Spring

Last year, when the trees in my neighborhood put on their spring colors, I thought,

"I really need to take pictures of these beautiful trees!"

But I never did...and I regretted the loss.

This year I didn't miss my chance.

  

I LOVE SPRING.

Purple mountain majesty

We spent Memorial Day on Pikes Peak. This is a mountain I have wanted to summit since the day we arrived in Colorado Springs. I always assumed I would hike to the top (all 14,110 feet), but I haven't made it happen yet. Yesterday the family reached the summit in our van. What a great trip!

We took about 200 pictures, selected 45 favorites, and pared down from there. There are still lots of photos in this post! Click to enlarge...

Here is a view of Pikes Peak as seen from the freeway near our home. Although we can't see the peak from our yard, a spectacular view is just around the corner. I revel in the beauty of that mountain on a daily basis!

I was very happy to see this sign: the road is open to the summit! We attempted this outing last weekend, and called the ranger station for a weather report a few times since, but high winds prevented us from getting to the top. Even though we called ahead yesterday, we didn't quite believe that the weather would cooperate until we arrived. As it turned out, the weather was glorious!

The temperature at the foot of the mountain was 86 degrees. We were enjoying the air conditioning in the van, but the rangers suggested we turn it off as we began the 19-mile climb up the mountain. So we rolled down the windows. The kids thought the wind in the van was hysterical. We fed the kids a steady stream of crackers and water to alleviate any altitude sickness that might occur.

I was immediately captivated by the beauty of the scenery. I loved the vivid contrast of red rocks, green trees, blue sky, and white snow (yes, snow!). I marveled at the stunning variety and perfection of God's creations. As we hit the timber line (at 12,000 feet), it was amazing to see how the landscape was suddenly barren.

Just before we reached the top, I was astonished to see people skiing and snowboarding down the mountain. The icy "ski runs" were only a few hundred yards long, but they were extremely steep! Watching the people go made me pretty nervous, as did the windy roads with no guard rails. Garry laughed at my phobias. I was glad he was driving.

We finally made it to the summit! The views from the top were simply stunning. The sky was perfectly clear, so we could see for miles and miles (hundreds?). The temperature was a brisk 45 degrees, but we were prepared for sub-freezing temperatures. Even the wind was calmer than expected. The kids fed quarters into the telescope machines to see out into Colorado Springs. We took tons of pictures to commemorate the moment and capture the amazing view.

Garry took several shots of the Colorado Springs valley and stitched them together on the computer in a panorama. Pretty incredible!

The monument we posed in front of celebrates Katharine Bates, who penned the words to "America The Beautiful" while atop Pikes Peak. Her words were certainly stirring as we stood in that spot:

O Beautiful for spacious skies
For amber waves of grain
For purple mountain majesty
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee.
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

Each of us selected something from the gift shop to commemorate our time there. Then we made the drive down the mountain. I savored every minute of those beautiful views! The boys saved quarters for some view finders they spotted on our way up, so we enjoyed the beautiful vistas up close on our way down. We also stopped at Crystal Lake on the North Slope for some pictures. That would be a gorgeous place to spend the day!

On the way out, with "America the Beautiful" in our heads, we remembered the soldiers and freedoms we celebrate on Memorial Day. What a wonderful land. What a wonderful day!

Nature walk

While cleaning up after dinner this evening, I determined to take an evening stroll. The fantastic spring weather was calling to me. "Come bask in my goodness!" it cried. I couldn't help but answer the call.

With Daddy and the big boys at t-ball practice, I set about preparing the Littles for our walk. A fairly simple task, no? I knew their bellies were full and their bums were clean, so I just had to load them in the stroller, change my shoes, and grab the house keys. No biggie.

This is when the comedy of errors began.

First, I removed the double jogger from its hanging spot on the garage wall and discovered the front tire was missing. I quickly located it, mounted it, and loaded Gavin, who was super anxious to begin this adventure. Lexi was next. It quickly became apparent that a side-by-side stroller may not have been the best purchase, Craigslist "steal" notwithstanding. Gavin set about poking his sister in the face. I distracted him with his stuffed bear and a cup of water. (Even as I handed him the water, however, I wondered if it could be turned into a weapon, so I let him have a sip and took the cup away).

