Monday, June 26, 2017

Shop Helper

The Keppy's headed down once again to our place to pick up kids from camp!!  They arrived Thursday late afternoon with the hopes of heading out on a hike and having a picnic while we babysat Gwyn - but it wasn't to be as the weather was cool and windy!!  They ended up having a picnic in our camper - better than nothing I guess..............

Friday afternoon Jaime and Jessi headed over to pick up the 3 kids from camp - Rayna and a friend of hers along with Gwyn were here for our dinner and later 3 dirty kids came in after having a good time at LVR Camp!

Since we've seen Gwyn the last 3 weekends, it will be tough  not seeing her for a while!!

 She had a ball playing on the swings, sandbox and slide but also enjoyed helping Papa on the shop by sweeping!!  Papa said he would sweep the dirt into a pile and she would spread it all around!


 Kenzie had some fun with play dough Saturday morning!!

 And soon it was time for them to leave once again.............  We've sure enjoyed having them around!


Thursday, June 22, 2017

Marshall Pass Camping

After our company left Sunday afternoon, we hurried around and finished packing the camper and headed out!!  Our destination was Taylor Reservoir but we didn't end up getting there - after driving into Buena Vista and heading out towards the pass, there was a large sign that said it was closed at the top.  DARN!  No idea why but we turned around and decided to go over to Poncho Springs and camp around Marshall Pass which turned out to be an excellent idea!

Glenn said there were some nice camping spots down by the stream so we headed that way just as we saw the sign - no turn around for large rigs!!  Oh no!!!  Of course the spots he was thinking of were all taken and I was beginning to panic, wondering how we would ever get the truck, 5th wheel and ATV trailer turned around when we saw a road to the left and a huge campsite below.  Good thing Glenn is an excellent driver because the turn to the left was very sharp onto a small wooden bridge - I think I shut my eyes not wanting to see the trailer hit the wooden bridge but it all worked out fine!!

We set up camp and relaxed the rest of the evening - Glenn even set up a hummingbird stand made out of a long branch and I put out our new feeder (which we keep in the camper) and immediately we had hummingbirds - they sure were fun to watch the next couple of days!

Bright and early we were up and headed out the door to ride - it was pretty cool out in the morning but by afternoon we were down to our t-shirts!!

We still found plenty of snow at the higher elevations - in fact, we were the first ones on several trails and had to break through the snow!!


Saw some gorgeous country - nothing like seeing it from the back of the ATV!!!

In all of our years of ATVing we had never seen this - on two different trails but in the same area, there were 2 pickups that were almost over the edge of the trail!!!  One had hit a tree and the other one was up against a tree - kind of strange - did their brakes give out or did Bigfoot suddenly emerge out of the forest and scare them???  Ha Ha!!

This is one of our favorite places to stop for lunch - and this year there was a grave stone up there - I'm sure someones' ashes are scattered and what better place than high up with a view like this!!

Glenn wanted to hike down in a forested canyon and I said I would go with him - that wasn't a wise choice - we no sooner headed down than the mosquitoes attacked (yes, lots of snow  and standing water)  We were in jeans of course and I luckily still had my sweatshirt on so I pulled up the hood and held it tight with one hand so just a little portion of my face showed and my hand - darn it if those mosquitoes didn't get my hand not once but twice!!!!  Poor Glenn was doing the wave with his hand as he just had on a t-shirt!!  We finally gave up and hiked back up to the ATV and hightailed it out of there!!


Now this lake is called Mosquito Lake - but luckily there weren't a lot of those buggers around!!

Our last evening I told Glenn I wanted to do an evening ride and go see the big boulders on this one trail that we had seen a couple years ago - we headed out and had a great ride until we hit the trail we needed.  There was a LONG batch of water that we had to get through which wasn't a problem as it wasn't too deep but as we rounded the corner and started up, the water had come over the creek and was gushing down the trail!  We went a little ways and I said NO MORE - it was just too scary and who knows what was around the next corner!!  Luckily there was a place to turn around and we headed out of there!!  Guess we both forgot about the spring mountain run off!!

All in all 2 great days of riding!! 


Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Fathers Day

What a whirlwind day!!  The Keppys' had arrived the night before (after visiting Jaime's to see their new place and have dinner with them) to spend the night since they were taking Evan and Kenzie to Lutheran Valley Retreat for Bible Camp on Sunday!  AND it happened to be the weekend that Joleen and Becca's family were in town for a short vacation and staying in a VRBO home not very far away!

Jessi and I cooked up a nice breakfast for the guys and then it was on to opening gifts!!  Glenn received a cute fishing plaque from the Savages and a nice pair of water shoes from the Keppys (picture didn't turn out of that gift!!)

 I gave Glenn a coupon for a ;massage next week and cash for a new toy - yet to be determined but probably a kayak.

Soon Joleen and Becca's family arrived and we all enjoyed a great meal together!!  Here's a picture of the kids!  Kayden is just a year older than Evan and Kylan - Sophie is a year older than Kenzie - so they all had a great time playing together!

 We enjoyed sitting on the front deck and enjoying the great weather!!

 Riley and Rayna sitting with the guys!


 After the Smiths arrived, we served up brownies and ice cream!!

What a great Fathers Day for all of us!! 

Friday, June 16, 2017

Our SPECIAL Outing

I'm so glad I live in the mountains where it's a lot cooler than down in the Springs!  After parking and walking a little ways, we figured out it was HOT out and the girls couldn't wait to get to our destination - Olde Tyme Photography!!

