Swim fan

Sushi stop

While in Vail, we made our traditional stop into Sato, where my husband once worked as culinary director, for some happy-hour sushi.
The marinated flounder was particularly exquisite on this day.
It's nice for him to be on the other side of the sushi bar.
Little hands poised to dig into beautiful culinary creations.
The Q prefers to be upside down, even in a restaurant setting. That's just how she rolls.
Stuffed japanese peppers with a dipping sauce...this was a new item on the menu since last time we visited, and I recommend. Very subtle and fresh flavors.
Q is at that particular energy level these days where she can no longer make it through a meal without some exercise...so I took her for a mid-meal walk around the lovely pedestrial mall outside.
After posing giddily on a rock ledge...
...she noticed the blooming boughs brushing her head and took a pause to smell the flowers.
Our sushi arrives.
I have to thank my sis-in-law Chrissie for this one...we learned during previous sushi dinners with our small niece and nephew that they looooove salmon egg sushi. This seems counterintuitive, no? Small round slimy translucent raw fish eggs? Maybe it's the saltiness, or the way they melt in the mouth...not sure. But the kids love 'em.
We tried them on Q, and sure enough it was an instant hit.

Vail, part 2

As I may have mentioned, our days in Vail were dominated by an effort to hit as many of the best playgrounds in the valley as possible. This one was quite close to home for us, so we strolled over with the dogs.

Q is ever-eager to tackle each and every new vertical challenge...particularly those that are patently over her head. Here, she scales the fire pole (with a little assistance). It was amazing how quickly she intuited that wrapping both legs and hands around the pole would be the quickest route to success. She's kind of a natural.
Excitement.

Trying out the zipline, with some spotting from Daddy. Yup, that's our girl.
Sam, tired from our big hike, was happy to lie in the shade...while Fred was just glad not to be left behind.



It was lacrosse-tourny season, and the valley was teeming with teenagers wielding lacrosse sticks.This was a new and fascinating ball sport for Q, and she gazed at them with the intensity that she bestows upon every new sport.
Later that afternoon, one young man was good enough to notice Q's interest...
...and let her have a go at tossing a ball into his net.
Needless to say, she was delighted...
...and gratified. No choking under pressure for our girl - cool as a cucumber, she made the net on the first toss.

Like everything else, the columbines are running wild this year all around town. What a flower show1

And of course, there is no kind of paradise more pure in its perfection than a Rocky Mountain summer's day.

Happy belated fathers' day!!

Father's day began with balloons. This was QQ's contribution. Pretty much, when she thinks for a special gift for someone she loves, the first thing that comes to her mind is balloons. We lost two in transit from the store, but quickly replaced them. When M. returned home on father's-day-eve, there were three balloons waiting for him in the living room.

One of them he immediately clipped to Fred's back.

(Incidentally, that mess on the floor? That was my extremely belated hand-made father's day gift, which I was not even halfway through constructing when M. walked in the door after work that night. Yes, I had intended for it to be a suprise. Yes, I had intended to finish it long before he came home. No, it did not have the impact I had hoped. The main problem here being that I have never - never in my life - been able to recall when fathers' day takes place...not even within a range of a month or two. I just can't keep it in my head...and I'm hopeless at calendar keeping, so don't even ask.)
In any case, back to the story at hand: Fred proceeded to walk around the house trailing that red balloon.

And walk around the house with it.

And then curl up and fall asleep in Mike's study chair, with the balloon still wafting gently about four feet over his head.


I'm sure you can guess the rest of this story...Fred went to bed with the balloon still drifting listlessly above him like a reverse shadow.
And woke the next morning still wearing it. This sort of thing is your lot in life, if you are a basset hound. I imagine that, as a basset hound, you resign yourself to it early in life.
Another thing we discovered that night was that when Fred curls himself into a tight ball, the spot on his left side forms a perfect heart. For some reason, this entertains us profoundly.
Part of M's father's day present was the newspaper hat that I finally learned to make (online). The rest was a cardboard-and-tinfoil sword and sheild, all of which I had intended QQ to wear when Daddy got up in the morning. My not-so-well laid plan dissolved quickly when QQ refused to wear the paper hat, and immediately started eating the sword.
Sigh.
I probably could have predicted that.
But at very least Fred was willing to wear my paper hat.
QQ presenting the tinfoil sheild to her Daddy on fathers' day morning.
And Fred wearing that hat again. Because...I mean, he looks good in it, no?

After that we traveled South to meet the other set of grandparents for a sumptuous dim sum lunch at The Empress....
...after which we all convened on the lawn for some lounge-time, since it was one of the first genuinely sunny days of the summer.
That's my husband (and the Daddy of the Moment) looking handsome in his navy blue polo shirt at center.
Fred really enjoys rubbing his face in the mown grass...and rubbing, and rubbing. You would too, if you were a basset hound.
Nainai Susan's first meeting with Fred. I think it went over well. Fred, like QQ, is good at making new friends.
Daddy jumping Q up in the air. Look at her hair!!
A hug for Nai nai...
...and upside-down (her favorite position) with Lao Lao.
Fred in front of the rosebushes.
Did I mention that Fred can do tricks? Yup, he can.
You wouldn't expect it from such a long and gravity-bound dog, but he can stand on his (albeit short) hind legs if a treat is offered.
QQ trespassing surreptitiously on the neighbor's lawn. She likes living on the edge.
Thank goodness that grandpa made use of my paper hat! At least someone appreciated my craftsmanship...
...after which QQ (caving to peer pressure) consented to wear it briefly.
And a final gratuitous picture of Fred in the hat...just because he wears it so well and so proudly.