On the rocks

Monday started early for the girls as Missy had plans for them to get up early and head for a few nearby geologic formations. Denver has some stunning rock formations that can be reached via a short walk, Missy wanted to take Elena to two of these. The first was near Morrison, in this rock formation there are dinosaur footprints and evidence of the the ocean floor that existed in Denver some 90 million years ago! Their second stop was at Red Rocks, this formation of large rock is not only beautiful but famous. Between two of the large rocks a large amphitheater was built, and it has hosted some of the most famous concerts since then. It is the sight where U2's Sunday Bloody Sunday music video was filmed. In the evening we headed out on the train to downtown Denver for shopping and dining. We stopped at one of our favorite pizza restaurants (Old Chicago's) and then spent time on our major shopping street. Elena showed Allison around H&M and then we shopped at a few other stores before enjoying some gelato and catching the train back home. Allison invited her best friend along and they had a sleepover.........after staying up late, they are now sleeping in!

Dinosaur footprints

Former ocean floor

Red Rocks Amphitheater

Red Rocks

Elena admiring the view

Missy & Elena saying goodbye

Train to downtown

Happy girls

Smile!

A successful shopping trip 

Gelato

Public art

A school visit and more music

A relatively quiet day yesterday. We visited Allison's school, ate at a local favorite, went shopping and went to Allison's band rehearsal. Back at home Elena enjoyed a new favorite food (mac'n'cheese) and made some jewelry. Tonight we're going downtown for dining and shopping!

Rocks, bears and music

Another busy day in Colorado! After letting everyone sleep in a bit, we hurried out of the house and headed for our museum of nature and science. Our first stop was the excellent gem and mineral section. Mining is a very important part of our state and the gem and mineral exhibit is not surprisingly one of the best. From aragonite to zinc, we saw a lot of minerals. We next headed for the animal exhibits where Elena learned a little more about the animals she saw yesterday, as well as other unique North American animals. We had great fun teaching Elena how to pronounce the word "bear" in English! Other stops at the museum included the Native American exhibit, space science as well as an interactive health exhibit. With our minds full of knowledge we left for Washington Park and another of Allison's concerts. We sat under umbrellas while Allison played in the rain. We felt she deserved a special dinner after sitting in the rain for an hour, so we decided to eat dinner at one of our favorite Japanese teppanyaki restaurant. It was a new experience for Elena and we think she really enjoyed it despite being too shy to try and catch food from the chef!

Our first stop

Interesting mineral

Our state mineral

Lot's of gold

Mule deer

It's a bear!

Moose

Plains Indians

Playing with the thermal camera

Allison's the one with sunglasses

Elena very interested in our chef

Onion volcano

Here comes the bride

A mostly quiet day yesterday, our big event was our dear friend Brittany's (the mermaid) wedding. The girls had a great time eating, dancing, and taking photos. On a totally separate note we thought we'd post some of Elena's favorite words in English: Oooops, yes, A-ha and napkin. Always, always said with a smile! It's really been a pleasure getting to know Elena, she is an amazing young woman and it has truly been fun having her in the house! Here are a few shots from the wedding:

Rocky Mountain High

We got up very early this morning to make the 2 hour drive to Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP). In order to beat traffic and the weather we left the house at 7am. RMNP is know for high mountain peaks (60 3700+m peaks), high roads (3713m summit), and animals. We normally see deer, elk, marmots and many others. In addition, if you're lucky you may spot a moose. We were very lucky We started out driving across the winding Trail Ridge Road to the west side of the park looking for moose. We stopped at a small pond and found a female moose in the center of the pond. After a short walk we came across a large male as well as a young moose. As I said, we were very very lucky! After watching the mother run with her calf, we headed back to the car and up to the top for lunch. After lunch and sunscreen (very important at high altitudes) we set off to do a little hiking. The girls walked up a path well above timberline and climbed on a large boulder with an amazing view all around. Hiking at high altitude is tough work and we were all huffing and puffing when we got to the top. After we climbed down, we headed back to the car to spot more wildlife. We saw marmots, elk and deer on our drive as well as all of the beautiful scenery. After a full day in the park we stopped at a grocery store to pick up food for dinner and headed home. The highlight of our evening was watching the opening ceremony of the London Olympics. We all cheered the Spanish and American teams, and sang along with Paul McCartney. 

Long's Peak (4,346m)

The lower section of Trail Ridge Road

Female moose

Male moose

Elena and the moose

A pica

Standing on top of the world

The hike down, much easier than up!

Elk

High altitude flora