On beautiful Lake Ocoee

Visit to Denver: Rockies vs. Padres

Ready for the first pitch.
The mascot at home plate is a purple triceratops.

View from our seats

My fantasy player Ian Stewart up to bat. I love the Rockies scoreboard! Lots of great information. Their batting averages change each at bat and eventually it even shows what each batter did in previous innings of the game.

Since I didn't have any other baseball gear (besides my NW Arkansas Naturals shirt and who wants to be from Arkansas in Denver) - I wore my Red Sox shirt and hat. I didn't think about the fact that the Sox put the Rockies out of the playoffs in 2007. I got a couple of comments like... "Why would you wear Red Sox stuff to a Rockies game?" and "Hey, lets kick this Red Sox fan out of here!" but there were also several closeted Sox fans who gave me the "Go Sox!" fist pump, albeit, quietly.

Early in the game - bases loaded for the Rockies

and two runs score!

"The Rock Pile" - our section started a wave that went around the stadium four consecutive times! I also heard one of the Rockies signature calls - they finish off one of those clapping sequences by yelling TULO! when Tulowitski is up to bat.

The outfield fountains and the bullpens are really pretty.

(Click to enlarge)
I learned how to make new files with multiple pictures on Photoshop this week. Although this isn't perfect and its too small to see really well... I'd say its ok for a first effort. Now you have a fish eye like view from our seats!

Tara & Erik had been waiting all weekend for this. I wish you could see how long the hotdogs really were! We went through lots of water sitting in the summer-like sun. Its nice that the Rockies let you bring in unopened beverages and food!

7th inning stretch

Game over - Rockies win!

Time to go home...

And Monday morning it was time for me to fly home.
Here's to 13 years of friendship and many more!

The best way to mend a broken heart is time and girlfriends. ~Gwyneth Paltrow
A good friend is a connection to life - a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world. ~Lois Wyse

Visit to Denver: Sabbath

On Sabbath afternoon after church we took a hike up into the foothills. Sabbath afternoons are one of my favorite times of the week!

Kona sits like a little buddha - sometimes even more than this.
I became her friend during the visit. By the end of my stay she came downstairs to find me every morning.

Tara's first daffodils were starting to bloom

Kona found some water to play in

Kona the water dog
I think I like taking pictures of animals because they just act natural - even if a camera is out.

Erik trying out my macro lens. We enjoyed taking pictures while the other two walked on ahead.

Their friend Lindsey came with us along with her dog Aspen

Aspen is a Wheaten terrier - hypoallergenic I might add and I always love a terrier!

I finally caught a picture of Prozac

Tara & Erik were excited because they got the itinerary for their Grand Teton's backpacking trip this summer. They starting planning out their route right away.

Visit to Denver: Girls day out!

The rest of our Friday was spent out on the town.
First stop: Red Rocks

Tara says lots of concerts and events are held here during the summer.
Ryan told me when I got home that he went to a Pathfinder camporee here as a kid.

View of Denver

Lots of people come here to exercise every day.
I had a hard time just walking up to the top because of the altitude.

Driving into Denver - Broncos stadium

We toured the Denver Art museum

The bungee cord maze

This is very difficult to get through, especially without losing your bags

Fun art on the roof

Geometric lines from the building

One of my favorite paintings - a Norman Rockwell.

A Remington bronze sculpture

Sand art
Tara says she saw monks in Asia making these but most of the time, they spend days on them and then just wipe them away.

Outside the Denver Public Library

This is the building where Tara works. She is so close to great shopping there and lots of little neat places to eat. I wish I had taken more pictures of downtown Denver but alas I was just enjoying watching and walking. What a great city!
Tara surprised me by taking me to the symphony to hear Dvorak's New World Symphony!