new shoes / old shoes

L - iphone / T- iphone

Taylor and I got the hang of Denver public transportation pretty quickly - riding the bus, the light rail and the Free Mall Ride. The free mall ride was the best - getting us quickly to most of the sections of town we wanted to visit. / my kicks are falling apart

looking up / looking down

L - Nikon / T - iphone
click on image for a clearer and larger view

Trail Ridge Road - possibly one of the most spectacular drives you will ever take - it is the highest (12,000 ft ) highway in the US, and takes you way above the tree line to see sweeping panoramas of the Rocky Mountain National Park. We went from a temperature of about 72 to 34 in less than an hour driving up to the Alpine Visitor Center. We were disappointed that was as far as we could go given some time restrictions we were on. We had wanted to cross the Continential Divide and reach Grand Lake before heading back but the sun was setting and we had to get back to Denver. / i think it was freaking mom out a bit that i was climbing up here. i have to admit it was a little bit scary, but worth it for the view. right mom?

grounded / balanced

L - Nikon / T - iphone (click photo for a better view)

Day one. Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs then Red Rocks for Bon Iver /Feist concert.
Her new hiking boots gave her a confidence I wasn't always comfortable with - she was always wanting to climb higher. / glad i found some hiking boots in colorado springs. i climbed to amazing views

thrill / chill

L - iphone / T - phone

There is no way the summer is almost over, right? Wrong. I can’t believe it’s flown by so quickly.. Our last post on June 30th seems so long ago! But we have been very busy little bees all summer, whether we were taking short weekend trips (a relaxing getaway to Savannah at the onset of the break) or weeklong trips to the big city (one of our more recent travels to Chicago, a first time for both of us). In between, I’ve gotten to spend a lot of time with my families on both sides. I was able to go see my cousin graduate from high school in California and spend some quality time with my grandma, which I don't get very often and really enjoyed. We also spent just last weekend in Kentucky with my mom’s side of the family (and we had a record number of attendees, I might add!). Each vacation was very different- some action packed and others with more down time than anything else, but each one has been such a blessing in its own way and I have loved every second of all of them.

After all, It’s not always about the activities you do or how quickly you do them, it’s all about who you spend your time with and allowing yourself to enjoy the down time that you may not normally have.

I hope you are all having an exciting summer or at least a refreshing one.

Happy 1st day of Summer

L - iphone / T - phone pic

Taylor is away in the great sunshine state of California on this first day of summer. She said it's been a little chilly there, but it's probably a nice change from the heat and humidity of Georgia. Before she left town she re-did her "live by the sun" banner and this summer she has definitely been living by the sun - tanning every day. I did that when I was her age too, but she is smarter than I was - she uses the appropriate sun screen.
Ah summertime! There is a care-free quality about it isn't there? - even when we work every day like the rest. There's the excitement for summer vacations. We are looking forward to our summer trip this year to Chicago. Where are you going this summer?

by sea / by land

solo post - L , iphone

I had a fun weekend away and of course took a lot of photos. But I haven't uploaded them to my computer yet. I took almost as many on my iphone so I'll share a couple of those right now. Maybe you can tell where I was. Any guesses? (No fair if you're friends with me on FB and have seen some hints there) Different towns - both historical.

where i've been

solo post - L, Nikon

I drank in the blue sky, then closed my eyes... Stretch, float, fly.

More to come on autumnsun08.blogspot.com - hopefully sooner than later.

Sugar / sweet

solo post - L, Canon video stills

Sorry I haven't visited you in a few days but as you can see I haven't been home, in Atlanta. I've been to the top Sugar Mountain, NC and down, several times - 13 hrs on skis, no rain, warm feet, 15 runs on the slopes, 17 trails, 2 falls, no wipe outs - sweet. Success. I was worried my older body would feel it. It's been 13 years since I last skied but after the first run down it didn't seem like it had been but a couple. That exhilarating feeling was not foreign to me - the wind against my face, the fresh air, the soft powdery snow underneath my skis gliding so smooth, the rhythm of swishing back and forth, and the rush of speed when you finally feel confident to point the skis straight ahead.
The weather was perfect - temperatures cold but comfortable, the glare of the sun just under the clouds, very slight winds, and no rain! It was wonderful! This old body is doing ok. I'm ready to go back.