At the top of Breckenridge ski resort, just off the Colorado Trail,  with a stern warning sign

Last weekend Jude and I decided to go for a long hike from Copper Mountain to Breckenridge on the Colorado Trail. I have been wanting to do a long hike on our state trail and Jude agreed to come with me. It was 13.5 miles and about 3,000 vertical feel so not quite as hard as a 14er but it was a tough hike nonetheless.

Anna had four friends spend the night over last Friday night, it was actually our anniversary (we realized after saying yes to the sleepover). Anna had a blast, meanwhile Marcy, Jude and I had a delicious sushi dinner to celebrate our anniversary.

This weekend Jude started back up his refereeing career. He had three games for eight and nine year old kids and enjoyed it. Plus he gets paid good money now that he is a fully qualified referee.

Anna in her new basement bedroom

Anna decided to move her bedroom to the basement this week. She wanted her own space and more privacy and so she has her own bedroom and bathroom and really her own floor of the house. She is loving it and spent a lot of this weekend moving clothes and her accessories down here.

The 2020 covid look

This weekend marked the start of both the Premier League and the NFL, so Jude spent a good many hours in front of the TV this weekend. But he spent a good amount of time at the park as well as soccer practice, not to mention refereeing, so he was outside quite a bit too.

Olive hanging out on the couch

The red sun appears through the smoke at sunrise

With fires burning in Colorado we had a very smoky start to the week. Every day this week was in the high 90s until Friday and so we had to keep the windows closed and the a/c running. But we actually had our first rain in weeks and the smoke cleared and we actually saw our first blue skies which was so nice. And I was able to do a run around Wash Park run for the first time in several weeks.

Anna showing off her handiwork in my office

We had a pretty quiet weekend with nothing much scheduled. Marcy did have a Ridhwan weekend and Jude had soccer practice on Friday night and Sunday morning but apart from that we were home a lot. The kids ended up playing a lot with the neighbors in the park and then on Saturday night we had dinner with the neighbors.

I had one project that Anna helped out on. I had no photos on the walls in my office and so ordered some frames and prints and Anna helped put everything on the wall. She did a great job I think.

Olive at her favorite vantage point

Anna holding Socks, one of the new kittens

Marcy and the kids decided to do a surprise visit to Iowa a couple of weeks ago. The main motivation for the trip was to see the new kittens but it was also the last full week of school holidays and there was nothing else on. I had a lot to do at work so I stayed home and Marcy drove all the way by herself with the kids and Olive. Everyone did really well on the trip and they made it in record time to surprise Baba, Grandpa and the cousins during dinner.

Jude with Boots, the other kitty

It was another fun-filled week. They went to their favorite breakfast place, Perkins, and Jude learned how to make Monster cookies from Baba. They also had a lot of time in the pool as always and then the Anna and the twins decided to spend 24 hours in the garage just for fun. They even set up beds, played games and listened to music. They didn’t last through the night but they did make it all the following day. Jude made everyone dinner that night, spaghetti bolognese.

Getting ready for 24 hours in the garage

They were supposed to come home last Sunday but the air quality was really bad in Denver with the fires in the mountains so they decided to stay until Tuesday which was the last day of their summer break. So, they arrived back home around 6:30pm on Tuesday night and it was back to school on Wednesday.

Back to school…in person no less!

We are lucky that both kids have in-person school this year. Both schools went back on the same day, Wednesday, and they were SO happy to be back in class. Things are obviously different than it was last year but they don’t mind, they are just happy to have a semblance of normalcy.

At the top of Mt Elbert, the tallest mountain in Colorado

This weekend Jude and I did our annual fourteener hike. This is now the sixth year in a row we have done a 14er and Jude chose Mt Elbert, the tallest mountain in Colorado. We hit the road early, around 5:45 and we were on the trail by 7:15am. We took 7 hours 20 minutes not including 30 minutes at the top. It was a grueling hike but we had a great time and the smoke wasn’t nearly as bad as we expected. We were going to stay up in Keystone Saturday night but the smoke was too bad so we came home and had a quiet day today at home.

