August album: end of summer

Wading in the Willamette River; playing in the park; harvesting plums, tomatoes, herbs, and peppers; visiting the zoo and Oaks Park, splashing at Salmon Springs fountain; camping at Detroit Lake; starting the garage remodel; enjoying the Alberta Street Fair, playing with cousins; celebrating our block party; goofing off in our backyard.

July Album part II: Angelfire, Red River and the drive back home

We met Matthew’s parents in Angelfire, New Mexico, just miles from Taos.  We spent the next week there, including the fourth of July, which was spent in Red River at a main street parade that involved lots of candy being thrown at the kiddos.

   

        

We stayed in a comfy cozy home with Oma and Papa’s friends, the Tabors, where we were lucky to catch glimpses of bears every day from the upper deck of their porch! 

    

And we all got some Aunt Ayme time!

         

We By the time we left New Mexico, we were down to two children!  Dean had stayed behind with Oma and Papa for a few weeks – they’d bring him back later in the month.

Matt and I saw this choice piece of property as we were driving back to Colorado.  And for sale!  I can’t imagine what we’d do there but just sit and relax and stare at this view.

    

Our last stops included Mesa Verde and the Arches National Park in Moab.  Leo loved the Arches.  He kept calling them “tunnels”, and he couldn’t wait to go from one to the next.  They were incredible landforms.  Leo had more energy than all of us – especially me, since it was already 90 degrees at 9 o’clock in the morning.  We stayed for a couple of hikes and then got back on the road to Idaho before reaching Portland.

Dean, meanwhile, had lots of adventures in Oklahoma.

July Album part I: Taos

First, well, to point out the obvious – I’ve been on a hiatus!  It’s summer 2014 and I’m catching up to summer 2013.  I’ve had these photos in the queue for quite some time, but well, life got in the way of posting.  That’s the good news. 
I am looking at these photos now with new fondness and memory as my grandmother’s health has been declining for several months now…  These photos remind me how precious our time together is. 
We were fortunate to wrap up our Colorado adventure in June with a side trip to Taos (the site of our honeymoon, those many years ago), with Mom, Dad, Granny and Grampa, Becca and Daniel.  We shopped the plaza and roamed around town, from the San Francisco de Asis Mission Church to the Royal Gorge Bridge.
    
   
   
If you know me, you know I love being high up, but I hate the combination of small children and heights.  I literally had white knuckles with Dean.  I was only able to relax at the Gorge after he went with Gramps back to the car. 
         
One last good-bye with my grandparents before we parted our ways.  It doesn’t get better.