Fun at Skate City

Bree and I wrapped up June with a visit to Skate city with good friends.

Celestial Seasonings Tour

This June, I joined a wonderful group of friends for a "field trip" tour of the Celestial Seasonings in Boulder. The tour was very interesting, we'll never forget the peppermint room. We had a great time lunching on Pearl Street and shopping for fun things on the way home. I love these girls!

Ben Hangs Out with the Girls

Ben got to spend a summer day hanging out with Mommy and her wonderful friend Corinne! We started at Corinne's house with a little yoga, and then walked down to Old Colorado City. We stopped for a yummy pizza lunch and Ben got to watch the pizzas cooking in the stone oven. We then had ice cream at the Creamery and walked over for a visit to the public library, where both Ben and Corinne found good books to enjoy! (Mommy is always reading.) 

Ben wanted a picture of this parking meter because it reminded him of Mickey Mouse.

He wanted a picture of this parking meter because it reminded him of Goofy!

A Last Walk Around

We couldn't resist one more morning walk before hitting the road for home!

Back at Camp

After our fun day on the Silver Queen we returned to camp for one more night in the mountains. 

I just love the picture of Ben with his book and lantern!

Ben Gets Brave in Aspen

On our second day, we headed in to Aspen to have a look around. The Silver Queen Gondola was operating, taking visitors to the top of Ajax mountain for can't be beat views of the Elk Mountains.

When we arrived, Bree was super excited to ride the gondola, but to Ben it looked scary. He refused to get on it. We had to purchase tickets at a separate location, and they weren't cheap, so we waited while Ben got used to the idea. Never shy, he went up to the person operating the gondola to ask questions and get more information on his own terms. The operator assured him that it wasn't going to go fast and it wouldn't be scary. Ben finally decided he would try! We raced down to buy the tickets before he changed his mind.

From the look on his face, it is obvious that Ben enjoyed the ride! It was quite peaceful and relaxing, with gorgeous scenery all around. 

Once we arrived at the top, Ben had another challenge. There were kid activities that were included in the ticket price. Bree could not wait to climb the rock wall! She impressed the operator of this attraction by climbing all 3 of the routes with ease. Ben was not interested. 

Then came the trampolines. Bree hopped right into line for this one and had a blast, but Ben wasn't sure. 

After watching his sister take a few turns, and discussing his concerns with the operator, he was finally convinced to give it a try. He knew he could control the size of his jumps and just do little hops if that was all he wanted. 

He gradually got the hang of it. 

He even had fun!

Bree spent her time learning how to do a front flip. I love this picture of the two of them:

The scenery was truly spectacular. Here we are with an impressive view of the Elk Mountains behind us.

And a delightful trip back down on the Silver Queen!

A Family Hike

After our visit at the lake, we heading downstream for a family hike because we couldn't go the other direction on account of the trail being closed. We crossed some bridges (always a favorite) and traveled near Maroon Creek for awhile, and then continued through a boulder field. Along the way we all pretended, with Ben's help, that we were Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on a special mission to save the day!