Marcy and Anna color their hair and have a dance party

With Jude off at camp Marcy ana Anna indulged with some special girl time. They had a spa day at home with painted nails, dyed hair and makeup. They went to Boulder one day where they rented bikes to get around town and had some delicious gelato. They had a dance party with karaoke and snacks. They did some bike rides around Denver and they did a Gilmore Girls marathon.

Anna made herself smoothies every day this week

This weekend Anna and I went up to the mountains. I got a new screen for my phone in Silverthorne while we were staying up there and I was having trouble with the new screen so I needed to get it fixed. They needed the phone all day so Anna and I decided to go to Leadville and scout out some camping spots for our Labor Weekend camping trip. We found some good places to stay. Then we did a short hike along the Colorado Trail, something I have become a little obsessed with this year.

Hiking the Colorado Trail near Turquoise Lake

Jude really enjoyed his camp in Wyoming with Avid4 Adventure. They did some rock climbing, standup paddle boarding, white water rafting and mountain biking. Jude also did some cliff diving and what they call “cowboy camping” which basically means sleeping under the stars (no tents). Jude loved staring up at the stars in the middle of nowhere and so he got very little sleep those nights. He was in good spirits when he came home although he was really tired. So, he had a low key weekend just playing soccer, video games and watching some of his favorite shows.

Jude’s camp group doing some rock climbing (Jude has the yellow face mask)

Everyone on the hammock!

With Anna away at camp Jude was an only child for a week. Every day Marcy would encourage Jude to go and do something and every day he would say he just wanted to stay at home. He is very much a home body and so he played a lot of soccer, did some runs and of course, played Minecraft. He and Marcy did play lots of SkipBo, and Marcy took him and Olive to go for a hike one day this week which he actually enjoyed.

One thing that we did this week was get a key to the All City Stadium training field. With the soccer goals now gone from Veterans Park Jude was getting most despondent about the lack of good soccer training options and Marcy did some investigating. For $25 you get a key to the training facility which is just 300 yards from our house. They have a full athletics track AND four soccer goals. Interestingly, Jude has most wanted to do some running at the track. He has done several 400m runs and 100m sprints at the track.

Hiking at Beaver Brook in the foothills

Anna came back from camp on Friday afternoon and she had a great time. She said many times that her camp counselors were the best ever and she loved the kayaking in the rapids. Anna’s camp was actually right by where we did white water rafting just a couple of weeks ago, she even recognized her campsite. Anna wanted a pretty low key weekend and today we just basically did some back to school shopping.

Great to have my girl back with us

This morning Jude went off to his camp. He is heading to Wyoming where they are having a multi-sport camp. This is also an Avid camp and Jude actually has some of the counselors from Windy Peak (his sleep away camp last summer).

Jude goes off to camp

Anna goes off to camp

This was a quiet week after all the excitement in Keystone last week. The kids enjoyed being back at home after three of the last four weeks away. Lots of time spent in the park, on the trampoline and then we bought Jude a new goalpost after they took the ones at Veterans Park away. Marcy and I started playing one on one soccer with Jude in the backyard again with the new goal.

A big downpour bought some flooding near our house

We had several afternoon thunderstorms this week as is typical this time of year. Anna decided to get out in the rain and go to the corner near the park that always floods.

At the lake on the Herman Gulch hike

On Friday, Marcy took Jude and Anna (and Olive) on her favorite hike. Just off I-70 before the tunnel is Herman Gulch and the kids had not done it before. They managed to do it quite easily and were done in time for lunch at Chimayo in Silverthorne.

Snuggling with Olive this week

Today, Anna went off to camp. It is an Avid “Paddling” camp in Buena Vista where they are camping. One of her best friends from school is going and we think she will have a blast. This is the only camp of the summer for Anna (I think she did four camps last year) and we were comfortable that they are minimizing the health risks. It gives just a little bit of normalcy into this crazy year for the kids.

