Ghost Ranch 2009

This year's visit to Ghost Ranch was very special. It was Kyra's 5th trip to the ranch with us and she had a wonderful week (and threatened to tie herself to a tree so she could stay longer!) She's already planning to apply to become part of the Ghost Ranch college staff (in 10-12 years!) Sharon participated in a very interesting course on "NEW EYES FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE FROM THE WORLD CHURCH", led by Clifton Kirkpatrick. Dwight enjoyed a week of rest and relaxation, and was the only one of us who could stand the 74 degree temperature in the pool (the heater was broken) because he brought along his wet suit! Steve, Beth, Grace and Ava came up to the ranch for an overnight on Friday. Enjoy our pictures!

We spent a weekend with Steve's family in Los Lunas before heading up to the ranch. Here are Grace, Kyra, Ava and Beth.

We worshiped at First Presbyterian Church, Belen. This is Steve giving the children's sermon.

Kyra and Grace had lots of fun playing together.

Ghost Ranch - picture taken at dusk by Dwight. A place of peace.

Kyra and Dwight ham it up after breakfast. We're so happy to be here!

Kyra got to go horseback-riding twice this year - including cantering across the ranch to the cabin used in the movie "City Slickers".

"Lady", a 40-year-old horse (88 in human years), roamed the ranch and greeted people, but spent most of her time in the alfalfa field.

Steve and Beth and the girls enjoyed the air conditioned family center at the ranch - designed specifically for very young children and families.

Beth caught this picture of Steve with the mesas behind him. He celebrated his 33rd birthday the week we were there.

Sharon and Beth froze in the pool with Grace and Ava and it was fun (but short-lived!)

Dwight, on the other hand, was able to spend more time in the pool!

Sharon and Ava (picture sent by Beth after Sharon complained that since she took most of the pictures, there were very few of GaGa with the grandchildren!)

Sure wish you could have seen the scene just before this picture was snapped - Grace saw Kyra walking up toward the dining hall and took off running, crying in delight, "Kyra"!!"

Couldn't resist adding this fun video of breakfast with Grace, Kyra and Ava.

Kyra won an award for earning top points in a scavenger hunt during the week's youth program. Awards were given out during the Saturday celebration at the end of the week.

Time to say farewell and see you next year. This is Kitchen Mesa (so named because the dining hall/kitchen sits below it). Photo by Dwight.

Home at last. Kyra greets Kirk when we picked him up after 10 days at Rover Retreat (where he made good friends with a yellow lab).

Brief visit with Kaelan

While we were visiting Steve and family in late July, we drove up to Albuquerque for the afternoon and spent a couple of hours with Kaelan and his mom. Kaelan loves his trucks and trains!!

Kirk gets a new sandbox; Jordan & family spend the day with us; Dwight has a wet suit (and he's a real hit at the pool)!

We contracted with a neighbor to build a giant sandbox for Kirk this weekend, and are working on training him to understand that this is the place he's allowed to dig. We're hoping to stop Kirk from digging up the lawn, eating the trees and bushes, etc. So far, our neighbor has poured 30 50-lb bags of play sand into the box and another 40 bags will be added tomorrow. See pictures below of Kirk getting used to his special place.

Granddaughter Jordan and her brother Jaden and their parents came up Saturday for a fun day at the pool, including a picnic lunch, an afternoon of hangin' out and dinner together. Jordan and Jaden collected all of Kirk's toys from around the yard, put them in the sand box and buried some of the toys to help Kirk understand this is where he's allowed to dig. Kristi and Will took Sharon over to Home Depot to pick up an additional 40 bags of play sand for the sand box (and they unloaded it for us ... THANK YOU!) See picture below of Kristi, Jaden and Jordan.

Dwight bought a wet suit so he could swim outdoors this summer (cold water is debilitating for him so he can't use most pools, but this wet suit has done the trick!) He's been using the pool for physical therapy almost every day for the last couple of weeks. See picture below of Dwight in his new swimgear.

July 4th Weekend with Friends

We enjoyed a couple of restful days with friends Tom and Ruth Powers in Edwards (near Vail) over the weekend, including watching the Avon fireworks from above(!) on July 3rd. Here are a few pictures from our weekend:

Everything is so green in the mountains because Colorado has had so much rain. Truly beautiful!

Eagle River from an overlook on the Presbyterian Church site in Avon.

Dwight and Sharon enjoying a restful moment at that overlook.

Dwight, Tom & Ruth, outside their home in Edwards. We were on our way to see the fireworks.

Kirk was very glad to see us when we came to pick him up on the 4th. He did not like the fireworks and we spent several minutes on the floor trying to calm him that night even though we were in the house and the fireworks were a couple of miles away!

Steve, Beth, Grace & Ava - Weekend Visit

We enjoyed a brief visit with Steve and his family this weekend and got to spend some special time with their girls, Grace (2-1/2) and Ava (8 mos). They were here for a couple of days before heading east to visit with Beth's family in Indiana.

A weekend with Caleb

Grandson Caleb (age 6-1/2) and his mom, Dawn, who live in Kearney, Nebraska, came to town for a visit and a very busy weekend. We saw "Land of the Lost" Friday night (ugh!, but the "boys" giggled through it), took Kirk and some fishing gear to the dog park at Chatfield on Saturday. The fishing was a bust, due to wind, high river, busted gear, and about 10 attempts at casting that all ended up caught in bushes, trees or stuck under rocks.

