Yesterday we hiked the Palmer Lake Reservoirs in the later afternoon after a rain shower. The weather was really cool (70's) and the rain really brought out the pine scent. Maggie is slowing down and walked very slowly but did fine and didn't seem to have lingering soreness. There were a few wild roses and wild lupine but it seems like the lack of rain has made for less flowers this year. We did see three beavers at the edge of the water who didn't seem to be afraid of people and were just swimming slowly all over the second reservoir.

A great new hike!

Arn and I went on a hike I have been wanting to do for a while this past week. Devil's Head is west of Sedalia and the fire tower is the last remaining manned fire tower in Colorado. It's 1.4 mi. up on the trail and is listed as a moderate hike. The area is beautiful and when you get to the top there is a cute little cabin where the fire lookout man and his wife live from May til Oct. There are 143 steps up to the top of the tower and wonderful views. Sadly, Bill the lookout guy was not there. He was either hiking down for groceries or at lunch. In the lookout he had a wood stove, phones, a desk and lists of people who have done the trek over 100 times or done it at over 80 yrs. of age. Also he had all the peaks listed so you could tell what you were looking at in in any direction. I don't like heights so the trip up the tower was a little scary for me. Maggie did well on the hike but didn't do the stairs up to the top. We even say an older man with an oxygen tank on his back and his wife who made it up to the top but thought he wouldn't have enough O2 to do the steps up to the tower. What a guy! We lunched in Sedalia at a cute little Mexican place, didn't have time to do the antique shops, and went on to Tagawa (the biggest nursery in Colorado) to pick up some straw flowers (voles won't eat them!).

Red Rocks with Tom and Joe!!

After I got back from Ohio we went to a concert at Red Rocks with Val, Eric, Tyler, Mere, Eric's parents (Toby and Julie), Chad, and Nathan(Eric's friends). The weather was great all night. Joe Cocker was really good (sorry Eric) and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were great. Chris and Maren came down from Vail at the last minute hoping to get some scalped tix but had no luck. Can't wait to go to another concert there this summer. I want to go early and hike around a little. It is such a beautiful venue for a concert. This was the first concert our kids have ever wanted to go to with us and it was a wonderful experience! What's next? maybe BB King and Al Green!

Vrooom!

Grandma has wonderful neighbors who help her out so much. Brian, Sarah, Jamie, Anthony, and Molly had us over for a cookout just before Memorial Day and Brian's dad Paul was there. I haven't seen Paul since I was a little girl. Paul graduated with Stan. After dinner Grandma and I went ATVing with Brian and Sarah. It was really fun even tho we didn't go very fast. We went back in the woods where they hunt, ATV, and get wood. We even saw a deer. Jamie (8) got his first deer back there with a bow. Grandma didn't really drive, she just held on for 'dear life'. Angie (Sarah's sister) , Jason, Devin, and Madison who live across the road were camping for the weekend. The two sisters had cleaned Grandma's house and Brian will be doing her yardwork. Angie will also be getting her mail everyday.
They are so nice!

Grandma goes home....

Grandma and I went back to Ohio mid May. She is going to stay for the summer (if all goes well). I stayed with her for a couple of weeks. She missed the lilacs but the poppies were still pretty. We got a lot done around the house inside and out. She is really happy to be home and her neighbors and friends are wonderful. They will help her and keep and eye on her. Of course I will call everyday! We went to church twice (frozen in time), ate at most of her favorite places and found a couple of new good ones. Got Dr. appts taken care of, went to the dentist, and even had a Red Hat Luncheon. We saw Helen ( her friend) a couple of times, went to the farmer's market, took drives thru the covered bridge and over to Indian Mill. Simple things make her happy. We hung out clothes on the line and she said 'This feels so good'. The strawberries 'were on' so we ate strawberries every night. Lisa and Nasser arrived a couple of days after I left and are there a week. Watch for another post soon.....we had an adventure in the woods!!

A Party for the Graduates

We had a party for Ty and Mere the day after graduation! The weather could have been better but we did have a good time. Lots of food, family, and good friends. Even Luke came down from Breckenridge. Chris and Maren came down from Vail and spent the night too. Val had to return to North Dakota on Sunday (Mother's Day) but it was nice seeing her for the short time she was here.