Time With Family and Friends

Chatfield State Park is always on our route through the Denver area. It is just a few miles from the home we lived in till we went on the road full-time and it is only a few minutes away from our son Eric's home. Another reason to spend time here this summer was so we could attend a 50th anniversary party for our long-time friends Larry and Betty. Two years ago they came to our 50th and we wanted to celebrate with them when it was their turn. We drove to Boulder where Larry and John were both members of the Boulder Police Department in the late 1960s and early 1970s. So many people never make it to 50 years of marriage and it is special to join in the party when a couple does that.

Here Betty is holding her 50th anniversary champagne glass, ready to respond to the group's toast to the couple.

Since we only see Eric's family 2 or 3 times a year, it is important to spend as much time as possible with them when we are here. They own a pontoon boat which they keep on the lake here at Chatfield during the summer. Liz was out of town but Eric and our grandchildren Kylie and John came out to see us. We cooked our dinner on the grill at the dock.

When we finished eating we all boarded the boat and Eric carefully backed it out of it's slip in the marina.

We enjoyed the ride across the lake.

But it wasn't long before the sky became dark and threatening.

Eric quickly turned the boat around and put the pedal to the metal so we couod get back to the dock before the storm hit.

After the boat was moored at the dock, we all pitched in to close the sides of the boat before the rain really drenched us.

We sat in the boat for nearly an hour while the rain came down. We talked and we shared some old photos in our Google Photos albums. When the rain ended we emerged, only slightly wet, and started for our trucks as the skies cleared. The storm was the typical Colorado afternoon weather pattern.