Rotach

Science Fair

2012-01-12T19:59:00.000-08:00

Does Air Have Weight?

After her project Lilly can say, "Yes, it does." We weighed an exercise ball empty, half-full and full. Then we repeated the experiment with an air compressor.

At the fair

Christmas

2012-01-12T19:58:00.000-08:00

Pictures from Christmas 2011

Manchester, IA

The Window

Wow!

Grams

Waukee, IA

Lilly with Great-Grandma Merical

Sioux Center, IA

Jackie, Lilly and Holly

Alex

Christmas Boo

Family

Zoobs!

Candy Cane Classic

2011-12-20T15:38:00.001-08:00

Lilly's gymnastics gym puts on a fall event called the Candy Cane Classic. Here are videos of her routines:

Vault

Beam

Floor

Family Hike

2011-11-26T20:30:00.001-08:00

Today we went hiking near Boulder. We hiked to a place called Mallory Cave. The end of the hike came when we had to scale a rock wall to reach the cave. We decided to turn back partially because of the climb and partially because we would't have been allowed in the caves anyway. The forest service has closed the cave in the hopes of protecting the bats which make the cave home.

Lilly with Boulder in the background

The wall leading to the cave

Gymnastics

2011-11-20T16:54:00.001-08:00

Lilly really loves her gymnastics practices. Here she is climbing the rope. She did three trips up and down on this night.

She looks a lot more frightened than she actually is

Lilly and Grandpa Go Golfing

2011-11-20T16:50:00.003-08:00

Pictures from a golfing trip to The First Tee course at City Park.

Plenty of cartwheels by Lilly

The short game with her caddy looking on

Halloween 2011

2011-11-20T16:36:00.000-08:00

Lilly in the Westerly Creek Elementary Halloween Parade

Boo had a costume too!

The neighborhood kids

Last 4Runner Pictures

2011-11-20T16:32:00.000-08:00

In September we traded in the 4Runner for a new car. We took a few pictures before we said goodbye.

Boo is thrilled.

Rockies Game

2011-08-22T20:42:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Holly, Lilly and I went to a Rockies game with my parents, my sister Beth and her husband Geoff. It started to rain in the seventh when the Rockies were down by 7 or so runs. This cleared out the stands and Lilly and I were able to sit in the first row about 30 feet from the third baseman. A fly ball was hit to the Dodger's center fielder ending the inning. As he jogged into the infield he tossed the ball to their left fielder, Tony Gwynn. As he trotted past he saw Lilly and tossed me the ball. What a memorable game!

Lilly and her Souvenir

Rapids Soccer Game

2011-08-22T20:15:00.001-07:00

Holly, Lilly and I went to a Colorado Rapids soccer game this past weekend. Lilly's soccer club is associated with the Rapids and we were able to get pretty good seats for the club night. As a bonus Lilly was selected as one of the 22 kids to walk out hand-in-hand with one of the players. Lilly was escorted out by #15, Wells Thompson. It was fun because he started the game and Lilly was able to cheer for him.

Lilly during the National Anthem. Wells is the player far left.

The Rapids Coach, Gary Smith

Dick's Sporting Goods Park

Zoo Camp

2011-08-22T20:07:00.000-07:00

Lilly had summer camp at the Denver Zoo for the last couple weeks of summer vacation.

Bodie the Wonder Dog

Porcuepine

Lilly at the Camp Sing-a-long

Copper Mountain Biking

2011-08-08T20:09:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Holly, Lilly and I went mountain biking at Copper Mountain. We had done this trip last year and wanted to make sure to do it again. We climbed the dirt road that zigzags across the mountain from the base area up to the ski patrol station at 12,000 feet. It was so much fun to have Lilly really working with me on the tag-a-long.

On the back deck of the ski patrol outpost

A great ride

Dads and Kiddos Camping Weekend

2011-08-01T21:18:00.000-07:00

This weekend Lilly and I joined three other dads with their kiddos for a camping weekend at Lone Rock Campground near Deckers, CO. The campsite was right on the South Platte River and we were able to float the river on tubes right from our camp. The cool water felt great with the sun beating down on us.

