cables & crewnecks

Knitting Harvest from Quince & Co. in O-Wool Worsted in Feldspar - I definitely won't break into the third skein, actually! Knitting while watching Great British Bake Off. Not working on Winter Honey, but now I have a deadline.  Going to knit night at The Lemonade Shop and she is local to me! I love the Fancy Tiger and Colorado Maker's Night knit nights, but they are hard to get to regularly.

Knitting Finds

Brooklyn Tweed has its own pin and I got one, and mentioned Dragonfly Fiber's MS&W colorway, Boardwalk Lights.

Knitting Travels

Camped at Rocky Mountain National Park - Aspenglen Campground. Not prepared for the cold! Wore the Bristol Hat by Amy Christoffers, BFF Cowl, and Under the Tree (I called them the Owl Fingerless Mitts).

Met up with Emily of Tightly Spun at the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery and she recommended I check out My Sister Knits. It is AMAZING. I picked up the Lykke Interchangeable Short Set. As such, I would like to donate my set of Kinki Amibari IC needles, to someone who really deserves them. Nominate via email, Instagram DM or Ravelry PM!

Events

Heading up to the Andrea Mowry talk and trunk show at Fancy Tiger Crafts in November. No Rhinebeck this year.

Thanks for joining me!
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It's been awhile since I actively blogged in this space! For those that are new here, welcome and please pop on over to the About Me page to learn more about me and my family as we explore Colorado. 

Today I am sharing my living room; when Mel and I first moved out to Colorado, we pretty much had no idea that you could actually build a house. As in, anything from buying the land and hiring an architect, to going with a builder in a neighborhood, picking a floorplan and going from there. 

In a perfect world, we would have done the whole thing from scratch, but the housing market in Colorado is really hot (as in, so many people are moving out here and the housing inventory is very small = high demand = high prices), and builders increase the base prices overtime. So we needed to move quickly, and lo and behold a brand new neighborhood was opening up in March 2016 which meant we could be within our budget and go as far out as we could (for all intents and purposes, this is our forever house. I will talk about our building story in a series in case anyone is interested and give some tips and tricks along the way in terms of what to do when building a house, especially with a builder). 

But today, the living room. Or the great room as they are called these days. We have an open floor plan. Most new houses do. You can take it or leave it, but its kinda great when Mel is upstairs and I need something - I just shout pretty loudly and he can still hear me. Not so great when it's naptime, however; we just transitioned Julian from napping on the floor in the loft (he's a wierdo) to napping on the floor in his room (he KNOWS if I try to put him in his crib). I like it because with our floorplan our kitchen is set off slightly to the side (think of our house as an L shape with the garage tucked into the crook of the L), which meant that we didn't need to do the TV over the fireplace (still when we built it, we did out the media ports over the fireplace, because house value).

When it comes to decorating, Mel and I mostly agree on things - one of the major things was, if we could afford it, we save and we wait for sales (especially when Pottery Barn does the buy more, save more). This was our grown up house after living in a 480 sq foot apartment for almost 7 years and having IKEA furniture left over from college. It took two years to get this living room where it is now.

As for a particular "look," I am a wierdo - I love the beachy coastal look, a little bit of the glam that lucite and gold bamboo frames give you, but at the end of the day, I will happily go with an old-school preppy university look for adults. I call it "rustic/casual metropolitan" - like a university club, but with a bit of feminine touches here and there (see mantel and Kate Spade books). 

At the end of the day, I share a house with a Guy Who Cares. There is some negotiating, and giving in (I picked the couch. Mel picked the armchairs). 

So we saved and slowly acquired pieces and replaced things - our coffee table was our first big Pottery Barn piece, and that was because we didn't bring over our old IKEA coffee table - Adele chewed on it big time when teething. 

I definitely go to the Pottery Barn catalogs and website for styling inspiration and some of my favorite bloggers as well; being on a budget for the accessories (that adds up! Especially when you have a naked house), I rely a lot on Home Goods and Michaels for the decorating pieces, like the basket tray here: 

As you can see from the top photo, I pushed the basket to the left side of the coffee table; when Julian is downstairs, he pretty much roams and plays wherever (we got rid of the playpen after he turned one), so I figured if I give him a table space to play, he will leave the decorative things alone. And it has worked. So far. 

