Happy 4th from Vail!

WHEN, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary to take a recently pregnant wife out of the house with a newborn and a 2 1/2 year old boy, the father of the house, being a man of former intellect and good judgement, is compelled to tell others why he took his young family to high altitude during the busiest holiday weekend of the summer...

And the answer is: we have a free place to stay, of course! Sure, when we took Luke to Vail for the first time he came down with Atomic Diaper Rash and that reality was again in play. Sure, the demands of nursing force Kim to drink 5 gallons of water a day when she's above 8,000 feet. Sure, we had no way of knowing how baby Wes, at 6 weeks old, would handle his first long car ride and trip away from home. But it was hot in Denver and some members of the family REALLY needed to get out of town for a few days, so off we went. And I, as Dad, am proud to say that the weekend went quite well, as we warded off dehydration, sunburn, and extreme exhaustion. Though he didn't know it, Wes attended his first 4th of July parade (largely sleeping), and was able to hang out long enough to see the fabeled Vail PRECISION LAWN CHAIR DRILL TEAM. Unbeknownest to many, Luke and Wes' dad has long harbored a desire to become a member of the team, but, owing to the demands of family and real life, must wait a decade or two until he can pursue this dream, which probably started around age 7.

In any case, there were no fireworks, actual or metaphorical, for the family this year. But a good time was had by all. Enjoy the pictures!