I Would Attempt To Win A Gold Medal If This Was The National Anthem I Heard

I adore Marvin. I am not a basketball fan and I by no means support Nike but when this commercial comes on I have to stop the DVR, rewind and take a listen. It is the most impressive version of the national anthem I have ever heard and I've watched a lot of Olympics, Super Bowls and Stanley Cups in my day. This is the original footage. It's also pretty cool that this was a Nuggets game or is it an All Star game???.


Okay, if that doesn't give you goose bumps you had better be Canadian.

Another commercial I was completely infatuated with was this one. It reminds me of childhood when we would pick our heroes to play in our pick up games. If you asked Lucy she would pick Diego, Totoro, Woody, Remy, Ariel, Willy Wonka, Peter Pan, Po and the Iron Giant for her "run around the yard and completely irritate the poor dog" competition.

Home Sweet Home!

Well, we are back! August sneaked up on us and it seems as though we are now playing catch up. Catch up on a lot of well thought out posts that never came into fruition. Catch up on a lot of photos. Catch up on a lot of California observations--the highs and the lows. Catch up on a lot of sleep (we drove for 24 hours straight to get back home). All these will have to wait. Family is coming to visit to celebrate Lucy turning 3. I hope they are ready for the hot weather and no AC. Sweaty fun!

Ten Years Gets You Aluminum

Yesterday marked the 10 year anniversary of mine and Bell's big move from Florida to Colorado. We moved out here on a whim and now have made a life in this beautiful state.

In honor of 10 years, here are 10 things we love about Colorado, in no particular order.

1. Rocky Mountain National Park
2. Phenomenal campgrounds
3. Night skiing
4. The four seasons--but especially autumn
5. 300+ days of sunshine
6. The Colorado Avalanche--I guess the Broncos, too.
7. Wildflower hikes
8. Colorado Blue Spruce, Aspens and Bristlecone Pine
9. Telluride
10. Chaffee County

The traditional ten year anniversary gift is aluminum or tin. So here's a six pack of Heineken in a can and a kiss on the cheek. Happy Anniversary!

Sahara in the Sangre de Christos

What do Alexander, the Space Coaster, and the Sand Dunes have in common? They're all Great! Not too many National Parks can boast that they are 'great' or 'grand', but the Dunes have certainly earned this moniker with their other-worldly existence beneath the Sangre de Christos. We had an excellent camping trip with a crew of 12 adults, 2 kids, and 6 dogs. We spent our nights and evenings at San Luis Lakes state park only a few miles away. Shade is limited in the San Luis valley, with only pinon pines and scrub brush in abundance, but the lake itself was a great spot for an evening paddle with great views of the Dunes and surrounding peaks. Everyone arrived by Friday night, and got up fairly early Saturday morning as the sun warmed the tents quickly. We found a spot slightly removed from the crowds on Medano creek in the park, with one crew climbing the sand and attempting to sled down, while the other tended to dogs, kids, and sand castles in the creek. Lucy was content to play in the mud and flowing water, following Dude around and flying a kite when the wind picked up enough. After deriding my kite-flying skills and the heat of the day bearing down on us, we all mobilized to Zapata Falls in the mountains south of the park. A short hike through the scrub led to a wooded creek which was nice and cool. To get a view of the 30 foot falls, we had to walk up the creek through a canyon, taking frequent breaks up on rocks to allow our feet to thaw. We beat the heat the rest of the day under the shelter and a tarp at the campground with beer, beef jerky, and cards. The day ended as all should, with chili dogs and marshmallows cooked over an open flame.

Purple Mountains Majesty

Dude's Shadow

Beginning the Trek

Mountains and Sand

High Stepping (Courtesy of the Potters)

Zapata Falls


Canoeing

Mateo, future hot dog eating champion


Check out the entire photo album here:

Great Sand Dunes

I Like Big Buttes and I Cannot Lie

Rather than head up into the hills like we normally would for a camping trip, we decided to give Crow Valley a try out in the Pawnee National Grassland for Memorial Day. Dude, Cassie, and the Wolffs joined us for some chili dogs, horseshoes, and hiking. Four dogs rounded out the crew, including Java on her last camping trip. The grasslands are remote but the vast expanse of them is well worth the trip, as are the Buttes which are somewhat near the campground (although farther than you would expect). It is the 'other' Colorado with large Western farms and roaming livestock, or as Dude put it 'Welcome to the middle of nowhere'. There was plenty of shade in and around the camping area, a few trails that led out onto the prairie, and the Farm Implement Museum. Renowned for its bird-watching, there were several people there with large telephoto lens and binoculars. I saw a brown bird. It was good start to the camping season.

Lucy and the Buttes

BFF (courtesy of the Wolffs)

Pack Mules

Farm Implement