The Benchwright table has two big drawers; one we fill with Julian's books so that he has a selection down here, and the other is filled with random stuff that doesn't really belong anywhere. On the bottom shelves, I put more coffee table books. 

This is what the ceramic piece on top looks like: we purchased it from a gallery in Santorini when we visited my family in 2014. 

Finally, we have the "New York" books:

I have a wishlist of other books I want to add, since I like to swap out the books in the basket (so long as they fit!) every once in awhile. 

If you have been following me on Instagram, you know I love to play with decorating the mantel. Partially it was I think in part that I was trying to find what I liked and what worked for us; here Mel didn't really care so much - I loved making the Christmas mantel but I think I am going to keep it this way for awhile. I love boxwood and blue and white porcelain (like everyone else, but hey it's a classic!) and I think I am going to take the lids off the larger ginger jars and put some faux flower stems in there for the fall. 

Barring some seasonal accents, I think this is going to be it for mantel decorating (unless more blue and white comes my way!). The mirror was a facebook marketplace find that we painted black - Mel and I both love the Eagan Large Mirror from Pottery Barn, but when you move into a house from a tiny apartment, you need a couch more than a mirror. 

I DIY-ed the boxwood topiaries, since they can get pretty expensive. I found the topiary in a little pot at Michaels, but it was pretty pathetic to say the least; a new potting plant, styrofoam to lift the topiary, a glue gun and some moss later, I made two of these for the price of 1 at Target or Pier 1. Still debating on painting the pot, or making it look more cement-like. 

The fireplace is chevron marble; when I flew to Colorado 7 months pregnant for my official move, and had to go straight to the design studio when I landed (Mel came out the year before) to finalize the picks for the house. 

Initially, the fireplace is defaulted to the stone that is on the outside of the house - I IMMEDIATELY put a stop to the proceedings and said, why can't we do tile? Apparently, that was the initial order and Mel and I didn't know that we could put tile - that may have been the one time I flew into a pregnancy-induced hormonal fit and told our consultant to call the builder and immediately change that. And then I insisted on the marble. We joke that the fireplace was my push present. I love how some of the marble is different colors (didn't like so much that they had to rip out the fireplace 4 times...). 

This is the spot that sort of demarcates the invisible line between the living and dining room, imagine a wall right down the center line of the photos. We got the frames from IKEA and printed out the photos at Costco. The curtains were a Pottery Barn find in the clearance section, and when there was another promotion, I called back and got a price adjustment. 

Hope you enjoyed the tour! Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below. Next up will be the dining room - you see peeks of it because it is an open floor plan, especially in this photo here, but I have a few things I need to finish with it first. 

Also, any feedback on the photography is appreciated - I took all the photos with my Nikon D5300 (the same I use for my video knitting podcasts) and edited in Lightroom - trying to learn how it all works, so getting in as much practice as I can. 

Stash Dash is happening and finally I truly have two months to knit since my new school has the August-May schedule. I plan to focus on WIPs, and finishing the Downton Abbey Cowl and Norie Hat, while also working on a very overdue baby blanket and sweater. 

The yarn I got from Lux Adorna knits to make the Peerie Flooers hat got tangled during the move. My Outlander project back with my Outlander socks from Voolenvine Yarns is missing. 

Plan to make the Kamari shawl from Kathleen Dames' Santorini Collection with Juniper Moon Farms out of the three skeins of Western Sky Knits that I got from Interweave Yarn Fest. Imerovigli is also a lovely pattern. Check out Knit Filament, which is a magazine that she also publishes. 

Finally got myself on the highway because of Interweave Yarn Fest. Throwback to my visit to the amazing Woolyn yarn shop. Plan to go to knit night at Fabric Bliss once I get back to Colorado after my visit to NYC in June and school starts up again. 

Masterpiece Knits: The Modern Collection published by Dragonfly Fibers. I love their yarn - they have been one of my long time favorite indie dyers. Available via Ravelry download for $18, and its definitely well worth the price. Also check out their fundraiser with a limited edition yarn, Maryland Blue Crab; a portion of the proceeds go to benefit the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and their summer yarn Beaches, will also go on sale June 4. The fundraiser ends June 4. I myself got a skein in Traveller! 

I give a tour of "The Craft Office," and want to know if anyone has ideas for yarn storage that is pretty but also protects the yarn?

Sharing my finished socks with White Birch Fiber Arts yarn, and they went through the washing machine with no problems at all. 

