Summertime and the Living is Easy

Summertime....shucking corn for dinner. Remember doing this when you were a kid? Well, I did, so tonight I assigned the task to my nephews who are visiting Boulder with their family. I was so touched and pleased when their Granddad (Ben's father) joined in to help them. We all enjoyed a yummy and companionable dinner together at home on this lovely Boulder summer evening.

We've been having such a great time together the past few days.  From last Friday until yesterday we've been enjoying the company of Ben's brother, John,  and his wife, Dawn, and their two boys, John and Michael, as well as their friends Paul and Linda and their son, Misha.  Paul and Linda and Misha turned out to be great people and we really enjoyed their company as we visited Denver and then Colorado Springs.

While Ben hiked up to the top of Pikes Peak, some 14,000 feet, most of the rest of us took the Cog Railway up, the same railway that my sister Jean and I took in April of 2015 only to be turned back because of snow near the summit.  

Well, Jean, here is the view from the summit!

Ben's hike was quite a feat and we were all happy that he make it up without any problems.  Did I tell you that he's in training to trek in the Himalayas this fall?  Yes, he plans to do a trek in mid October.

After his hike up Ben was very happy to meet us at the top and join us on the train ride down the mountain.

Paul and Linda and Misha turned out to be quite the hikers and we enjoyed hiking several trails in Boulder and the Garden of the Gods.  Here's Paul on scenic Strausenback Trail.

Hats off to Dawn who wasn't used to hiking in the rocky and high altitude west.   I was so impressed by the successful effort she made to do something out of her comfort zone and I know her boys will always cherish the memory of their mother hiking with them in this beautiful place.  

I was definitely in my comfort zone.  I loved hiking in the Garden of the Gods, such a pretty and interesting place.  I was so glad that my two years of hiking around Boulder prepped me for this; it was just heavenly. 

Paul and Linda and Misha left us on Friday.  After saying goodbye the rest of us went to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs before heading home.  Put this on your list as a "must see."  I've been to many a zoo but this was by far the best.  You can tell from these photos just how close up we could get to the animals.

Ben's father flew in on Friday.  We feel quite honored that he has traveled half the way across the country to join us for the next couple of days.