Our Pasadena friends Amy and Martin Whist spent the Memorial Day weekend with us in Boulder with their girls Ava and Adelaide. The older kids ran the famous Boulder Boulder 10k race with us, an annual Memorial Day race that attracts over 50,000 people. It was the kids' first 10k race and they ran most of the way. As for our visit, well, Boulder is an easy place to host friends in these warmer months. Grant showed Martin the sporty side of Boulder with a 6 am hike, a 40 mile bike ride, and a couple of neighborhood jogs. We went to the legendary Red Rocks open-air amphitheater for a STYX and Foreigner concert, an underwhelming concert in an overwhelming setting. We will go back to see something spectacular one day. Amy and I got to catch up with hours of conversations about the last 8 months, demonstrating the female gift for marathon talking with no need for rest stops. I love showing people our life in Boulder: our quiet, tree-lined street, our friendly neighbors, our lovely natural surroundings. Amy lost her scarf on a stroll downtown and two days later it was nicely propped on a fence, waiting for its rightful owner to claim it. This is a town with so much going for it, including a very generous lost and found policy.
The boys completed their first week of a Boulder mountain bike camp through Singletrack Mountain Bike Adventures (SMBA). I dropped them off at a different trailhead around Boulder everyday. They learned the fundamentals of mountain bike riding and took responsibility for their lunch, water needs, helmet, gloves and repair equipment. They came home each day exhausted and exhilarated, empowered by what they learned and experienced. I was thrilled for them to get a chance to be outside amidst so much beauty, and perhaps a bit envious too.
