Sunday

We went to the early church service, then for a drive in the mountains. We wanted to just spent a nice family day away from all the usual busyness.


We ended up in Central City. I used to spend a lot of Sundays in that area with my parents. My dad loved to go 4-wheeling. We had a series of trucks and jeeps that we'd take. We'd usually meet up with other people and make a day of it. It was a ton of fun, even when we got stuck.


Central City and Blackhawk are completely changed now, with the introduction of gambling. The charm of the old town is obscured by the glitzy hotels and casinos. It's really a shame.

But one of my favorite spots is still there. Just outside of town is a very old cemetery. It's lovely, climbing along the hill, with wildflowers and Aspen trees scattered throughout. I used to love wandering through, looking at the dates on the headstones and imagining the people and what their lives were like.




Some of the headstones are quite elaborate. The saddest to me are the ones that indicate several children from one family.

I'm glad I got to share this with my children. Brenna especially seemed to feel what I did there.

Then we moved on about 6 miles out of town to the Gilpin County Fair. It was a nice, small fair and the air was much cooler than in Denver. The kids got to try out a mechanical bull and the bungee trampoline and it was all free. Then we shared some fair food and headed out just as a thunderstorm hit.

Back at home, Scott got in a nap and the boys mowed two lawns. I did a bit of grocery shopping and took a bubble bath.

A very nice day, indeed.