What I Did On My Summer Vacation. With Pictures!

I'm still a little fuzzy-brained from all the de-vacationing, even though we truly had a wonderful time.  It's hard to summarize a ten-day trip, so I'll just hit a few highlights.

We took a few days to get to our destination, stopping along the way at Dodge City, Kansas, and the Great Sand Dunes outside Alamosa, Colorado.  Both were excellent side trips that we all enjoyed--check out those links if you're in that part of the country.

This was more than just a vacation, it was a family reunion, of sorts.  There were nearly 30 of us from my dad's side of the family, and we met up at a little cluster of cabins by a stream in the mountains of southern Colorado (and yes, it was just as lovely as that last sentence sounds.)

Our cabin was quaint and rustic--just enough to make me feel like we were roughing it.  The life-sized cardboard cutout of Clint Eastwood in our living room just made us feel all welcomed and vaguely threatened every time we walked in.  (I can tell you that when a girl is staying up late reading after inhaling enough campfire smoke, ol' Clint's eyes would most surely follow her around the room.)

The little town where we stayed hosts an all-American, hot-dogs-and-apple-pie-type of July 4th.  The whole town gathered first for a parade (and yes, that would be the Easter Bunny playing the bass drum.  No, we didn't ask.)

After the parade, there was a giant gathering in the town square, complete with foot races (Stephen won first place in his round!)  Food, live music and fireworks made for a perfect day.

Other than that, the trip was quiet and uneventful.  Okay, not quiet.  With all the family there, there were nine children age ten and under.  Six of them were age four and under.  Still, I managed plenty of good reading and embroidering.  My boys roamed our little resort freely on their bicycles, and the adults squeezed in a ferocious tournament of Trivial Pursuit, horseshoes and mini-golf.  (Guess which family got its tail kicked?  Hint:  It was mine.)

I guess the whole week can best be summed up in pictures.  There was a lot of hanging out by the river (and no-o-o-o, this picture's not posed at all--my children frequently line up quietly side by side and gaze off into the distance reflectively without elbowing each other into the water, don't yours? *ahem*)....

.... and a good bit of family togetherness (this is my mom and my daughter, followed by my Hubs hiking with the kids):

 

There were some really proud moments (here's Stephen at the summit of a "fourteener" he hiked with my Hubs):

...and some quiet ones:

And enough gorgeous scenery to mull over for months:

I'm rested.  Tired, but rested.  (Inside my head that sentence made a lot more sense.)  There's nothing like a change of scenery to bolster a girl, especially once I can finally get the laundry done (which, at this rate, should be by about Christmas.) 

 

Comments

[Lori - Queen of Dirty Laundry]

Oh my, that looks like the perfect setting for a family vacation. I bet those pictures will have me searching for a similar spot...and soon.

Looks like you guys had a wonderful time!

[Rebecca]

Wow, it looks beautiful! I'm jealous!

[mopsy]

Gorgeous! I am happy you had such a wonderful time!

[dcrmom]

Gorgeous pictures! So much fun!! I like how you creatively got the backs of your children's heads. I'm gonna have to start working on that technique so I can still post pix. :-)

[Beth/Mom2TwoVikings]

Absolutely BEE-U-TEE-FULL! Glad you got the time to rest and recoup! Glad you're "back" - despite those tricky auto-posts which you'll have to teach me how to do sometime! *wink*

[Jenn]

wow, gorgeous pictures. I've always wanted to see mountains like that in real life. Maybe someday :)

[Katie]

Loved your pictures. Especially the one of you trailing behind your family hiking as you try to get the perfect picture of how wonderful that moment was. Not that I've ever tried that same shot.

[Sarah (Short Stop)]

Great pics, Shannon. I love the Clint Eastwood in the living room! And, that last picture is GORGEOUS! Thanks for sharing!

[Candace]

Thank you for sharing!! We're not going on vacation so I got to live through yours.
The Easter bunny playing the drum cracked me up.

[[email protected]]

Wow- those are awesome pictures! Looks like a great time was had by all!!!

[Sarah]

Beautifuul pictures! If I lived anywhere near Colorado, I'd be hoppin' in my car right now!

[Fiddledeedee (It Coulda Been Worse)]

Okay. So, did you at least TRY to fold Clint up and stuff him into your suitcase???

Your vacation sounds heavenly. Reason #256 why I need to live where there are wide open spaces. Someday.

[mombo]

This is me, furiously not coveting...o.k. maybe a little...more like a lot. Sounds so good, I'm glad you got to go. At any rate, my sister-in-law says it's not coveting if you want one just like it. Happy laundering!

[celina]

awesome pics..glad you had fun, and on an unrelated note, did you get a kit for redwork or just used white linen?????

i am so wanting to do this for various xmas gifts

Celina in Canada

[Karen]

Breathtaking. Stunning. So blessed you are!

[[email protected]]

What a beautiful vacation! It looks like on the movies.

[Diatribal]

I love Colorado in the summer! (I'm not a fan of winter sports, so I didn't care for it so much in the winter!)

Colorado is so beautiful. It always looks so lush and green. It looks like you had a wonderful time. Glad you got a "recharge".

