golden day

Tuesday, July 28, started off with some driving around Denver pictures. We were heading across town to the Natural History Museum next to the Denver Zoo. As we passed through the city center I was impressed by how much there is to do in Denver. When we've lived in Washington D.C. I've always wanted to tour the U.S. Mint, only to be reminded that it is in Denver now. So, Tuesday there we were driving by...no takers. The capitol building area looked inviting too, surrounded by the morning crowd from the farmers' market. And then I had to take more pictures of churches, in their variety, and the Denver Post, and the Denver Art Museum.

I went in to check out the Natural History Museum. It looked interesting but had long lines and was expensive for us at 11USD per adult and 6 per child, especially after Monday's splurge at Elitch. We get spoiled by great free museums in D.C. After a bit of brainstorming we decided to drive a half an hour to Golden.

Here are two views of Castle Rock.

As we drove in to Golden we explored the neighborhood around the Colorado School of Mines.

Then Sam and Kyle and I ran in to the Golden visitors' center where a grandmotherly guide gave us an enthusiastic tour of her pamphlets. Sam took interest in the Museum of Mountaineering. It was just around the corner and across the street from a city park.

A guide at the museum, friendly, knowledgeable and patient, started us off with a ten minute anecdotal tour. Here are some pictures of the museum. Bethany is showing me what she learned about lightening safety and reading clouds. Mary is standing in front of an interactive map of the peaks in the Himalayas.

After the museum we played at the park for an hour or more... walking by the waterside, making up games with the dragon, examining the insects in the trees. Grant admired the city buses that stopped at the park.

We drove back to Denver in the evening to go to dinner at Casa Bonita with Auntie Annie.

When we dropped her off at home we said good-bye to Eric and the sunflowers.

Elitch Gardens

It's been on Sam's mind since we stayed at the Zuni street Ramada on our cross country road trip of 2007. The view of roller coasters, water slides, and log rides that hit with a wall of water the size of a tsunami is what Sam would call inspiring.

So, in an attempt to encourage Ben and Sam to make the most of their summer free time, I suggested that the Killer Rabbits, the Raines brother's electric guitar/drumming duo with Kyle as vocalist when the mood strikes, learn four new songs in exchange for a trip to an amusement park. Four weeks later their repertoire was still only a couple of Clash covers wider than Eye of The Tiger but I was pleased with their efforts, so we started planning a day at Elitch Gardens. It was about celebrating the older brothers, their interests, their accomplishments, their efforts to be helpful at home.

Provo to Denver

Saturday, July 25th, was our drive to Denver day. Sam and Ben and Bethany and Kyle sat towards the front of the van and we talked about our favorite and least favorite things about all the schools, at least seven, that we've been to in the past eight years of school life, as we drove through the pine tree green mountains.

We always stop in Grand Junction, that's where my father's father lived on a corn farm. I lectured the kids on rest stop safety and Rob assured me that the unsavory types hanging out by the restrooms were my cousins.

Back on the road we passed out sandwiches with ham and ham without sandwiches, and cookies and cheese sticks and listened to Bob Dylan on the ipod. I love passing through Vail and all the mountain towns and winding up to the summit and then driving down in to Denver. We have good travellers.

We got to the motel at about 6:00 p.m. Our very excited children met a very excited Grandma Martha. They ran up to her room and found a spread of Maine themed toys on her bed that awaited them. We stayed at the Ramada on Zuni street, with a view of Elitch Gardens, of course. It has a pool, that we didn't get a chance to use this time, and even more importantly, a generous breakfast buffet with those make-your-own Beligian waffle irons and a they-make-it-for-you omelet counter

Saturday evening we walked with Grandma to one of Denver's many delicious and authentic Mexican restaraunts. It was sprinkling as we walked back to the motel. We got back in the van and drove a few blocks to where my Annie (my sister) and Eric live. Thier little red house has a crop of sunflowers outside so enticing that some stranger was out front picking them in the rain that was pouring down when we arrived. It was a fun reunion. We exchanged gifts. The boys showed off their movies. Everyone played with the dogs. The cats hid, of course.

Sunday morning we went to church and then took a drive to the LDS temple.

We drove around Littleton, where Rob went to middle school and ninth grade. Returning is important to us.

We went back to the motel to finish up the left over travel-food for lunch. Sam and Ben went for a walk with Grandma to check out the views of Elitch Gardens...Monday's adventure.

In the evening we met Annie and played at an elementary school with a great playground and then went to another delicious Mexican restaurunt for dinner, Eric met us too.

Pioneer Day with Zoey

Friday, July 24th, was Pioneer day. Grandpa was in charge of breakfast at the church. Caitlin woke up grumpy but perked right up when she remembered that she had Mylee to play with.

After breakfast we drove to Logan to visit Uncle Joe and Aunt Courtney and little Zoey. Courtney suggested that we meet in Wellsville, just outside of Logan, at the American West Heritage Center. It was free for Pioneer Day. We loved it.

Sam and Ben were the first to want to try the tomahawk throw. They both gave it a great try but overshot a bit. Kyle and Olivia nailed it

The American West Heritage Center is a farm modeled after those of the early to mid nineteenth century, surrounded by the familiar elements of an old small town, the country store, the opera house, the restaurant. The staff are local adults and children from the Cache Valley, many volunteers. This boy, Sam and Ben's age, was an expert at melting iron for shoe nails in this workshop.

We visited the ladies in the model home. They were baking cookies and bread in an authentic wood burning stove, and sharing samples. The girls taught us how to use the ringer to wash clothing. Kyle enjoyed the farm animals.

We rode the covered wagon. This is Zoey in the foreground.


Our wagon tour included this view of mountains and buffalo.

Grandma Julia helped Grant on his first pony ride.

We had dinner and Burger King with Courtney and Zoey then drove back to Provo. We unloaded the van and suitcases to do laundry and load them up again. Saturday we were heading to Grandma Martha in Denver.

Hogle Zoo

Thursday morning we packed up overnight stuff and drove up to Centerville. I had a voice lesson with Katie Hill, a teacher I studied with nine years ago. I'll write the details of my lesson in my music blog. The kids and Rob played at the park during my lesson.

After the lesson we had luch at Carl's Jr. The kids played in the indoor playground for an hour or so and then we loaded up to head for the Utah Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City. Every time we go back to Salt Lake we drive by all the important places, Temple Square, Salt Lake Regional Medical Center where Kyle was born, Questar where Rob worked as a law student, the University of Utah where Rob graduated from Law School, and of course, our University Village (East) where we lived happily for two years when Sam and Ben were little. The zoo is just up the street. We used to walk there.

Kyle will want to remember his favorite monkey that the kids named Dexter. He made faces with them for ten minutes or more. Kyle tells me often how much he would love a pet monkey.

In the evening we went to Grandma and Grandpa's house for pizza. Caitlin played with her cousin Mylee, the big girls went to Aunt Judy's house to spend the night with thier cousin Julia, the boys camped out in a tent in Grandma and Grandpa's backyard.