Cornucopia of Fun

The Foster family came out to Colorado Springs for this Thanksgiving week. We really enjoyed playing host for them and showing them the sights and activities of Colorado. It has been a really enjoyable week with them in town. Fun was definitely had by all.

We took the family up to the top of Pikes Peak. We really got our moneys worth when we bought our annual pass last June. We have taken so many family and friends up to the top. The view is fantastic from 14,110 feet. When Dan and Heather passed through the Springs after their trip to Ohio, the peak was enshrouded in clouds, so they didn't get to see it. Not this trip though-everyone got to enjoy fantastic weather and views from the summit.

We took a trip to Helen Hunt Falls. It has a strenuous hike to see them (all of about 20 feet). They were beautiful in the cold. As you can see from these next two shots the falls were half frozen and beautiful.

On Wednesday afternoon we took them all on a drive through Garden of the Gods and enjoyed the spectacular views there. Tucker loved the "Giant Rocks" as he kept calling them. Unfortunately I did not bring our telephoto lens or I would have gotten some phenomenal shots of some huge mule deer hanging out in the park. There were two separate bucks that are quite possibly the largest I have ever seen, but they were just out of range for our 18-55mm lens. Too bad too because they were ginormous. One easily had a 30" spread, great mass and great height. He was a typical 5 point that would have scored well over 200. Arggggg, I need to remember to carry that telephoto with me more often.

On Thanksgiving day we made a feast fit for kings. Even Tucker pitched in with the cooking duties.

Here are a couple of images of our table and the delicious dishes that we had available. We even busted out the fine china for the occasion.

Needless to say, we had more than we could eat. Everybody came away from that table with full bellies, some more than others (like Lisa and her 7 month pregnant bulge).

In our house we have a rule that everybody contributes. There is no room for free loaders. So, after we were done eating, the two who lounged on the couch while the rest cooked and prepared the food were assigned dish duty. Archive this one in your folders Foster family. That's right, your eyes are not mistaken, we got Ken and Spencer to do the dishes, and they did a fantastic job. Our goblets and china even had to be done by hand. Thanks guys!

The rest of the time was spent lounging around, watching football and great holiday movies, and of course playing lots of board games (again, we got Ken to play too!).

We are very grateful for the sacrifices that her family made to come and spend the weekend with us. It will be a Thanksgiving that we and our kids will remember for a long time to come.