Dianne came out to visit us on July 1st. Dwayne took a few days off at the beginning of the following week so we could spend several days with her as a family and show her many of the sights of the area. We went to our local fireworks display that was being held on July 3rd. We all had a great time for the most part. It was good timing on the part of Parker because we had really stormy weather and rain for most of July 4th. Many of the celebrations had to be postponed to Monday because it was so bad. I thought I would finally get over the curse of rain on the 4th but I guess we brought it with us from the Pacific NW.
Sunday, we took Dianne to the zoo and took our time looking at all the different animals. We packed a picnic lunch and spent a few bucks letting the kids ride on the carousel and train. Being a holiday, it was actually very quiet at the zoo as most everyone was at their families BBQ's or church. We made it home just in time as it was starting to sprinkle when we got home.
Early the following week, we packed another picnic lunch and took a drive to the mountains. We showed her the awesome views found in the Rockies and the pretty campground we hope to camp at next year. It was a perfect day being sunny and bright but not too hot, at least at that elevation. She got to see some of our awesome thunder and lighting storms that we seem to get 3 or 4 times a week this time of year. And then they would disappear just as suddenly as they came. I'm still amazed at how fast the weather can change around here. The storms come out of nowhere and come very fast.
During all these trips, I kept forgetting the camera so I don't really have many pictures. On the Saturday before she left, I finally remembered to take the camera and was able to snap the pictures as we took a short hike at Castlewood Canyon State Park. This park is located just south of us and very beautiful in its own way. Lots of pine and bare rock but also many patches of grass and wildflowers, not including the beautiful canyon itself full of trees, water, and birds. I hope the kids will enjoy hiking as much as I do as the park has several miles of trails to discover.
One view of the canyon.
The kids were very fascinated by the cactus so I took a picture of a dense patch just for them.When we got home and cooled off a bit we beat the Saturday evening dinner rush and took her to one of our newest favorite restaurants called Joe's Crab Shack. It is a good alternative to having fresh seafood at the ocean. They serve buckets of fresh steamed crab of many varieties and if proves to be a full, satisfying dinner. They have lots of music and every half an hour or so they will crank up a song and all the waiters will come out and dance. The kids love going to the "dancing restaurant" as they are encouraged to bounce around and dance to the music. It is a fun place to go and I wish I could afford to go more often.
Sunday was spent mostly relaxing around the house and waiting for the time when we would have to take her to the airport. Overall, the kids had a wonderful time seeing their grandma. Now the next visitors on the list are Dave and Charlene and their boys. We will get to see them Wednesday. I'm so grateful for all the visitors this summer. On to the next!
