Saturday, July 28, 2012

"the frenchies" - Ute Lodge & Trapper's Lake


One of our favorite side trips from Meeker was a couple of days spent "up river" in the Flat Tops Wilderness and a night at Ute Lodge! What a wonderful getaway into the mountains - we watched the hummingbirds fight over the feeder, played at the park, took a rowboat around the lake, caught crawdads, went for a little hike, had a great dinner of elk steak with our Ute Lodge friends, and best of all - played with the horses!


Paul-Alexandre was particularly fond of the horses - he couldn't stay away!
So when it came time to a trail ride he was SO excited!


A visit to Trapper's Lake and Lodge was the perfect stop before going home - a great lunch, more hummingbirds, some playtime in the river and a beautiful hike together!


It was an amazing week of adventures and friendship...

So amazing in fact, that if you simply didn't get enough from the last few posts - there are 200 pictures (yes, seriously!) uploaded here for your viewing pleasure! Check out every detail of our time together!!!

Seriously, it was a wonderful visit - such great time spent with old friends and such sweet time watching the boys make new friends! Here's to hoping we don't have to let 9 more years pass before we all get together again...

Friday, July 27, 2012

"the frenchies" - Meeker

birthday boy John Jefferson!

So... after a fun weekend in Denver we made it over the mountains and back home.
And even though the Duval boys speak no English, and the Hightower boys speak no French, there is a universal language that they both are very fluent in: play!

One of the best mornings spent in Meeker was at the ball field and park, where "the frenchies" got their first real lesson in baseball - and a chance to play! 
I think they're sold on the American pass time!




After a Rockies game in Denver, some play time at the park, and lots of backyard baseball... we even had the chance to catch an adult softball game one night!
With Jason, a.k.a. "Ton Ton Jason" on the team, we naturally had to make sure he knew his fans were cheering him on... love the banner!!!

Another fun outing was a visit to my dear friend's ranch - where we played with a new kitten, some baby chicks, little man Miles, and best of all - pony rides!!!!!
Paul-Alexandre was particularly grateful for the pony ride!
We even squeezed in a visit to the local firehouse - the boys were excited to get a fire fighter helmet to wear and see all the big trucks!

But the best part about being at home is just having time to hang out together and with friends!
We were fortunate to have timed the visit over a weekend with live music downtown - so the boys could run amok and play football and the adults could sit and eat, drink & be merry!



Still more to come... so many fun adventures!!!!

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

"the frenchies" - Denver

my home-made tricolore - hung proudly all week in honor of our visitors!
What an amazing visit!
My dearest friend Peggy and her sweet family came all the way across the pond for a once-in-a-lifetime U.S. visit earlier this month. They hit both the quintessential urban America (Chicago) and rural America (Meeker!) and I got the impression that their visit was totally fantastic!

France - 2003
Peggy and I had not seen each other in 9 years - since her wedding in France in 2003. Turns out our friendship is one that knows not time or distance. We picked up right where we left off...

However, this time there were introductions to be made! It was wonderful to meet Peggy's two boys John-Jefferson (8) and Paul-Alexandre (3) and to watch them get along with their "American cousins" Hamp & Sam!

(And of course, Jason and Jean-Jacques are always fun to be around!)


Also, Peggy is a wonderful photographer. Not by trade, but by practice... 
and as a result I have SO MANY great pictures to share.
So... I will share with you here all our fun stories and adventures with a few of my very favorite pictures. Then if you really feel like you need to see more, I have created a Shutterfly Share Site where ALL my pictures will be uploaded for your enjoyment! ☺

And now, on to the adventures...

We picked up our French friends in Denver and squeezed in a little urban activity before heading over the mountains to Meeker. We spent a day ogling the fish at the Aquarium, and afternoon in the hotel pool, and a night at a baseball game - Go Rockies!!!


So many more fun stories and pictures to share... stay tuned!