Everyone in their Covid Camp No Camp shirts

Every summer the Dahlens come out to Colorado for a week. And during that week the kids usually do camp at Keystone Science School. But this year we decided against it due to covid and instead we came up with the idea of doing our own “camp” which we called Covid Camp No Camp (CCNC). Anna made t-shirts for everyone to celebrate this unique year.

Playing by the river and trying to catch some fish

We had a full week of activities here at CCNC. It started off with the kids doing some exploring in the wetlands around the condo. We had a bike ride down to Lake Dillon and on several evenings we played golf at the River Course. Anna, Jude and Chloe were the keen ones here although Ella came along for the ride one day. There was a lot of time spent by the river with Olive who just loves the water and plenty of hiking too.

Anna teeing off on the signature 7th hole at the River Course as the sun sets

One day we decided to head down to Buena Vista for some white water rafting. All the kids had been rafting before and loved it so we thought it be a fun activity for us all to do together. With nine people we thought we would be split into two boats but they gave us their largest boat which just fit us all. We got lucky with the weather as it threatened to rain the whole time and it wasn’t as cold as we expected. We all had a blast with several of the kids saying it was the highlight of the entire week.

Enjoying the rapids on the Arkansas River outside Buena Vista

We had a hiking day where several of us drove past Breckenridge to do a beautiful hike to some lakes. Anna and Lily did their own thing, hiking up the mountain behind the condo.

On the hike to Mayflower Lake outside Breckenridge

Speaking of hiking Jude and I decided to tackle Buffalo Mountain outside Dillon one day. This is the mountain that looms over Lake Dillon and I have been wanting to climb it for years after Marcy did it solo some time ago. The climb is just under six miles roundtrip with 3,000 feet of elevation gain. Jude carried the backpack the whole way and he had plenty of energy left when we finished in just under five hours.

At the summit of Buffalo Mountain

Today, we did the big bike ride to Frisco marina. I did the same ride last weekend with Jude and Anna but all nine of us did it this time and everyone did well on the 27-mile roundtrip. Again we got lucky with the weather as it threatened to rain but we stayed dry the whole time. It was a big achievement for the nine-year-old twins as it was their longest ride ever.

Anna is so excited about her new bike

It was only five days at home and then the kids and I went up to Keystone. It was incredibly hot in Denver all week and we were happy to escape to the cool of the mountains. We drove up Friday night and so had the whole weekend here. But before that happened, earlier on Friday Marcy and Anna went to Sports Plus, our local used sporting goods store, and Anna came home with a new (to her) bike. It is a little big for her but she will grow into it and she loves it so much. Her old bike was just getting a little small.

Enjoying a late lunch at the Frisco Marina after our ride around the lake

We immediately put Anna’s bike to good use on Saturday morning as we did the almost 14 mile ride to Frisco Marina. We did this last year and Anna struggled a bit, particularly on the way home but this time she did great on her new bike. We had a bit of a mishap on our first attempt as Jude got a flat after 6 miles. Once we got that sorted, we tried a second time and we made it there for a late lunch in just 65 minutes from the condo. By the time we got back we were all exhausted but pleased with the effort. Jude showed what a strong rider he is also, leading us all the way back.

We made it to the Colorado Trail

Today, we decided it was a day for hiking. We thought about doing Buffalo Mountain but decided that we too tough after a hard day’s biking yesterday. So, we decided to do a much easier hike up to the Colorado Trail from Keystone Gulch Road. We took the road all the way to the Outback at Keystone Resort and parked by the lift there. Then we hiked about 2 miles to the Colorado Trail only about 500 feet of elevation gain and then came back. We got caught in a downpour just 15 minutes from the car. It was 61 degrees when we got back to the condo where it also started raining.

Golf at the River Course to round out the weekend

We had a relaxing afternoon at home watching a movie and then we decided to play some twilight golf. Both kids were a little rusty at first as it was their first time on the course this year but they were playing well by the end of it. Although we didn’t get to finish as once again, a rainstorm came through and we had to stop after 8 holes. It was a full weekend and I expect the kids will sleep well tonight.