Looking up river from our campsite

Looking down river from our campsite

A side trip of the weekend was mountain biking with Lilly. Below is a great video of Lilly riding some singletrack and taking a digger.

A real mountain biker

Fourth of July

2011-07-05T18:01:00.000-07:00

Fourth of July weekend was a great weekend. It was sunny and hot, we had hot dogs, we spent a lot of time at the pool, there were bike rides and we saw fireworks. Everything the Fourth should be.

Lilly and Dad's bike ride to downtown Denver

Lilly and Dad camping out on the new patio

Action shot of Lilly off the board

Lilly's Impromptu Performance

2011-06-26T15:40:00.000-07:00

Lilly's performance at Aunt Bee and Uncle Geoff's:

Twin Lakes

2011-06-19T14:55:00.000-07:00

Holly and I spent this weekend in Twin Lakes (Leadville) CO. The cabin was in the shadow of 5 14ers. Incredible views from our front door:

Mt. Massive, Mt. Elbert

Mt. Oxford, Mt. Belford, La Plata

On Saturday we went for a big ride to get ready for the Triple Bypass. We rode from Twin Lakes, over Independence Pass, to Aspen and back. The ride was 80 miles with over 7,000 feet of climbing. All of the ride was above 8,000 feet.

This was one of the best rides I've ever done. The climb from Aspen over the pass alone was worth the trip. Climbing 4,000 feet takes you from lush, green, warm Aspen to the snow fields and 40 degrees of Independence Pass. Holly was fighting a stomach problem and a little vertigo. It was really tough but she made it all on her own. Pretty inspiring.

Here are a couple pictures of the top. It is crazy to think this road was plowed open only three weeks ago.

Us at the top. 12,093 feet.

Holly coming up the Twin Lakes side.

New Landscaping

2011-06-10T20:29:00.000-07:00

This past week the landscapers finished up our backyard. They did a fantastic job and we already love spending time out there. We've been fortunate to have the perfect weather for eating dinner outside. The lights at night are very nice. The patio furniture was a Costco purchase. The tabletop is slate and weighs 200 lbs! Quite a chore for Holly and I to lift it into place.

Below are a few pictures.

The glass bird Lilly gave Holly for Mothers' Day

Our new patio and furniture.

Another view of the patio

Closeup of table and chairs

From another angle

Boo likes it under the new table

At night

Second night picture

Washington DC

2011-06-05T20:41:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day weekend we went to our niece Kalie's high school graduation in Front Royal, VA. Congratulations Kalie!

We also used the time to do some sightseeing in DC. Seeing the buildings lit at night was a highlight for me.

Abraham Lincoln

Lilly, Holly and ducks at the WWII Memorial

World War II Memorial

White House (front)

Back of the White House

It was "Rolling Thunder" weekend

Korean War Memorial

Russ in front of the Lincoln Memorial

Lilly in front of Lincoln

Thomas Jefferson

Washington Memorial and Capitol in the background

Lincoln Memorial

Capitol at night

Karate

2011-05-11T20:21:00.000-07:00

Lilly had karate testing for her gold stripe this week. She was nervous as she had to remember the 6 principles of Omniform Karate, the progression of belts & stripes, execute her punches and kicks, jump-rope for 1 minute 8 or fewer misses and do one set of physical fitness building exercises. The testing was done in front of 4 black belts, one of which is a 3rd degree black belt. And...

SHE PASSED! She was happy and we were very proud of her.

Spring Soccer

2011-05-07T20:56:00.001-07:00

Today was the last soccer game of the spring season. Lilly's team played hard and had fun.

Getting into it

Big kick #1

Big kick #2

Lilly and the mountains

Another...perspective with a telephoto lens is interesting.