[Becky]

OK. I can't help myself. I LIVE in Southern Colorado. Aren't I lucky? Strangely enough I don't get out as much as I want to. Isn't that always the way? I've never even hiked a 14er, but my hubs has! Several of them...

[mcewen]

I certainly prefer your version to mine! 20 days of record breaking rain - there again that's my punishment for not staying in the States.
Cheers

[Char]

Wow! Colorado looks like something that belongs only on postcards. Spectacular. Maybe you should come out to South Africa once or twice and have a look see at Cape Town and the Drakensberg Mountains and the Karoo... Consider yourself officially invited by a real live South African! :o)

[MorningSong]

So beautiful! Looks like a fun trip. How awesome to share it with family.

[mummymac]

Wow - great photos.

You've got me in the holiday mood - we're hoping to camp in August. Just waiting for the better weather!!!!

[Amy]

The picture of your daughter with grandma is just PRICELESS. Such a precious photo!

[Christine]

Awww, looks like a fun family time for everyone. CO is so beautiful! Where were you vacationing exactly? I have family in Buena Vista near CO Springs. Gorgeous there.

P.S. You look just like your mom!

[Shalee]

You cut your hair! It looks love-r-ly Shannon.

And those pictures are encouraging as we're planning our vacation for next year... Just beautiful and breath-taking. (Just so you know, your "I'm rested. Tired, but rested." made perfect sense.)

[Randall]

What a beautiful place! Glad to hear it was a nice time.

[Faerylandmom]

Gorgeous! I love the one of your little boy at the top of a fourteener. That's quite a feat for a little boy.

[Thea]

Those pictures are beautiful. I especially like the last one and the one of your son at the summit.

And can I just say I posted about the excruciating pain I was in after summitting a 6288 footer.

Yeah, your kid rocks.

[Shelly]

LOL...Girl - you just take your Christmas time with that laundry. And I loved the beautiful photos. Although the Clint Eastwood cut-out might have been my favorite!!!

[Sincerely Anna]

That picture in front of the stream is really cool, even if it wasn't, say, spontaneous.
Great vacation pics all around, though! I enjoyed reading about your time together.

[tiffany]

That last picture is just sooooooo lovely. But the whole vacation sound just lovely.. it's so great to spend time with family! :)

[Corrie]

I love all of your pictures. We once spent the Fourth of July in Silverton, CO - for being such a small town they sure go all out in the fireworks department.

I'd love to go back.

[bee]

Great pics!

[Karen Putz]

Ah, I bet you'll gaze at that "lined up in a row" picture often, won't you?

Beautiful pictures-- love the mini waterfall.

[Kim]

Looks great! We did almost the same thing with pictures that look a lot like yours! Our trip was to the Smoky Mountains a couple of weeks ago..About 70 of us rented gorgeous log cabins and had a great time!

Great pictures and I am glad you and your sweet family had a great time! I love seeing everybody...even though you don't show faces!

Kim

[Kim]

Looks great! We did almost the same thing with pictures that look a lot like yours! Our trip was to the Smoky Mountains a couple of weeks ago..About 70 of us rented gorgeous log cabins and had a great time!

Great pictures and I am glad you and your sweet family had a great time! I love seeing everybody...even though you don't show faces!

Kim

[Kim]

Looks great! We did almost the same thing with pictures that look a lot like yours! Our trip was to the Smoky Mountains a couple of weeks ago..About 70 of us rented gorgeous log cabins and had a great time!

Great pictures and I am glad you and your sweet family had a great time! I love seeing everybody...even though you don't show faces!

Kim

[Kim]

Looks great! We did almost the same thing with pictures that look a lot like yours! Our trip was to the Smoky Mountains a couple of weeks ago..About 70 of us rented gorgeous log cabins and had a great time!

Great pictures and I am glad you and your sweet family had a great time! I love seeing everybody...even though you don't show faces!

Kim

[GiBee]

Wait a sec... did I miss a picture of you with short hair? (Shalee?)

My word ... you look exactly like your mom ... or your mom looks exactly like you ... I'm so glad you had a great time!

[sam]

oh my, i feel like you'll all want to see this story of terrible parenting: http://www.mypetpeeves.com/plog/index.php/archives/2418 , this is absurd!

[Julie]

Looks like where we went on vacation! Who knows if we crossed paths?? We went to Ouray, Silverton & Durango, CO! We are very blessed to have them so close!

[julie]

The pictures are beautiful. Sounds like such a good time.

I love vacation. Hate all the laundry that goes with it.

[Emily]

How wonderful!! I feel like I've gone on vacation just looking at your photos! And I love the one of your mother with your little one. She should have that framed and keep it someplace nearby to always remember that feeling of snuggling.

[Kathy of Tales of the HavinsNest]

Okay, I just have to ask....which 14er?

[Susanne]

What a great looking vacation! Some of those stream and mountain pictures are breath taking!

[Dianne]

Yep, it's a beautiful place and I, too, get to live here! Every year it's my goal to get out and see more of it though. Your pix just further motivate that goal! Thanks for sharing.

Blessings,
Dianne :D