Anna and Jude in a paddleboat on Keystone lake

We have had a great time up in Keystone. For our second vacation week the kids did all kinds of activities. There was more camp, hiking, tennis, a golf lesson, some time on the lake and just relaxing at the condo. It was a work week for me so Marcy spent time with the kids during the day. We put the kids in camp on Monday and Friday and to our surprise Jude liked it almost as much as Anna.

Anna showing her form after her golf lesson

The golf lesson on Wednesday was a big hit and not just because of the donuts at the end (although that helped). When I arrived to pick them up they begged to stay and hit more balls. Jude went off to the putting green and Anna showed me what she had learned on the driving range.

Anna took a stand up paddle boarding lesson on Lake Dillon

Saturday was a big day at least for Jude and I. While Marcy and Anna had stand up paddle boarding lessons Jude and I decided to tackle two 14ers in one day. We got up early and were at the trail head at 7:20am. We hiked up the lightly traveled south route to Grays. This was Jude’s first 14er he did exactly two years ago but we did the very popular north route that time. This time we virtually had the trail to ourselves.

On the top of Grays Peak, the first time we summited

It was a tough climb to the top of Grays but we did it in 3 1/2 hours. Then it was on to Torreys. This 14er lies only 0.8 miles from the top of Grays and it is popular for people looking to do two 14ers in one day. Which is exactly what we did. We arrived at the top of Torreys at 11:50am. It was hard work but we were both doing ok. We sat down and had a quick lunch looking out over what seemed like hundreds of miles of mountains.

On top of Torreys Peak, our second 14er of the day

What I didn’t think about much was that to do Grays and Torreys by the south route, we had to summit Grays on the way back. This was hard. I was already pretty tired and it was a hard slog back up to the top of Grays. Jude on the other hand was doing great and he had to wait for me on the way back up Grays. It was slow going on the way down, particularly the steepest part near the summit. And then the last hour I was really hurting and we had to go slowly. We made it back to the car around 4:30pm and my watch said we had been hiking for 8 hours 45 minutes. I was completely exhausted but happy to have done it. Jude was fine although his feet were a little sore.

Anna during her record breaking 1,000 pogo stick jumps

We were sad to leave when we packed everything up this morning. It was a great couple of weeks and we will miss the mild weather, the lack of traffic, the peace and quiet as well as the beautiful mountains. As I was packing the car Anna decided to get out her pogo stick and she made it to 1,000 jumps for the first time.

Jude teeing off at Harvard Gulch

Jude and Anna have been really into golf after their lesson. They both wanted to play after we got home so I took them to our local par 3, Harvard Gulch, and they had some fun before a thunderstorm ended our round early. Then it was back home to watch the final major of the year.

All the kids outside our place in Keystone

We have had a great week in Keystone with the Dahlens visiting from Iowa. Nathan and I played golf most days and out of five rounds we only had one that did not get interrupted by rain or hail. The weather was not good at all but we made do and still had a good time.

Nathan teeing off amidst the hail at #15 at the River Course (he stuck it to 10 feet)

The kids were in camp all week. Anna, Lily, Ella and Chloe were at the Keystone Science School while Jude did another Challenger Sports soccer camp. Everyone enjoyed their camps but it did mean we only got one day for all us to hang out.

All the girl cousins get in a paddle boat on Keystone Lake

Saturday morning most of us went over to River Run for a little shopping and then in the afternoon we walked down to Keystone Lake. The kids played at the “beach” there and we rented paddle boats. Anna also decided she wanted to try stand up paddle boarding. She just scraped over the high limit and was very excited to give it a try on the lake. She did great and had to be dragged in after her time was up.

Anna trying stand up paddle boarding for the first time

On the Dahlens last night we all went to the now traditional Mexican Dinner at Dos Locos which is right next door to the condo.

The kids enjoying their Mexican food

This morning we said our goodbyes to the Dahlens. It was a great week and everyone is already looking forward to next year. With just the four of us left we decided to do a hike. Anna had been wanting to try Revenue Mountain which is the first major hike that Jude did when he was 8. Anna also wanted to do the difficult way, the same way that Jude went, and it was tough. It consisted of a rocky scramble on hands and feet up a steep slope towards the end. After some challenges we all made it to the top. We also saw some amazing mining ruins along the way, and mountain goats on the trail on our way down.

Enjoying the view and a snack at the top of Revenue Mountain

Jude racing towards the finish line in the 10-12 year old triathlon (photo taken by Anna)

Our weekend started bright and early. The kids had a triathlon down in Lone Tree and they had to be there to check in for their race by 6:45am. So, we were out the door around 6:25am.