Having fun

Another action shot

Spring Concert

2011-05-06T21:38:00.000-07:00

The first grade at Westerly Creek put on a performance of The Mice from Outer Space this week. The musical tells the tale of mice from outer space crash landing on Earth. At first the earth mice and space mice realize they are different and do not like each other. By the end of the performance the mice have teamed up against the cat and realize they are more similar than they first thought. Lilly was a space mouse.

The video below turned out pretty bad - a strong zoom without a tripod makes for some shaky footage. The audio is surprisingly good though, so check it out.

Hike

2011-05-01T21:22:00.000-07:00

Today we hiked at Chautauqua Park in Boulder. A little chilly, but fun. Lilly was "In the groove," and Boo kept up well for a 60 year-old :).

Strong!

Denver Zoo

2011-04-25T20:54:00.000-07:00

We ended our Easter Sunday by taking a quick trip to the Denver Zoo. It was a fun time and so easy with our membership passes from Grandma Julie.

The lions were out

They seemed close

Hyena

Snoozing bear

Baby Longhorn Sheep

A closer shot of the cute baby

Flamingos

Hippo

Soccer Game #1

2011-04-16T22:09:00.000-07:00

Lilly had her first soccer game today. It was actually her team's 4th game, but due to various reasons (trips to Iowa, Steamboat...) she missed the first few. Her team played well and they all had fun.

A great view from Stapleton's Central Park. Check out the soccer ball in the upper right corner!

Lilly in action

Boo and June

2011-04-02T07:42:00.000-07:00

Boo loves June.

Beer

2011-04-02T07:39:00.000-07:00

My birthday present from Holly:

Odell's Easy Street Wheat

Steamboat

2011-03-30T21:03:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we met Holly's sister Aimee in Steamboat. Her daughter Kalie came home on spring break with her boyfriend Nate. Kelsie and Alex and Alicia also were there. The snow was amazing for late March and the weather was nice and warm at the bottom. Spring skiing!

Lilly on the gondi - ready for the day!

An awesome run. Knee-deep powder and steep.

Beer at the bottom.

Lunch with Lilly.

March Pictures

2011-03-24T20:38:00.000-07:00

A couple pictures from this month. We're starting to ride outside more and Lilly has started soccer.

Gooooooooooooaaaaal!

Workin' it.

Clear Creek Canyon fire - from Lookout Mountain

Time Warp

2011-03-03T20:50:00.000-08:00

Lilly's spring play was Time Warp, a play about time travel. In the play a family of 4 children travel to the night of the Titantic, the night of President Lincoln's assasination (thwarted by the kiddos), the Oregon Trail and forward in time to Star Wars. Lilly played a passenger on the Titantic and a traveler on the Oregon Trail.

Oregon Trail

Tired from a day's travel

Sleeping on the Titantic

Lilly 2nd Ski Race

2011-02-27T14:25:00.000-08:00

This weekend was the final weekend for Copper Scooters in February. Lilly did the same course she did in January and took almost 20 seconds off! Her teacher for this session really challenged the kids and took them to tougher terrain. Lilly learned and improved a lot this year!

New Hairstyles

2011-02-20T19:55:00.000-08:00

New styles for Holly and Lilly

Tucker Mountain at Copper

2011-02-20T19:47:00.000-08:00

A snowcat ride and a half-hour hike will get you here:

The view from the bottom:

Snowmobiling the Black Hills

2011-02-20T19:37:00.000-08:00

Pictures from my snowmobile trip to the Black Hills in South Dakota. My brother-in-law Russ invited me along and let me use his snowmobile. It was a great trip - scenic and fun riding the trails.

The gang: Russ, Reggie, Tyler, Brian, Marcy

Spearfish Canyon

Scenery at Roughlock Falls

Roughlock Falls

Russ overlooking Roughlock Falls

Holly's Birthday Weekend

2011-01-30T19:41:00.000-08:00

This weekend we celebrated Holly's birthday by staying in Silverthorne. Beth, Geoff, June and Geoff's brother Ryan joined us Saturday evening.

