Independence Pass-Still snowy in June

When Andy's dad and Robert decided to change their visit from August to the middle of June we welcomed them with open arms but warned them that it might be cold in June. We joked about how it might snow in the middle of June but I don't think they believed us. Last night while we were sitting around the fire on the porch and sipping our hot chocolate, the temperature dropped to the point where rain turns to snow. Believe it or not, it snowed last night. Thankfully, the ground was warm enough that we did not experience accumulation but some areas (above 9000 feet or so) did turn from green to white overnight. It was crazy to see parts of Beaver Creek all white again this morning. We were afraid that the snow would put a damper on our plans for Sunday, a drive over Independence Pass near Aspen. This pass is only open a couple of months each year and we were afraid that the snow may have been enough to close the road again temporarily. Thankfully the road remained open so we decided to proceed as planned. Looking back, I think the snow added to the experience. Mountains are beautiful in and of themselves but a snow capped mountain amidst vivid green scenery is absolutely stunning! We have taken this route a couple of times but I found myself compeled to take pictures of the scenery again. Lovely snow capped mountains are also pretty cold. At the last minute I decided to grab my winter jacket for the fun of it. Who would have thought it would be in the low 40's on a mid-June afternoon?!? Again I say, it was worth it. We had a lot of fun and Hobie was beside himself excited about playing in the snow again! Here are a few pictures from our drive over the Continental Divide.

















On our way up the pass we drove past a beautiful lake with a stunning backdrop of snow capped mountains.
















The boys playing in the snow near the Continental Divide sign. Hobie loved playing in snow once again!! That's all he knew as a young pup.
















Family picture in front of the sign. Just because we live here doesn't mean we can't play tourist once in a while!





















Standing/sitting at a great lookout at the top of Independence Pass.















Another family picture, this time with snowcapped mountains in the background.
















Group shot with Dad Teichman















Looking off in the distance at nearby peaks and the winding road up Independence Pass.















After dropping a couple of thounsand feet in elevation, we found a great waterfall.















No need for winter jackets here!

Loving one another near the waterfall.

School's out for the summer!!

What a crazy couple of weeks! We are finished with school and after today I will have no more meetings! During the last week of school the 8th graders flew to Washington D.C. and NYC where they were able to see their Civics course come to life, visit more memorials then they could count, wave to family and friends on the Today Show, and they even had time to take in a show on Broadway! What a fun trip! The 7th grade class spent a few days in Fort Collins, CO where they took part in a few team building activities. While the rest of my colleagues where off exploring the world, I was holding down the fort at school. My job was to prepare all of the certificates for the continuation ceremonies that were held last Friday. For the 7th Grade I had to prepare the fun awards (MVP, Zen Warrior, Intellectual Excavator, etc) and determine which of the students had earned straight A+ in their classes. The 8th Grade ceremony took a lot more time and dedication. The continuation ceremony for 8th grade is more or less a graduation ceremony. A majority of the 8th graders have attended our school since 1st grade! We all got dressed up, prepared speeches, recognized the valedictorian and salutatorian, and honored those with great character traits. The ceremony was wonderful and afterward we enjoyed a delicious 4 course dinner at the restaurant that one of the families owns and operates.
This weekend was full of sunshine and good times as the Teva Games came to town. Hobie loved walking around and sniffing all of the other people and dogs. The Teva Games are very dog friendly with dog food stands (free samples!), doggie treats, and the periodic communal bowl of water. He was exhausted! I was exhausted as well. After spending way to many hours outside in the beautiful sunshine, Andy and I agreed to work for one of our friends from church. Imagine the two of us as security for a major event. A few of my students passed by while I was standing at my post and laughed because apparently I did fit the "traditional" security guard image with my huge coat and chacos. Oh well, I did my job in spite of the crazy attire.
This week I have been cooped up inside for my last four days of Math Cohort. Although I would have loved to have the opportunity to sit beside the pool with a book in my hand, the last couple of days have been helpful and fun. Everyone is really laid back now that we are finished with school and we have had our fair share of laughs this week. We are getting ready to do our final presentations in a few minutes and I think the "class" will get a kick out of our group's presentation. We were supposed to make a presentation highlighting the things we learned and plan to take back to our classes this fall. Instead of getting up in front of everyone with a little speech, our group decided to make a movie of sorts. So, we all did little 5-30 sec blurbs about our favorite topics. While we were talking, someone else video taped our pinkie, our foot, ponytail, elbow...you get the idea. Really, who wants to stare at someone standing there talking? With a little help from iMovie, we have a really fun presentation.
After we are finished here I have some last minute things to take care of at school then I am wiping my hands of the 2009-10 school year. Tonight we are looking forward to a few special visitors from LA (Dad T and Robert) then Monday I am hitting the road for my trip to MI. Hooray! School's out for the summer!! :)