Spoiled by the Grandparents

While Jan and Casey were fishing the freezing cold streams of Colorado and Wyoming, Elizabeth and I decided to head south to some warmer weather to visit Grandmom and Grandpa and get spoiled rotten. It was so much fun to see Elizabeth play with many of the toys from when I was little. Some of them, like the castle and Michael's Pink Panther, I remember vividly.
Seeing Elizabeth walk around and around the glass table in this picture brought back so many memories of my brother playing hotwheels on the glass top and making forts under the table. No wonder my mom can't seem to get rid of it!

Elizabeth's favorite adventure while at Grandmom and Grandpa's house was the sheep skin. She would rub her face in the fur and lay on it for minutes at a time (minutes at a time is a long time for our ever active, constantly moving Elizabeth). Elizabeth was even allowed to bring the sheep skin on the back porch to lay on while she was playing with her toys so that she would not get cold from the stone floor. Nothing is too good or off limits for the grandchild!

Spring Break Fishing on Grey Reef

Last year for my brother Casey's spring break, he flew out to Colorado from Michigan to get a jump start on the fishing season hitting some of Colorado's amazing trout waters including the South Platte, Taylor, Arkansas, and Frying Pan. It should be noted that the term "Spring break" is a bit of a misnomer in Michigan, it should probably be renamed to something like "it's still winter break" or "late winter break" or possibly even the "I've got the shack nasties and gotta get the heck out of here break"... you get the idea. Its cold and dark and its not exactly getting any warmer. Colorado on the other hand is a perfect spring break destination for those seeking variety. It not uncommon this time of year to be able to ski in the morning and golf in the afternoon... As far as the fishing goes, the rivers are starting to pick up a bit from their low winter flows and the fish are starting to get a little more aggressive as the water starts to rise in temperature. We had heard some stories about a stretch of river called Grey Reef up in Wyoming where the trout averaged 18" and fish over 5lbs are not uncommon. Now I don't know about you, but I have heard of places like this, and in fact we have some here in Colorado however what they usually don't tell the river is jam packed with people, the fish are no where near 18-20" and they fishing pressure is so intense that just getting hooked up into a fish takes an advanced degree in fisheries Biolology with a minor in voodoo, and even then the 5 lb fish may take years before you ever even see one let alone get a picture with it.

Grey Reef is completely different. The fish really do average 18-20" and 5lbers probably aren't that uncommon and the fishing pressure relative to Colorado fishing is non-existent.

We spent our first day with Guide, Dave Cook of St. Peter's fly shop in Ft. Collins CO, who rowed us down the river and tied (and untied) the knots - one of the great luxuries of having a guide!

Grey reef also have some great walk and wade waters below the dam in Alcova - Casey went to town the next day raking in the fish. It was certainly a memorable trip!

Easter Dress Fasion Show

Not much to say here... the pictures just speak for themselves... Great Job on the Photography Kate!!!

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!