Hanging out in Boulder

Here's a little update on what we've been up to here in Boulder.  We went up to Fort Collins this weekend to wander the downtown and get a feel for the area.  Thanks to the great downtown and local artist's collaborative (and the views) it has now officially been added to our "I could live in this town" list.  And that's an honor since after all these miles that list is surprisingly short.  We popped into this store just because of the name--one more reason to like this town:

We headed up to Estes Park next on our way into Rocky Mountain National Park.  Most of the park is closed for winter, but we were still able to see the eastern side of the park and even that little bit was mind boggling.  My pictures don't even come close to capturing how beautiful it was, so you'll have to use your imagination a little.

It was absolutely freezing that day with wind gusts around 70 mph, so a lot of the photos were taken from the truck or I braved a very quick dash out to snap a picture.  

Curtis was excited to see the Diamond, a famous climb on the eastern edge of the park.  I was happy to view it from the warm comfort of the truck:

Can you see it?  It's that dark diamond shaped wall smack in the middle.

Curtis and Brandon went climbing at the Flatirons on Sunday while I ran errands and worked on some artsy projects.  I saw something pass by the window, and went out to discover these guys loitering in the yard:

The deer here are eerily tame.  I went out to the truck the other morning and found a dozen hanging out just on the passenger side; they didn't even care that I was there.  It makes me feel like they are plotting against me . . . 

Anyway, that's the latest excitement.  I'll leave you with a tip: when living at 7000 feet it is best to follow the "high altitude" changes for a cake recipe.  Those things aren't just suggestions.  My cake came out more like a half fluffy cookie than a regular cake.  Frosting repaired some of the damage, but it wasn't pretty.