Happy Holidays!!

Happy Holidays to Everyone!!

Tracy & Frisco did make it out of Denver despite the storm of 2006. We jumped in the car Wednesday morning and took an alternate route. After a tense drive on the snowy & windy roads in CO, we made it into Nebraska and out of the snow and into the rain for the rest of our trip. We arrived in VA late Thursday night...in one piece.

Friday we hung out at Tracy's Parent's house and welcomed her Uncle Mike, Aunt Jeanne & cousins Alli & Davis to town from KY. Saturday we drove to Roanoke to Stan's mom's house. Sat night was spent playing board games with Stan's Aunt Donnie, Aunt Linda, Stan's mom & cousins Blair & Chad, in from Pittsburgh. Sunday, Stan's sister Lisa, Dave, and our nieces Ashlynne & Morganne arrived. Sun night, Linda & Marvin hosted Christmas Eve dinner. Christmas morning was spent opening presents, but mostly watching Ashlynne & Morganne opening & playing with their toys.

We then headed back to NOVA to spend Christmas dinner with Tracy's fam. So lots of gifts and food later, Christmas was a success. Lots of visiting and eating and gifts and eating...did I mention eating??

We're off to Hotlanta on Friday for the bowl game. Go Hokies!!

Happy New Year to Everyone!

Tracy & Blair showing off their new slippers.

Aunt Tracy reading to Morganne & Uncle Stan reading to Ashlynne.

Family Portrait: Dave, Ashlynne, Lisa, Morganne

G Daddy T watching TV with Lily

Dad got us trendy cowgirl hats for xmas...yeehaw!

Davis trying on some of Lily's dress up clothes...interesting.

Frisco playing...

More playing...

Shrow the Pow

This was a weekend of riding! Stan arrived in Dillon on Thursday night for a long weekend. Friday we went with Mark & Jeff to Beaver Creek Ski Resort for some major POWDER! We were pleasantly surprised to find no one on the mountain and tons of powder to keep us entertained. There were 2 runs where we didn't see a sole the entire way down. The powder was up to our knees. Incredible day! Friday night we were exhausted, but made it into Breck for dinner at Quandary Grill with Tiff, Erica, JB & Carl.

Saturday we met Erica and spent the morning at Copper Mountain. They opened the Alpine lift around 11:00 so we got a couple really nice powder runs. So much powder that Tracy got stuck, waist deep, in a hole, had to take her board off and crawl to a more packed trail in order to get started again. Good times!! Saturday night we drove over to Loveland for a "Season Opening Social." Unfortunately it was pretty lame. Later, we accompanied Mark to Keystone for the final hours of "36 hours of Keystone" celebrated with fireworks and happy hour at Kickapoo.

Sunday we decorated the house for Christmas. Stan put the outdoor lights up, while Tracy put the indoor decorations up. No tree this year, since we'll be in VA for 2-3 weeks, however our house is definitely festive. After decorating, we met up with Erica again and headed to ABasin for a few runs.

Monday was a day to rest the legs...sort of. We did get in 4 games of racquetball...Stan 3, Tracy 1; then hit up Target for a few more Xmas decorations.

Not too many pix, we'll get better as the season progresses.

The cloudiness in the background is steam coming from Lake Dillon.

Overlooking Dillon after the big storm last week.

"How do I look?"

Showing off our racquetball glasses.

Happy Turkey Day

It's been a busy month...Tracy & Frisco got back to Dillon at the beginning of November. Tracy had snowboard instructor training 2 weekends in a row. We got a nice snow storm in the middle of the month which helped the resorts open early.

Tracy, Stan, Mark & Jeff even made it to opening day at Vail. Great snow!

Tracy started working at Loveland on November 22nd. 2 Adult Level 1 (never been on a snowboard) lessons on Tuesday and 1 Adult Level 1 class on Wednesday. They are group lessons with anywhere from 1 - 12 people in the class. Luckily there were only 6 in the first 2 classes and 9 in the 3rd. Got them all up on the mountain and even got them all down the mountain with no major issues. So far, so good.

