Family Hike

We always love getting away for a family hike when we can find some time that works with all four of us to go together.  We had some nice overcast weather (which kept it a bit cooler in July) and tried out this new route for us which started at the base of Lee Hill Road at the Four Mile Canyon Trailhead.  From there you just head a bit south and then there is a nice low traffic trail that heads up the foothills to the west.

They guys sometimes walked with us and sometimes jumped ahead on their own.  In the end, we had an awesome time and were able to get back to the car with no major issues.  Hopefully as the guys get older, they can appreciate hiking more and more as something they can carry forward even without us.

Colorado Rapids MLS Game

It's been quite a while since we have gone to a Colorado Rapids game, but we were able to get tickets as a family.  They were playing Real Salt Lake and it shaped up to be a good match up.  Here are a couple of pictures from the goalie warm up session.  Zach Steffen was our keeper and always does some double duty on the US Men's National team (I believe).

We had seats just a few rows up from the bottom which were pretty amazing!

Here is the line up to start the game, though they were facing away from us.

Got to see a prime-time goal celebration up close as they ran to our corner.  In the end it was quite the game with us pulling off a comeback win 3-2 after having started down 0-2 with two early goals against us.  Awesome night of soccer with the family!

Guard & Grace

Quite some time back (actually Christmas) I had given Tara a gift certificate for Guard and Grace in downtown Denver, which just essentially committed us to take a nice date night out in the future.  One of our close couple friends had raved about it and said it was their favorite restaurant in all of Denver, so we figured we better try it out.  Here is my steak, which I had the Filet Mignon (I think).

The restaurant had a very nice atmosphere, perhaps a bit noisy for Tara, the service was outstanding, and the food was pretty good overall.  We both liked our dishes and Tara had a special cocktail.  I would say I might like the Capital Grille a bit better, but we did have a great time.  They also gave us this special Happy Anniversary dessert plate which was a pretty nice way to celebrate the end of dinner.  I will say that if you go, do not plan on a quick evening.  I think when it was all over, we had been there for close to two and a half hours!  

Grandpa T & Grandma S in Town

It's always great to see Terry and Sandra (Grandpa T & Grandma S) when they visit.  They were in town and we all descended on Zach and Lorna's house to have a nice meal together.  Given that it's July, they were more than happy to escape the scorching desert heat in Scottsdale.

The stories almost never seem to end as Terry has lived quite the life of experiences.  I find that the stories general fall into two categories: ones that Tara and Zach have heard before and some that completely catch them by surprise that they have never heard about.  It's almost enough entertainment for the evening just observing them while their Terry tells stories.

 After dinner, Grandpa T brought out some assortment of trinkets, jewelry, historical artifacts, and other items.  They boys each inherited a few things to take home with them.  As the night got late, we had to head back home but it's always such a fun time when they come to town!

Measuring for a new Bike

For a while now, we have been talking about getting Tara a newer bike.  She has been on an entry level bike for some time, and she is riding enough to where I think she would enjoy and appreciate something a bit nicer.  The other problem was that some parts that could use replacement on her current bike just aren't really made any more.  In any case, I put my friend James (at Tribellas/Denver Fit Loft) up to the task of finding her a new bike.  The first step was to get her properly fit on this frame-fitting apparatus and then they can take her measurements and optimize it to different brands/models for her.  She did great, so now it's up to the team at Tribellas to find us a good match.

Working Man

 This is a picture of Gavin in his first formal job of his life...as a Sprouts Curtesy Clerk.  It actually took quite a while to get this arranged.  He applied several months prior to this, but then the managers were out of town on vacation.  Once he finally did get hired it still took them a few weeks to get him scheduled correctly and put through orientation.  In the end, though, he is happily spending his days sweeping the floors, grabbing carts from the parking lot, and providing some extra stocking support where needed.  It does remind me a bit of my first job at Albertsons in Boulder almost 35 years ago.  Wow how time flies!

Fire on the Front Range

Perhaps this is the former firefighter in me, but I always seem to be extra alert anytime there is a local fire.  This looks to be a newly started fire just up the hill from NCAR on the South side of the Flatirons.  I tried to get in contact with my friend Ed, who works for the Lefthand Fire Department, but I think he was already in route.  This location made me especially nervous because I know it would be difficult to get a crew up there with the steep hikes and all the gear.  Thankfully, it looked like a helicopter was already in the air dumping water.  Hopefully, they will get it under control fast as the iconic look of the Front Range is a state treasure.