We all worshipped at Genesis Presbyterian Church this morning, where Dwight was the guest preacher, then we headed for the ball park to watch the Rockies beat the Mariners - yahoooo! There was a brief rain delay (and tornado warning) so we left and headed for a nearby Starbucks, then drove out to the airport so Caleb and Dawn could catch their flight back home (we learned later that the flight was cancelled due to weather and they ended up spending the night in a hotel - quite the adventure!) Here are some pictures of our time together:

Caleb and Kirk on a walk around Grant Ranch (our subdivision) on Saturday morning.

Dwight and Caleb get their gear ready for fishing in the South Platte River, Chatfield State Park. It was a great idea ...

Dwight, Caleb and Dawn at the Rockies game. Rox beat the Mariners in a 3-game sweep!

Sharon and Caleb enjoy the game. The skies were starting to cloud up and soon we were running for cover from the wind and rain.

Kyra graduates from elementary school and Kirk turns 5 years old!

Dwight and Sharon enjoyed attending a graduation ceremony for 5th graders at Kyra's school this week. Each diploma provided an individual description for the particular student, based on comments received from other students. Kyra's description: "You are called bouncy, lively, and witty. You are one who never gives up, in other words - you're a bit stubborn. You love a group project and work hard and remain focused on what you have to do. In fact, you've sort of made our rat a group project and she loves you for it. You like to explore and see endless possibilities." Kyra is responsible for caring for the class pet rat, Bonnie, for the summer. We are very proud of her.

Kyra spent part of the weekend with us and we celebrated Kirk's 5th birthday during a trip to Starbucks. Another customer (and admirer of the world's greatest dog - Kirk!) took this picture.

Go Nuggets! Rockies Will Rise Again! and Other May Pictures

Steve, Grace, Beth and Ava are dressed in their Nuggets gear and supporting Denver from their home in Los Lunas, New Mexico. Go Nuggets! Dwight has a bet with his lifelong friend, Tom, who lives in Southern California that Denver will beat the Lakers in the playoffs. Whichever team loses, it appears that Starbucks will be the winner because either Tom or Dwight will end up buying!



Early in May, we spent a couple of days with our friends, Jon and Danny, at their cabin in Fairplay, Colorado, and caught this picture at dawn when we were returning to Denver early in the morning. It was a lovely visit and to a beautiful area.


Grandaughter Jordan spent an overnight with us for Mother's Day weekend and we went to two Rockies games! For the second game, we were joined by Jordan's family. That's her brother, Jaden, below. The picture was taken in the Mountain Ranch Grill in Coors Field.

Granddaughter Ava Baptized on Easter Sunday

The Blackstock and Carlisle family descended on Belen, New Mexico, over the Easter weekend for granddaughter Ava's baptism. Ava turned 6 months old this week. Sister Grace turned 2 years old in January. It was a delightful visit. On Friday, several of us climbed Tome Hill (between Belen and Los Lunas) along with hundreds and hundreds of other pilgrims. Dwight drove to Chimayo and joined thousands of pilgrims (they were on foot; he "walked" with them while staying in his car and driving very very slowly) as they headed for El Santuario (http://www.archdiocesesantafe.org/AboutASF/Chimayo.html). On Saturday, we enjoyed some time with Grace while most of the Carlisles helped Beth pack up the house for their move from Belen to a new home in Los Lunas scheduled for end of this month. We gathered for dinner on Saturday night at a restaurant in Los Lunas and were joined by our grandson Kaelan and his mom Genevieve (Kaelan will be 5 years old in June). Sunday was Easter and a very big day for everyone, including worship, an outstanding sermon by Steve, Ava's baptism, a fun Easter egg hunt and lunch in Los Lunas. Everyone headed home on Monday. Hope you enjoy our pictures:

Three crosses on Tome Hill, a pilgrimage climb on Good Friday. Sharon, Beth, Steve, Mary (Beth's sister), Jacob (Mary's son), Grace and Ava all made it to the top!

Steve carried Ava up Tome hill (Mary carried her down); Jacob carried Grace up and most of the way down.

Grace with cousin Jacob at Albuquerque's Children's Museum on Saturday.

Grace snuggles with Dwight (Granddad) while we wait for a table at Little Anita's in Albuquerque following our trip to the children's museum and aquarium on Saturday morning.

Cousins Grace and Kaelan pose for a picture after dinner in Los Lunas on Saturday night.

Aunt Mary holds Ava and Grace before worship on Easter Sunday.

Steve baptizes Ava with the family surrounding, including Bill and Sara Carlisle (grandparents), Mary holding Grace, Church Elder Ginger, Beth and Steve with Ava, Dwight and Sharon.

Steve with Ava following Ava's baptism at First Presbyterian Church, Belen NM, Easter Sunday 2009.

Cousin Kaelan with mom Genevieve hunting Easter eggs. Kaelan (our grandson), Genevieve and her sister Esperanza joined us for Easter worship and Ava's baptism.

Beth and Grace hunt Easter eggs.

Sharon (GaGa) with Ava on Monday morning just before we headed for the airport and home to Denver.