Callaway #1

We are in the midst of summer vacation.  Rather than wait til the end, I have decided to do some posts mid-vacation.  This saves me time when I get home trying to remember all the cool things we did.  Sadly, I've (again) been remiss with my camera duties.  We flew into Atlanta on Thursday--not one picture from the plane!  I'm slipping in my old age.  Thursday night, we stayed with the Bledsoes (David, Kathy, Westin, and Keller), and had a wonderful dinner.  The boys played outside--in the rain, which was cool--and we just hung around (no pictures--starting to become a theme for this post).  On Friday, we woke up, did a little swimming, and then drove down to Callaway.  There was a huge storm that evening--I got soaked just going from the hotel room to the car.  I was nice enough to pull the car up onto a covered walkway to prevent Ashley and Bode from the same fate.  We had forgotten what warm rain feels like.  Whenever it rains in Colorado, it's rather cold, and usually some hail.  Here, it was a bit steamy, like after taking a hot shower.  My Dad and his wife, Miss Janet, drove down from South Carolina, and we had a wonderful seafood dinner (last time of no pics, promise).  Saturday, we woke up and did some golf.  Bode took over as the camera operator, so we have lots (and lots) of pictures.  First, a shot of my me on the practice green. Note the not-so-perfect form.

 

Next we have Ashley sinking a few putts.

I managed to steal the camera from Bode for a quick second to take a picture with Bode and his Grandpa, who turned 70 the day of this outing.

Bode then took control of the camera and took a picture of Dad and me...

and then Ashley and me.

The golf was great--we could all have played a little better, but I did finish with a birdie on 18, which ensured we would be back the next day.  Saturday night we all went to dinner for a wonderful birthday meal (I guess we all forgot to sing, which I guess isn't a bad thing considering only Bode seems to show any musical talent in our family).  After dinner, we went to the fireworks (which didn't show up well on camera).  A couple people also got some ice-cream--Bode is eating the smallest portion size they had.

Sunday was a beautiful day, which meant more golf.  Janet was nice enough to take Bode for the morning (he got a little bored taking pictures, although we did let him drive the cart).  The weather could not have been nicer.  Here's an action shot of Ashley.

 

 

 

Such perfect form :-)  I also took a sequence of Dad.

And I took a movie of Ashley, who ended up having a wonderful drive.

I took another movie of Ashley, but, uh, err, the video quality wasn't quite as good (nor was the shot :-)  Today is another lovely day.  Bode spent the morning learning some trapeze tricks, and now wants to go swim in the lake.  I, of course, will oblige him.

Happy 4th!

We spent a lovely Independence Day up in Denver visiting David and Jennie and (of course) Teddy and Charlie.  We got there before lunch and headed over to the neighborhood pool for a big bash and some sun.  The pool was packed, but that didn't deter the boys from swimming.

Bode surprised me by going off the diving board--nothing too daring, but he did jump in.

We all took in some rays...

and had some burgers and hot dogs.

We spent some quality time at the pool.  Afterwards, we rested a bit while the boys started on the next generation of Facebook.

Jennie and Dave made a fabulous dinner--hamburgers and a wonderful macaroni salad.  We all ate too much so we decided to walk off some of the pounds.  We took Wags, their new golden retriever puppy who is just over 12 weeks old.

We didn't stay too late, and Teddy was nice enough to light off some of their fireworks while it was still light out (fireworks are banned in Colorado Springs--if you are caught setting them off, the penalty is a $2,500 fine plus up to 179 days in jail--yikes).

I also took a movie of them lighting one off.

We had a wonderful visit to Denver and hope to do it again, but next time, we'll bring Barkley so the two puppies can square off :-)

The ABQ

Per a previous post, Bode spent the last week down in Albuquerque.  Pat and Dana et al. were nice enough to host Bode, and Brenna did a lot of the heavy lifting acting as a chauffeur for the week.  I already posted some of the pictures that Pat sent me.  I went down there this past weekend to get Bode and bring him back home.  I stayed for a night, and we had a very nice time.  We swam in the pool...

and played some chess--Bode, while winless against Uncle Pat and me, has improved dramatically.  He does very well in the opening, but just needs to work on looking at the whole board--protecting the kid sometimes seems to be a lower priority for the little dude.  Still, I'm quite impressed with his abilities.

We also made smores in the backyard, with Sean getting the fire going.

Bode and Devin played a mean game of tetherball, with Kona, the new dog, trying to get into the action.

As always, Bode was sad to leave the Albuquerque McGuirks, but he was also rather sweet telling Mommy and me how much he missed us.  It is nice to have Bode home, and the dogs also expressed their joy when he returned.

