Tonight is our first overnight babysitting. It's about 8:30 and he is asleep in the next room after entertaining Merle and I with his bright smiling face for a bit. I'm afraid that we are both besotted.
Besotted. I just looked it up and it says, using it in this type of context, that I am stupefied or infatuated. I'm good with that...............
Since we returned from vacation, we have not been doing anything particularly exciting. Last weekend we camped, probably for the last time this season, but who knows..... I saw a couple of campers headed up to the high country today, so if this mild weather keeps up, we or just me, with maybe a sister, will go again.
It was an uplifting experience that made us thankful that we live in this wonderful state of Colorado and especially because we live in close proximity to the mountains. Our campsite was situated looking over a little valley of golden aspen and buttery colored grasses with tassels. These were staged artfully in front of an evergreen covered hillside. Wherever we turned our eyes, we saw something beautiful. The first evening, we built a big campfire and just sat, huddled toward it's warmth, giving it the occasional stir with our fire stick and staring into it. Those coals that live at the bottom of a jumble of burning wood look like nuggets of hot gold. As we watched them, they seemed alive with fiery pulsing hearts. The second evening, we also built a big campfire, but to our consternation, the wind came up and just as we would get settled, the smoke would find us and we would have to move. This is the camper's cross to bear - wind that blows the smoke in your eyes, nose, throat. We decided that if someone could invent a lazy susan type seating arrangement for a campfire, it would be very nice. - you could just rotate to a different position instead of having to stand up, move your chair and sit back down. A bit ridiculous, perhaps, but nevertheless handy.
We hiked to the top of Kruger Rock about 2.5 miles (5 round trip). From it's pinnacle we were able to see our mountain ranges from this new perspective. It was impressive. Long's Peak seemed very close. Neither of us has ever climbed that 14er and don't really have the urge to do it. It's a very strenuous hike that I'm sure we could do, but at 16 miles round trip, it's probably more than we should try to bite off. There are so many beautiful and invigorating hikes in our Rocky Mountains, that I'm sure we won't suffer much for not trying to scale this popular peak.
I am reading Centennial by James Michener - again. I think this is about the 3rd time. It's been awhile, though, so I'm totally enjoying it - again. It is particularly interesting because he wrote about this area, actually farther east from where we live, but nevertheless, it's locales are familiar. I think I read one other book of his - The Covenant. If I remember correctly, it was also a good read. However, because his books are very thick, I haven't tackled all of them and there are several. Maybe some day...
That's all for tonight. I'm going to checked on my grandson - the one that I'm stupefied over and infatuated with.
Oh. The grandson's parents went to a Halloween party. Mario and Princess Peach. 
Mario and Princess Peach are video game characters, in case you do not know. I knew about Mario and was only vaguely aware of Princess Peach.
Mario and Princess Peach are video game characters, in case you do not know. I knew about Mario and was only vaguely aware of Princess Peach.
