Where did the summer go?!

It is hard to believe that the summer is coming to an end! We went from my knee surgery in early May to hip replacement for Farmer Ken later in June. Then rain and flooded basement on the farm in May (the Sunday after knee surgery on Friday). THEN no rain for over 6 weeks! When the crops seemed close to not being able to survive much longer, we were blessed with rain in this area and it continues to rain nicely every few days. Now the crops look wonderful here at the farm.
I guess I need to make up for lost time, so will post quite a few photos and blog.
We have some wild turkey that took up residence here on the farm place. (I think they probably thought it was an abandoned farmstead when we were gone so much!) They are so interesting and quite tame. I often hear them calling back and forth, even when I can't see them. We have named the 4, Eenie, Meanie, Minie and Moe.

We are still wating for Grandson number 2. Everyone thought he would come way early and now we are close to the actual delivery date. Mom and baby are doing fine. DC has the baby room redone, as well as the guest room for her parents when they come. We went to the county fair and HC enjoyed a hot dog (and then another later that his dad had gotten for himself!).

Plans had been in the works for over a year for Danihs cousins to visit in Colorado, along with their friends. We drove to Colorado and enjoyed the golden sunflowers on I-76. They stretched for miles!
Farmer Ken's sisters all came as well, so we were 13 in all. We also had a visit from my aunt and uncle who were also visiting the area from Topeka Kansas.

After Arriving, we toured the Colorado National Monument. Always a beautiful drive.

A hike up Crag Crest, on the Grand Mesa; turned into an all day event. We knew it was a long hike, but thought the lower trail came out sooner. After getting released from the doctor 8 weeks after hip replacement, Farmer Ken hiked the entire 8 miles with the group that "kept going". It is an awesome experience that will stay fixed in our minds for a long time! A good portion of the hike, once you reach the crest; is on a path that is more often only the width that is needed to walk (the photo shows the trail behind Farm Wife). There is quite a stretch of the hike that is extremely narrow and drops off hundreds of feet on both sides. It is one of the things that I would count as a highlight in my entire life (both Farmer Ken and I would definitely do it again!)

The final day of the Danes visit, we headed for Utah and stopped by the amazing collection of Petroglyphs and pictographs near Thompson Springs. These represent native cultures that were agricultural and lving in the valleys back to 8,000 BC.

Arches was next on the tour. A beautiful, hot summer day provided a last great experience with nature, before we and the Danish parted. We came back to the farm and they are on a road trip to San Francisco, touring the western United States.

On our way back, we were thinking of skiing. A cold front has passed through the mountains and front range the previous night and left a fair amount of snow in the mountains. MMMMMM..... It will be nice to ski with the knee repaired and Farmer Ken's new hip!!





As usual, we have taken the road less traveled as we hiked into an area that few will experience. We are always awed by the natural beauty of this great earth that we call home for a short time!