After dropping Frisco off to spend the holiday weekend with Mark and Chewey, Tracy headed to the airport Thursday morning. After a 2 hour maintenance delay in Denver, Tracy finally made it to VA just in time for Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving was hosted by Marcy, Stuart & Lily. A big crew from both sides of the family helped chow down on Marcy's delicious turkey dinner. After a few more hours of Lily climbing all over Tracy the jungle gym it was time to head to our house in Falls Church for the last time. Stan had been staying at the house for the month of November...during the selling process. We moved everything out of the house on Friday and settled on the house Monday. Sad but somewhat a relief.

Friday night we drove down to Roanoke to visit with Stan's mom, Lois, and Aunt Linda, Uncle Marvin, cousins Blair & Chad (in from Pittsburgh). Another turkey dinner (and some venizen, Chad had hunted a couple days prior).

Saturday morning we went to the VT/UVA football game at VT. We beat them 17-0...love beating them!! After the game we went downtown for some good ol' fashioned celebrating!

Monday night Tracy flew back to CO and was welcomed with a winter storm. It's been snowing all night and day. Time for me to hit the slopes...

Enjoy the pix. (borrowed from Jay)

Stan, Black, Tracy & Jay at Sharkeys in Blacksburg.

Tracy getting a lift from Jay at Balcony/Top of the Stairs in Blacksburg.

Dayna & Tracy's "model" faces...

We ran into Hokie Alum, Bruce Smith at the Balcony...

The Camera is BACK!!!

So our camera that we lost in Switzerland/Germany has been returned to us. Those crazy honest Germans/Swiss. So here are some photos from our trip which was the first week of October.

We flew into Frankfurt Monday morning. Tuesday we visited Andrew drove us to Schloss Neuschwanstein in Germany in his company's mini.

Wednesday we took the ferry across Lake Constance to Meersburg Island, a small town where Germany's Oldest Castle is located, Castle of Meersburg, built in the 7th century. Stan even got to hang out with his friends.

A dinner party in the Castle of Meersburg...the centerpiece is an elk foot used as a drinking vessel.

After Meersburg, we took another ferry to Mainau Island. This is Mainau Maxi, the flower garden gnome.

Thursday, we took a train into Switzerland to visit Rheinfall. We then walked through the woods and a couple towns back to the train.

After Rhienfall, we made a pit stop in Stein Am Rhein. We had some cake and coffee at an outdoor cafe, then tooled around town a bit.

Friday we took the train to Zurich. This is a view of the city from Grossmunster, a church with 2 towers. We had to climb through a very tight staircase all the way to the top

We ate lunch outside at a little cafe in Zurich.

Enjoying a German tray of beer before a real German dinner in Konstanz.

Oktoberfest in Konstanz

It's been a while since our last post.

Tracy & Frisco have been keeping Stan very busy in VA!! We have been going to all the VT home football games since getting back to VA in mid Sept.

October 1 - 8, while Frisco spent the week with her Grandma & Grandpa Wright, we traveled to Germany to visit Tracy's friend Chrissy and her boyfriend Andrew. They moved to Konstanz, Germany in July. We had a great week visiting castles and small towns in Germany & Switzerland, but unfortunately lost our camera at the train station so no pix for now. However, some honest Germans turned our camera in to lost and found so supposedly it's on its way to Dillon...or at least someone's camera is. For an update of our trip, go to Chrissy & Andrew's blog...http://www.oflanlan.blogspot.com/. If the correct camera is returned to us, we'll post more pix later.

This past Thursday VT played Clemson. Great game AND the Hokies won! We then took a detour through Roanoke for lunch with Lois and then another detour through Richmond to see Stan's sister and the fam.

Tracy & Frisco will be driving back to snow country on Halloween.

