This spring we found a couple small snakes in the front yard by the flower beds. The kids loved watching them and grabbing them by their tail.

They really tried hard to get the second snake, but he was wound through the thatch layer of the grass and I think he would have been pulled into pieces if I didn't stop them. I'm not a huge fan of snake's, but ones this size are ok.

As long as they aren't rattlesnakes, like the Michigan rattlesnakes we used to have at the house I grew up at in Michigan. Each spring we would find ~10 baby rattlesnakes, but never the adults. It was amazing to see the little bugger's (less than a foot long) try and shake their rattles and strike at anything that got close - like the shovel. The DNR at the time told us to either chop them in half or capture them in a jar and take them in to them for disposal, since they were in our yard...

Colorado

Back in the beginning of August I had a work trip to Boulder Colorado for a 4 day software workshop. Since Joe and I hadn't really been on a trip by ourselves without the kids, we decided this would be the perfect time for him to come along. Plus, he loves Colorado and served his 2 year mission for the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the Denver North mission.

We arrived on a Sunday morning and dropped our belongings off at the hotel. Then we explored Boulder on foot. Monday we rented a car for the day and took off to visit Rocky Mountain National Park. While it was pricey to get in ($20 for a 7 day pass - but for us it was just one day), it was amazing. I even got to see my first real wild elk! As we drove in the mountains just outside of Boulder we stopped to see a waterfall. I forget the name, but it was just a short hike from the road.

Then we drove to Estes Park and from there to the Rocky Mountain National Park. We decided to take the Old Fall River Road and drive along the narrow dirt road along the side of the mountain. It gave us some amazing views. It was also scary at times, because there was literally only a foot on either side of the car (one side dropping off and the other side rock cliff straight up).

I just love this picture and have it as the background on my laptop and my mac at work.

We saw a couple areas were avalanches in the mid 1980's and early 1990's completely wiped out sides of the mountain. All that is there currently is rock; nothing growing at all.

I believe these were called chimney formations.

For it being the beginning of August, I was surprised at the amount of snow that was still present. In fact we were told that the mountain roads (both the Old Fall River Road we were on and the Trail Ridge Road) usually open Memorial Day weekend, but they were still closed as of July 4th due to the large amounts of snow that fell last winter. There was one area where the snow drift that covered the road was still about 7 feet high on the one side of the road (that was some really nasty, dirty looking snow let me tell you). The temperature change was drastic from Boulder to the Alpine Visitor Center; in Boulder it was 80F and at the Alpine Visitor Center it was about 42F and very windy.

It was neat to see the snow melt form waterfalls down the side of the mountain.

I would love to have a house built in this meadow...

We crossed the continental divide at one point and then reached the Alpine Visitor Center. At this point we got out and walked around the gift store. The high altitude was making our heads feel funny (over 13,000 ft at this point, Boulder is around 5,500-6,000ft). We drove west further and saw some beautiful lakes in some valleys. Then, we headed back towards Boulder and got us some delish pizza at Beau Joe's Pizza.

We had done a lot of research on places to eat, so we ate pretty well and I think we were happy with all our choices. I made sure that our hotel had a good breakfast that came with the room as well, so that helped us get a good start to the day. We also ate at the Rib House, Foolish Craig's Cafe, Agave Mexican Bistro, and Snarf's Sub Shop.

Overall we enjoyed our trip (and my workshop was good too). The time always goes by fast though...

Meghan and her love for dogs

As many of you may know, Meghan has a huge heart and lots of love for most any furry, four-legged creature, but especially for dogs. I swear that child has a dog radar that covers at least one city block. She always knows where the dogs are and always wants to stop and pet them. Most of the dogs in our neighborhood are friendly and the owners are very cautious if their dog doesn't like kids (they always cross the street before passing us).

Jase's best friend has a golden retriever, Clara, whom Meghan adores and loves to walk on the leash (whether in their fenced in backyard or in the house).

Meghan also loves going to Gramma Fick's house, because there she has 3 doggies to play with (actually just 2, Mitzi and Molly, as Sam is more stand-off-ish). Here are some pictures I took this summer when on vacation. Meghan was in heaven having Molly on the leash and running with her all over the large front and backyard.

This first one is my favorite!

Here Meghan is singing (her second favorite thing).