small victories

I finally finished the outdoor kitchen today!! I pulled the grill out and tiled in the space surrounding it (used to be just cinderblock); I came up with a design, built a frame, cabinet door with  hinges, handle and attached everything to the concrete. It may not look as nice as one Jason would have been able to build, but there isn't an empty hole anymore...so happy to check that off the list. It's been grating on my nerves not being completed.

Summer Fun

We took a trip to the Paint Mines Interpretive Park..very cool colored rock formations that the American Indians used for their pottery. The formations are made out of a clay material and were amazing to see!

Hunter and our neighbor's son, Cameron, enjoyed exploring all the little trails

Ashley climbed a few rocks too!

The colors ranged from vivid to pastels..looked like someone painted them on

We found a small cavern to explore..really neat!

God has made the most amazing creations and continues to surprise me with such beauty!

We brought Ashley's boyfriend, Curtis, along too. The four kids seemed to have a great time.

 Hunter and I took a trip out to the Florrisant Fossil Beds and then drove down through Phantom Canyon Road. The Fossil Beds also had a historical site of an old Ranch that was owned by a widow in the 1800's.

Root cellar at the old ranch

 Hunter said we were "robbed" because the fossils were of old trees. For some reason he had imagined dinosaur bones..unfortunately it was only petrified tree stumps. I thought a 47 ft around giant redwood tree was pretty cool.

There's a smile!

 Our scenic drive on Phantom Canyon Rd was beautiful! We made a few stops and Hunter climbed lots of rocks

 He couldn't resist a little rock scrambling to check out a small cave

 We drove through two tunnels..this was an old railroad bed used to bring gold down from Victor and Cripple Creek

 Just couldn't resist the atlas pose on the side of the canyon road!

 I thought we had a chipmunk living out by the back fence..I have been leaving sunflower seeds out on the fire pit stones for the little fellow. He decided to come up to the house and I got a closer look..he was very small and was nothing like I'd ever seen. I looked him up on the internet based on his description and found out that this critter is a thirteen-lined ground squirrel. Apparently there are a few of them living out in the yard..Hunter is just itching to shoot them with his pellet gun. I'm hoping to spare them, but if they start eating my plants, he can have squirrel appetizers.

Hunter and I took a trip to Red Rock Canyon to check it out..really neat trails for mountain biking and hiking..great views all around!

There were two different bike courses and Hunter loved riding over these moguls..the trail continues on and you get faster as you go..every teenage boy's dream and he had the place all to himself

Look for Hunter in the lower left corner. He biked up to that set of carved stairs and had to carry his bike up to the top..builds character!

A week with Steph and Ian

My sister Stephanie and her son Ian came to visit. Just sitting around is never an option when you visit the Tutens..we had to show them around Colorado. Hunter spent 4 days at a summer adventure camp, so unfortunately not too many pictures with him. We had a wonderful time and enjoyed all the adventures!

Steph and I atop the Continental Divide in Loveland Pass. It was a beautiful 72 degrees and a bit windy..what a perfect day for mid-June!

Headed to Keystone Resort for a little tubing..snow tubing in the summer is a blast! Steph and Ashley worked together to fly down the lane with some super speed and spinning too!

No walking back up with the tube...they took the magic carpet

Girls just want to have FUN!

 This is a favorite spot for winter pictures..lake Dillon in the background..can't believe all the snow that's still around..no hiking for us today.

Ashley can say she's sat on a buffalo now...she loves having her picture taken with statues

A little fun in the River Run Village

After tubing in Keystone, we headed to a working gold mine tour. It was very interesting to hear about the mining process and see the mine..this is copper in the vein that's oxidized over the years.. 

Ashley, Ian and Stephanie posing in front of the mine entrance and mining cart..they said about $6000 on average is produced from one of these rock-filled buckets!

 We panned for gold in the stream after the tour..we found a few flakes but definitely aren't cut out to be miners

 I spotted a bear cub sitting up on the hill, under a tree..I kept an eye out for the mama and wondered what that area is like after dark??

 Ashley feeding the chipmunk

An unexpected treat at the mine was the crazy chipmunk population..the hills were crawling with chipmunks! They would come right up to you for a treat..we had peanuts and they would take them right from our hands..so fun!

 We headed to Mueller State Park to see the views and have a picnic..the visitor center is a neat place..couldn't resist a picture with the elk statue

After our meadow picnic, we went to the wolf rescue in Divide. They had several foxes, coyotes, an assortment of wolf species and even some horses to see. It was an educational experience, as well as a taste of nature.

At the end of the tour, we got to "speak" to the animals. We howled and they howled back..it was a little eerie. I have never heard a wolf howl in person and it was a bit creepy to hear all of them howling, especially the low tone artic wolves..the coyotes start it and the rest chimed in. Wonder what it's like during a full moon?

For an additional fee, you could go into the wolf pen and pet the wolves..we just couldn't pass up the opportunity to touch one of these animals. The wolf that was most active was only a year old and not fully grown. He was huge and a bit intimidating with his size and those yellow eyes. He didn't seem to care about being touched, but definitley worked for those hot dogs we kept feeding him..it was an amazing experience!

I managed to get a kiss from him...I think my whole head would have fit right into his mouth..don't want to ever meet this guy in the wild

 We managed to get a second wolf to be friendly with us..they really liked Ashley!

 

 The smell of hot dog in my hand brought the big wolf over to me..he climbed on and over Stephanie like she was just a rock. She went away with a wolf paw print on her pants as a souvenier

 No trip to the Springs would be complete without a visit to the top of Pike's Peak via cog railway. It had just snowed and we were socked in. Couldn't believe the 19 degree temp in the middle of June!

  

 We headed to Garden of the Gods to do some hiking, have a picnic and check out the amazing rock formations..a fun day for all!

 Peeking through the hole in the Siamese Twins

 The kids were holding up Balance Rock