Summer might be over...sigh...

 Alright...I'll call it (although today it is 71 degrees outside...)

Here are the rest of the concerts and activities since July 30!

8/5 Yonder Mountain String Band

I didn't know a lot about them, but thoroughly enjoyed the show--we were back at Levitt, it was free...

Co_Ski_Atty, The Boy, and I had a great time!

The opening act was Head For the Hills--it is always interesting to hear new (to us) bands and performers.  

August 9 found The Boy and me back in school and all of us celebrating The Girl's 20th birthday!

Just to keep things interesting, Co_Ski_Atty and I went to Fitz and the Tantrums (opening act Darby Gillfillin) on August 12. It was on the lawn at the performing arts center in downtown Denver.  I got to wear my new big hat!  

It was another night of gorgeous weather and fabulous music!

There were some more evenings on the patio...

A family tie-dye party---many of the "local bands"--opening acts especially, sold white tshirts with logos on them..so what you see here are a bunch of concert tshirts and a few other things!

August 16 (the night of the first day I had students in class) found us at the long-awaited (long 30 years of waiting for me..) Guns n Roses Concert.  It. Was. Awesome.  The opening act was the Velveteers...they were so nervous!  It was so amazing to see GNR enjoy playing music together...Axl looked like someone's grandpa half the time--smiling and bobbing his head while Slash and Duff played solos...worth waiting 30 years!

Co_Ski_Atty and I were able to sneak away for a glamping trip in August, too--it was a lovely weekend of relaxing and enjoying nature.

We also (finally) visited La Loma in Castle Rock--beautiful views, great food..

On August 25, The Boy and Co_Ski_Atty went to the HellaMega Tour concert--Fall Out Boy, Green Day...I was bummed ...but it was a school night 😁

9/12 found Co_Ski_Atty, The Boy and I at Big Gig--Cage the Elephant, Rise Against, Grandson, IDKHow, VannaLee, Neon the Bishop, HoldFast, Compass and Cavern.... the weather was gorgeous (and the bartender asked me if the ID was really mine....he said "it must be the braids...you look really young" 😂)

Our peach tree went nuts this summer--we had peaches for weeks!

One of the really cool things about this summer of music was being able to visit new (to us) venues, like the Mission Ballroom-- Twenty-One Pilots puts on quite a show (and the opening acts were no joke either!)

Along with the return of live music was the return of live homecoming--The Girl came home to dress her brother and send him off with a group of friends to homecoming!

Co_Ski_Atty and I snuck away for a day trip--stretching the legs of the Jeep and exploring some of our favorite places--Loveland Pass, Boreas Pass, Kenosha Pass, and many points in between.  Visited campsites of the past and scoped out possibilities for the future--great views and great company 💗 

We must be suckers for a string quartet because we saw the Velveteen Ensemble (through Fever Up) at the Lakewood Heritage Center.  What a cool little venue! The weather was brisk and it was too dark to explore...I'd like to go back sometime during the day and explore!  The music was fabulous and we had a great time!

One last family concert--Dave Matthews!  We took the kids when they were little and that concert has become the stuff of family legend...Snoop Dog opened and it was...something... This time there was no opening act, but there were funny concertgoers around us and we had a great time!

Final outdoor concert of the year...probably...found Co_Ski_Atty and I at Levitt Pavilion--a perfect bookend, since our first concert of the season was there as well!  Shovels and Rope was really fun--Co-Ski_Atty saw them on Austin City Limits a while back and "insisted" we go--I'm glad we did!

We started fall break with a long-awaited visited to Meow Wolf Denver--it was super cool...

Stay tuned for what comes next...(I mean....Snowboard season comes next...and that has its own excitement....just over 3 weeks from now!

Grand totals of concerts for me and Co_Ski_Atty (add one concert for him, though!)

Levitt Pavilion--6

Red Rocks--3

Candlelight Concerts-2

Sculpture Park-2

Fidlers Green-2

Mission Ballroom-1

Dick's Sporting Goods--1

17 concerts....not a bad return to live music! 

An Ode to Summer....alternate title...Summers not REALLY over yet!!!

So our Christmas letter last year was lame...here's a "Christmas in July" letter....sort of ....