 I knew the girls would have fun dressing up in long gowns with all the trimmings and having their picture taken!  They looked through a book first and decided what type of dress they wanted and then the gal suggested they pretend they were having tea for the picture which was perfect!!


 The girls were SO CUTE!!  I wish I could have taken a picture after they got their petticoats and hats and gloves and earrings on but it wasn't allowed!!

The photographer told the girls that in the "olden" days, nobody smiled and everyone was quite solemn.  So that's the picture that each one of them chose to take home!

 But of course I LOVE smiles and chose one for myself that shows their personality!

 It was a fun time for the girls and after driving back up to Woodland Park, the girls got smoothies and I got a frappe and we headed to the playpark for a while!

 The girls did the hot tub again that evening and even packed their bags so they would have more time to play the next morning!!

All too soon, Tuesday morning came and we had to take our final pictures before we headed to Co. Springs to meet Jessi!


 Don't you just love how they have their "American Girl" dolls set in the seat for the ride down the pass!

 We met Jessi, Evan and Gwyn at Caribou Coffee - the kids got smoothies (again!!) and Jessi and I had our wonderful turtle mochas - even at a bargain price of 2 for $5 since I had signed up for the perks reward the night before!!  As usual, Gwyn was excited to see me and it was sure hard to say goodbye to all of them!

But the Keppy's are headed down again this weekend to take kids to LVR Camp so I'll get to see them soon!

What a great 3 days with Aleah and Kenzie - always fun!!

Thursday, June 15, 2017

Summer Fun at Nana and Papa's

Along with all the fun is the one chore I make the grand kids do - pick up pine cones for fire starters!  The girls decided they wanted to get it done and over with so they donned gloves and headed out to get it accomplished!!  One bag apiece - and they did it in record time!

 Next on our list was making banana blueberry muffins - the girls enjoyed mixing it all together!

 Snack time is always 3 times a day - mid morning, afternoon and evening!!  Aleah's favorite snack is fresh fruit cut up with marshmallows (miniature) and a toothpick to stab it!

 After the muffins were baked, we took two over to the neighbors as I needed to return a bowl and it was on the way for our walk!  She has a studio set up downstairs and the girls got to try it out!!


 That afternoon they handed me these notes - now isn't that the sweetest thing ever!!!!  Doesn't get any better than that!!

 Besides the hot tub, their favorite thing to do was swing!!  They spent a lot of time down by the rocks swinging and just playing!  Great outdoor fun!

 Evening time in the hot tub, showers and fruit bars all before bedtime - it was hard to get everything done!!

 Monday we headed into Woodland Park for lunch at Burger King - guess you're never too old to wear a crown!!

And then it was off to Manitou Springs for their "special" thing to do which I kept a surprise!!

To be cont'd...................

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Aleah and Kenzie's Summer Trip To The Mountains

Can it already be time to have the "girls" and the "boys" down to Nana's and Papa's?  YES!! 

We had to get it on the calendar as the summer always seems way too short and the girls were up first this year!  I wanted to see Parker play in one of his soccer games so headed up to Ft. Collins on a Friday late morning and STILL the traffic was awful............3 hours and 40 minutes later I finally made it to Jill's house!

I enjoyed watching Parker play on Saturday morning!


By noon, Aleah and I were headed to Denver to meet Jessi who was delivering Kenzie to me!  Traffic delays AGAIN but we finally connected and the two girls and I headed west!

Our first stop was at Jaime and Brad's place as the girls were excited to see it!  Rayna and Kylan showed the girls the house in amongst all the boxes!!


Then it was off to the ice cream place - can you tell the girls are hot?

 We picked up pizza for dinner as I sure didn't want to start cooking when I got home!  Later on the girls had Papa's popcorn while they watched some TV before bedtime!

 Sunday morning was bright and sunny!  They both requested their initials for their pancakes! I'm not sure why Aleah's turned out so big and Kenzie's so small???  But I wasn't cooking - Papa was!

 The girls couldn't wait to get in the hot tub that morning and since the sun doesn't get around to it till after lunch, it's the perfect time to get in without getting sunburned!  After they got out, it was Hat Hot Chocolate time!  I thought the girls would have fun trying on some of our hats so they each tried on them all and I had fun snapping pictures!!




And it was also fun reminiscing where all of these hats came from!!!

To be cont'd.........................

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

First ATV Ride Of The Season

I've been chomping at the bit to go ATVing and after our 3 day trip was cancelled due to the concrete pouring, I was hoping we could get away for just a couple of hours somewhere local!

So Tuesday mid-morning after getting the wire cut and the boards all set for the next pour, we headed over to the burn area for a couple hours ride!  It felt so good to be on the back of that ATV and out in nature!

 It's still sad to see all of the dead trees where the Hayman Fire went through! 

 Everything is turning green - FINALLY - and it was a great ride!!  EXCEPT for the fact every time I had to brace myself (which is the easiest to do with your legs), my knees hurt!  I've been having trouble with them for a couple of months now and I sure hope it's just a passing thing and nothing serious! 

We stopped for a quick lunch at a high point and immediately the wind kicked up and we could see all the darkening clouds!  Time to head to the truck - fast!!


 We got to the truck in plenty of time but soon hit rain and hail!!  And I mean LOTS of hail!!  This is the back road into our subdivision!  I love the contrast between the road and the green trees!

 And this is what it looked like at the house!  You can imagine what it did to Glenn's garden!

 A great first ride and now looking forward to the next!