Summer of Fun

Last year I talked about having a summer of fun. This year we are having the most fun ever! We've been doing a lot of hiking and biking. We did a beautiful hike up at Mount Evans. We went up early and we weren't prepared for the cooler temperatures up there. Jenelle was just in a shirt and shorts. So we bundled her up with Daddy's extra clothes. I think she looks terrific in the Indiana t-shirt. We put her legs through another shirt and then we hiked. It was beautiful! Once we got hiking, we all warmed up. The hike wasn't easy, but it was worth the effort. We ate lunch beside the lake. It was a nice day.












We went for a bike ride up Waterton Canyon on Saturday. That place is pretty. You ride all along this big stream. At the top (at least where we stop because the trail goes on for miles) is where all the bighorn sheep hang out. We saw 9 of them last time we were there. I need to bring my camera next time.









We've seen a few concerts at Clement park this summer. Some local bands play in the amphitheater. We've heard fold and blues. Next week is the jazz band. I'm looking forward to the calypso band in August. We bring a cooler of drinks and Jenelle plays with her friends at the park. The first concert got rained out. We huddled under the shelter while it rained and hailed. We had a great time. Too bad all our fun is about to come to a screeching halt. See future posts...

Here comes Peter Cotton Tail...

Last summer we had a few rabbits in our yard and they were very cute. Jenelle enjoyed the bunnies and she liked to chase them around the yard. I also thought they were cute and cuddly. Flash forward to this summer. Those cute cuddly rabbits have multiplied and now they are eating all my flowers and digging up my yard and garden. I don't think they are so cute anymore.

Here are some interesting rabbit facts for you.

Cottontail rabbits of one sort or another are found in every state in the U.S., as far north as southern Canada and south into Central America. Wild rabbits live an average of 2 years. Full grown, they typically weigh 2 to 3 pounds and are less than 12" long.

In early spring, cottontails begin to reproduce. A female rabbit can produce three or four litters a year, with four to six young in each litter. Over a period of five years, a single pair of cottontails and their kin would number around 350,000. (Yikes!)

Wild rabbits are vegetarians. Their diet is 90% grass. They will eat almost any type of vegetable in the summer. Grasses, broadleaf weeds, garden crops, beans, peas, cabbage and lettuce are all foods of choice. In the winter wild rabbits will eat tree buds, twigs and bark. (There goes the garden.)

This summer I'm on a crusade to make my yard look a little nicer. The front yard is very pretty, but the back yard needs a little TLC. I bought some perennials and they were looking very nice. Until the rabbits ate them down to a nubbin.

I've talked to a few people about our rabbit issue and the responses have been very interesting. One friend thought I shouldn't do anything. Keep the rabbits cause their cute. One friend said she'd lone me her BB gun. She got rid of all her rabbits that way. Grandma Shirley recommended rabbit repellent from Lowes. I decided to go the expensive route and get the $55 live trap.

I caught my first rabbit today. I put in lettuce and apples in the trap. Jenelle and I watched the little guy hop right in. He was a cutie. When we got home later that afternoon, the mommy bunny was hovering near the trap. It was a little sad to see the mommy keeping the trapped bunny company. We decided to release him down by Chatfield arboretum. It's a nice state park. We found an area that was pet free so little bunny won't have to worry about any dogs chasing him.

One down! About 8 more or so to go.

Update: I caught 2 more yesterday.

Butterfly Pavilion

We went to the Butterfly Pavilion today with some friends. Jenelle loves butterflies and even has a little song she sings for them. The butterflies were very colorful. We saw lots of blue butterflies, but Jenelle was disappointed that she didn't see any pink butterflies. Pink is her favorite color.

The Pavilion is beautiful inside with tropical plants. They have lots of hibiscus plants which are my absolute favorite. While you're walking around you'll see a rotten banana in a tree with a bunch of butterflies stuck to it. The butterflies like to eat from rotten fruit.

They have a whole section of bugs there, too. You can even hold a tarantula. Jenelle was not interested in doing that! At the end two butterflies landed on Jenelle's head. Very cool!

The makings of a tennis star

Jenelle started taking tennis lessons this summer. She is having such a great time. She talks about hitting the ball over the fence (the net). The first lesson she barely made contact with the ball. The second lesson she was hitting the ball, but they all went into the net. She is so cute at the lessons. She cheers for the other kids when they hit the ball over the net. She giggles like a school girl when her coach gives her instructions. If that giggle/flirty side is a preview to the teen years; I think we're in for some trouble.














Curt and I took her to the courts over the weekend. I think she has really nice form. She even started hitting some over the net. I'm just not sure how she does it with her eyes closed. :)














Hopefully Jenelle will develop a love for tennis. I took lessons and played growing up. I still love to play. I'm going to call a sitter right now so Curt and I can hit the courts!

Reynold's Park Hike

We went on a nice hike over the weekend. Curt still carries Jenelle around in the pack. I don't know how he does it. She weighs 39lbs. now. Jenelle could hike, but she is as slow as molasses. Curt and I like to hike and get a workout at the same time. So Curt carries her on the way up and Jenelle walks the way down. I think next summer we're going to have to stick with bike riding or very easy hikes.











This hike is hard work. It climbs up and up the whole way, but you are rewarded at the top with a very nice view.









Jenelle liked to jump all the streams on the way down. She had a lot of fun until she slipped and scraped her leg ever so slightly. I think the whole forest heard her cries and screams.










Jenelle fell asleep on the way home. This NEVER happens. So I thought she'd take a nap when we got home. She protested and protested and refused to close her eyes. Oh well, it was worth a try.

Too hot. Too cold. Too rainy?

We went camping over Memorial Day weekend. We went up to Golden Gate state park. The weather was nice. We had a picnic lunch and then went on a beautiful hike. It smells so good up there. A wonderful piney smell. Jenelle is a good camper. She loves to play in the big tent. She was bouncing all over the place. All over the air mattress, too.
Anyway, I love camping, but I find sleep to be very illusive in a tent. I'm either too hot or freezing. We brought along an electric blanket and an electric heater. The tent was toasty warm. No problem or so I thought. Jenelle must have popped a small whole in the air mattress. We were up several times in the middle of the night to pump more air into the mattress. It also rained ALL night long. It sounded like a herd of preschoolers tap dancing on the tent. Curt and I woke up sore and tired. Not Jenelle. She was chipper and ready to go at 5:30am. Luckily she listened to me and when back to sleep for a couple more hours.
We woke up to foggy weather so we packed everything up and went home. Overall it was a lot of fun and we're looking into reserving our next campsite. Maybe up somewhere near Lake Dillion.