My dad wants a sweater. He has a 45" chest. He chose Fort from BT Men Volume 1 out of the options I gave him. I also informed him that I will never knit a fingering weight sweater for him. 

Self striping yarn from Gynx Yarns! Preppy Gothic Mermaid is a bit of an inside joke between Laura, Kristin and myself.

Lithuanian Knitting: Continuing Traditions by Donna Druchunas and June Hall, $34.99 USD. Amazing and carefully thought out book.

Events
Knit Knosh hosted by the Knitting Actually Podcast 1/23 Longmont, CO (Denver/Boulder area).

• Bijou Basin Ranch: Allure Sampler Pack and 2 Pyramid Peak Hat Kits, color TBD by winner
• The Sampler Girl - French Outlander Shawl
• CC Almon - Lady of Lallybroch Socks
• Lion Brand - Outlander Knitting kits - correction, just 1 each of the Return to Inverness Cowl and Transported to 1743 shawl. One of these will be part of the grand prize!
• Caithness Craft - Tartan Project Bag - to be paired with a Lion Brand Outlander Kit as the KAL grand prize. 
• Dreams in Fiber - 2 Skeins of Outlander Yarn

There is a great, new yarn club coming out with Indie Untangled with the theme of where people knit. I have thought about this alot in the past before, and wrote an article about it - my first foray into writing about knitting as you will (Parts 1, 2, and 3 here). 

I have almost always knitted in public ever since I started knitting - as most of you know, I learned to knit in Japan, which is a place that is very short on private space, especially when you want to hang out with your friends. I did have brunches at my shoebox of a studio apartment in Kyoto, but it took a little bit of maneuvering and it was still quite cramped. 

I recently started knitting in public at work, which was a pretty big accomplishment for me. Knitting is not frowned upon at work, but rather when I first started to try it, I was subject to a bit of teasing. People just don't get it, truly! I'd rather knit on my sock than play Candy Crush on my phone. 

That being said, there is something to knitting outdoors where its peaceful. When I heard about this blog hop and yarn club, it reminded me of one time when I did document myself knitting in public - I was visiting a friend at Kyoto Sangyo University, which is in the northeast of Kyoto. 

I got there early and was wandering around, when I came across a traditional Japanese garden in the middle of the campus. It was peaceful and I had time to kill, so the knitting came out (I was working on my 2x2 reindeer yarn fingering weight rib scarf on size 4 needles). 

So much has changed since then! 

Where do you knit now? These days, I knit in my parents' living room, but I am looking forward to when I knit while looking out over the Rocky Mountains. 

On a huge sock kick and I was knitting socks in front of my principal! Finished White Birch Fiber Arts "No One Says Screw You Like A Unicorn" (off camera - had to cut the cuff of the first sock, but all is well) and working on my "Outlander" socks for the #outlandeRKAL. Demonstrated how I avoid ladders when shifting from one DPN to the next. 

The Aussie loves the socks I knit him (Fresh from the Cauldron MCN in Michael Corvin from 2009) and is requesting more. 

My Hinoki was a bit of a disaster, but I did have a backup Rhinebeck sweater, thanks to Kristin. I am taking a break from Hinoki and plan to finish it and the pattern over Christmas. 

I recieved the Buchaille Seven Skeins Club from Kate Davies, and I love it. 

Back to spinning: working on Pigeonroof Studios July/August 2013 SAL Wine Tasting in Superwash Merino (it's SO soft) on my Bostworth Midi Purpleheart Spindle, and some Falkland fiber from Wild Hare in Natural Appeal on my new zebrawood and ebony spindle from Mill Point Emporium, which is a dream to spin with. 

The Indie Untangled Trunk Show was a mega sensory overload, but it was alot of fun to see everyone who was part of this year's Road to Rhinebeck series. On Saturday, Laura, Kristing and I did the podcaster meetup, and I actually did not get any yarn - just the Wild Hare Fiber and the new spindle, as well as shearling earmuffs for me and a brushed alpaca scarf for my mom. 

Don't forget the #outlandeRKAL is going in the Ravelry group - the second quiz question is up! In the meantime, we have the first winner for the Lady of Lallybroch Socks by CC Almon of Geeky Girls Knit. This week's prize is a copy of the French Outlander Shawl by Tanya Marie of The Sampler Girl Podcast. 

