End of Summer Fun

Thomas and I did not have a summer vacation. We aren't students or teachers afforded this privilege, nor were we able to take a sustained period of quality time away from our jobs for leisure. Both of us kept very busy with work at our jobs and with work at home. This will probably be true of many summers to come. We did have fun with some weekend jaunts from home. And we certainly enjoyed the company of friends and family a few times. This, we hope, will also be true of many summers to come. Labor Day used to mark the end of "summer", though calendar-wise it should be my dad's birthday. Growing up, school didn't start until the Tuesday after Labor Day. Out here (including my years in Denver), school starts mid August and usually ends by Memorial Day. Thus, "summer" was over for our nieces and nephews a couple weeks ago, even earlier for their parents. For Daniel, who works at Philmont, summer is the "on" season, so he is actually just coming off many weeks of extra long days and no weekends. We made a celebration of the transitions on August 13th. Thomas and I got up early - a little earlier than we needed, but we didn't want to miss the Colfax County Fair parade. David invited Thomas to drive the fire truck, so he could ride up top with his kiddos - an opportunity he has not yet had, since he is usually driving. Thomas and I biked down to the fire hall, leaving shortly after our arrival in the tender. We were told to arrive early and not miss the cake walk! We got registered for the parade and walked back toward the cake walk. Pop was hard at work collecting quarters from the walkers, but there was no sign of the Salas gang. We hung out in the shade until they arrived, and then I joined the fun with the girls. I won a cake right away - a red heart cake. Maya won right after me. Marie quickly called Julie to say that we had dessert for a family dinner planned for the evening. Cakes in hand, it was time to get ready for the parade. I declined my ride in the cab with Thomas, so Marie could join in the fun. We had a great time, saw lots of friends and people we knew, and ran out of candy too quickly!

You'd think there was a cool float behind us or something or that they were posing for a "Go West, young man!" poster, but nah...just an alarm or something that caught their attention simultaneously.

Maya was hiding on the other side of David. Someone has a smart mother who knows that the top of the fire truck is hot!

To continue the festivities post-parade, we gathered for dinner at Daniel and Julie's. The ribs and beer were a hit, and as soon as dinner was over, we got toned out for a fire. It was a false alarm of sorts, but more than anything, it was a damper on a night of relaxing and celebrating. Julie kept the beers cold till we returned, but the vibe was lost. Maybe we are getting a re-do Labor Day weekend with camping and logging in the mountains!

And a random shot from the car on my way home from work this week. There were about forty elk cow hanging out at the polo ranch munching away. Hunting season is almost here - an unfortunate change of seasons for the elk...