The 10-12 year old age group went off first. Jude did really well. He loves to compete and the triathlon provides a great place to do that. He was towards the back of the pack out of the pool but he had a strong bike leg and by the end of the run he was in 6th place (out of 26 kids). A great effort considering most of the kids were older than he was.

Anna on the bike leg of the 8-9 year old triathlon

Anna’s age group went in the race after Jude’s. Anna had a strong swim and a solid bike ride. She found the mile run a challenge and by the end was having some breathing issues. But she still finished strong and was the second girl across the line. Most importantly, Jude and Anna both loved it and want to do it again next year.

Marcy giving Jude a boost after his triathlon

This past week Anna had bank camp and Jude had robotics camp. Jude loved his camp mostly because they got to play video games for a good chunk of the day. He said he learned a little about programming but he was clearly more interested in the fun aspects. Anna had bank camp and one of the thing she was most excited about was getting selected for a “job”. She wanted to be a doctor and this is what she was given after her interview. She had another great camp week.

Anna won a job as a doctor in her bank camp

We have just arrived up in Keystone with the Dahlens and we are looking forward to a nice week up here. The kids are all in camp and so we will have some time for golf and other fun things.

On a hike near Genessee

I had a long business trip these past couple of weeks. We had a conference in Shanghai and then I spent a week in London last week returning home late on Friday night. So, Marcy has been a single mom for most of the last two weeks. She organized lots of fun activities for the kids. They went hiking on this great hike by a river 30 minutes from home and the kids stopped to play in the water and check out the wildlife along the way. They also played mini golf with Anna’s school friend, Reed to celebrate his 9th birthday.

Playing mini golf with Reed

This weekend we had a quiet day yesterday. Anna and Marcy rode their bikes to the farmers market while I stayed home with Jude and watched the British Open golf. In the afternoon we went kayaking and canoeing in the Wash Park lake.

Canoeing and kayaking in Wash Park lake

After dinner last night Anna decided to go skateboarding down our street in her pajamas.

Anna skateboarding in front of our house

Today we decided to go hiking again. We went down to a beautiful park southwest of Denver called Roxborough Park. We hiked to the top of Carpenter Peak, the highest point in the park. It was a solid hike, over six miles round trip and both kids did well.

Jude and me atop Carpenter Peak in Roxborough Park

An iconic canal in Copenhagen

It has been quite a busy three weeks in the Renton household. We drove to Iowa over two weeks ago right after the kids finished camp on Friday afternoon. Well, we actually spent the night in Kearney, Nebraska on our way. Then I was in Iowa less than a day because on Sunday morning I flew out to Copenhagen where I was attending a conference. I was there for three days and then flew to England where I met up with Marcy.

Near the summit of Mt Snowdon, the tallest mountain in Wales

She flew out of Iowa on Tuesday and met up with me in Cambridge on Wednesday night. I had a conference at the University of Cambridge and we had a dinner there and then a conference on Thursday. On Thursday night we drove to Wales where we stayed at a B&B for a couple of nights. We hiked around the coast of Wales on Friday and then on Saturday we climbed Mt Snowdon, the tallest mountain in Wales at 3,400 feet. Given that you start the hike from close to sea level it was quite a challenging day.

Marcy outside Buckingham Palace in London

After the hike we drove to London where we stayed right near Trafalgar Square for a couple of nights. Sunday we wandered all over London, visiting many of the major sights. We took in Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, Tower Bridge, Tower of London and we walked along the Thames for most of the afternoon. It was an unusually beautiful day in London, warm and sunny so we made the most of it.

Near Tower Bridge

Monday morning we flew back to Des Moines to rejoin the kids. While they had had a great time with their grandparents and cousins they were really happy to see us. The weather was warm so we spent a lot of time in the backyard by the pool as we normally do and the kids staged a serious water balloon fight one day.

A cousins water balloon fight

I played some golf with Nathan on July 4 we had some sparklers in the backyard then we went and saw some of the local fireworks. On our last full day Baba and Grandpa took all five grandkids to Perkins for breakfast. This is a treat for Jude and Anna as they are order “Rainbow Pancakes” which is basically pancakes with whipped cream and sprinkles.

The kids love to go to Perkins for breakfast, look at those pancakes!

It was over all too quickly and on Thursday we were driving back home. After so much time away we had a pretty low key weekend here. We spent a lot of time at home but today we did venture up to the mountains for a hike which was fun. And this afternoon we all went to the local putt putt for some golf.