Here are the list of the other prize sponsors (specific prizes to be announced, as well as a fun grand prize for the KAL): 

My Knitting in Japanese class at Vogue Knitting LIVE! sold out on the first day of general registration! I am so surprised and honored that so many people wanted to take the class - in fact I am teaching a second session from 9-12 on Saturday January 16, as the 2-5 pm session is already sold out. 

I am so excited to be teaching and seeing all of you. If you already registered, drop a line and say hi either here or anywhere else. I'm planning to pull a Clara Parkes (her Claramels look divine) and bring some treats to class. More details on whether there will be a meetup to come soon. 

Thanks for watching!

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See you guys at Rhinebeck! More detailed show notes to follow

On the Needles
Cast on the test knit lace cowl by Maria Montzka of Stitched in Sweden. Working on Trillian at a pretty steady pace - my wrist is a bit "off" not because of knitting but actually because of sewing!

Knitting Travels
The day before I left for NYC I convinced The Aussie to drive up to The Loopy Ewe, which was a bit of an adventure.

Went to Voolenvine Yarn's trunk show at Gauge and Tension - in the downtime we tried on the GxT Cormo shawls that were on display and the yarn is so soft. Kristin and I had fun pretending to be knitwear models. She had alot of the good favorites on display and I fell in love with her Water Lily sweater knit. We also met Mina of the Knitting Expat podcast! 

AMA
This week's question is from suddenexpression and we talk about how I go about picking fabric for my garments.

Reviews:
Pom Pom Quarterly Summer Edition - holding on to the last bits of summer, though their fall edition is amazing. We also have a giveaway - which pattern would you knit to help keep the last bits of summer alive for you?

Events and Announcements
Rhinebeck plans have changed again. Laura (The Dyer's Notebook) and Kristin (Yarngasm), and I will be at the Indie Untangled trunk show and there will be a meetup! Time TBD. 

Congratulations to Helen of Curious Handmade and Jo from Shinybees who won in the Games & Hobbies and Most Engaged Audience categories of the UK Podcaster awards! They were well deserved wins.

I'm teaching Knitting in Japanese at Vogue Knitting LIVE! in NYC this January! The class is Saturday from 2-5pm. 

Signups for the OutlandeRKAL are happening now. 

One of the great equalizers and benefits that Ravelry and the internet have to offer to so many amazing knitwear designers these days is the ability to self-publish. Brooklyn Tweed has evolved into an amazing brand of its own, Alana Dakos and Hannah Fettig published Coastal Knits as well as their own individual patterns and books, and magazines like Pom Pom Quarterly and Amirisu.

Which brings me to Midwestern Knits: 13 Knitting Patterns Inspired by the American Midwest. Like everything mentioned previously, this is a self-published book edited by Allyson Dykhuizen and Carina Spencer, but with a twist: this book came about as the result of a successful Kickstarter campaign. Knitters are anything if not resourceful! 

I have to admit, I know very little about the American Midwest (I thought Colorado was part of the Midwest, and was dutifully corrected), so I definitely relied on the patterns to teach me more about a region that I never have been to, other than a 2-day visit to University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. That definitely does not count. Neither does reading Little House on the Prairie. 

The book is divided into three sections: Fall, Winter and Spring, so you know from the get-go that the patterns are not only inspired by the region, but by the season. Ostensibly this leaves summer out, but I can see why the authors chose to do so - "summer" knits have never been my favorite things to knit. Knitting means warm goodies to transition into and out of the colder seasons. 

I am all about the cardigans. The first pattern in the book, Midtown is a lovely intarsia open sweater with an interesting story - and it is the stories behind the patterns that really make the book cohesive and unique. The pattern designers delve into their personal histories, and share tidbits about the region that only those who live there are privy to, which makes the stories all the more fascinating. 

In addition to Allison and Carina, there are other designers featured as well which gives the book a wide berth for different types of styles and patterns, which means that there is definitely something to suit your own personal style.  Blowing Snow Cardigan from the Winter Section (again with the sweaters) by Emily Ringleman, is another favorite and an example of that. 

The photography in the book showcases various types of angles of the knitwear, which I think is key - not only do the pattern directions, schematics and charts need to be clear, but the photography is a big part of any book or pattern because it helps us as knitters visualize whether or not the patterns will work for us. And in this case you can see that the photography really aids in telling the story. 

Moreover, there is a knit-along happening to coincide with the release of the book, and as you can see, there is a ton of variety and choice when it comes to casting on for your next project from this book. 

