We're back in business!

The business of posting photos, that is! Jody needed to buy a new camera for business reasons, so who am I to argue with logic like that?! Yippee!

First set of photos, though, have nothing to do with Shae. Turkey got to spend a few quality days with Gramma and Baba while Jody and I went to Branson, Missouri, with his siblings for a little vacation on the water.

Thanks to everyone for coming to pick us up from the airport! A 90-minute direct flight from Denver to Branson sure trumps the drive across Kansas, if you ask me.

First stop: an Irish bar in downtown Branson. Why? Why not! Plus it's important to get inside every once in a while -- that humidity'll kill ya.

Next stop: dinner! Great Mexican restaurant right on the riverfront. Delish.

Buddy requested the paparazzi to take a rest.

At last we hit the water!

Ruh roh. Day 1 (for us): boat troubles. Speculation is the exessive heat was causing Buddy's boat to vapor lock. He got it started again...

...but it took a little while. So in the meantime, here's Al and Mary's boat:

And Terry's boat:

Dock break!

Dinnertime at the cabins.

Back to the water.

Just some scenery shots.

Bruddas.

The Cliffs of Despair. Not really -- just a "Princess Bride" reference. Kids climb up these cliffs and jump into the water below. We never had a chance to give it a shot, though, because no one had an anchor long enough for us to hang out in the cove -- the water directly below the cliffs averages 100-130 feet deep!

Humidity much?

Another day, another boating adventure.

Ducks!

Riverboat!

More cliff jumping!

The Arkansas/Missouri boarder.

...from the other side. Anyone else hear that banjo music?

Time to head indoors and cool down again.One of my all-time favorite photos. Cindy B. is rather camera-shy -- much like a Yeti or the Loch Ness Monster -- but she'd had just enough wine coolers at this point to photobomb the snap of Al and Mary. Classic.

Al suggested Jager shots to Jody. This can't end well...

Last day = ski day. Buddy goes up on a knee board:

And Craig water skis:

Adios, Branson! I'm sure we'll see you again soon!

First the camera stops working...

...then the blog site stops working! Seriously: I tried to post something two weeks ago and it wouldn't let me publish. Granted then I forgot about it for two weeks...but I'm not entirely to blame!

So let's pick up where we left off, shall we? IT'S SUMMER!! Summer means:

Play dates in the park!

Zoey in a Cone of Shame! (Okay that has nothing to do with summer, but rather having a questionable-looking growth removed from her face. She had to wear this thing for two weeks! Our calves and achilles tendons are all very grateful that she finally got the darn thing off this morning.)

Bike rides! With Gramma and Baba!

Outdoor festivals in the mountains! With face paint! And food! And beer! (That last part is mama's cheer, not Shae's.)

And baseball games! Happy Father's Day!
And free concerts in the park -- what a perfect excuse for a picnic dinner!

And coloring alfresco!

And running through the sprinkler!

And birthday parties galore!

And finding a local park with a water feature to cool down on a 87-degree afternoon!

That's what summer means around here, anyway. :-)

Riddle: What's a photo blog without a camera?

Defunct. I guess that's less of a riddle and more of a plain 'ol Q&A, but it's still true. Sigh.

So I downloaded some of my phone photos to fill the void in the short-term. Except I loaded them backwards, so the most recent are showing first. WHATEVER.

Shae got to jump on Keeley and Taylor's trampoline during our Memorial Day BBQ. She thought it was the coolest. thing. ever.

Checkin' out Uncle Buddy's new boat. The thing could basically get you from Miami to Cuba in 20 minutes flat, but it will be a blast (pun intended!) on our puny Colorado ponds all summer long!

Rockin' the two piggies on a Friday. Woot woot!

Logging some serious park time before the afternoon storm clouds build up.

Shae and mama at the dog park with Zoey. This was kind of a semi-excuse to snap a photo of my new haircut. I'm not crazy about it, but it's growing on me. (Pun intended again! Man, I am on fire!!)

There's a statue of a boy and his dog at the park. I asked Shae to stand by it so I could take a photo of her, and she happily obliged. Then she figured out that the statue kid is the same height as her and now they're BFFs.

(She initiated the hugging without any prompting from me. LOL)

Now that warm weather is here again, the slide made its way from the basement to its proper place in the back yard. Let the sliding begin!

I promise to get our camera fixed ASAP. I promise.