According to my friend, Google, Summer began on June 22 and doesn't end until September 22...but for my (public school teacher) purposes it started on May 29 and ends (sort of) the night of August 8😭.  There are still more summer plans in the works....a couple more concerts (covid-willing🤦), some camping (hopefully when we get these floors and related work done 🏡), and hopefully lots more nights sitting around the fire pit downtown or in our backyard🔥.  Here's a partial wrap up though for those of you who don't follow us on social media or want a condensed list!

* Let's cheat a little and start with May 22--the first concert any of us had been to in over a year--a free concert at Levitt Pavilion Denver (awesome venue, by the way)--Devotchka! Opening acts:  Nina Defreitas and Adam Cayton Holland--both kids came with us! We finished up the evening like we were in college--at IHOP for pancakes (did you know a lot of IHOP's are no longer open 24 hours? Who knew?!)

*June 5:  Brother of Brass.  Levitt Pavilion. They were supposed to open for the Flobots, but the Flobots have stormed out...another great concert! (Don't worry...we saw the Flobots later!) Both are local bands and put on a great show--Brothers of Brass made an appearance at the rescheduled Flobots, too!

*June 6:  Michael Franti and Spearhead. Opening act Satsang. Both acts were phenomenal! Hands down (for me) the best concert of the summer.  Co_Ski_Atty entered a contest to win tickets for frontline workers and won tickets for me 💓💓. Red Rocks was beautiful and we sat in a section with many other prize winners--such an awesome and therapeutic evening.

*June 7-11 The return of in-person VBS!  We masked up and had very limited "spots"...but we did it and it was awesome! The Boy volunteered and got to hang out with other teenagers!  It was a joy to be back with littles and do some arts and crafts!

*June 10 The Revivalists with opening act Neil Francis.  We paired it with a stay at the Cliff House in Morrison--our new favorite getaway ("hot tubs at every cabin")

*June 17 found us downtown for a "Magical Movie Candlelight Concert" and a stay at the Brown Palace--another very cool evening!

*June 19 was a very modified LobsterFest--but a chance to use our awesome backyard!

*On June 24 we celebrated our 26th Anniversary at Trestles (Our new place...since our old place was in Indiana and was torn down)

*July 2: The Flobots at Levitt!  (For real this time...with opening act 2MX2 featuring Kid Astronavt, Lolita Worldwide, VocoChoir and others--this was probably my 2nd favorite concert of the season--not only was The Girl home, but there were awesome covers of some of my favorite protest songs!

*July 4...a return to Red Rocks and to the Cliff House for Blues Traveler!  First Red Rocks Concert for the Boy and for The Girl's boyfriend.  There were a lot of harmonica solos and we were awakened by a fire alarm...but the weather was perfect and the time with family was priceless!

*July 18:  Got to see a childhood friend of Co_Ski_Atty while her daughter played in the National Club Soccer Championships (they are the champions!), Pandas and People with opening act The Band Pacific at Levitt and some nice naps in the van in the middle!

Not included in the list were numerous date nights--usually Wednesdays, but sometimes other nights, to fabulous restaurants in Denver and Castle Rock--

and a lot of long walks, a couple longer hikes, 

and Planet Fitness trips...

oh...and a partial house remodel including new hardwood floors and paint for most of the first floor (stone will go in laundry and powder rooms...later...as will paint...) and a new dishwasher (swoon!)

a backyard "remodel" including a new fire pit, new bench, awning, lights.....and more!  

The Girl started (official) nursing school, moving to an apartment near campus and taking Alice The Cat with her.  

The Boy got his driver's license, 

(no picture by his request :) )

we bought a (new to us) Jeep (not for The Boy...)

and I bought new hiking boots to replace my 20+-year-old pair ...

we bought a lot of records (tried to get one at each concert and ordered a few as well!)

and I snuck away with a friend for some yarn-related vacationing and silliness...

an exciting summer!

*And...3 more concerts scheduled in August, (4 if you count one the Co_Ski_Atty and The Boy are going to without me), 3 in September, 2 in October...and one on the calendar already for next summer🤣...I'm so glad live music is back!

Happy (sort of) end of summer--can't wait to see what the fall brings!