October 22, 2017

We also make it a point to go to Smithfield Station every visit.

It's a restaurant in Smithfield on the Pagan River, about 45 minutes from Portsmouth.

Smithfield is known for its ham and bacon.

No trip to Smithfield Station would be complete without the bacon-wrapped scallops served with remoulade sauce.

Although my parents have told me they have indeed survived without them - but why tempt fate like that?

 My sauteed crab sandwich.

 My mom's seafood quiche.

Yet another Eastern Carolina BBQ sandwich for Jed.

Still loving after 60 years!  :)

Happy anniversary, Mom & Dad!

October 20, 2017

We drove to Portsmouth, VA to spend a week with my parents and celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary.

We always drive down to the waterfront while we're visiting.  

That's the Elizabeth River - it separates Portsmouth from Norfolk.

A Carnival cruise ship was docked across the river in Norfolk.

While we're driving around downtown, we always visit my favorite neighborhood in Porstmouth - 

Swimming Point.  

It's a tiny neighborhood - only two streets go down to the water.

October 17, 2017

We celebrated this little princess's birthday the next day.

October 16, 2017

We celebrated Jed's birthday while we were in NC, but taking him to an escape room.

There was a twist to this one, though - instead of us all trying to escape, Jed was being held hostage in a hidden room within the room we were locked in, and we had to rescue him first.  Sadly, we didn't make it before the time ran out.  I hope they're feeding him.  :D

October 14, 2017

My son coaches his son's football team, and we were so glad to get to see him play while we were visiting!

October 13, 2017

We went to a BBQ restaurant today, which was great since we can't get Eastern Carolina BBQ at home.

The pig outside was quite the attraction.  :)

October 12, 2017

We got to babysit this little sweetheart today and Jed and I both are totally smitten.  :)

My daughter-in-law and I took my granddaughter to her swim lesson tonight - she loves the water!!

October 11, 2017

Jed and I boarded the train in Golden this morning at 4:13, 

and arrived at the Denver airport at 6:00 for an 8:00 flight to Charlotte!  

This window faced the east, where the sun was rising....

 ...while this window showed a sky still darkened a little by night.

My daughter-in-law picked us up from the airport this afternoon, 

and these beautiful flowers and this sweet note from my son were waiting for us.

Makes getting up at 3:15 totally worth it!  :)

October 9, 2017

What a difference a few days can make!  

Butterfly swarms on Friday, snow on Monday.

I hope they got out of town in time.

October 6, 2017

There is a swarm of painted lady butterflies migrating through Denver so thickly that they showed up on the local weather radar!  Read about it here.

We had our fair share in Golden...they loved the lavender in our front yard.  When I walked through it on either side of the walkway this morning to get the mail, it looked like hundreds of them lifted up and fluttered away.  Luckily for me, a few came back as I was retrieving my camera.

October 3, 2017

Our first sign of fall, discovered in the village of Jed's piano teacher at this week's lesson.

September 19, 2017

My mom and dad got Jed this game for Christmas last year and we all play every day at lunch.

It's called Colorku, and it's a 3D version of Sudoku.

It's kind of addicting.

Jed's piano teacher lives in a little village-like community that is so charming.

This fountain is beside her house and while Jed was with her in the house,

I sat on the porch reading and enjoying the sound.

September 6, 2017

Jed's 3rd week of class this year.  

Better late than never.  :)

September 4, 2017

Full moon tonight.

August 26, 2017

We went to a concert tonight!

John Ford Coley opened it up and he was solo, as England Dan passed away a few years ago.

Then the main attraction came on - my all-time favorite band, the Little River Band!

Their song Reminiscing has been my favorite song ever sing I first heard it as a young teenager.

It was such a fun evening.

I felt like a teenager again.  :)

August 18, 2017

It is an annual tradition with the Colorado School of Mines that the incoming freshman class hikes up Lookout Mountain from the campus, and each freshman places a whitewashed rock from their hometown on the pile of other whitewashed rocks that make up the interior of the M.  If you click on the picture to enlarge it, you'll see the long line of people snaking up to the M.

The outline of the M is lighted up at night and Jed has a great view of it from his bedroom window.

August 16, 2017

 We had a visitor to the front yard today!

August 2, 2017

These grape tomatoes stuffed with a cream cheese-dill mixture were so good!

They made nice little hors d'oeuvres for refreshments at our church one Sunday morning.

But it was no joke scooping out the seeds on all these little things. :)

Spiralized zucchini pesto with heirloom grape tomatoes.