Hiking near Conifer, a solid 4+ mile hike

Anna showing off her new haircut

This week was another full week of camps for the kids. Jude had another Challenger Sports soccer camp, this time it was all day and the coaches were all visiting from Brazil. Anna had a half day soccer camp and then art camp in the afternoon. I asked Jude after two full weeks of soccer camps if he was sick of soccer and he said no. He would happily do it all summer long I think. Anna really enjoyed both her camps as well.

On Saturday, Anna got a haircut that you can see above, she just loved it and we did too. While Marcy and Anna were at the hairdressers Jude and I were wandering around Cherry Creek. We went to the farmers market and also checked out Restoration Hardware where Jude took a liking to some of the stuffy chairs.

Jude relaxing at Restoration Hardware

Today was Father’s Day and I had a wonderful day. The kids gave me the sweetest cards at breakfast this morning and Anna made a special Happy Father’s Day banner at the bottom of the stairs. Then we went off to play some golf. We played the 9-hole course at CommonGround, where kids golf free. It was nice to enjoy the morning with everyone on the golf course. Jude is so competitive but Anna can hold her own for the most part.

Playing golf at CommonGround on Father’s Day

For the last year or so Jude and Anna have had a strained relationship at times. We are all working on it but it can be tough going some times. So, when they agreed to hold hands for a photo on Father’s Day I had to take them up on it.

Jude and Anna in the back yard on Father’s Day morning

At Jude’s first ever World Cup Qualifying game featuring the US team

The highlight of the week, at least for Jude and I, was seeing the US men’s soccer team play a World Cup Qualifying match in Denver. A couple of weeks ago Jude was looking at the USA team schedule and noticed they were playing in Denver. So, we looked online for tickets and there was some for sale. We purchased two tickets and headed to the game on Thursday night.

I don’t think I have ever seen Jude more excited to see a game. We parked about a quarter mile away from the stadium and Jude wanted us to sprint to get to the stadium in time (we were running a little late). We made it to our seats in five minutes, just as the US team was coming out on to the field. It was a great game with the US winning 2-0 over Trinidad and Tobago and obviously Jude was thrilled. I think it will be an evening he remembers for a long, long time.

This weekend began a little early with Anna’s gymnastic performance. After a week of camp Anna’s group did a performance for parents. Anna did really well, especially considering that for much of the week she was injured with her hand and knee.

Anna playing the bean bag toss at the farm

Yesterday Anna had a birthday party with a school friend and last night we went out to a farm south of Denver. It was Zuma’s Rescue Ranch and they were doing a fundraiser. This is a farm that Anna’s friend Reed has been going to for some time and they invited us along. It was a beautiful ranch and we saw the sun set over the fields and foothills. And we played quite the game of bean bag toss.

Anna giving it a swing as Jude looks on

Today we had a quiet morning but this afternoon I took Jude and Anna to the local par 3 course which is right by their school. We had a surprisingly good time. They both enjoyed it and each had some good hits. Jude, ever the competitive one, won the day but Anna held her own throughout. Anna wants some new clubs now which is fair enough – she only has a putter and a seven iron.

Searching for crawdads in Harvard Gulch

Right next to the golf course is a creek that the kids have been to a few times. Jude really wanted to go looking for crawdads and so they brought their nets and waded through the creek. It is only a five minute walk from school so they have been here a few times with their class. They didn’t find much although did manage to bring home a dead crab.

School’s out for summer! Anna with some classmates on the last day of school

The kids have been literally counting down the days until school got out for over a month. And this past Friday the day finally arrived. Jude and Anna are both very excited about the summer and are happy to be done with school. Anna celebrated with a class party at a neighborhood and Jude’s class had a picnic in the park.

Jude with the team trophy and his medal after winning their soccer tournament

This weekend was mostly about soccer. Jude’s soccer team had a tournament to close their season. They have been improving steadily throughout the year and they really put it together for this tournament. They went through undefeated and dominated their opponent in the final winning 11-0. Jude scored three goals over the weekend including a good penalty kick in the final.

Jude’s team and coaches after their final win

On Saturday afternoon/evening we had a block party. We blocked off the street and everyone contributed food and drink. While we have met a few of the neighbors over the last six months it was good to meet many more. What is good is that pretty much all the kids on our block are between the ages of 5 and 12 so there is a lot of potential for playmates, although there are more boys than girls.

