Wash Park . . . last day before school starts

Where, oh where, did the summer go???? I haven't begun to accomplish or do all I wanted this summer.

It's been a whirlwhind the past couple of weeks. The exam exhausted me (and I'll probably get another shot at it, unfortunately . . . will know in 4 more weeks) and then friends of Little Rock were in Colorado Springs last weekend. Bug and I drove down to see them . . . . went to the summit of Pike's Peak, where America the Beautiful was written, and walked through the incredible Garden of the Gods. It was so great to see them, but I cried the entire way back to Denver because seeing them really brought home how very much I miss my Little Rock friends.

Then, uncharacteristically, Denver turned rainy and cold . . . very cold. Until today, I've been in jeans and polartec sweaters. Low to mid 50's in temperature . . . completely bizarre.

I've had a couple of dates the past 2 weeks . . . the one last night was actually promising . . . with a German engineer . . . he is incredibly learned, very charming, and has a wonderfully infectious laugh. He lives near Boulder and has 2 teen-aged children, so it will be a bit of a challenge, but I think we're going to try to see if this could lead anywhere. We'll see . . . school starts tomorrow which means my schedule will be entirely consumed by work, school, soccer, piano lessons, choir, softball, and Girl Scout activities. It's ridiculous what we go through as parents to give our children as many options as possible.

So today . . . . I took off work, and Bug and I spent the majority of our day at Wash Park. It's a beautiful park in Denver with several small lakes/ponds, great bike trails and jogging paths, tennis courts, gardens, etc. You can see every breed of dog known to man there ----- Chloe loves to go . . . .there is a Great Pyrenees with a huge crush on her that we usually run into. :):) Anyway, Bug and I rode bikes for a long time, then we went to the boat house and rented a pedal/paddle boat ---- we had a blast out on the lake. Then we caught a movie, went to the library, played a round of tennis, walked the dogs, and finished the day off with ice cream. It was a great last day, if a bit exhausting.

Tomorrow . . . 5th Grade . . . . . . (how did it happen???)

Ice cream . . . . yum!

My daughter and I are on a quest to find the best ice cream in the city. We love independents, whether they are bookstores, restaurants, ice cream parlors, pet stores, whatever. We much prefer to support a local proprietor over the big chains. (Not that we haven't had our share of Haagen Dazs and Cold Stone Creamery, which both are within a few blocks of our townhome.) Anyway, the Daily Scoop is a very strong contender, and actually they sell frozen custard as opposed to ice cream. But this is good stuff . . . usually they only serve 3 flavors per day, chocolate, vanilla, and one that changes daily . . . with a multitude of available toppings and a side of waffle cone they put in for garnish. There are strong competitors for the title of "Favorite Ice Cream" place. The gelato place across the street from my hair stylist and the ever favorite Bonnie Brae Ice Cream shop in Washington Park are STRONG contenders. We'll just have to keep testing!! :):)