BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN...

I've returned from our first trip home to CO this summer - relaxing and sentimental, this jaunt was.  A real longing to be back, after all these years away, has settled into my heart - but no waxing melancholy for now.  FAMILY PHOTO TIME!!!  Just what the Boss ordered...

Denver has 4 (count 'em - FOUR) professional teams in town (Vegas has...hmmmm...none), covering baseball, hockey, basketball and, of course, Peyton Manning, now.  Took in a ROCKIES vs. Angels game with my husband's family (that's my nephew, Matty, enjoying a cool Rocky Mountain Spring Water at the game - he was not sitting on that woman's head)...we lost in the end, but that damned peanut stayed perched on that railing the entire game!  WINNING!

More sights, in and around the ball field, including my nephew and niece, Allix.  Denver loves it some baseball!  "You're killin' me, Smalls"...the Sandlot photo was for you, Jackie!

Downtown Denver has become so cosmopolitan and congested over the years, we found that riding the bus allowed us to bypass heavily travelled downtown streets, and parking issues. It also meant that we missed the one back out of town by 4 minutes (of course), allowing us another 45 minutes to sit (outside, I might add) and enjoy the wait at a local pub - Wahoo's, who apparently are famous for their fish tacos.  Don't ask about the humpback whales on the inside wall - maybe it was the Coors.

In addition to the sports attractions in town, Denver has a FABULOUS, actual art museum (Vegas?  Zero), in the heart of town - DAM (Denver Art Museum).  My daughter and I took in the most stunning exhibit the last day there - a collection of 200 jaw-dropping creations by Yves Saint Laurent (this was as far as I could get with my camera in there).  Downstairs was another un-photographable, travelling display of Secretary of State Madeline Albright's pins...the Art Museum is always a joy to spend an entire day at!

I gave up trying to figure out what belonged to the museum (those things you can photograph), and what was on loan (off-limits to cameras), but believe me, there are 7 floors of the most incredible art ranging from Modern/Contemporary to Spanish Colonial;  African to American Indian; Architecture, Textile, and Photography, etc.

The highlight that day, for my daughter, had to be a brand new acquisition by the museum of this massive painting by Gustave Dore, La Famille du Saltimbanque: L'Enfant Blesse (The Family of Street Acrobats: the injured child), painted about 1853.  Hanging next to yet another favorite - Bouguereau's Childhood Idyll.  The smile on her face was the highlight for me.

A great week spent with my husband's family, ending with a birthday party for my niece, Jessi.  Thanks for the love and laughter, you guys...and the hospitality - XOXO

More vacation photos to come, with some brand new travel suggestions for your own getaway.  In the meantime, having a big clearance sale over at Bead and Needle at Etsy - pass the word.  Back in a few days...missed you all, and have some catching up on blog reading to do on my own.