Anna and Jude in a scooter race – they are actually going quite fast

Part of the evening was an impromptu scooter race with some of the neighbor kids. It started off as just a friendly race and became quite competitive as the afternoon wore on. After literally a couple of hours of races, we were about to call it quits and then Anna has a pretty bad fall. She scraped her knee and hand pretty badly and was in considerable pain. It was a bummer of an end to a great day.

Anna wearing the new dress she made in sewing class

Anna has been taking sewing classes for several months now and she loves it. She can operate a sewing machine quite well now and she has made all kinds of great things in her classes. This past week she was very excited because she made her very first dress – she designed and sewed it together. Of course, she showed it off on the second last day of school this week.

Anna taking a liking to the Briere’s chickens

We had nothing much planned for Memorial Day weekend but it ended up being quite a full and enjoyable weekend. We started off with an impromptu dinner gathering with our new neighbors. There are two families who have kids around the same age as ours and we have gotten to know them quite well over the last six months. We invited everyone over here for burgers and beers. It was a lovely way to kick off the weekend.

Saturday morning was all about a big soccer match in the UK. Arsenal was playing Chelsea in the FA Cup final and Jude was super excited to watch it. He invited a couple of his school friends over, donned his Arsenal jersey and sat glued to the TV for a couple of hours. The goods news is that Arsenal won 2-1, Jude was thrilled.

We also went and saw some chickens at Phil & Denise’s house. They have had chickens for years and told us they wanted to offload a couple. We had been talking about getting chickens on and off over the years but this weekend we decided to take the plunge. Marcy ordered a chicken coop and so next weekend we will get our chickens.

Marcy and Anna saw the play The Secret Garden downtown

Sunday morning we decided to walk down to Devil’s Food for breakfast. We had not all gone out to breakfast since we moved in and Devil’s Food used to be one of our favorite places when we lived in Wash Park many years ago. It was still really good.

After that Marcy took Anna downtown on the train to see a play called The Secret Garden. Meanwhile Jude and I went to play Putt Putt at our local course. Jude is getting much better and we had an epic game where I only just beat him. He loves a good competition.

Jude on the bungee at the South Gaylord Street Fair

Today we hung out at home in the morning and then went to the South Gaylord Street Fair in the afternoon. They have all sorts of kids activities and then of course, there is the cotton candy and sno-cones as well. Jude and Anna took turns at the bungee and were very lucky to get their turn in before the rains came. It poured for about half an hour which put a damper on the fair.

Jude and Anna playing a focused game of baseball in the park

The weather cleared up and Jude wanted to go play baseball in the park. We just bought a bat and we have some gloves and a ball now, all from our local used sports gear store, so we went down to the park to play our first game of family baseball. It was a lot of fun and a great way to end the weekend.

Midnight Oil at the Paramount Theatre

Finally, I must mention our night out this week to see Midnight Oil. This was a band I grew up with and saw many times in Sydney. They were a big part of my youth and I hadn’t seen them in over 15 years. Marcy bought great tickets, we booked a baby sitter, and we went out downtown to the Paramount Theatre. It was fantastic. I first saw them live 33 years ago and they still have the same great energy today.

Playing Jude’s new table baseball game

For the first time in at least five years Marcy went away for the weekend. She attended a health and fitness conference in Austin. So, Thursday night she left and spent a long weekend away. So, it was just the three of us this weekend.

To top this all off Anna was sick on Thursday and had to come home from school. There was strep throat going around her class and sure enough she awoke on Friday morning feeling lousy with a really sore throat. She obviously didn’t go to school, so I took her to the doctor and sure enough she had strep. So, we had a pretty low key day Friday which was good considering the weather – it was a cold and snowy day.

Enjoying chocolate sorbet at Glacier

Saturday Anna was feeling much better so after a quiet morning playing Jude’s new table baseball game we all ventured off on a bike ride. First to Chipotle for lunch and then to their favorite ice cream place, Glacier. It was quite the ride, probably 6-8 miles in all and Anna was pooped afterwards.

Marcy had recently bought a foosball table that was on sale and it arrived this weekend. So, Anna and I spent several hours putting it all together and it was ready to go on Sunday morning. We played several games on that today. We walked down to lunch at the Gaylord block and then we bought a baseball glove for Anna. We bought Jude one a couple of weeks ago so Anna really wanted one to. We then went to the park to play catch.

Our final fun part of the weekend was a visit to the local putt-putt golf place – we took one of the neighbor kids who was playing with Anna and Jude today. Overall, we had a nice weekend although the kids missed Marcy a lot.