Vacation - Day Two

We started our second day of vacation waking up in Denver and then hitting the road to drive the 1.5 hours to Red Feather Lake, CO. My Uncle Bill owns this cabin, Mason's Mountain Splendor, on Snake Lake and this would be our home for the next couple of days for our mountain adventure.

Mason's Mountain Splendor

We stopped on our way in Fort Collins to pick up groceries and supplies for our stay in the wilderness. Fort Collins has really grown since the last time that I can remember driving through the town. Jim and I were really impressed by the town and we are already talking about needing to spend some time exploring that town next time we are in that neck of the woods.

I also stopped at the Whole Foods store in Fort Collins. I've always wanted to shop at one of those stores but have never had the opportunity living out here in the middle of no where. I had a lot of fun looking at all the specialty food products that I've heard about but have never seen in person. I only spent $20 which is a huge testament to my self control and trying to vacation on a tight budget.

As soon as we arrived in Red Feather Lake, I was taken back to my childhood. My parents use to co-own the cabin until I was about five years old. We would usually spend about six weeks each summer staying at the cabin when I was a little girl. I love that everything has pretty much stayed the same in this little mountain village. It is a beautiful location that almost seems like it has been untouched by time and remains a simple, rustic retreat in the mountains.

One of the many lakes in Red Feather, Snake Lake, located immediately in front of our cabin.

View from the dining room of the cabin.

Perfect location for eating our breakfast in the morning and watching the sun rise. Breathtaking!

Living room fireplace in the cabin.

We quickly unpacked the truck and we were anxious to head out on our first adventure. We explored the hiking trails behind the cabin first and did lots of rock climbing. Ethan really impressed us with his ability to walk for miles and climb up the rock formations. Those are some strong little legs! Sometimes, my heart would race as my little baby scampered up the high rocks but he did an amazing job of being both careful and adventurous.

Little fort that we found. Perfect play spot for a little boy.

Beautiful views for miles and the dogs loved all the hiking.

Those little legs finally grew tired so he hitched a ride on top of Daddy's shoulders.

We had so much fun climbing, hiking and just taking in the scenery our first day at the lake. The cabin sleeps eight people - who's up for joining us next time?

Vacation - Day One

Last week, we headed away from our rural Kansas home for a much needed retreat and vacation. We drove the five hours, through the very flat lands of western KS and eastern CO, until we reached the Colorado mountains and stopped for the night in Denver, CO. It's always a fun game to see who can spot the mountains first as they start coming into focus over the open plains.

We stayed at the Aloft Hotel in Denver and we were very impressed. We were able to get the room for around $70 and the hotel offered many amenities. I thought it was a great deal!

We brought our dogs with us, a Golden Retriever and Beagle, and it was our first time traveling with our pets. The hotel was very pet friendly and we probably saw 20+ other dogs on the property.

Nice flat screen TV on the wall.

Very comfortable beds with nice, thick down comforters to curl up under.

Large bathroom with plenty of storage space and a huge, glass shower.

Outside sitting area.

The hotel also featured an indoor pool, workout room and computer area. I used the gym the next morning, while waiting for Jim and Ethan to wake up. I really enjoyed the workout facilities! Each piece of equipment had its' own TV in the monitor screen and that really helped my morning workout fly by.

After checking into our hotel, we headed out in the afternoon for a little adventure while we were in Denver for the day. I'll cover that outing in my next post.

Farm Boy Lovin and Muddin

This weekend, we pulled on our boots and headed out to the farm. Yes, I do own work boots for the farm and they are scuffed, worn and dirty. Those that knew me growing up would probably not have pegged me to be the one that married a farm boy and stayed in the country. It wasn't my plan but love (and Wranglers) makes us do funny things.

This is my in-laws farm out in Kirwin, KS. I love the rustic fence that lines their country road and then, over in the distance, you can see the lake. They have a beautiful bay window in their home that overlooks this view. When Ethan was a baby, I would sit in their rocking chair and rock Ethan and soak up this scenery. It's my favorite spot in their home to just sit quietly and daydream. This lake is where I fell in love with my farm boy. We would spend our summers out here, when we were dating in high school, going for Jeep rides or exploring the wildlife reserve. Now it's Ethan's favorite place for exploring and adventures.

Ethan's favorite toy out at the farm is this little car. It was difficult to find a piece of ground that wasn't a sloppy, muddy mess in order for him to drive the car that he calls “Cozy Coo.”

