Summer Days

A beautiful, chill, late summer morning, just the hint that Autumn will be here soon enough.
But not yet!

Last Friday Fiona & I went out to find adventure. After some tribulation in finding the location we were after, we started Little Girl's first hike under her own power. The guide book had a misprint, mistake, who knows---but 20 odd miles off the mark is quite a typo. The hike is called Lily Mountain, right next to Lily Lake, a shortish distance from the infamous Long's Peak Area (a very popular 14-er overnight hike). At 8500' elevation, of moderate difficulty, just under 2 miles, I worried at first it might be too challenging. I really needn't have worried at all. I sometimes forget that it's Okay to turn around, it's Okay to call it off---this, like everything in life, doesn't have to be a struggle. IF the guidebook was accurate in it's description of the hike, we almost made it to the end. I decided that for Fiona to succeed in making it all the way back to the car on her own, that we should turn back "at that next big rock," just after the switchbacks started. She was compliant, which certainly meant she was tiring. Total distance was definitely a mile, though my pace gauge is off when there are fits & starts of the preschool-age kind, it may have been as much as 1.5 mi.


Everyone we met on the trail was more than gracious allowing Fiona to "say HI to the puppy dog!" My favorite dogs we saw were the Mini-Australian Sheperds, not too small, not too big, and smart! One day we'll have a dog, one day.

All in all we were on the trail for almost 2 hours, gone from the house all day, next time we head up there we plan to visit the lake which looked inviting. Fiona was belligerently tired, and after she issued her new tantrum trademark blood curdling scream we headed home. Aside: Yesterday after a long bike ride with Jack in the open space, car windows down, she screamed so loudly it echoed down the block---wow.

Other classic summertime activities, picnics at the playground with Friend Jack.


Sidewalk chalking.


And cool 'late' night visits to Bonnie Brae---if ever in Denver one should most definitely sample all of Bonnie Brae Ice Cream's home made flavors. The Butter Brickle is famous. Miss M treated us last night, and Fiona absolutely refused a napkin. Can ya blame the little person having a whiny tantrum when we finally got home? Way past bed time, coming down off a sugar high...I must be delusional if I thought it wouldn't happen.

So it goes, so it happily goes!