Ye Old People Watching Extravaganza

There aren't many places where chain mail, turkey legs and jousting are in abundance but at the Colorado Renaissance Festival, dreams do come true. 

We saw a wide range of costuming which varied from fully committed medieval to random video game characters. Although Sean thinks that Elvis attire is appropriate in any situation, we didn't dress up for our visit. However, Sean bought a pair of shoes (made entirely of parachute cord) at the Artisan's Fair which he says he wore around to embarrass me. It takes a lot more than Moses-inspired shoes, buddy.

The kid's area had games galore, which, by the way, were a royal rip off. Nonetheless, Teague enjoyed them and acquired several prizes--a feather, a plastic grasshopper. He also convinced us to buy him a $5.00 mystery dragon egg. The gimmick is that each egg is then hatched at the hatchery to reveal the mystery--a dragon eye necklace. Our boy, however, picked the lucky egg and won a custom made "Drabbit"; a fuzzy half rabbit half dragon shoulder puppet. Teague was absolutely astounded by his win and for the rest of the day told every random kid about his big break. It was pretty exciting--the Drabbits cost $150 bucks...and there's no way we would have purchased one at full price. 

Maid Marian and her medieval fitbit

                                With Link (Legends of Zelda video game)

The drive to Larkspur is stunning, especially this year because the unusually heavy rains have made the brown rolling hills lush, green and full of blooming wild flowers. We had a great time, and who knows, maybe next year there'll be a Medieval Elvis sighting.

Jousting

We hiked Eagle's Peak and all we got was this lousy view

                         The pointy chapel down there is where we were married.

What I like most about Colorado is that it's overly outdoorsy and there are so many hiking opportunities. While we're here we intend on taking full advantage. After looking online at hikes, we decided to head nearby, to Eagle's Peak. I disregarded the reviews after reading this one in particular: "if you are expecting a walk in the park then you're going to have a very bad time. It is uphill at least 90% of the way."  

Um, If you think you can hike to the top of a tall peak without going mostly uphill, I've got some ocean-front property in AZ that's a steal.

Anyway, it was a tough hike. The heavy rains have washed away portions of the trail so we spent a lot of time climbing large boulders and not looking down. We also pondered the possibility of a "Naked and Afraid" Colorado episode and the necessity for extra large blurs when scaling rocks. Eventually we started seeing the trail markers and made it to the top.

            Can you spot me? This was the toughest portion, the boulders were huge. 

In between the two major inclines was a gorgeous Aspen grove. I half expected to see Edward from Twilight sparkling in the sunlight. With all of the rain, the trees and grass are vibrant shades of green and the air smelled woody and fantastic. This grove would be the perfect place to hang out for an afternoon with a good book (says the introvert in me).

                                            
Just as we reached the peak, the clouds began rolling in over Pike's Peak and we knew we had to start down to beat the rain. About 10 minutes after we got back to the car, it did begin to rain. 

All in all, great hike! It's a 1,900 foot incline, 3 miles out and back. I definitely recommend bringing water and wearing proper footwear. The hike down requires some caution due to loose gravel portions. I fell a couple of times and grabbed quite a few trees/branches to try and stop myself from sliding on the gravel. Some folks had hiking poles which really would have come in handy. No crowds either, it was quiet and  peaceful.

                                       There's our house...

                                               The peak view from the cadet area. 

We're hoping to check out more mountain hikes this summer. Stay tuned.

School's out for summer!

He did incredibly well with the mid-year move and is now officially a 3rd grader! I'm so proud of this kid and his resiliency. 

As with many schools, his last day included a Field Day. The forecast for the outdoor event called for heavy rain. The school kept us informed throughout the week with a plan A, B & C (!!) for inclement weather. Ironically, the high for the day (60) was the same temp which shut down his Florida school's Field Day back in January because it was cold enough to "jeopardize the health of the students".

                                               First day of 2nd grade--FL

                                          Last day of 2nd grade--CO

                     Receiving his completion certificate from his teacher.

 Ever heard of Gaga ball? This is a huge thing at his school, with official Gaga pits and tournaments.

                                              Home run derby.

To celebrate, he picked out new running shoes.  Before deciding on 'the' pair, he had to test out each pair first...to see which pair helped him run the fastest.

                                     

Garden of the Gods

To commemorate our first official short-sleeved shirt wearing day, we  left the house in record time and headed to Garden of the Gods. This unique park in Colorado Springs has incredible red rock formations and loads of hiking trails. It's a great place for a high energy kid to run and climb and there's also a killer view of Pike's Peak.

Though there's also a Visitor & Nature Center on site, we opted out at Teague's insistence. His school's third graders visit here every fall and he was worried our visit would spoil his future field trip. Fair enough.

It's about time

It's been an unusually cold Spring here and I was beginning to think we'd never have a day above 50 degrees. Finally, warm temps have arrived!