The weekend got off to a good start with a 66 degree high temp in Denver on Friday. We drove up to the mountains Friday after Lilly got out of school. Holly made a good salmon dinner at the cabin and we still had time to swim/hot tub before bed.

Lilly in the pool

Holly got her birthday wish of having excellent weather for her mountain weekend. Saturday's high temps were close to 40 and the sun was bright all day. What a great day to ski.

Holly and I enjoying the sunshine

Lilly's January session of Scooters (ski school at Copper Mountain) wrapped up with the Scooter Olympics. All of the kiddos raced down a mini skicross course.

Lilly's First Ski Race

After a great day we headed back to the condo for a snack and some swimming with June Bug. Beth and Geoff took all of us out to dinner to celebrate and close out a near perfect day.

Sunday we went to Breckenridge to see the International Snow Sculpting Championships:

Budweiser, one of the sponsors

Greenman

Marco! (Marco Polo)

Lilly looking out a castle window

August 27th, stage 5 of the Quizno's Pro Challenge ends in Breckenridge

A diver

A little spooky

After the sculptures I skied at Frisco Nordic Center while Holly and Lilly found super sale deals at the Old Navy Outlet. The traffic filled drive home was broken up by a pizza stop at Mountain Buzz in Georgetown.

A great weekend. Happy Birthday Holly!

2011-01-16T18:36:00.000-08:00

Sunrise over Copper Mountain

Copper Bowl

Smiles on the lift

Lilly and June

2011-01-09T16:26:00.000-08:00

Lilly spent the day with Aunt Bee and Uncle Geoff last week. It was a big help as school hadn't yet started for Lilly and Holly and I had to be back at work.

I'm helping Aunt Bee change June Bug

Snow Days

2011-01-09T16:20:00.000-08:00

This weekend's theme was snow. Lilly had her first ski lesson of the season on Saturday and Denver got snow on Sunday. Ski lessons were great. Lilly's teacher was great and she had a good time. We all skied together after the lessons and Lilly wanted to stay until the lifts closed.

Sunday Lilly and Lily went sledding at a park by her school. Boo also walked along and LOVED the snow as always.

Let's go together

I'm going to borrow this snowboard

Lilly's Christmas Dance Recital

2010-12-13T20:19:00.000-08:00

Hip-hop.

Sugar Plum Fairies

First Ski Trip

2010-12-13T19:58:00.000-08:00

Lilly and I took our first ski trip this weekend. The snow was fantastic and we had a great time. The morning was a little bit of a bummer because Lilly's bindings weren't fitted correctly for her skis. The first sign was one of them falling off as we got on the first lift of the day. It wasn't until we were at the top of Super Bee before we realized they were unskiable. Brian of Christy Sports gave us a hand assessing the problem at the top and offered to set us up with a free rental pair if we could make it down to their shop at the bottom. What a nice guy. His line to me was, "Mind if I take a look? I do this for a living." Not, "I'm Vice Blankity-Blank of Awesome Land."

After a little carrying by me and a lot of snowmobile ride by a Copper Mountain saint, we were at the bottom and ready to go again. Lilly had a rocky morning with bad skis, hunger and getting cold but the afternoon was all smiles and made the trip worthwhile. She now has season-long rentals from Christy Sports and the old pair are going back to be sold at Sniagrab.

What fun to ski with your kiddo.

Peter Pan

2010-12-01T05:59:00.001-08:00

Lilly's drama group put on Peter Pan last week. Lilly played Peter Pan and Nana, the family dog. The play was fun to watch and Lilly did really well despite being very nervous the days leading up to the performance.

My sister Beth has pictures of the play on her blog.

Yogi Lilly

2010-11-22T20:13:00.000-08:00

Lilly taught us a yoga lesson tonight. Lesson learned from the young teacher: "No farting in yoga class!"

Great Hike!

