Cheesman Canyon in February

Having grandma in town offered Kate and I an opportunity to get out and enjoy the outdoors on a warm February day. Now fly fishing can be tough this time of year in Colorado. Most of the rivers within easy reach of Denver are iced over with the exception of the few tail waters here in the area. Even then most are only open for the first mile or two below the dam. The flows are at their winter low and the water is crystal clear. The only hatches of any consequence are midges and then they are only out for about 3 hours. Needles to say fishing was going to be tough. One of the places I have been wanting to take Kate to was Cheesman Canyon which is only about an hour form our house and offers a nice little hike in up the Gill trail, "fishable" water this time of year and some spectacular Colorado scenery. I say "fishable" because while yes one can go fish it... this is one of the most technical fisheries in the state. Close to Denver and known for big trout... it gets pounded relentlessly.











We decided we would try to fish a little but this was mostly going to be a hiking and photo day since we knew the fishing was going to be pretty tough - and it was. Fortunately we were able to get some great shots to share and we enjoyed an afternoon together taking our rods for a walk in a beautiful place. Here are some of the great pictures we were able to get! I hope you enjoy them!

Grandma is here!

As one can imagine, living 1300 miles from your first, and thus far, only granddaughter is tough especially when your granddaughter is as cute as little Ellie! So Grandma Smits packed it up and headed west for a long weekend with the princess.

















Now those of you who know Grandma Smits will not be surprised to find out that while she was in town she took a few pictures worth sharing - this particular sequence is hysterical! Now that Elizabeth is eating solid food (particularly finger foods), she and Gregario have a special bond and he is never very far away. Occasionally they put on quite a show... Fortunately this time Grandma was there to capture it all - i have a feeling these may be making a reappearance a ways down the road - say at her Rehearsal Dinner :-)

On the Move

Everyday has its new surprises! Now Ellie is crawling, pulling herself up and standing using anything and everything in reach, eating solids, and even sleeping through the night! It is absolutely incredible watching her grow and amazing how fast she is doing it!

photography fun

So as some of you may know, we decided to get a new digital SLR camera this year. If ever you wanted to find an artistic outlet that you could jump into and have rewarding results right off the bat without a significant investment in time and yet have the ability to spend a lifetime mastering... photography might be it. This being said, Kate and I have a lot to learn. When Elizabeth was born we hired an amazing photographer to come over and take some pictures of Elizabeth the day we brought her home (Here are some of the photos of Elizabeth on Traci's Blog) and after seeing her results we were sold. Of course you will see that we have some learning to do before we can measure up to Traci's talent but we are having a blast learning.
These pictures were taken by Kate who spent some time playing with the camera and Ellie while I was on a business trip. Great Job Kate!

Ellie was so cute when I was taking these pictures. As you can see, she LOVES her pacifier. However, she prefers to have one in her mouth and one in each hand if possible! When I put her to sleep in her crib, I strategically place at least four pacifiers around her head so that if she wakes up, there is always one available within arms reach. Elizabeth is also starting to crawl all over the place! She has not yet realized the power of getting around but if there is something that catches her eye, she is on the move to go get it!