Today we say ‘thanks.’ It’s not just another day off (partially because I have to work), but it’s a time to remember all of the sacrifice made by generations of people and families protecting who we are as Americans. We put our political differences and opinions aside, and honor our fallen soldiers. I found a really interesting and poignant plug-in for Google Earth…you can find it here. The picture below is a map of the fallen soldiers from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. You can see photos of the soldiers, learn about how they died, visit memorial websites, and explore the places they called home as well as the places where they died. It’s really worth some of your time…

In what was the first of many-to-come days out, Ezra and I joined Joe and Barrett in an adventure up to them there hills. I first must tell you that Barrett is 3 months old, and this is only Joe’s second day of being the daytime provider. We started the morning by heading to Black Hawk and the casinos. Yea, seriously….the degenerates that we are. Really, we went over there for the cheap breakfast and to start the day off on the little-bit ridiculous side of life. After a filling breakfast buffet for 2.99 each, we headed towards a short hike.

We decided on a trip to St. Mary’s Glacier which consists of about a mile of hiking (including a short trek through some snow) up to a mountain lake that is borders by the glacier. On the trip up the hill, I think that Barrett and Ezra conspired to provide Joe and I a pretty good parenting test: really poopy diapers at 11,000 feet. We managed, and we fed the boys up at the shore of the lake, after which we packed back up and headed back down the hill.

The last destination of the day was actually the inspiration of the day….a stop at Arapahoe Basin. Joe and I needed to pick up our mugs (it’s a mug club and the season is ending soon) and we needed a little mountain-side fix. We weren’t able to go skiing, but we did enjoy sitting on the deck and having one last beer for the season. When we got there, we ran into none other than Mr. Scott Russell, who had come up on his own and was hanging out with some new friends that he met. It was the perfect conclusion to a really fun day. Both boys did awesome all day long!

Pictures courtesy of the camera phone and include the views at St. Mary’s Glacier, chillin’ at A-Basin, and a joint diaper change on the tailgate of Joe’s pickup.

As the summer storm season has begun, it’s my hope to be able to capture some good photos…..alas, hopes were not realized the last two days when great lighting/thunder storms rolled through Castle Rock. I was at work both days, and after deciding that “oh, it’s alright, I can leave my tripod at home – nothing will happen” I had to settle for just looking (and then responding to lighting strikes all around our first due). This photo is about all that I could capture between everything else going on. It’s standing on the front ramp of the station at about 4:30 on Monday afternoon.