Visitors and visiting, rounds 2 and 3

August has been great for seeing friends and family. Early in the month my college friend, Ellen, came with her husband, Malcolm, and their two little boys. Three-year-old Haldan was a pro hiker, and the girls loved having two playmates show up each morning--especially Alice, who for once was in the middle of the pack age-wise instead of tagging along behind. Our outings included a day at the zoo.

Note: Not a member of our party!

Edith also returned to the zoo this month for a week of mammals camp, which was right up her alley as she becomes ever more of an animal lover. At the used bookstore she spends her time finding and befriending the shop cats; at the college student farm she spends a happy hour or two in the chicken's pen.

Mid-month we got to host Uncle Peter--who barely appears in these pictures, but who flew in to accompany us to a wedding. My first babysittee (and close family friend) is now rather unbelievably a lovely thirty-year-old physician, who together with her fiance was obliging enough to decide to practice in western Colorado. So in addition to reuniting with dear childhood friends for a weekend, we also had an excuse to see new parts of the state. As the father of the groom reminded everyone in his toast, this wasn't a destination wedding--the bride and groom actually live here. (Extra pictures to assist the imagination of my parents, who had to miss the occasion.)

Black Canyon of the Gunnison

Entering Gateway Canyon

The girls decided they liked the life of luxury, Southwest style

The view from our room

The resort at which the wedding was held was 45 miles into a canyon, so pretty much all the guests were staying there. The rooms all looked out over a central pool, where the girls enjoyed a good amount of time.

One of the great privileges and pleasures of Tom's line of work is being able to participate in key life moments of friends and family in a special way

My camera started getting slow-witted during the recessional and stayed that way the rest of the night, but I did get one shot (barely) of the two attendants, sister of the bride and brother of the groom

Edith decided she loved the bride and this was the best wedding ever--maybe because there were horses grazing just beyond the altar, or maybe because the bride is a lovely person and natural pediatrician who took time on her wedding day to provide TLC when Edith got a wasp sting, invite Edith into the bridal suite, give her a sneak peek at the sparkly bridal shoes, and cut up a peach for her and her sister.

It was also the only wedding we've attended at which there was the chance to roast s'mores in fire pits on the patio as dark fell--but here my camera was completely uncooperative.

A few days after we snapped this shot outside Aspen, our local paper reported two unprovoked bear attacks in this area on sleeping campers inside their tents. (Both were bitten but are okay.) Guess the Forest Service gave fair warning...

Independence Pass, over which passed the USA ProCycling Race (Tour de Colorado) today, one of two 12,000+ passes for the day. The race began two days ago in Colorado Springs with time trials right down the main road through our part of town, about 1/3 mile from our house. The day before was the Pike's Peak Marathon, from downtown Manitou Springs to the top of the peak and back. The day before that were the wimps, who only did the one-way Ascent. Meanwhile our neighbor helped keep pace for his brother in the Leadville 100, a 100-mile foot race the same weekend. It has been quite a week of athletic inspiration around here.