2010-11-09T20:25:00.000-08:00

Holly and I hiked the Bergen Peak trail at Elk Meadows park today. The snow started halfway up and didn't stop until this evening. What a cool hike. Boo made it the entire way. I credit the Gatorade he gulped at the top.

Castlewood Canyon State Park

2010-11-08T20:01:00.000-08:00

Hiking in Castlewood Canyon State Park. This park is about an hour south of Denver and the main attraction is a canyon cut by Cherry Creek before it flows north to downtown Denver.

Happy hikers in the foreground, the canyon wall in the background.

Giant boulder left after many floods of the creek washed away the surrounding sand.

Family Hike

2010-11-08T19:55:00.001-08:00

Pictures of the Rotach family hiking at Elk Meadow Park near Evergreen, CO.

New Jobs

2010-11-08T19:50:00.001-08:00

Holly and I both accepted new jobs. Holly will be a Sr. Accountant at The Breakaway Group starting this Wednesday. I will be a Software Engineer working at Raytheon starting next Monday.

Family Mountain Biking

2010-09-18T20:57:00.000-07:00

A family mountain bike trip to Copper Mountain today. Holly's first off-road mountain bike trip and Lilly's longest. The trail was a fire road (Road A) that took us from the base area at 9,700 ft to the ski patrol headquarters at 12,000 ft. There were a couple setback early with Holly and Lilly forgetting to pack their helmets and Holly's chain breaking 100' into the ride. Holly rode well and Lilly was an extra boost whenever the trail got steep and rocky. We finished with pizza at Jersey Boy's in Dillon. What a great ride and a great day!

I did it!

Holly and John at the top. (photo by Lilly)

Lilly at the top.

Random Summer Pictures

2010-09-15T19:45:00.000-07:00

I haven't been good about posting here lately. Two months...wow. Anywhoo, I thought I'd toss up a few pictures before going back to feeling guilty about not posting.

Lilly and I went to a Rockies game while Holly was in Italy (possibly the subject of another posting). We saw the Rockies jump out to a 8-1 lead against the Cubs only to make it an interesting 8-7 win in the 9th. Jeez. At least Denver got free tacos from Taco Bell because the Rockies scored 8 runs. A couple service dogs in training sat directly behind us and licked the back of our necks the entire game. Awww...

Lilly in the "Mile High" row - exactly 5,280 feet above sea level.

Lilly from close to our seats.

We had season tickets to Elitch Gardens and spent a few weekend days (and weekdays for Holly and Lilly) at the park. Interesting summer with Lilly growing past 48" allowing her to try the "big kid" rides.

I rode in the Moonlight Classic charity ride with a couple guys. It is a ride that starts at midnight, starts and ends at the state capitol and winds 14 miles through the city. A way to make the ride interesting is not passing a bar without stopping in.

I got in a few mountain bike rides. Below is Buffalo Creek, one of my favorites. I wiped out here on a ride in mid-August and cracked a rib. It's almost all healed but still hurts when I sneeze.

This hike was in Estes Park. We camped at Jellystone Campground one weekend in August. Estes park is summer in Colorado.

On the Three Sisters hike looking at the 14,000+ foot Long's Peak.

Lilly took horseback riding lessons this summer. Below is her riding Sandy.

This is Lilly leading Sandy from the barn.

Lilly leading the full grown pony.

In August I flew out to Baltimore to visit John Hosler, a friend from ISU. He is now a tenured history professor at Morgan State University and part of the trip was to help him celebrate. The more important reason for the trip was an in-person fantasy football draft. This is a picture of my friends Cory Plants, Tom Dekyruff and John looking out over the harbor. We had a great time and drank plenty of National Bohemian beer. $6 a 12-pack!

A sunset over Central Park in Stapleton. The view from here is very beautiful with the mountains and downtown Denver.

A homemade taco pizza. Hey. The title of the post says Random.

