Wind Swept

salty ocean breeze to crisp mountain air (ck out the mountain goat in the back giving us the 'those tourist' look)




our annual summer trip to visit gramma D in hilton head. some highlights:

- sunny, sunny days. it never rained except maybe once at night. June is the best time to head south before it heats up.

- warm, super shallow waters. the girls rode (and rode) the 'bumpy' waves in their tubes and boogie boards

- visiting with three sisters who are three teachers. the girls love the attention which means less work for us (-:

- a fun day trip to Charleston, touring the old homes and checking out their aquarium with a cool penguin exhibit

- six full days of beach and pool. enough for us, but the girls could have stayed another week.



for our end of the summer trip, we decided to visit Colorado. Eric's dad was born and raised in CO, so we spent a couple of days visiting family before heading to Denver.

some highlights:

- the girls got to met most of Eric's paternal side of the family, esp Aunt Alma who is 96. they're too young to understand, but it was neat showing them part of their heritage. from the acres and acres of farm land to cattle-raising and live stock kept in the Deterding family for generations. now I get why Eric loves rocks, Indian heads and 4-wheel driving...it's a different world and life style, the heart land.

- aunt LouAnn and uncle Leroy made us a full breakfast and dinner for three days--delicious, local beef and yummy home-made pies! also had my first malt shake straight from their kitchen.

- going fishing where poppa and grandpa fished as a boy. the girls fished before, but first time they caught live ones!

- a quick stay at Black Hawk, a western-like town filled with casinos. mommy actually won some $$, before poppa ended up loosing it. forget how much i love casino buffets. the one at Ameristar can't be beat-- crab legs and cotton candy!

- Eric was right, the Appalachian mountains (of the East) are nothing compared to the Rockies. we drove up (and up) and right on the edge of Mount Evans. The drive isnt for the weak of heart but the view is awe-inspiring.

- wild mountain goats! they are so rare, and we saw a bunch! Laurel caught sight of them first and she was so thrilled. no moose or bears thou.

- checking out the mile-high city of Denver. it's a great town, full of culture and outdoor adventures. known for it's 300 days of sunshine and pristine ski-ing. who needs a thread mill when you have the mountains.