Midwestern Knits is available in print ($25 + shipping) and in digital format ($18) on Ravelry.

In the beginning of August, the Aussie and I went to Steamboat Springs in an effort to explore more of Colorado besides what was in the Boulder-Denver-Colorado Springs Metro area. It was a tossup between Steamboat and Crested Butte, but for reasons I explain in the last episode, you all know why Steamboat Springs was truly an epic win. 

I *think* I am getting the hang of this digital photography thing. I took the Basics of Digital Photography on Craftsy (which is having a big back to school sale now), and I did see a bit of improvement and more comprehension with my photos. All of the photos here are my own, unless they have The Aussie's watermark on it. 

Colorado just keeps on surprising me with how much nature is both awe-inspiring and wild at the same time. 

At first glance, it seems like it all looks the same, but when you take a step back, pause and really take a closer look, you see that everything is so different no matter where you go. And that just makes Colorado all the more exciting. 

When we got home, I played around with my camera a bit more after finished the Craftsy class. My mom actually thought the photo  with the lotus flowers was taken by The Aussie, which to me was a big complement! I am also finishing up the Essential Guide to Lightroom to help me with photo editing and streamlining the process. 

For a bit of comparison, here are my favorite photos that he took in Steamboat Springs (and on our way home - he now stops the car on the highway to take photos). He does have a year (and amazing lenses) in his bag of tricks, but everyone has to start somewhere. 

Another reason why I am excited to head back west - to continue taking in the gorgeous scenery and documenting it. 

Finished socks for The Aussie! Wise Hilda's Everyday Ribbed Socks in FFtc MCN Sock. 

Another FO is the cashmere cowl from Pepperberry Knits - the pattern comes with the yarn kit. 

Went to Steamboat Springs - stay tuned for a more detailed blog post, and there is a slideshow of my and The Aussie's photos at the end of the episode. But the important thing is that I found a Singer Featherweight! 

Hacking Scout Tee by Grainline Studio right and left.

Made another Sailor Top, but the neckline was wonky. 

Also sewed a top from Burda Style (6752), which was similar to a JCrew top.

Events & Announcements
Yarn Along the Rockies - went to Stash and Everything Alpaca in Castle Rock, Colorful Yarns in Centennial, A Knitted Peace in Littleton, and Fancy Tiger Crafts and Fabric Bliss in Denver.

I won The Lemonade Shop gift basket from Yarn Along the Rockies! I also recap the yarn I got from Knerd Shop, The Lemonade Shop and Bella Vita Ranch.

Rhinebeck is going to be only on Saturday for me this year.

Last fall, I registered for free sewing classes at Mood in New York City. That was the beginning of my journey into sewing, which fell flat for about 10 months. I got sick and was unable to make it to the final sessions, so the cut pattern pieces sat in a bag in my closet.

As I mentioned previously, moving out to Denver meant that I had more space. After making a few basic pieces and then completing a shirt, I felt confident enough that I could tackle this dress, which is McCall's 6124.

I learned a few things in the process of making this dress: first, fabric shears definitely do make a difference. I cut this pattern out using regular scissors, and its evident that there are not any clean cuts on the edges of the fabric. I was gifted a pair of Gingher Left-Handed Fabric Shears for Christmas, and purchased a left-handed rotary cutter, and it has made my life so much easier.

Second: wash your fabric. I did not do this (mainly due to the laundry machine access issue which I discusses), and now I am compensating by changing the seam allowances on the body from 5/8" to 1/2" to give me a bit more room. This dress is a bit of an experiment - a wearable muslin, if you will - so I am hoping for the best.

As you can see, I am still learning how to use my camera - there is a pretty marked difference between mine and The Aussie's photos. I'm getting there slowly, like how I am getting used to hiking - we parked at the Lower Trailhead and walked till we reached the main loop and headed left. The creek you see here is after crossing a small bridge, and then head left again till you reach the falls.  

Sewing has become quite addicting as of late. I have to admit, what really helps is that i just have so much more space now - I have a designated cutting area and a place to put my sewing machine and all my notions so that they are easy to get to. All I have to do is just move my sewing machine from the top of my two storage drawers to my desk, plug it in and I'm ready to go. 

The other thing is that now I have an in-unit washer dryer. No more schlepping to the laundromat just to wash one piece of fabric! I never actually did that really, so sewing was pretty much limited to project bags. 