Black Hills Vacation

2010-07-09T14:20:00.000-07:00

We traveled to the Black Hills in South Dakota for my cousin Carise's wedding. We had good weather, saw beautiful scenery, did Mount Rushmore, got to see a lot of family on my side, rode the 1880 Train from Hill City to Keystone, cooked over a fire, swam, rode bikes, rode horses and went to a beautiful wedding ceremony and reception. Below are some pictures.

Sylvan Lake - we stayed in cabins close to the lake

Another of Sylvan Lake - with Lilly hiking on the rocks

Holly and Lilly on a hike with the lake in the background

Boo with a dress collar - now he can get into the country club.

Lilly and Megan on the 1880 Train

Lilly on the train

Holly and Lilly at Mt. Rushmore

Lilly and 4 dudes

The wedding was at The Chapel in the Hills

Berthoud Pass

2010-06-21T11:43:00.000-07:00

Doug (a friend from work) and I rode Idaho Springs - Winter Park - Idaho Springs yesterday. The route goes over Berthoud Pass at 11,000+ feet. Lots of climbing and a spot or two where we hit 50 mph on the way down.

Route Profile

Continental Divide

Doug looking out over the switchbacks

Also a popular spot to backcountry ski

Colorado Springs & Royal Gorge

2010-06-17T08:04:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Holly, Lilly and I hosted Kalie and her friend Alysson. They flew in to attend a candidate camp at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. Sunday we went down to Colorado Springs. The girls went on a rafting trip while Lilly and I hiked. Rafting was a good time. They were happy they didn't fall out of the raft as they were cold enough being splashed. With the recent rain and snow melt the river was too high to raft through Royal Gorge.

After the trip we drove to the Royal Gorge bridge. It was late so we didn't go in the park but we were able to look over the edge and see the river below.

A great hike with Lilly.

Cacti in bloom.

Hiking above Cañon City.

Royal Gorge.

Happy Birthday Lilly

2010-06-12T19:51:00.001-07:00

Lilly turned six years old today. Wow!

And Scooby-Doo on Channel 2?

Swimmer

2010-06-12T19:41:00.000-07:00

Summer is here and Lilly has started swim lessons. I was surprised at her confidence when going off the diving board.

Not a problem dad...

Horseback Riding

2010-06-06T21:18:00.001-07:00

Lilly went to an introductory horseback riding class this weekend. Here is a picture and a video.

Lilly riding Sandy

This is fun

Lilly's Dance Recital

2010-06-05T12:49:00.000-07:00

Lilly's dance recital is this weekend. These videos are from dress rehearsal yesterday. Cameras aren't allowed into the final performance.

Tap Routine

Balet Routine

Juniper Pass Ride

2010-06-01T14:59:00.000-07:00

View from 11,000+ feet. Part of a 60 mile, 5,000ft ride. The guy in the pic is Doug, a riding budy from work.

Wow.

Pools are Open

2010-06-01T10:20:00.000-07:00

The Stapleton pools opened this weekend.

Lilly loves to swim.

1st Day of Summer

2010-05-28T14:58:00.000-07:00

Lilly's first day off of school was today. She and Holly spent part of it at Elitch Gardens.

Ferris Wheel

Shootout with Mom

Grandma and Grandpa Weekend

2010-05-24T07:17:00.000-07:00

Holly's mom and dad came out to Denver to visit us this weekend. It was great to see them again and spend time with them. The weater was fantastic and we were able to spend a lot of time outside biking, hiking and relaxing.

Friday evening we rode bikes with Beth and Geoff to The Berkshire restraunt in Stapleton for dinner. Saturday morning Holly and I were able to go on a windy bike ride east of Denver. Lilly then had a soccer game in which she had two goals and two assists! We biked over to Udi's for lunch after the game. We then headed to REI downtown to walk around and play. Jerry and I biked down on the trail system. It is a nice ride along the South Platte River. We all took a trolly ride from REI along the river past Invesco Field (Broncos' stadium), Elich Gardens (amusement park), the Children's Museum of Denver and the Denver Downtown Aquarium. It was a nice ride run by volunteers who gave a nice history of downtown Denver.

