A Long, Busy July

Wow... I just looked back and realized my last post was almost three weeks ago. I suppose that shouldn't be too surprising, considering the month has been unexpectedly busy. That said, it's time for a bit of an update.

Anthony came for his first visit the first week of July. I can't even describe how good it felt for him to come out. Originally, we had planned that the only time we'd see each other was when he drove through with his sister heading to Cali, but he was good enough to come stay with my family for an extra week earlier in the month.

We got some good time to relax and just enjoy Colorado. As much as I hate the word, it really was the epitome of a 'Staycation' for me. I managed to get Ant on the back of a horse, for the first time in his life (or real memory, at least). My good friend was kind enough to let us take her horse out and even ride double, since there was only really one horse available. We went to ride on the Air Force Academy grounds, which is an incredibly beautiful trip. The trail entrance is not far from the barn, so there's no trailering required to ride these miles and miles of trails.

It had been a while since I'd ridden the area, but it was right in the vacinity of my high school, and I remembered there was SOME way to get along to Ice Lake. It actually took a bit longer than I'd intended, and Ant was ready to be done, but we finally got to the edge of the lake. Of course, it was a good time to stop and stretch a bit (I think we'd been on for about an hour). When I saw how far he'd been riding off the back of the saddle blanket I just had to laugh. When we turned around to go back, we switched positions, with him 'driving the horse' as he so proudly put it. I think he was surprised how much more comfortable it was in the saddle rather than behind it.

I was very impressed (and happy) about how well the ride went. Anthony actually seemed very excited about it, and said that it was something he'd be willing to do again. Win! I even got him to help with brushing the horse.

The next day I finally introduced him to Garden of the Gods. Having been here once before, my local friends couldn't believe I'd never taken him in. We remedied that this trip, and did a pretty sweet hike from the main parking lot to the Siamese Twins. Again, it took a little longer than intended, but made for a very nice day.

Our luck with the weather was rather interesting. It started raining just as we pulled into the parking lot. Unsure of whether it would pick up or taper off, we waited a few minutes, then drove back to the Visitor Center to let it pass. It wound up dispersing not long afterwards, and we set off for the hike. It stayed absolutely beautiful for our trek, but started pouring just as we were pulling out of the parking lot again. Pretty much the perfect window for our hike!

The following day was all about rock climbing. We adventured out to a local indoor gym fantastic for top-roping. As RIT has an exclusively bouldering barn, Ant was a little surprised by what he saw. But we both had some time climbing our preferred methods, though - I prefer top-roping, while he enjoys bouldering. I just don't have the upper-body strength yet to boulder so much.

On our way home we stopped off at the Pro Rodeo Hall of fame, which is less than 5 minutes from home. Although it was closed, we did discover a very young fawn that seemed confused how to use camoflage. It was laying with legs tucked underneath and chin pressed to the ground, just like you'd expect for effective hiding. The only problem? It was laying in the middle of a parking spot and didn't blend so well with the asphalt. We were at first concerned it was sick or dead, but it eventually did jump up and bound off.

The end of the trip was pretty much just an introduction to my high school best friend's corgi puppy. I was so excited for Ant to meet both my friend and the pup, as we have both seriously considered having a corgi sometime in the future. Bella (the puppy) was as adorable and friendly as can be, and we both left the visit giddy and excited about her. It was also so nice to catch up with my friend, and her fiance, as well, who happened to show up about the same time we did.

I suppose that's a long enough update for today. I intend to add a couple more in the next few days about my Texas trip, as well as Ant's second visit with his sister. I know if I don't get those done before heading to California in a week, they'll likely never be written. So for now, cheers, and I'll see yall again soon.