Marcy spent the weekend at home with the pets

You will notice there was no mention of Marcy in our weekend activities. She had a Ridhwan weekend so she stayed in Denver and is coming up first thing in the morning. Tomorrow night the Dahlens will be here and I will be taking the rest of the week off work to spend time with them.

Hiking in Ledges State Park

The week started off with a morning hike in Ledges State Park about a half hour drive from West Des Moines. The kids enjoyed the trails and playing in the river. Then on Tuesday we drove up to Clear Lake to visit our friend Scott and hang out as his place on the lake. They have had this place on the lake for over 50 years and they have every type of water craft you can imagine, including jet skis which we used to explore the lake.

Riding the jet ski on Clear Lake

They also had stand up paddle boards which the kids used to go the whole way across the lake. The trouble was there was an offshore wind and they couldn’t make it back. Not to worry, Scott’s sister got the boat out and we went and rescued them and Marcy and I paddled back. We also explored the lake on Scott’s boat, it is a beautiful 50 year old wooden boat that Scott has restored.

Jetting around Clear Lake in Scott’s old (but beautifully restored) wooden cruiser

On Friday, it was Baba and Grandpa’s 50th wedding anniversary. We had a low-key celebration that involved dinner and drinks at home along with multiple desserts.

Lon and Connie’s 50th wedding anniversary

On Independence Day Nathan and I played golf and when we came home the kids had a surprise in store for us. They had filled dozens of water balloons and we were attacked as soon as we got home. It was such a hot day we didn’t mind at all. As night fell we had our own mini fireworks display. The kids all lit sparklers including some fancy ones that shined in multiple colors.

Lighting sparklers on July 4

And, of course, there were “snakes” as we have been doing each year.

Watching the “snakes” emerge on July 4

Overall Olive did great on the trip. She became reasonably comfortable there but she was always excited whenever we went swimming. If we did laps Olive would greet us at the end of each lap by barking loudly. She also fell in the pool a couple of times and seemed to be afraid of getting in. So, yesterday Marcy took her in the pool and calmly let her get used to the water. When she gently released her Olive swam straight for the steps, she wanted to get out.

Marcy giving Olive a quiet introduction to the pool

Today, we woke up in West Des Moines and did the long trip home. It was just over 12 hours door to door, a bit longer than usual because of bad traffic and a long stop in Lincoln for lunch. Everyone was exhausted after a fun-filled two weeks.

The annual trip to Perkins for breakfast with Baba

The kids have had a fun-filled first week in West Des Moines, Iowa. While it was a little rainy at the start of the week the weather has been great for the most part and the kids have spent a good deal of time in the pool. They also got to play lots of games with their cousins as well as watch movies and while some of the typical places they go are closed due to the coronavirus they have had a busy week.

Movie time with popcorn

There was the annual trip to Perkins with Baba and a visit to Jordan Creek to feed the ducks.

Feeding the ducks at a local lake

One day, Anna, Chloe and Ella prepared all three meals for us. It was a colossal undertaking that was weeks in the planning with Anna bringing a bunch of stuff from home. They named their “restaurant” Gallery Kitchen with Anna and Chloe as cooks and Ella as the waitress. They did a great job and worked really hard both cooking everything and cleaning up.

Celebrating Baba’s 70th birthday

Baba turned 70 earlier this month so one night we had a belated birthday celebration with her that included ice cream cake.

The traditional photo of the five cousins by the pool

Yesterday, I played some golf with my brother-in-law and today Marcy and I went for a long walk downtown. We were going to stay at a hotel for a couple of nights but decided not to risk it with the coronavirus making a comeback. So, we did a 12-mile walk along bike paths most of the way. We were tired and thirsty by the time we were done.

Tonight we had dinner at the Dahlens, homemade pizza which was delicious. Olive enjoyed playing in the backyard, particularly with the new doggie pool we bought.

Chloe and Anna watching Olive in her new pool