of our post, loving husband & father as well as an American hero!

Got to have an awesome lunch with my Mom, Margaret, Doug & said farewell to Denise who decided to move to Tennessee. :(

Another beautiful International Snow Sculpting Championship arrived at Breckenridge again but sadly have to say like a lot of other things in our world, it's just not the same since covid. :(

So Chris took my advice to stick with fishing & in February started to add hunting with it too & called it blasting & casting! Again, another success with master angler! :) If you want to go blasting & casting with Chris let me know or contact him at SOCO Fishing Buddies in Pueblo West CO!

Got some great winter golf in with the Karin & Marcia & continued with the awesome skiing!

Michael came back again in February for the 10th Mountain Division annual Ski In. Always a good time to ski Vail, Copper, Breckenridge & the famed Cooper Ski Hill where it all started during World War II.

Even if this pic is from Vail in the 60's! lol

Saw an amazing herd of elk last winter! Lost count at 300 or so!

In March had the most awesome Spring break ever! Went to Laughlin NV for a week & played golf with the best bunch of guys ever, Jim, Joe, Lee, Jim, Bob, Whitney, Jerry, Bear, Don, Chuck, Al, Frank & another 20 guys I don't have pictures with!

The golf wasn't that good but the gambling was! :)

And so was the drive out, first time I'd been to Petrified Forest National Park & Meteor Crater in Arizona!

Had an amazing Easter at the Royal Gorge Bridge for their annual Sunrise service!

Spring finally sprung! Had the awesome privilege of representing our American Legion post along with Alan & giving out our annual ROTC scholarship awards at Pueblo West High School!

Summer always starts out a sizzling! For once I didn't start out fishing with the master angler, Chris because he got the band back together and mister ski stud, caster blaster is just as good on the keyboards & lead guitar than any other musician! On This Day, in my opinion, is one of the best 80's band in Colorado! ;)

Summer brought out some great golf with Bob, Ed, Mark, Matt, Wes, Ron & even ran into one of my old college buddies I hadn't seen in decades, Todd!

End of Summer & Fall brought out tournament time! I didn't win as much money as last year but I did win an individual Mulligan tournament in our Men's Club & my partner Phil & I took second in a 3 day Memorial tournament! :)

One of my favorite tournaments of the year is the Annual Red White & Blue golf tournament our American Legion Post puts together with the Pueblo West Chamber of Commerce. Always nice to get the ol grizzled Vets together for a photo, Roy, Dan, Jay, Jack, Ray and Ray!

Put another awesome team together, JJ, Tim & Guy but could only muster up a 2nd place finish again for the 2nd year in a row. :( Had a great time though, thank you Kwik Stop for sponsoring us and the minor league hockey team, the Pueblo Bulls for helping out with the tournament!

Got tired of the silverware laying around the house collecting dust so.... ;)

Saw some incredible concerts in the Fall, Nile Rodgers & Chic, Pat Benatar at the State Fair & Duran Duran at Red Rocks who were simply amazing, one of the best concerts ever!

My O's were having the best season ever so took a quick trip to Boston to see them play! Never been there or to Fenway so had to go. Stopped over to Salem, the home of Monopoly, the Nation's 1st National Guard in 1636, the witch trials & ...

Caught up with my ol pal Trevor Story & got to see him hit another home run again!

Made friends with the French Canadian Red Sox fans sitting behind me!

But it just wasn't enough to over come Gunnar's home run & the Oriole machine! Great game but crappy end of a great season. :( Next year! :)

My mom had a busy year! Was a finalist in the Southern Colorado annual Silver Queen pageant, she should have won but didn't but was very honored & loved it as well as Cindy, Kim, Ryan & Kendra did too! Her assisted living facility has a car show every year, so I detailed out her Lincoln Continental & showed it off! :)

Have been wanting to go to the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenseburg for years & finally got to go! It is an amazing place & so much better than a zoo, if you haven't been you need to go! It is a mile & 1/2 walk over some of the most beautiful & healthy animals you will ever see!

Bought a new car so thought I'd take a nice trip through the mountains! Went to Aspen, Crested Butte & back home, simply BEAUTIFUL!

On November 7th, 2023, a Tuesday, gorgeous outside, perfectly sunny about 70 degrees with slight breezes on occasion out of the Southwest. It was about 10:30ish in the morning, Lenny & Mike had already tee'd off on the 105 yd par 3, hole number 4 at beautiful Elmwood golf course. I grabbed my approach wedge (52 degrees) & waited for Bob to finish another corny story that I've heard a 100 times before, threw my Maxfli 2 on the nicely groomed & cut tee box & rolled the ball up to where I wanted it with my wedge. Settled my feet, body & hands where I wanted them & swung. I knew right away that I hit exactly how I wanted to off the club head but as it was flying I was like, ugh that's short. Much to my amazement & surprise, this happened! ;)

Got some hunting in with Frank & Derick but no catching. :( For some reason it never seems to matter when you're hunting and you catch something or you don't? :)

Amanda & I celebrated our 20th anniversary by seeing Trans Siberian Orchestra! 20 years since we'd seen each other! lol She had never seen them before & loved it!

Had an awesome Thanksgiving with my Mom, got a few ski days in already at Copper & Breckenridge but the best skiing in Colorado right now is at Vail! PRAY FOR SNOW!!!

On December 17th my Mom turned 90, wow. :)

May the celebration of His Birth bring you and yours the love, peace and happiness only He can provide!