Too School for Cool

The biggest cultural differences so far seem to be showing themselves at Ethans school. Tonight we had the compulsory Academic Information evening strictly for parents only. We started off in one of the Second Grade classrooms with the three second Grade teachers, they were all typically American. blonde and perennially happy, they are Megan (Ethans teacher), Kricket and Katie. They are lovely and have some fantastic philosophies. I think Ethan is going to do very well and will love attending school with them. Next up was the intro with the school head, although she is more of a business type, lots of buzzwords like leadership etc etc in a busy auditorium complete with headset, sky high heels and big hair! We couldn't help but giggle through some of it but its just that USA vs UK thing which can be pretty entertaining and admittedly slightly annoying at times. I think the word 'Ahhsome' was used around 40 times (I stopped counting after 30). However i am well aware its just us being grumpy old brits, she is quite a dynamic and motivational person- just different from what we are used to! The school has great facilities, the huge auditorium, sports hall, fields, stunning music rooms etc. It also has outdoor classrooms, indoor and outdoor art areas and tons more. The classes are small, I think Ethan has around 12 in his class and they are well assessed into which class they should go in from academic ability to learning type and social interactions etc. The school is also careful with security, the parents having key cards and the doors being locked at all times. Although there have never been any problems at Aspen, plenty of schools close by have had more than their fair share of well published news. Tomorrow will be his first day, so more to be updated very soon I would suspect.

Oh we also had a giggle as each child had a head outline and quote on the wall outside their classrooms. The quotes ran from ' I know I am special as I have a family who loves me' to 'I work hard at Maths so I can get better and better' to Ethans... "I can tell really silly jokes"... Oh dear- what a start!!!

The long and winding road

So, things are starting to feel a little more homely here.

I am a hugely nosy person and like to know where all the best shops, restaurants and day trips are so that has been one of my big focus points. I feel now that I am starting to do this. We have some brilliant food shops and a few nice restaurants close by that we've discovered and the day trips to the mountains are just stunning, I can't wait to show visitors the sights!

I also managed to get long to a AKC dog agility show, where I met up with Julia again. It was so sweet and fun. There was just two rings indoors on amazing artificial turf which puts Crufts totally to shame. There was hardly a dog barking and everyone was chatting and social. The standard of dogs was pretty poor in general but I did see at least two great dogs, Julias Touchango boy and a lovely two year old BC both of which moved so beautifully. I still haven't decided if to compete here. The cost is very high ($100 per dog international transfer fee, plus $20/ $16 per run). That would mean a day of competing would cost me about $72 plus fuel if I did two runs each with Hoaxey and Detour, so we will see. However the people are super friendly and I would like to give it a try!

Mount Evans Byway, complete with sheer drops!

Last weekend we headed up Mount Evans, its the highest paved road in North America and is quite a heady drive up there. I am pretty terrified of heights so this was quite something, but we made it up and wow, what an amazing trip and view. Every turn gives you a different perspective and the size of the mountains are jaw dropping. On the way up there are lots of different stops you can take, we drove straight up but stopped a lot on the way back down. Echo Lake is gorgeous and we stopped here on the way back for some Cherry Pie and coffee, just outside our window was a Humingbird feeder and we spent our time looking out at them feeding and the stunning view.


This week is an odd one ahead, filled with mixed emotion, Ethan starts back at school. Today is his assessment and school photos. We then have a parents intro evening on Tuesday which doesn't allow children, then he begins, properly on Wednesday! It means I will start to have some time back for myself which is great, however I am going to miss my little buddy each day. However, I can finally get my hair done again which is in desperate need of colour!!!

Each and every day, we take a step down the road to feeling at home here. Its a long one but it sure is scenic!

Beautiful Denver

So, last week I felt in a bit of a rut. Really low some days and so homesick. I miss my Mum and Dad like crazy and felt stifled here.

Some friends came and stayed with us for the weekend and invited Ethan and myself to the mountains to ride the Georgetown loop railroad train. The train leaves from Silver Plume which is about 45 minutes from home on a good run. It was just what I needed and the views are simply breathtaking. We had a ball and came home feeling much better.

The train heading over the very high bridge!

Our next step towards happiness was a bit of an expensive investment. We purchased Mountain bikes for myself and Nic plus a cycle trailer/ extension so that Ethan can come out with us without getting too tired. What a brilliant choice this has been. Ethan LOVES going out on the bikes and the trails from right outside our house are just brilliant, running miles through the countryside and all the way into Denver city centre if we so wish. The first time out on the bikes we saw squirrels and a large snake slithering across the path.

Boys Bikes

Pretty Creek 5 minutes ride from home!

Finally, today, I took Detour and Boo to meet an agility person over in Evergreen. What an absolutely breathtaking and inspiring place! It is remote but only about 50/ 60 minutes away from us and is quite a stunning drive through the mountains. This is Colorado and its most gorgeous and to top it off, I got to meet a new friend and play at agility! I drove back feeling refreshed and happy and pleased to spend an hour or so chatting about dogs. She has also found me somewhere close to me that I can rent agility equipment from so I can train Detour still. Thanks Julia for being so welcoming and helpful- i am very jealous of your stunning house and set of agility equipment- what a view!

The agility field and view

Julias stunning house

Tonight I am feeling happy, like I am starting to build something here and not merely existing.

Wild Denver

So Denver animals are a little more wild than in the UK!

After Detours skunk experience we are very aware that things are different here.

To Ethans extreme excitement we found a small snake in our garden last week, he was beautiful and we sat and watched him for quite a while (after identifying that we wasn't venomous). We think he was a Garter snake and the poor thing was quite scared of us so we backed off and watched him slither away happily around the perimeter of our garden.

We have lots of bushes and trees which are a welcome hiding place for many animals. A stunning Blue jay visits sporadically and we have three resident squirrels who are very brave, happily skirting the ground while the dogs roam and making good use of the squirrel table in our yard. We also have a bird bath that I keep filled as there are not many local water sources although Bob prefers to come right up to the kitchen window and drink out of the dogs paddling pool.

We also have a decent array of arachnids and insects, plenty of little and inoffensive spiders around and some of the biggest butterflies and moths that I have seen just cruising through the garden and past the house.

Denver also has tons of cotton tail rabbits which munch around fuel stations and front lawns, they are very cute and Ethan gets excited each time he sees one.

The backyard snake!