Golden Summer

It wasn't quite the "Hot Vax Summer" that we were promised (although it was hot, and we were vaxxed), but it was still pretty fun.  Now that the colors are starting to change and Fall has officially arrived, here is a look back at our summer adventures:

Camping at Steamboat Marina with the Smiths.

Pontoon party.

Ezzie in the driver's seat.

Water dog.

Baja mamas.

The water was freezing.

So we kept each other warm.

Bookworm.

Yahtzee has now become a camping tradition.

Red Rocks concert with the Fredlunds.

Ringing in summer with friends at the Splash at Fossil Trace!

Hanging with the Willifords near Frasier.

Bodyboarding!

BFFs.

BFFs.

The next best thing to having a boat is having friends with a boat.

Ice cream after camp with the Maxwells.

Twinsies at the Golden Summer Jam.

Aaron and Everett on the way to 4H camp.

Aaron, Gray, and the queen's gambit.

Trying not to meet our hungry neighbor...

View from the road.

Sugar high at the Rockies game!

One of these things is not like the other...

Ice cream at Golden Sweets with Oma!

Taking center stage during her theater camp show.

Posing with the mascot at Mines sports camp.

Jumping off the island at Wellington lake.

And paddleboarding!

Kayaking too!

Camping tires Pepper (and me) out.

Making an entrance at the Maxwells' "One-Piece, One Night" party.

Another Rockies game, this time versus the Cubbies!

Which means more sugar.

Like, a lot more sugar.

Dinner with the VanBershots.

Camping on the Arkansas River.

Me and (some of) my boos.

Shenanigans.

Fun in the river.

Camping is all about getting dirty.

Really dirty.

Feeding their "ant farm."

I call this one: "When Mommy had a heart attack."

Fireside s'mores.

Unfortunately, the Arkansas River camping trip coincided with a huge plume of smoke that drifted into the area from the California wildfires.  Yuck.

Lunch in Salida.

Dinners on the back deck always ended up with goofiness on the dome.

Golden moms tubing on Clear Creek.

Burr-"D"-toe

Trying not to get "rock booty" (i.e., get smacked in the butt by a rock) on Clear Creek.

Wheee!

Jumpin' in the ole' swimming hole.

Dominating the skate park.

SUP day with the Golden moms.

'Sup.

Candlelight concert with the Spichigers.

Love this dude.

Cheers to New Terrain lunch breaks.

They called it the "Texas" lemonade stand.

Ice cream with a view at Golden Mill.

Probably the most amazing part of looking back through these pictures is realizing what a wonderful community we've been lucky enough to join.  I'll take a "Golden Summer" over a "Hot Vax Summer" any day!