My Uncle Dave, Aunt Ally, and cousin Chris moved to the great state of Colorado in June. We've had a fabulous fun time hanging out with them! We spent the 4th of July at their place, and despite the fact that our BBQ got rained out and we cooked the burgers and dogs on the stove-top, we had such a fun time.
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| Dora on the way to Uncle Dave's - There's too much wind, mom! |
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| That's better. How come Bill doesn't want to be in the picture? Too bad! |
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| Yummy patriotic cake that Aunt Ally made |
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| Uncle Dave made a valiant effort to grill our dinner - but got soaked in the process. |
Chris and I have been seeking adventure together, since I have some free time during the week. One week we hiked at Devil's Backbone:
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| Vista of Devil's Backbone |
Devil's Backbone is a portion of a long open-space trail in the Longmont area (north of where we live, between here and Fort Collins) which has these amazing rock formations that resemble the spine of a dragon. The scenery, paired with the heat of the unshaded trail, makes its title seem very appropriate. We hiked about 6 miles that day before it got too warm. It was Dora's longest hike to date, and I could tell toward the end of the hike that she was on a mission to get back to the car! Gone was the puppy who zig-zagged along the trail, sniffing every scent and bounding through the tall grasses...now she was bee-lining it for the trail head without so much as a look back to make sure I was following. :)
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| Dora posing at the Devil's Backbone keyhole |
It doesn't happen very often that I can actually wear that pup out. She's a never ending fount of energy!
The following week, we had another adventure - but this time, it was more concrete than wilderness.
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| Chris posing at One Mile Above Seal Level on the Capitol Building steps |
We decided to spend the day in downtown Denver, which is a different kind of hiking. We must have walked at least 4 miles that day through the concrete jungle. I took Chris, a fellow book-lover, to the Tattered Cover - a fantastic old bookstore which is a landmark in Denver. We made long lists of books we want to read, but only left with one which we are sharing custody of. I've since finished it and sent it on for its stay with its other owner.
Next, we walked along the 16th Street Mall, a pedestrian strip of shops, restaurants, street performers, and the largest concentration of Starbucks we have ever experienced. We had lunch at the Paramount Cafe - delectable Falafel Pitas with Red Pepper Hummus and fries (the sweet potato fries are to die for, but Chris does not agree).
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| Nom Nom Nom |
After lunch, we continued down the 16th Street Mall and ended up at the Capitol, where we attempted to sneak our way into the dome. Alas, it was locked and heavily guarded by polo-shirt clad volunteers. Boo.
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| The Capitol Building |
After exploring the interior of the Capitol and making fun of all the Presidential portraits, we crossed the grassy knoll and ended up at the Denver Art Museum.
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| Chris was swept away by the awesomeness of the Denver art scene |
The King Tut exhibit is visiting Denver right now, so the museum was packed with grannies and school-aged children, but we were not interested in Tut. We started out exploring the American and European art, then tooled through the Asian art, then because we were bored we went straight to Contemporary art for the good stuff!
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| "Fox Games" at the Denver Art Museum |
We both thoroughly enjoyed the Contemporary art, whether truly appreciating it or making fun of it. That's what Contemporary art is all about!
After wearing ourselves out walking around the Denver Art Museum, we headed back to the 16th Street Mall to refresh ourselves with, you guessed it, Starbucks.
What a great day! We came back home and had a wonderful steak and potato dinner with some refreshing Colorado micro-brews.
In just a couple days, we are going to be blessed with a visit from two of my most favorite people in the world, and we will have LOTS of adventures with them. Stay tuned! It's only just begun!
