Pumpkins!

IT'S FALL! Well, actually, it seems more like we skipped fall and are in the midst of winter already. We've already had a couple of days of snow. However, it is still October and October means pumpkins and cute, warm jackets, and jack-o-lanterns.

Before we could make jack-o-lanterns, we had to go to a pumpkin patch! Happy Apple Orchard wasn't quite as exciting as we all expected it to be. There was no corn maze, no animals, no apple cider, and the pumpkins weren't even grown there. But we had a fun day anyway...

 ...and got our pumpkins so that we could make jack-o-lanterns.

Mike's first time carving a pumpkin! 

Me and Andrea

Oddly, I forgot to take pictures once we were done. To follow!

Summer in summary-ish

So sorry it's been so long! Here are some pictures from the summer. These are only a few things that we did. I didn't have my camera with me nearly as much as I wish I had.

Staff campfire - Andrea, Mike, Caitlin

Addie, Kingsley, Hayley

Kingsley's first smore! He's from Gana, Africa and has never had one before!

Caitlin

Addie

Mike and I went to the Manitou Cliff Dwellings on one of our days off. It was interesting and fun, but probably only a one-time trip.

Mike

This is how I'll be cooking dinner from now on. :)

Madison, Erin, Mike

One Sunday the whole staff had the day off, so a few of us went for a hike.

Mike, Jeff, Sam, Kaitlin, Erin, Madison

 This was part of the Waldo Canyon Fire last year. Here is where our hike ended before we headed back to the cars. Zak fished Kaitlin, Erin, and Madison explored and returned with charcoal war paint, Zak and Trina's girls hid in one of the hammocks, and the rest of us just hung out. It was quite lovely.

Colorado is fantastic for hiking. I even bought hiking shoes! Katie aren't you proud? The picture on the left is the river coming from the Cheesman Dam. It's a 12 mile hike round trip. Sadly, made it almost there and then turned back for a total of 8 miles. I don't think I've ever walked so far!

 Yes, Cooper is inside the tack room. He's also trying very hard to snatch an orange from Hayley's hand before she finishes peeling it. Don't worry, we did give it to him. He likes oranges

Best wranglers ever! The Griffith sisters feeding. And Big Red - our trusty barn truck.

 Mike and I went for a road trip after camp was "over." We headed west to California to spend a couple days in Grass Valley. So fun!

Then we went to Kansas City for Mike's cousin's wedding and to meet his family.

Sheep on the side of the road somewhere between Utah and Colorado

Outside Salt Lake City

 Yesterday we went to Pike's Peak. Campers have been telling me all summer that I need to and it is with embaressment that I would admit to living so close and not having been there. Another day off and another adventure! It was amazing!

We didn't rid the Cog RR, but it came in while we were taking in the view. I love trains and Mike likes my camera, so he took a picture with me in it.

Fast and Furious 7 is being filmed on the Pike's Peak Highway. Sadly for us, there were no actors there, just the stunt doubles. But it was still pretty cool.

Soldier's Mountain

Caitlin, Mike, Kingsley, and Madison

Monday all of the staff had the day off. It won't happen very often this summer where we are all able to do stuff together, so we had a lot of fun. As it was Memorial Day, five of us hiked up to Soldier's Mountain (actually, we didn't arrange it that way, it just turned out that we hiked it on Memorial Day. Fitting, though, don't you think?).

This is the view of camp from the top of Soldier's Mountain. If you enlarge the picture and then squint at it you can see the roof of my house behind the big blue roof.

Caitlin, Kingsley, and Me

 From one side of Soldier's Mountain you can see camp and from the other one you can see Pike's Peak!

I Live in a Post Card

The barn and Cooper, Cheyenne, Cisco, and Rooster

Cali

Finally arriving in my new home state

My new office :)

Hay loft

My new house!! (inside pictures to come)

Pike's Peak

The barn with Pike's Peak behind it.

Rooster

Blue and Cooper

Sunday was one of those put-the-top-down-turn-up-the-music-and-drive kind of days. My truck has not turned into a convertible, so the top stayed up, but I did have some excellent driving music. My sister was in charge of providing suitable listening material for our cross-country road-trip last summer, so I was well supplied in that department. I grabbed my sun-glasses and jumped into my truck and went for a drive.

My first destination was Erin, ON. Erin is home to a favorite Morrish coffee shop, but it is on the very edge of town and I had never seen the rest of the town. The blue banner says: "Erin: Experience the Charm." And it was, indeed quite charming.

All of the storefronts were old (I think the buildings were just old, but the charming part was the old facades and doors).

"The Porcupine's Quill" book publishers.

 There was a tea house in town and, since it has been quite  long time since I have been to a tea house, and I was beginning to get a little hungry, I decided to have some tea and crumpets. The tea was delicious. I've never had crumpets before, but I'm not sure I like them very much.

10 days 'til spring! (minus 6)

 On the way back to my truck I passed this lovely little chocolate shop and tasted their dark chocolate truffle with a mint-white chocolate ganache inside. Very delicious.

I drove a little further to tour a couple more little towns, but I had left too late on a Sunday and every thing was already closed! Very sad. But I did get a couple pictures of their prettiest brick buildings. Above is the opera house - I don't recall what is playing. And below is the library.