Going Back East

Tracy & Frisco, once again, hopped into the Burb and headed East. There are 3 VT home football games and since we still have season tickets, Tracy decided she needed to be there to cheer the Hokies on...and of course tailgate a bit. The first VT game on Labor Day, Stan went to the VT game while Tracy was home in CO listening to it on the radio.

The next weekend was an away game at North Carolina, so Stan flew home and we had fellow Hokies from Breckenridge and Aspen to tailgate and watch the 10 a.m. mountain time football game. After the game we went to Frisco's Oktoberfest on Main Street.

Stan flew back to VA on Monday while Tracy and Frisco followed a few days later. Wednesday night we stayed in the fancy Super 8 in Topeka, KS. Thursday we made it to Louisville, KY and crashed at Tracy's Uncle Mike & Aunt Jeanne's place. Allie was already home from school and Davis got back from football practice a few hours later. We met Tracy's Uncle Chris, Imelda and Sarah out for dinner. We left Friday morning Blacksburg Bound. Got to Sweets and Maryann's late afternoon. We hit the grocery store then the Boston Beanery for dinner. Stan hitched a ride from Jay and arrived Saturday morning. VT played Duke and won 36-0 after a VERY long 1st quarter, the Hokies remain undefeated so far. We stayed in Blacksburg Sat night then headed to Lake Gaston Sunday.

Arrived at Lake Gaston in time to visit with Marcy, Stuart, Lily and Tracy's Dad before they headed back to Burke and Crofton. Tracy's mom stayed the night with us. We got in plenty of wakeboarding, sea dooing and pontooning. Much fun!!

On the way back to Tysons from the Lake we made a pit stop in Richmond to visit Stan's sister Lisa, Dave, Ashlynne & Morganne. Dinner at PF Changs and some quality time with our nieces.

The plan is for Tracy to stay in VA for a couple weeks, then we're off to Germany from Oct 1 - 8 to visit Tracy's friend Chrissy & her boyfriend Andrew who moved to Konstanz, Germany this past July.

Here are some pix from the lake and a few other random ones...Enjoy!!

Stan looking like he knows what he's doing, even though he did lose to Tracy.

Captain Stan in charge on the Pontoon boat on Lake Gaston...

how do you like the view?

ears flapping in the wind...

Looking out our kitchen window we can see our pet fox who hangs out in the wildflowers on the side of our house.

The Ward's at Lake Gaston...pix is from the 4th of July, but figured I'd publish our family portrait now.

The One of Our Other Tenant

Just wanted to give an update on our squirrel that's been living in the roof/wall above our TV...he's gone!!

We caught him on the Friday Tracy's parents left, after having the cage out all week. Tracy's dad took the cage and put it in the garage, out of danger and out of Tracy's site. Luckily Stan came home that night. Saturday morning, Stan drove the little guy to A-Basin Ski Resort...his new home.

We then filled the hole with insulation and covered the hole with wood. Hopefully this will work and we will have no more animals living in our home with us, beside Frisco of course.

It has been pretty quiet around here since...

This weekend VT opens their 2006 Football season with Northeastern. Stan will be there to cheer them onto a victory. Tracy and Frisco will be listening to the radio broadcast...there in spirit. GO HOKIES!!!

The One With Tom & Gail

Tracy's parents, Tom & Gail, arrived Monday afternoon for a week of activity before driving to Park City, Utah for Kelly Brewer's wedding.

Tuesday morning we headed to Breckenridge's Peak 8 Fun Park. We all rode the SuperSlide and took the Scenic Chair Lift up to mid-mountain for the beautiful views of the Rockies. Tracy took a break in order to take pictures of her parents in the Human Maze. A little more hustle and they may have made the 8 minute mark, but at least they found their way out. After lunch at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. in Breck, we headed to the Country Boy Mine. The guided tour takes you over 1000 ft. into a century old authentic gold mine. To keep us entertained before and after the tour, there were burros (mom and 3 wk old babies) roaming the property, gold panning and a chute we took back down to the parking lot. We ate dinner at The Boatyard in Frisco, one of Tracy & Stan's favorite restaurants, then a friendly game of "Screw Your Buddy" before bedtime.

