boating at horsetooth

Our neighbours Diego and Amy have a boat that they keep at Horsetooth, and we joined Diego and Henry for an outing over Labor Day weekend.

 We brought food and enjoyed a picnic on a beach on the east side

It was fun to watch Henry drive as Diego pulled in the anchor and stowed the ropes.   Timothy was keen to have a go as well.

Then a lazy 'nap' at one of the coves on the west side.

FISH!

Our neighbours, Diego and Amy and their twins Olivia and Henry made two trips to the cabin with us this August.  On the second trip, we had a fishing extravaganza.  Diego, Timothy and Luke all caught their first fish ever.  It's impossible to determine which of them had the biggest look of surprise and delight on their face when it happened.  Paul, Henry and I all caught fish as well.  The barbless hooks meant that removing the fish from the hook and returning them to the lake was easy.

Paul easily caught the largest

Timothy not only caught his fish but he helped land several fish, getting good at timing with the net.

Luke was the most persistent of fisherfolk in our family.  If someone was fishing, he was either fishing as well or waiting to help with the landing.  He and Timothy took turns netting the catch.

keystone

Once again Jenny and Neville stayed with the boys and let us take a break, this time in Keystone.

Our first course was The Ranch with sweeping vistas, narrow fairways and a rough that meant never seeing your ball again.  Our cart was gas powered because the elevation gains are too much for the electric powered carts.  Walking the course is impossible, probably prohibited.  The original ranch (1930's) is still around.

My game didn't improve or worsen with the help of this refreshing beverage, but my mood certainly lifted 

The 9th hole.  Par 3

This is the 18th hole of The River course.  Just after we teed off the horn for thunder/lightening blew.  We finished the game.

Along with golfing, we cycled along the Snake River the day we arrived and enjoyed the local pubs.  We managed to talk about things other than just the boys and thoroughly enjoyed our time together.  Thanks Jenny and Neville!

ironic

I recently posted this photo on Facebook, and a friend of mine in England commented: "You live in Disneyland?"  A different friend of mine who lives in Fort Collins followed that comment with this:   

Disney and Fort Collins

Ironice, eh?

community

This banner used to hang on my grandmother's balcony.

Our neighbours threw a block party to celebrate the Fourth of July.  We've been told by other neighbours that this is the event of the year, and we were not disappointed.  People oraganize their travels for this.  It takes place at a T intersection down the street and around the corner from us.  Four houses pool their money and hire/rent the following:

1. a smoker to cook  chickens, corn and a whole hog, split in half
2. a cotton candy machine
3. two kegs of beer
4. Jack Daniels and coke slushies
5. a bouncy castle
6. a bouncy water slide with a small pool
7. Bands (we saw/heard 2 in the four hours we were there, but the music lasted about 12 hours)

Half a hog almost gone

The other half, gone before it even cooled

One of several helpings of cotton candy

Ta da!  We think that this is his Fix it Felix pose. He went down a couple of times, but hose water at altitude is coooooooold.  He spent most of his time at the bottom getting splashed.

The invited neighbours brought side dishes and desserts.  This one stayed untouched for a long time, too pretty to eat.

I realise now that I took for granted the block parties like this that went on in my neighbourhood as a child.  The end of our street was a cul-de-sac: the perfect spot.   The neighbourhood pool became the place for the party at some point, and I remember one of the games was to lift a giant watermelon that had been greased with butter out of the deep end.  I never managed it.   We didn't have the live bands or the bouncy slide, but we had the same feeling  of community, the sense of belonging.  It's one of the things that makes Fort Collins so special.  It's not the only town where it happens, but it's the one that we know about, so it's THE one.  We feel it when the city hosts events like bike-to-work day.  Paul did a short circuit in the mile or so around our house and collected so much food that he brought some home along with a cooler bag and a t-shirt.  One of our friends visited 23 kiosks and had to make a trip home halfway through to drop off his booty!  We feel it when we drop off our children at school and see other parents picking up the rare bit of trash that missed the bin.  We feel it at the grocery stores and liquor stores where we are remembered and greeted in ways that show our history.  Maybe it was more than aesthetics that led Walt Disney to model Main Street in Disneyland after Fort Collins...  

gran and grand-da are coming

Timothy is more excited about the arrival of his grandparents than he has ever been in the past.  He's even more excited about this than he's been for Christmas.  He has started to go to bed early so that the day will pass quicker.  Today, he and Luke made welcome posters.  Timothy made a map of the basement to show them the new things that are there for them like a couch and a mini-fridge.   It's wonderful!

laughing cow

We used to put the boys in the bike carriage, hook it to Paul's bike, and cycle along the Poudre out to the Bellvue Cafe.  Sadly, the cafe is now closed and the boys can no longer both fit in the bike carrier. We are working on solutions.  Tim has ridden his bike without training wheels several times, so that's a big step forward.  Still, that won't help us with long distance.  Until then, Paul's scouting new places on his bike rides and then we're taking the car for visits.

Morning Fresh Dairy is out in Bellvue.  If you don't mind the smell of cow manure, they have a great cafe, The Laughing Cow, that sells locally made Noosa yogurt (the best yogurt in the US) as well as sandwiches and homemade ice cream.  They have a pretty patio with a small pond and a great fountain.  The owner of Morning Fresh is a classmate of mine - third generation dairy farmer.