Now I have lots of plans - I plan to get two dress pattern collections, maybe finish the one I started at Mood last fall, sew some tops for work, and I have a crazy idea to sew my own sleeping bag for when The Aussie and I go camping next month; I want something practical and warm, but doesn't scream "Got it from Cabela's." 

Yes, I admit it - I toe the line between glamping and camping. All I'm asking for is a toilet and some kind of access to water to wash my hair (I'll even take the shower bag option in a stall). 

Neverthless, I am very excited because I finished my first real garment! I made the Wearable Tunic from the Purl Bee first, but it doesn't suit my body so well, and it's quite annoying to wear as a dress, but it's good for the beach as a cover-up. So I am counting the Colette Sorbetto top as my first garment.  

I purchased pre-made bias tape and the fabric from JoAnn's, which is a short bike ride away. If you do a bit of digging in the quilting cotton section, there is some nice fabric for tops, skirts and dresses. I found the most adorable print for pajamas for my sister and I, which is the next thing I am working on. 

A few mods that I would make to this top when I make it again (because I so am!) is to make it about 2" longer, and to cut about 3/4" from the sides at the underarms. It ballooned out a bit under my arms, so I solved the problem with this version with a dart, and then sewed it down to prevent it from "popping" out. What I would do is just make that cut in the fabric from the beginning, especially since I was able to preserve the pattern by tracing it onto parchment paper. 

This Thursday, I start my Sailor Top class at Fancy Tiger Crafts. Between Sorbetto, Sailor Top and another pattern I got (New Look S0447, but I plan to take out the pleats), I think I am pretty set for tops for the fall! That and I am knitting two sweaters, hopefully a third by October.

I started to follow along with the #yearofmaking challenge, and I am a little bit late to the Colette Pattern's Wardrobe Architect challenge, but I think I am going to use the last months of 2015 to practice and experiment - learn what works for my body, and really understand how to set up, read and alter patterns to make 2016 truly a year of making. 

Anyone have advice and tips on how to source patterns and create your own wardrobe? Any sewing tips and recommendations for classes?

Garden of the Gods was in a word, stunning. The Aussie had a grand old time as usual with his camera (he even got a special hiker's backpack designed for photography gear, its the LowePro Rover Pro 45L in case anyone is interested). 

 I was struggling a bit with my camera, so I just enjoyed the scenery and made sure I didn't trip over my feet when I was walking across uneven terrain. I was prepared: had boots, tech shorts and even a cute floppy hat for the sun, though thankfully, it wasn't that hot or sunny. 

 I could really just sit back and watch the scenery for days in this state. You really can't describe it, so I am just going to let the pictures do the talking. 

It's back again - we are on the Road to Rhinebeck with Indie Untangled! 

There is even going to be a new Rhinebeck sweater this year - maybe 2? 3? There is a lot of plotting going on behind the scenes here. As you can see, I am making some headway on my own design, which I am calling Hinoki. Loving how YOTH Big Sister is knitting up! Those cables look lovely. 

Are you planning to go to the kickoff? What do you think your Rhinebeck sweater will be? 

Well it's certainly been awhile since my last regular post! Lost of things happening around here: to start, I was "half-dean" during my last few weeks of school because our dean broke her wrist. It took two of us to do her job and while it was definitely a change of pace, I learned that while I would like to be the dean one day, that day is definitely not now. 

The other big thing is that I am currently in Colorado for the summer. I return to NYC at the end of the summer to finish my 5th year of teaching, and we are going to take it from there. In the meantime, I am getting to know the area and enjoying my time. 

The Aussie and I spent 4th of July in Boulder, which is a cute little hippy/college town. We had great Mexican food and walked around the town a bit. 

That's where we (especially The Aussie) got hit by the proverbial hiking bug; the scenery here in Colorado is all at once awe-inspiring, mesmerizing, and at times terrifying as well. 

While we were at Kim's place waiting for the fireworks to start at Coors Field, we were treated to a fireworks show courtesy of Mother Nature. 

This past weekend we completed our first hike around Garden of the Gods Park. It was a really great place for a hike; there was a sidewalk for those just meandering around the park, but then there were trails that The Aussie and I did go on to walk around a bit. We got proper gear and planning our next hike for the following weekend! I can get used to this. 

Anyone live in the Denver area? What are some must-see things to eat, do and see? Share in the comments below!