Wednesday, Dave & Teri Butz from Denver arrived in the morning. We biked from the house to Keystone Resort. We had a quick lunch at Kickapoo then headed up the mountain with our bikes. Everyone started off on the green run, Girl Scout. Not sure who rated these trails, but Green is supposedly the easiest?? Yikes. When we met up with the service road Gail & Teri took that detour, while Tom, Dave & Tracy continued on the not so easy green trail. Though he was holding his own, Tom decided to take the next service road detour and try to catch up with Gail & Teri. Dave and Tracy continued on the green trail. We all ended up meeting up at the bottom all in one piece...only a few minor cuts and bruises. We then biked back to the house. We measured it to be approximately 20 miles total. Not bad for Tom & Gail's 3rd day in high altitude... Dinner was at Dos Locos, another quick game of "Screw Your Buddy," then some well needed sleep.

Thursday we walked over to Arapahoe Cafe for breakfast, then headed to Vail. After a nice jaunt through the Center Village, we walked over to Lionshead and rode the Gondola up the mountain. We ate an average lunch at the restaurant at the top, then walked around admiring the views. After Vail, we drove out to Eagle airport to pick up Tom & Gail's rental car for their trip to Utah. A quick stop at Copper Mountain for a "big chair" photo op, then dinner at Dillon Dam Brewery. Of course a game or 4 of "Screw Your Buddy," then we were off to bed.

Tom & Gail left early Friday morning for a nice ride through Steamboat Springs, Dinosaur National Park finally arriving in Park City. All in all an active, fun week with the 'rents. Hope you guys had fun!! Thanks for visiting...come back soon!!

Stan got in Friday night...earlier than usual. The weekend has been pretty overcast and rainy, but we have been able to get some housework done.

Tom & Gail at the top of the Breckenridge SuperSlide.

Gail & Tracy at the bottom of the SuperSlide.

Tom in the middle of the Human Maze at Breck. He finished in 11 minutes...the goal was to beat 8 minutes to win a prize. At least he found all 4 letters (MAZE). Gail only found 3, but she was proud of herself for finding her way out...so in a way, they both won.

Riding down the Scenic Chairlift ride at Breck.

Hangin' around at the Peak 8 Fun Park.

Inside the Country Boy Mine in Breck. Was closed in 1948 and reopened in 1994 as a tourist attraction.

Our new pet.

Is this how you pan for gold?

Playing "Screw Your Buddy."

At the top of Keystone's 1st mountain...the 2nd peak (North Peak) is in the background. There are a total of 3 mountains to ski at Keystone.

Gail on her way down Keystone.

Are we done yet?

That first part was a cinch...Let's check out the view before we head the rest of the way down!! See Lake Dillon in the background?

We all made it down in one piece...

Tom got a little cut up.

No trip is complete without a visit to Copper Mt and the big chair.

The One of Home Time

The past 2 weeks were spent at home in Dillon, enjoying the last month of Summer. Got our surround sound speakers finally set up. Found out that we have access to the West Coast HD Directv channels now. Other than that, a lot of relaxing, hiking, biking & grilling going on.

This past weekend, our friends Mark & Philip took part in a 24 hour bike race, called Montezuma's Revenge. Our house was used as a base for their crew & friends. With 7 dogs and several people going in and out of the house Friday night and Saturday morning it was an exciting 24 hours. Needless to say, we didn't get much sleep this weekend.

The Summit BBQ was this weekend as well, which is right in the Town of Dillon, so we got to sample some delicious pulled pork, shrimp & keilbasa kebobs and frozen chocolate covered bananas. Good fun, even though it did end up pouring on us. Kenny & Stacy, part of Philip's crew, who we met in New Orleans also (Kenny is a fellow Hokie) from Aspen stayed in town for the weekend to enjoy the BBQ. Sat night they grilled up some delicious bacon wrapped cheese stuffed shrimp. YUMMY!!

