Fun with Kerry and Brandon

We traveled to Colorado for an extended vacation that began in Fort Collins where Kerry (Sheri's sister) and her husband Brandon live.  The week included lots of hikes, some scrambling, climbing and a 3-day backpacking trip in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP).  The weather was all that we hoped for, i.e.,  sunny, hot and arid with cool evenings that made for some great sleeping.  The first few days we stayed close to Fort Collins, exploring the trails to Horsetooth Ridge, and climbing at Duncan's Ridge.  We also had great day hiking to Emerald Lake in RMNP as a warm up for our backcountry trip.  The backpacking in the Wild Basin area of RMNP took us to higher elevations where we had plenty of snow and some cooler temperatures.  We saw lots of wildlife, wildflowers, snow and even got to swim in a spring-fed mountain lake with fantastic views; that is, until we were driven out by a beaver.   We missed Brandon on the backpacking trip, but were glad to have Kerry as a companion and guide.  She did some great route finding when the trail became buried in snow and the way was uncertain.  She was rewarded at Thunder Lake with a cup of tea prepared by Bruno who remembered to "put in the stove".

Horsetooth Ridge in Fort Collins

Hiking to Emerald Lake

Tea at Thunder Lake

View from Thunder Lake (we heard thunder!)

Ouzel Lake

Climbing at Duncan's Ridge in Fort Collins

You can see more photos at this link

Meet the Mountie

Whilst grocery shopping in the US on July 1st we were surprised (and pleased) to find that the staff of the store were celebrating Canada Day.  They had even enlisted the help of a real Canadian Mounted Policeman!  We didn't see his horse, but Bruno did shake his hand and get his photo taken to show that we were not dreaming. 

Happy Canada Day!

We're a day late, but we wanted to wish all of our Canadian friends a happy Canada Day. Many of you will be celebrating in the great outdoors, and we are thinking of you camping, rock climbing, canoeing and the like.

We are also getting some healthy exercise and fresh air over the July 4th holiday in the US. We'll provide more details of how we celebrated Canada Day and the 4th of July weekend in an upcoming blog posting, so stay tuned.

Bruno in England

Last week Bruno made a trip to the UK for work.  Despite a cancelled flight on the way there (thanks Delta) he was able to spend a short weekend with his family.  Lunch and a beer with Nick and Pam (his parents), and cream-tea with Dmitri, Julie, Bryony and Keira (his brother, sister-in-law, and nieces) were very much appreciated.  After that he spent 2-days in Cambridge and 2-days in Sandwich.  It rained for much of the week, so there were not too many photographic opportunities!

June Face of Produce

It is beautiful in Connecticut and we are enjoying some fruits from the garden!

Sheri's Midwest Tour

It was Sheri's turn to travel to the Midwest during the first week of June.  She spent several days in West Lafayette, Indiana teaching at The School of Pharmacy at Purdue University. This trip included her annual stay with the Owens-Taylor clan.  In the evenings she enjoyed time with Anja, Isabelle, Connor and Daisy.  Activities included reading books, playing hide and seek, walks with Daisy and a few games of Hangman with Anja.  She even got to do some gardening in-between games and books.

On Friday Sheri travelled with Lynne and Paul to Madison, Wisconsin to celebrate the 75th Birthday of George Zografi.  George was Sheri's professor at UW, and an advisor to Bruno during his postdoctoral studies.  The weekend was full of activities which began with drinks and dinner at The Great Dane Brew Pub.  The weekend also included a visit with Julie (a member of the Brown House and a friend of Paul and Lynne), a trip to the Farmer's Market with Lynne, lunch at Buraka, an Ethiopian restaurant that legendary (according to Lynne and Sheri), an afternoon drinking beer on the terrace and a celebration at George and Dorothy's home with the extended "Zografi family".  It was a great chance for Sheri to catch up with former classmates in Madison and many others with whom she is connected through Professor Zografi.  The weather could not have been better, and the only thing lacking was a little more time to see some other friends, and perhaps one more trip to Buraka for Misirwot.  You can also check out Paul's post on the weekend at this link

Sheri, Lynne and Sandy at The Great Dane

Farmer's Market

Lynne at the Farmer's Market

Julie and Henry

Lynne and Sheri on the Terrace

Lunch at Buraka on State Street

 Lynne and Paul on the Terrace

The Merry Month of May

The month of June seemed to arrive unexpectedly leaving us wondering what happened to the month of May.  It has been nearly onne month since our visit to Raleigh, and last blog post; it is hard to imagine what has kept us too busy to upate the Blog.  So here is a quick update on what we have been doing:

Bruno traveled to Wisconsin to teach a course at UW which gave him the chance to visit Eric in Jo in their new home in Milwaukee.  They are settling in and have found a nice place near the lake and close to the University.  He also had lunch with George Zografi, and a nice visit with long-time friends Mike and Sue.

We enjoyed a very nice evening out with our friends Cindy and Ted at the Ocean House.  We thought it would be good to kick of the summer season and enjoy an evening in Watch Hill before the summer visitors arrive.  It was a lovely evening, and drinks, food and the company all were excellent.

The month of May brought a lot of rain and mild temperatures which has been good for the plants in the garden, especially the weeds.  We elected to take an extra day for the Memorial Day weekend to allow time for weed management, to plant the last of the seedlings, paint the entryway, and rest (?).  We did take time out one night for a play at the Granite Theater which was a  hilarious comedy that left us chuckling as we walked out of the theater.

The garden news is that the strawberry harvest has begun.  Please send us your favorite strawberry recipes.