Landreneaux Land

Wii sing!
Sorry this is sideways.

A cold, cold snowy day! I think the high temp. this day was 5. But the snow sure was pretty.


We needed a little entertainment so we let Jack open a Christmas present.
Even dogs like to open Christmas presents......



It was worth it on a cold snowy day.

"What a nice clean room!" says Mom.
"I worked really hard to organize everything." says Shai.
"Even the floor is clean!" says Mom.
"Yes, I threw a lot away." says Shai.

"Let me see your organized closet." says Mom.
"Oh, Mom, you do not need to see in there." says Shai.
And then I knew...........
Floor to ceiling. Total mess.
So THIS is where everything went.
To be continued.......

Shai and I love the fall in Colorado. Every year we take a day and drive and hike into the back country. We drive up Old Stage Road from Colorado Springs to Cripple Creek looking for the changing aspen leaves. Along the way we get out when something looks interesting. This year many, but not all, of the aspen leaves had already blown down. So we found ourselves hiking around looking at other exciting scenery.
This stream feeds the pond you will see below.


Can you imagine panning for gold in the 1800's?
(Below)
This little lake was a fun find on one of our hikes. The top of the lake was frozen but you could see leaves underneath moving with the incoming current. I love how clear the water is when a lake is made from snow runoff!

Furniture shopping....

Labor Day Weekend!
Shai and I were planning on going to Mt. Rushmore, but she ended up with a cold, and I did not want to spend 7 hours in the car with her. So, we did some shopping, chased hot air balloons, and spent some time in nature.
Sometimes you just have to be thankful for the little things.

Love the blue sky.....

and of course the Garden of the Gods.....
hot air balloons on Monday......



and the local creek again!

Looking down at the city,
looking up at Pikes Peak~~

Shai does not have many opportunities to do manly things. With no father, and my brothers and father so far away, I have to try to compensate for this hole in her upbringing. Many years ago I decided I would teach her how to fish. That sounds manly, doesn't it? Well after many summers out at many lakes and streams we have never caught a thing. I mean NEVER! To say the least these trips have come to represent a day in the sun playing near water in the mountains. Shai likes to catch minnows. She has great speed and agility and can usually catch them. (We call her, "The Minnow Catcher") We always take our friend Leann with us. She seems to enjoy getting her dose of manly activity also!
Today we went up Pikes Peak to fish at one of three lakes. We got up early and hit the road by 7:40. Shai was excited to get her chance at the minnows!
Leann catching her first fish!
This is the happy dance after catching her first fish......
Shai caught a fish too. She does not think it counts because she used my rod and I cast it out. But she hooked it, reeled it in, and got it in the net on her own. I think that counts as her first fish!
I don't really do fish. So, yes, I am wearing a gardening glove to get the hook out of the fish.
So now for the scenery.
Is it not beautiful.
It is hard to believe but there is still snow on the peak in early August!


For years we have never caught fish. Today we caught 4. Lets chalk this one up as a success!

Ok, Shai and I have been to this festival a half dozen times. But never with family. Joe found this on the web and thought it would be fun. It is located in Larkspur, CO. which is about a half hour from Colorado Springs. I have to say that Shai and I had a fantastic time!
Bree agreed to ride the King's Swing with Shai. She was a good sport to get on it after the morning she had had. Bree is in the peach shirt on the far right side of the swing.
Joe had to play all games manly. It was great and he did a pretty good job! Yes that is a hatchet in his hand. The rest of us decided to stand off to the side, just in case. :)
Shai tried her hand at archery. She did a pretty nice job hitting the target.

When they made it to the Springs we took them to Helen Hunt falls. It is another place Shai, Leann and I go to cool off in the summer. Joe and Bree are at the top of the bridge on the right.
We had a wonderful visit with them and cannot wait to see them again!

So we borrowed my teaching partner's daughter Elaine the other day. We had a need to have ice cream and thought it would be fun to take this little three year old along. Leann, Shai and I laughed so hard I am not sure how much ice cream we actually ate. The last picture is my favorite. She put the whole thing in her mouth. I thought I was going to pee my pants!





She had asked for a cup, but the big kids had cones so I guess she wanted to try some!
The kid has a bigger mouth than you would think! Leann was a great sport giving up her ice cream for the cause!

We like to go spend hot summer afternoons in the creek. It is outside of the little town of Manitou. Shai and Leann like to splash and giggle and explore looking for fossils.

Shai got her braces off this month. It has been a long and painful year, but she has a beautiful smile to show for it.

My cousin Clay and his girlfriend Kristi came into town yesterday. Clay lives in Delaware and Kristi is from Illinois. We do not get to see them very often so it was a very welcome visit. They are taking a road trip around the country and made a stop in Colorado. We spent today sightseeing in the Springs area.
We had a wonderful time at the Garden of the Gods.
Then we went to Helen Hunt Falls. The theme of the day was, "It's all about Clay." From this picture you can see what I mean! :)
They hiked to the top of these falls.
Then we went to 7-Falls. They hiked up the 200 stairs, but mom and I took the mountain elevator! Sorry that I have a photo of Kristi with her eyes closed! But the falls are great.
They then hiked the other set of stairs, like 230 of them, to get to the top of the actual 7-falls. The stairs are very steep, you can see through them, and they shake with every step. Needless to say I was not going up there! But they braved the hike and were rewarded with beautiful falls and scenery. They are tough to see here because of how far and high they were. (And the fact that Clay is bending over for some reason!)
Next we went to Palmer Park, Clay liked the view so well he almost lost his balance and went over!

Just kidding Aunt Patty!


Awwwww.......................


We thought it would be good to take them to the Air Force Academy. Clay's father, my uncle, is a graduate of the AFA! We got some great pictures and watched the gliders slowly float back to earth.
To wrap up our day we played some sunset tennis. Shai loved this. It was so fun for her to play with someone other than me. Hopefully we can get in a game or two before they have to leave on Weds. And maybe we can get some nicer evening weather. We had to stop tonight because of lightning.
It was a wonderful visit that we all enjoyed. I can't wait to see them again!