Sunday we went hiking with Erica and Sage (her black lab) in Blue River. Lots of Smurf like mushrooms on the trail.

Want to send out a Congrats to Jessica, Craig & Hunter who are celebrating the arrival of baby #2 on August 8th...Jacob Andrew (Jake). Can't wait to meet him!!

The One of San Francisco

While Frisco hung out with Chewy & Mark in Denver and Dillon, Tracy & Stan went to San Fran to visit Tracy's sister, Kel. She lives right in the city on Green St, 1 block from Union.

Tracy arrived at the Oakland airport on Wednesday night and took the BART (SF metro) into SF. Kel picked me up and we headed to dinner in North Beach at Tomasso's.

Thursday, after Kel got home from work, we went mountain biking at China Camp State Park. It was foggy in the city all day, but once we crossed the Golden Gate bridge and turned a corner it turned into a beautiful, warm sunny evening. Tracy borrowed Joanna's (Kel's roommate) bike, first time using clips. Did pretty good except when we got to our turn around point. I forgot my right foot was still clipped in...tried to do a 180 turn, when I started falling, I tried to put my right foot down, and because it was still clipped in, I ended up falling flat on my face...hand, elbow and knee.

Friday, Kel worked from home, so after she got some work done, we went and got pedicures, then went for a run with Charley (Joanna's 9 mo old Australian Shepherd dog) at the SF Marina. Stan flew into Oakland Fri evening and also took the BART. We picked him up and headed to the Mission for Tapas at Cha Cha Cha's with Kel's friends, Sara Manson, Emily and a friend of theirs, Cassie.

Saturday, we drove to Muir Woods and went for a nice hike on the Ocean Trail. Unfortunately it was foggy again (a normal SF summer day), so we didn't get to see the great view, but Muir Woods was fun and we got yet another good workout. For lunch we stopped at Horizon's, on the water in Saulsalito. After lunch, we picked up Charley and took a driving tour around the city. Saturday night we did a mini bar crawl to a couple of Kel's favorites, Buccaneer's for a game of pool, Shanghai Kelly's for some Liar's Dice (you'll see a bit of this game in the new Pirate movie) and Columbus Cafe.

Sunday we got up early to head to Napa. We went to Joseph Phelps (overrated), S. Vatui (for lunch), Grgich & Cakebread. Before leaving the Valley, we drove up toCastalago to check out the Old Faithful Geyser of California. Not as outstanding as Yellowstone Old Faithful, but still kind of neat, plus we got to feed the fainting goats and say hi to the llamas and sheep. Random. Sunday night Joanna got home from her brother's wedding so we got to visit over sushi at Godzilla's.

Monday, Kel went to work, while Stan and Tracy went to Alcatraz, said hi to the sea lions at Fisherman's Wharf, and took a cable car to Kel's work for lunch. After lunch, we wandered all over the city by foot before finally making it home just before Kel got home from work. We had a quick pizza dinner, then Stan was off to the airport via the BART.

Tuesday, Tracy chilled at the house with Charley who decided to chomp off the plug off the iron cord while Tracy wasn't paying attention...thinking he was being a good boy...all quite. I then took a cab to Kel's office to have lunch with Kel and her co-workers...Jen and Kristen. After lunch I wandered around the Financial District, then took the BART to the airport. Flight was delayed, so I got back to Dillon at midnight to a very excited Frisco. The rest of the week I have been spending my time "moving back in" after we rented our house out while we were gone.

Kel, thanks for the hospitality and for being such a great tour guide!!

Kelly & Tracy on their mountain bike ride at China Camp State Park.

Tracy, after her fall...

Tracy & Stan hanging out with the Redwoods at Muir Woods.

Tracy & Kel hanging with Charley at Baker Beach.

Hanging in the Vineyard.

Enjoying our wine tasting at Joseph Phelps Vineyard.

Old Faithful Geyser of CA erupts every 20-40 minutes.

Stan in the slammer at Alcatraz.