Trolly Ride

After downtown we went home for grilled salmon and some relaxing in the alley while Lilly played with the neighbor Lily.

Lilly R and Lily S

Sunday we headed out to Red Rocks park. There is a great outdoor ampitheater which people use for a stair workout with great scenery. We played around on the stairs and hiked on a trail close to the park.

Stairs

Family Hike

Nice View on the Hike

Sunday afternoon we headed over to Geoff's for a great dinner on the grill.

A perfect weekend.

We're Not in Kansas Anymore

2010-05-13T06:57:00.000-07:00

Lilly's drama class performed The Wizard of Oz this week. Lilly played Toto. One of her lines was answering, "We're not," to Dorthy's, "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore Toto."

On stage

Cast photo afterward

When I Grow Up

2010-05-08T20:49:00.000-07:00

Lilly reading When I Grow Up by Mercer Mayer.

Elitch Gardens

2010-05-08T20:44:00.000-07:00

Holly, Lilly and I went to Elitch Gardens (formerly Six Flags) for few hours. They were running a season pass special and we decided to try it out. A nice perk of having a season pass is we can go for a few hours and not all day long.

The Carousel

Mountain Biking

2010-05-08T20:39:00.000-07:00

Keith, a friend from work invited me out to ride on some singletrack owned by Ken Caryl Ranch and Willow Creek homeowner associations. Keith can ride a 2-hour singletrack loop out of his garage, twisting through the woods, over red rocks and climbing a couple thousand feet. Very nice.

Steve

Keith

A Good Weekend

2010-04-26T07:33:00.000-07:00

On Saturday Lilly played with the other Lily on our street. The had fun with dresses and make believe.

Sunday Beth watched Lilly for us so Holly and I could go on a bike ride together. It was a nice ride for both of us.

Aunt Bee and Lilly went shopping and to Red Rocks.

Aunt Bee and Lilly

Great picture

On stage!

Climber

Holly had a promising interview Friday. Keep your fingers crossed.

Last Ski Day

2010-04-12T10:17:00.000-07:00

Sunday was the last ski day of the season for Keystone Resort. Spring skiing is 55 degrees, sunny, loose snow and no traffic (both on the slopes and on the roads). What a great day to wrap up the season.

Lake Dillon from the gondola

Lilly hangin' out

Lilly and Riperoo

Easter Weekend

2010-04-05T07:44:00.000-07:00

Easter weekend started with me driving to Iowa to handle the sale of our boat. I advertised the boat online and hooked up with a buyer from Canada. Aparently the strenght of the Canadian dollar makes buying vehicles in the US a great deal. My brother-in-law Russ and I drove the boat from Sioux Falls to Fargo to meet the buyer on Saturday. It was great to have him to keep me company for part of the trip. I then drove back to Denver from Sioux Falls Saturday evening and made it home around 1:00AM Sunday.

The Easter Bunny visited our house Sunday morning.

Where are the eggs?

The Easter Bunny was creative

Holly, Lilly and I went over to Aunt B and Uncle Geoff's house for Easter brunch. The Easter Bunny also left eggs for Lilly at their house! The weather was perfect for eating and playing outside.

Mindy, Lilly (+ Jaguar) and Naomi

Lilly's 1st Soccer Game

2010-04-05T07:41:00.000-07:00

Here are pictures from Lilly's first soccer game. The other team only had three people so some of the kids (including Lilly) played on both teams.

Getting ready to start

Action shot

Virtual House Tour

2010-03-21T20:42:00.001-07:00

I've uploaded some videos showing our house. See if you can recognize the tour guide.

Introduction

Entrance

Kitchen

Laundry

Garage & Yard

Master BR

Upstairs

Lilly's Room

Basement

Thank You

Picnic

2010-03-18T15:26:00.001-07:00

Holly and Lilly had a surprise for me last night for dinner. We all went to Bluff Lake Nature Center for a picnic. The sunset with downtown Denver in the foreground and the mountains in the background was one of the best I've seen.

