Climbers

Climbers have to navigate through the boulder field before getting to the base of the tower. We saw two climbers who were half way up the tower.

Devils Tower

Hiking around Devils Tower early in the morning made for a quiet time to enjoy this wonder of nature.

Little Boy

Waiting For the Parade
By Donna Pelton

Swing

Twist in Time
By James Haire

Hands

Synergy by Joe Price
These sculptures are in downtown Sheridan, WY.

Saturn and Titan

Sunflower and Iris Vase

Assuming the Position

While Dan was golfing in Sheridan, WY, I explored the downtown area and found many beautiful statues. This one is in honor of all you fishermen.

LuLu's Cafe

Breakfast at LuLu's Cafe in Sheridan, WY, was a delicious gourmet experience. YUM

CA Country

While in CA, Dan and I took a “day trip” to visit a special bakery that we had remembered having yummy pastries in the town of Healdsburg. This bakery is across the street from the town square where there are several impressive redwood trees. Along the way we saw some beautiful CA vineyards.

Party Goers

These party goers include: Micah and Karen, Dan, and Harry and Mary's grandsons, Harrison and Kadin.

Table Decorations

Micah and Jim Mello (my niece and her husband and I had fun making table decorations for the big party, a Hawaiian theme.

50th Anniversary

Harry and Mary celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in August. Dan and I flew out to CA and stayed with them for a week. There were 3 large fruit bouquets for the party along with yummy appetizers.

Sleepy Brothers

Kiss

Noah, Ryder’s big brother, gave Ryder his first of many kisses when we went to visit at the hospital the day after Ryder was born.

David's 70th

David Eckersley, our good friend and Dan’s fishing buddy, turned 70 in July. Happy Birthday, David! Jan, his wife, had a surprise party for him.

Mellow Fellow

What a mellow fellow. Ryder was born on July 28, 2011, weighing in at 8# 5 oz. Proud parents are Jeremy and Stephanie.

Ryder Thomas Heismann

These pictures were taken after Ryder had nursed and had his first bath about 2 hours after he was born.

St. Elmo

We traveled further west and ended up at St. Elmo, a Colorado ghost town, built in 1878. Gold and silver brought many people to this area.

Hot Springs

We took a "day trip" and drove the car to the Hot Springs located west of Buena Vista. We did not stop to swim, maybe when the weather is cooler it will be more inviting. The colorful flowers, located in front of the lodge, are a welcome site for visitors.

Traeger

While shopping in Denver last week, we saw this grill/smoker and decided it was perfect for us. Dan has used it almost everyday since we brought it home. It uses pellets and has an easy on/off dial that displays the temperature.

Bench Building

Dan has started the building of the bench, located in the mudroom. Yes, he is sitting down on the job.

Cards and Conversations

While Gus and Nancy were here, we taught them the card game that we play about once a week with our neighbor, Jan. Concentration and different strategies are needed when playing this variation of rummy. We had lots of good conversations in between card games.

Move It to the Left

While Gus and Nancy were here, they helped us hang some of our art. "How does it look? It is too high. Move it to the left. Hand me the level. Where is the hammer?" and other phrases were heard during this process. These pictures will be enjoyed while sitting at the kitchen counter.

Beautiful Plant

This beautiful plant, a bromeliad, was a house warming gift from Gus and Nancy.

wood

Last week we took the Ford pickup and drove to Denver to get lumber for the built ins for the master bedroom. Someday Dan will start working on this project.

Weed or Flower

This splash of color is what we see when we look out the kitchen window.

Hike

On Wednesday I joined 12 other hikers from the Canyonland Hikers and Walkers for a hike on Booger Hill located off of Hwy 9 west of Canon City. It was a beautiful day in Colorado.

Lunch in Bailey

We enjoyed lunch with Gus and Nancy at the local restaurant in Bailey. It was a pleasant surprise to see Matt & Rosie Vuxinic and their two granddaughters at the "Chips" cafe.

new puppy

On our way home form Golden, we stopped to see Gus and Nancy in Bailey. This cute puppy belongs to the Groves. Colton and Alex get taller and cuter every time we see them.

Shelves

Shelves! These garage shelves will help us get organized around here.

Windows

In the evening we open up all of the windows to let in the cool Colorado air. And in the morning they are closed to keep in the cool air during the day. Dan is closing the windows in the clere story. We are happy to have a cool house (71 degrees) while it is in the 90’s outside.

area rug

Last week we went on a shopping trip to the Springs and found this area rug. It is in Dan's room and we think the colors go well with the furniture that is in here. It helps eliminate the moving of the chairs on the cement floor.

Shades

Shades were installed today. Green in Dan's room, chocolate in the Master Bedroom, and cinnamon in the other rooms. Two black out shades, one in the master bedroom on the east wall and one in Dan's room on the west window, will help to keep the house cool during hot summer days.