Midsummer in the mountains

Another trip to the cabin Friday -- we've been trying to go up there about every other week. It seemed like the perfect place to go on the longest day of the year. It's so beautiful in the mountains right now.

You ALMOST can't see the cabin from the road now, because the aspen have their leaves. Here's the view when I turn around:

And the view from the cabin, looking out the front windows:

There are so many little wildflowers in bloom, and I don't know their names, must do some research:

As usual I was out of breath and lacking in energy the whole time we were there, but I did help Rocket Boy lug furniture from the cars to the cabin, and even up the "stairs" (more like a ladder) to the second floor.

You can see two little people up in the loft, and Rocket Boy has taken off his shirt, he's so sweaty from carrying furniture up there. The twins had a game going up there where Baby B was a kitty and Baby A was his master and ordered him around, including pulling him on a "leash." I disapproved of this game because Baby A is ALWAYS in charge, but it didn't get too awful, so I let it continue.

Better than having to play chess with them, which is what they usually want. I've brought some of their toys up as permanent cabin residents, but it's a little magnetic chess set of Clifford's that they find most fascinating, and they both want to play with me, first Baby A, then Baby B, and I have to maintain all the real rules of chess (which I made the mistake of telling them the first time we played), and the games go on forever and ever, and I don't even LIKE chess. I know, I shouldn't complain, when they're teenagers they won't want to play chess with me (hurray). Here's Baby A (the last time we were up), contemplating a move:

After resting a while today, I felt like going for a walk in the woods (usually RB has to drag me out there because I'm so low energy). Baby B went with me, and when we came back, Baby A wanted to go, so I took him out too. (We don't let them run around alone out there -- even though all I saw was a chipmunk, a few fish in the beaver pond, and some birds, I know there are other creatures nearby.)

There are awful fires in Colorado right now, and there have been several other awful fires recently (and fire season's just getting started). Honestly, the cabin is so surrounded by trees, if there were a fire in that area, that would be the end of our little vacation home. We're lucky though, in that it's not our REAL home. If everything in it went up in smoke, we'd be very sad, but it's not the same as losing your house. And we do have insurance. I don't know if we'd rebuild, though. Hope I don't have to face that decision ever.

There was some sort of event going on in Fairplay this weekend, but we didn't get involved, just hung out at the cabin. As we drove home, though, we passed an enormous number of cars, many of whom were probably headed to Fairplay for whatever it is that's going on there.

I wished we could have let some of those people stay at the cabin, but we didn't know anyone who wanted to be in South Park this weekend.

And so, if any of you (who know us at all -- I guess I have to exclude total strangers) would like to spend a few days in a very rustic cabin at 10,000 feet this summer, let us know. We'd love to share it.