The Boys are Back

Summer is over and school has begun.  Even though it has been super hot, I love summer….the change of schedule, the absence of thousands of Aggies and vacation in Colorado.  Last week Heather’s school year began with teacher preparation days and her boys were back for their customary Wednesday afternoon with Nanie.  Our neighbors graciously let us swim in their pool and following are a few photos from the swim time.

 

Nathan with a head first dive.

  

Ty cooling off with the water dripping from the slide.

Austin being his cool self.

Austin will be in football after school for the next few months, so Ty, Nathan and I will plan to hit the pool again some Wednesday afternoon.

The Princess and Her Mother

We were just sitting on the porch last weekend and the lighting was just right.  I grabbed my camera and caught Shauna and Kylie for some photos.

  

Mother and daughter

My photogenic princess.

Same girl, different pose.

Pool Time

Our next door neighbors have so graciously offered to let our grandkids swim in their pool anytime.  So…when all the grandkids were at our house for the family BBQ this past weekend and it was 102 degrees, we took them up on their offer.

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The kids loved the slide!

Grandkid group photo.

Austin….so glad he got to spend time with his cousins.  The last time they were in town, he was in the hospital in Houston.

Kylie, our little princess.

Ty, or TD (Ty Daniel) or Touchdown, whichever might apply.

Andrew….what a little fish.  He has been taking lessons for a while.

    

Nathan, unafraid even of the “deep end”.

The kids, parents and grandparents (mostly poolside), really enjoyed the swim!

My Brother’s Visit to Texas

We had a family BBQ while my brother, Scott, and sister-in-law, Jan, were visiting from Iowa.  Scott came to see our mother and his sisters as well!  We only get together once or twice a year because of the distance, but always have a great time of fellowship together.  Beware: family photo overload to follow.

Scott and Jan Huntington

 

Scott, Jan and Mom.

Scott, Jana and Mom.

Cousins, Heather Hodge and Ashley Sarchet.

 

Mom, Jana, Kay Sarchet and Scott Huntington.

  

Stephanie, my sister Kay, Ashley and Dennis Sarchet.

My mother loves to go on outings from her Alzheimer’s care facility, although after a time she was tired and ready to go “home” for bedtime.  Scott and Jan are spending a couple of days in Galveston soaking up some sun and some Texas heat but will return soon.  Mom is loving the visit this week from her son.

Day 13 – Shrine Ridge Trail Hike

Although this was the fourth time Steve and I had hiked the Shrine Ridge Trail, I know that we will want to hike it again next year.  It is a 4.4 mile round trip hike with about a 650 foot elevation gain. 

Crouse, Terral and Taylor couples as we begin the hike.

Steve taking a quick rest along the way.  Notice the moon in the sky above his head.

 

  

Here is the group about halfway up the trail.

   

The wildflowers were especially outstanding this year.

There were lupine and a hot pink flower that looked like Indian paintbrush.

 

Steve and I walked down into a meadow that was just covered in colorful wildflowers.

 

We then got back on the trail to catch up with the group that had already make it to the end of the trail.  They are the dots in the middle of the photo!

 
There were interesting rock formations.

Steve and I on top of the world with a 360 degree view.  It was a perfect morning and sadly our last day in Summit County.  Next year we hope to stay more than two weeks if we can manage the time away.

Day 12 - Frisco to Breckenridge Bike Ride

One of our tried and true favorite bike rides is Frisco to Breckenridge.  On this day we left early to beat the afternoon rain.  It is about an 18 mile round trip ride, gradually uphill to Breckenridge, and except for one BIG hill UP, downhill back to Frisco.

A couple of photos of the mountains on a beautiful morning.

Steve and I as we stopped along the way to Breckenridge.

The Blue River runs through the town.

The flowers are gorgeous in Breckenridge and all the little mountain towns in Summit County.

Loved this sculpture.  Reminded me of the three guys that rode up to Breck that morning. 

I don't think we will ever tire of the ride along the Blue River to Breckenridge.

Day 11 - Black Lake Fishing

Steve and DeWayne Taylor went fishing one morning at Black Lake near Vail pass.  They fished for several hours and did catch a couple of rainbow trout.

Black Lake is a gorgeous place to fish.

Photos above with their catch.  Steve would love to fish again, but we have been so busy I am not sure he will find the time.  We had the trout for dinner one evening and they were delicious.

Day 10 - Mohawk Lakes Hike

We hiked the Mohawk Lakes Trail in 2007 and couldn't wait to hike it again with our friends.  It is a challenging hike because of the 2,000 foot elevation gain, but worth the effort. 

Mike Terral, Steve and DeWayne Taylor on the Spruce Creek Trail, the first couple miles of our hike through dense woods.

Spruce Creek.

The next part of the hike goes sharply upward toward a series of waterfalls and we also go by mining ruins and old cabins.

Steve and I posed in what was left of one old miners cabin.

We came to another cabin that it looked as though people had been staying there.

The hiking group as we went to check out the lower falls vista.

The lower Continental Falls.

The upper Continental falls.

These were falls flowing down from Upper Mohawk Lake.  It was quite a climb from Lower to Upper Mohawk.

This is the view you get as you climb up the trail (rocky trail on the left) and you arrive at eye level with the glacier lake, Upper Mohawk Lake.  We climbed on up for a view overlooking the lake and the valley below....our highest elevation was 12,200 feet, which is above tree line.  The alpine tundra has a beauty all it's own.

There were  few wildflowers and bees at this high elevation.

Steve is eating his lunch and enjoying the view.

Upper Mohawk Lake was a beautiful emerald green and we saw fish jumping in the lake.

We had a beautiful view of Pacific Peak.

Steve and I at 12,200 ft.  This was about a 7 mile, round trip hike.  This may be our new favorite hike!