While Bode was gone, Kristine Wolfe and her daughters Abbie and Avery came to dinner.  They were in Denver for Abbie's softball tournament and were able to come for some pizza and Scrabble (which I won, meaning I've won FOUR in a row!)...although I must admit I should not have won Friday's game.  Abbie, a teenager and not as cutthroat at Scrabble, played before me, and towards the end of the game, set me up for a lovely triple word score which enabled me to win.  I'll still take the win, but I do need to tip the ol' cap for the assist.

Barkley and Joey are getting along.  They play and romp, but the cutest is when they sleep next to each other.  Ashley and I came home the other day, and the two dogs were napping.

Very cute...until you realize they are sleeping a top some flowers I had recently planted :-(  We are going to visit Uncle Dave for the 4th of July--should be fun, although I think fireworks are banned in most places in Colorado (I'm sure there will be some lawbreakers setting them off though...)  Pleasant 4th to all.

The Devilbiss's in Breck

Our dear friends Stew and Beth Devilbiss came to Breckenridge for a couple of days.  Stew and I go way back to our AFOTEC days in 2000 and also in Dayton from 2006 - 2012.  I don't know if we could have had a better time with them.  We met up on Sunday evening, and Stew and Beth treated us to some fine Mexican food at Mi Casa.  We needed the fuel because Monday morning, we rented some bikes and rode around Lake Dillon.  The weather could not have been better.  Here are some pictures.  First, Ashley and Beth getting ready to hit the road.

Next, we stopped for a picture in front of the water.  Like I said, it was a rather picturesque day.

I WILL POST SOME MORE PICTURES WHEN I GET THEM FROM ASHLEY.

We had a lovely ride and stopped in Dillon for lunch.  Afterwards, we headed back to town and took some pictures in the town center.

We then stopped in the Breckenridge Distillery for some free samples of whiskey.

And of course we had to have some cocktails before dinner.

After supper, we sat around talking, which was probably one of the best evenings we've had in a long time--no tv on, no Auburn game to watch (fret about); just reminiscing with old friends.  I was sad when Stew and Beth left on Tuesday, but a day with them and I was worn out!  Hopefully others will follow the Devilbiss lead and come visit the mountains.  Pleasant week to all.

Cirque

The Albuquerque McGuirks came to Colorado Springs for a brief visit.  We had a nice barbecue at our house on Friday, and then on Saturday, Mom treated us to dinner and to Cirque de Soleil, which was very cool.  I was a bit remiss in my photog duties, but Ashley did get a picture or two--nothing spectacular, but enough to prove to a jury we were there :-)

I WILL POST WHEN I GET THE PHOTOS FROM ASHLEY'S PHONE.

The "circus," as Bode kept calling it, was very good--some amazing things people can do.  I think Pat and I were both grossed out by "the world's most flexible human."  We kept expecting his spine to just snap and that'd be the end of the show.

On Sunday, the ABQ clan was kind enough to take Bode home with them for the week.  We've talked to him a couple times, and it sounds like he's having a great time (but hopefully he misses us).  Pat was kind enough to send some pictures.  First, a bit of a blurry one, but one of the two younglings playing cards.

Next, more of the same with Devin and Bode making pizzas.

I'll probably go and get Bode on Sunday.  Ashley and I aren't up to much.  She's working and I'm not, which doesn't seem all that fair (even I can admit that).  I am taking care of the pups, who are getting along smashingly well.

We are still working on the house-training, but otherwise, she seems to be a pretty mellow dog.  We probably have Joey to thank for that, as he's been playing with her almost non-stop.  Here's hoping we get her trained soon :-)

Summer Time

I feel like a kid again--summer vacation!  I haven't done anything work-productive since the middle of May...and I don't feel bad about it :-)  Yes, I do feel bad that Ashley is being a model member of society, going to work every day, making a difference.  But I, too, am working--who do you think takes Bode to the pool?  And while at said pool, do I not also have to swim in the pool and play catch with him?   These things don't just take care of themselves ya know...

I have been doing some work around the house.  I put in a couple sprinkler system zones and am working on getting some sod installed.  I've also spent some quality time with Barkley.  Below is a picture from almost 10 days ago.  I say this because she's getting bigger every day.

Barkley and Joey have become the best of friends.  We are leaving the two of them outside when we go places.  They seem to be inseparable.  She didn't have any accidents in the house yesterday, but I don't think I'd trust her just yet (all in good time).  I did get a good movie of the two of them playing together.

Despite my heavy workload, I did manage to ease in a round of golf this week with Craig, an old friend from my Dayton days who recently retired from the USAF.  We both are strong supporters of the "no-work" philosophy, and we hope to play again in the coming weeks.

Bode has been doing a soccer camp this week.  He seems to enjoy it, and he's tired when he gets home, which is a win-win for all of us.  I got there early yesterday and got some pictures.

 

 

The garden is going well--I'll try to take some pictures of the yard and post.  It's quite a change from two years ago :-)  Pleasant week to all (and don't work too hard if you're one of the work-force)...