Of course, we had to check out the chickens. I love the supply of farm fresh eggs that we receive from these feathered friends.

After the chickens, Ethan was ready to hit the swing set. Check out those muddy shoes - we were a muddy mess by the time we loaded up to head home!

Our newest dog, Dexter, loves going to the farm. He chases the farm cats and gets to really run around and get out some of his young pup friskiness out. Jim enjoys having a farm companion and is starting to train him to pheasant hunt. However, at this point, Dexter doesn't like the feel of feathers in his mouth so the training has a long way to go.

It was much colder than the forecast predicted, so after about an hour we were ready to load back into the truck and head home. I love the variance of heights in Jim and Ethan's shadows in the picture above. They are such a pair - Ethan is a little mini-me of his Daddy.

Pound Puppy

Introducing the newest member of our family - Dexter

I told you the other day that Jim had fallen for a dog at the Phillipsburg City Pound. Jim talked about the dog for about a week and even gave him a name. As soon as he was named, I started preparing mentally for the dog to join our family.

He was scheduled to be put down on Monday, if no one came to claim him. I wasn't surprised when Jim came home with a dog at lunch time on Monday afternoon.

He has an appointment with the vet today, where he'll hopefully get a clean bill of health and maybe the vet can tell us a little about his background. I'm curious about his breed and age. I'm guessing him to be a golden lab mix and slightly under a year old. Any other guesses?

I wonder, too, about his background before he ended up in the pound. He seems to be well cared for but doesn't appear to recognize any commands. Our guess is that someone got a cute, fluffy puppy and was not prepared for a very big and frisky dog. Growing up with large retriever dogs, I know they are wonderful companion dogs but are ornery teenagers that have a lot of energy and love to chew through things. From Dexter's actions, we think he probably spent the majority of his life in a crate and wasn't trained properly. Hopefully, he's still young enough that we can train him to have good doggy manners. I'm looking forward to him learning to not jump up and cover me with mud.

I love having a buddy to go on runs with me. Maybe I'll actually get into a routine now that I have a jogging partner...or maybe not. Jim will be taking him out into the fields this weekend to see if there is any potential for a hunting companion.

And now for my PSA - Adopt a pet in need of a home and save a life. It's a great feeling.

Puppy Love

Jim works for the City of Phillipsburg and everyday he sees the dogs in the city dog pound. Jim seems to have been struck by puppy love by a young, yellow lab.

Jim has been talking about this dog all week and took Ethan and I out last night to see the dog for ourselves. I'm not really eager to add to our family with another dog. We already have a Beagle, Bailey, that is an inside, family pet. If we were to get another dog, it would be an outdoors only dog. I can't handle adding any more dog hair to our house.

The yellow lab is scheduled to be put down on Monday, if an owner can not be found. I'm hoping the dog's previous owner finds him or a great family can be found to adopt the dog. Otherwise, I fear that I'll be coming home and finding a new dog in our backyard on Monday evening.

I think Jim likes the idea of having a larger dog that he can take out to the farm and pal around with outside. I kind of like the thought of having a larger, athletic dog that can go on long walks and runs with me. Bailey loves to go on walks but can't go as far or fast as I would often like.

I suppose there's a time in practically every young boy's life when he's affected by that wonderful disease of puppy love. I don't mean the kind a boy has for a pretty little girl that lives down the road. I mean the real kind, the kind that has four small feet and a wiggly tail, and sharp little teeth that can gnaw on the boy's fingers; the kind a boy can romp and play with, even eat and sleep with.
Wilson Rawls
Where the Red Fern Grows

A Boy and His Dog...
Featuring Ethan and Bailey

Ethan's 1st bath being closely supervised by Bailey.

Yes, I respect my son's privacy and covered up with personal parts.

Bailey loved Ethan's Baby Play Gym

Ethan's 1st Christmas - Featuring Santa and his trusty Reindeer

I have to share one of my favorite childhood stories on Jim. When he was a little boy on the farm, he spent a lot of time playing with the family dogs, since there weren't other children nearby. His best friend was his loyal dog. Jim's mom told me that Jim had a lot of trouble understanding that there was a difference between dogs and humans when he was little. Jim used to ask his Dad - "Dad, when you were a dog..." all the time.

Mommy's Puppy Love