Independence Pass and the Intercontinental Divide

The Aspen Grottos

The first hike

The first hike we did in Colorado was Rough and Tumble Creek (there was another trail name involved but I have since forgotten it).

It was a rough 11 miles so I didn't get many pictures. I was just happy that I made it to the end.

Here are a few of the images I snapped.

A taste of my work situation

Last weekend, I cut 6 inches off of my hair. For those who are measurement challenged, that's roughly the length of your hand. No small amount.

This week, I spent over 50 hours with my coworkers.

Not a single person asked me whether I'd cut my hair or noted any difference in my appearance. NOT ONE. Not even the female associate that I work with on practically an hourly basis.

So that should give you an idea of how much people at my workplace care about their coworkers on a personal level.

At least we all pretend to be friends...

What's to come

Sometimes, there are no words.

Because field spaniels have so much dignity

Beemer posed for me all vacation. I think this picture is my favorite, though.

On the road again

Those out there who know Duff and I personally know that we just returned from a wonderful vacation in the great state of Colorado. Those who know us also know that we drove...the whole way...to Colorado.

It was a long drive.

To stem the tide of boredom, we decided to take pictures of all the state welcome signs that we encountered along the way. Below are our best attempts at capturing these signs, as well as some other random boredom-quelling shots.

(these were all taken with my snap and shoot camera, which should explain at least some of what is to follow)

1. Maryland, or at least it would have been Maryland if Duff had given me more than two seconds warning.

2. Riley helping Duff drive.

3. West Virginia (yes, its there behind the sun glare).

4. Some of West Virginia's scenic views.

5. Kentucky.

6. Indiana.

7. Illinois.

8. Missouri.

9. Busch Stadium in St. Louis (where we also had the world's greatest BBQ).

9. I believe this was supposed to be Kansas (thank you, Duff).

10. My best shot from a lightening storm in Kansas that lit up the sky for hours.

11. Riley sleeping in the back seat.

12. Colorado.

13. This is actually a picture from our first night in Colorado, which included a quick trip to Independence Pass, but I included it as a little teaser of what's to come.

14. A parting shot from Colorado.

15. Our quick stop at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on the way home.

16. And finally, a little bit of Riley being herself in the back seat.

More to come.

Jo

Under the Knife

Where should I start with my triumphant return to the blog?

First, let's not get too excited. We all know that one new post doesn't mean much of anything around here.

Second, a lot has happened since the last post and I have more pictures on my camera than I could possibly share.

So let's start with the present and move backwards. Why go with the popular crowd and follow chronological order?

The most important news on the home front is that Riley-baby had surgery on Thursday. We did what every parent of a teenage girl dreams of--ensuring that our little darling will never have another boyfriend. ;)

Anyway, Riley got fixed...and she has the shaved belly

and wound to prove it.

They also treated the sore that she had on her shoulder from vacation. So she got another little haircut.

She also has to have medication for her eyes, since she had some sort of allergic reaction to the anesthesia. So overall, she looks pretty pathetic.

Although Riley is moving kind of slow, she is doing very well. The first two days were kind of rough as she experimented with new ways of moving that avoided her injury. But today she seems to have it down and even got to visit with Abby from two doors down, who also was spayed on Thursday. Those girls are going to be best friends forever--no doubt.

Anyway, that's all for today. I hope to post some pictures from vacation in the near future. But, as always, don't hold your breath.