Then we were off.

Except that we had three flat tires. Not to worry...the pump was in the garage and I knew how to use it. Gavin helped.

I opted to text Garry so he'd know why we wouldn't be home when he returned with Zach and Tyler. (They were due back in ten minutes.) He suggested I wait for the big boys, who would surely love to come. So we did a few laps around the cul-de-sac and waited.

Once home, Zach bolted for his scooter. Tyler had to change his shoes. Lexi started to scream.

I asked Zach to walk with me instead of ride. He threw a fit. Tyler was taking for-ev-er finding shoes. Lexi continued to scream. I took her inside to see if a diaper change would calm her down. Zach stayed outside with Gavin.

As I changed the diaper, Tyler came running into Lexi's bedroom in a panic. He blurted out that Zach had tipped the stroller backwards, causing Gavin to hit his head, hold his breath, and pass out (this is his oh-so-stressful reaction to pain...it freaks us all out). By the time I got outside, Gavin was screaming and Zach was looking guilty. I assessed Gavin for damage, Zach was uninvited, and Lexi continued to scream.

I gave up. No walk tonight.

But then Garry intervened. He took the baby and ushered Tyler, Gavin, and I down the driveway. He knew the walk would do me good. And so we went.

We got to the end of our street when Tyler started to complain. He didn't want to carry his water bottle, but he hadn't brought the lid, so I wouldn't let him put it in the stroller. I invited him to return to the house. He declined.

A block later, Gavin, who had somehow retrieved his cup in the earlier melee, threw it on the ground. It sprouted a giant crack and spilled everywhere. Excellent. It was brand new.

I set a brisk pace at first (my natural instinct) and Tyler struggled to keep up. I slowed down to accommodate his little legs, but he complained about walking and about holding his water the entire time. He wanted to take Lexi's spot in the stroller.

I was so frustrated at this point that steam was probably coming out of my ears in great, billowing clouds. Was an outing really worth all this hassle? I decided to focus on the thing that had compelled me to start this ridiculous journey in the first place: the gorgeous Colorado evening. The bright blue sky, the vividly green trees, the colorful flowers, the snow-capped mountains, the fresh, light breeze...it was truly breathtaking. With every step, it was easier to tune out the whining five-year-old, the jabbering toddler, my aching foot, the frustrating hour. Blue sky...green trees...tulips...mountains...breeze...yes, this was good therapy.

Eventually, the three of us rounded the last corner and we were home. I was refreshed. I started hatching a plan to walk again tomorrow. But guess what? I'm going alone.

I like to look for rainbows....

The boys and I have established a new tradition of taking a walk on Sunday afternoon. I find it very refreshing to explore our neighborhood, burn a little energy, and appreciate the pretty place we in which we live.

Last week rain spoiled our plans and today it seemed that rain would foil us again. Zachary and Tyler (true Oregonians that they are...) didn't think a light drizzle was anything to worry about, so we grabbed our jackets and set out anyway. I figured a blanket and a stroller canopy would protect Gavin enough. Off we went.

Several blocks from home, the rain intensified rather than lessened. I was enjoying myself, however, and the boys weren't complaining. (It was raining but still quite warm; we were all sweating in our jackets.) Gavin's face and hands were splattered with rain, but every time I checked on him he was beaming. We kept going.

All was fun and good until Tyler crashed on his scooter and landed bum-first in a puddle. He recovered quickly, but that was our signal to head home. A few blocks from Begonia, the rain turned to mist again, so we slowed our pace and enjoyed the puddles. That's when we noticed a giant rainbow arcing over the stormy sky. It was vibrant and so beautiful! While we were admiring it, a second rainbow appeared over the first. We ran ahead to Candleflower Park, which is set in a clearing with a great view of the city. Sure enough, the view of the rainbow was spectacular!


A grainy cell phone photo is the best I can offer, but it still makes me smile.

I like our new tradition!