Denver Sunset

The Children's Museum of Denver

2010-03-08T20:31:00.000-08:00

Saturday I went to my sister Beth's yoga class. My downward-facing dogs are waaaay off. I'll never do them as well as Boo.

Sunday afternoon we went to The Children's Museum of Denver. It was a busy day with plenty of kiddos.

Fire!

Pretending to be at Whole Foods (exhibit sponsors)

Brick Oven Pizza

Vet Clinic

Lilly is a democrat

Puppet Theater

Prince and Princess

Travel Weekend / Stay-At-Home Weekend

2010-03-01T07:16:00.001-08:00

This past weekend Holly and Lilly traveled to Iowa for Holly's grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary. It was a great party and they both had fun. Unfortunately, Holly was sick through most of the weekend but after antibiotics is feeling better.

I stayed in Denver for the weekend. Saturday Boo and I cross country skied at Snow Mountain Ranch. I skied by myself for a while and then took Boo to the trail where dogs were allowed. We were both pooped afterwards. Saturday evening I enjoyed homemade pizza with Beth and watched Night Train win a gold.

Sunday I did some work around the house and watched an incredible hockey game. I love the Olympics.

Boo and I were happy to see the girls Sunday evening.

Snow Weekend

2010-02-22T08:21:00.000-08:00

Denver and the mountains got some snow this weekend. Lilly and I went sledding on Saturday and then went downtown to REI and played around. Holly worked on building a shelving system in the basement to organize some of our stuff down there. Saturday evening Holly and I rode inside together. It was nice to ride with someone - I worked harder than my normal morning rides. Spring is coming. :)

Sunday I went skiing with Geoff and a couple other guys. It was a gorgeous day and the skiing was great. There are still a few bare spots but it was a lot better than the last time we skied. Holly and Lilly went to a movie and Lilly's yoga class. I got home in time to watch some of the Olympics as a family.

Holly's New Phone Number

2010-02-05T21:44:00.000-08:00

Holly has a new phone. Her number is: 720-256-4919.

XC Skiing

2010-02-01T19:31:00.000-08:00

Holly and I cross-country skied this weekend at Frisco Nordic Center. We met parents of a child in Lilly's class there and took turns skiing and playing with the kids (they have 3 children). It was a gorgeous day for a ski with temps just below 30 degrees and not a cloud in the sky.

View from the deck of the Nordic Center

We left town early thinking there'd be traffic but made great time and were in Frisco in time to have a cup of coffee before skiing. Lilly and her friends had a great time skiing and sledding.

The Royal Family

2010-01-19T07:30:00.000-08:00

Princess Lilly enjoyed a horse-drawn carriage ride in downtown Denver and a royal meal (at Steve's Snappin' Dogs) with King Geoff and Queen Bee.

Lilly and Willow

Princess Lilly and King Geoff

Princess Lilly and Queen Bee

A great time

Ski Day

2010-01-18T09:00:00.001-08:00

Holly, Lilly and I got up to the mountains to ski this weekend. There hasn't been much snow lately and it really showed. Holly XC skiied the morning and joined me to ski later in the day. Lilly had a full day of ski school and did great. "Thank you for signing me up for ski school guys!"

Holly and I had a beer at the bottom and then picked up Lilly from school for a run as a family. What fun.

I hiked to South Bowl.

After skiing.

Mom and Lilly.

Lilly's ski run.

Christmas In Iowa

2010-01-03T19:34:00.000-08:00

We're back from our Iowa Christmas tour. First Manchester for my grandma on my dad's side, then Waukee for my grandma on my mom's side. Then Sioux Center for Holly's family. We were able to avoid most of the storms and didn't have too bad of driving this year. Over the course of a week and a half we: ate plenty of food, went to church a couple times, opened plenty of presents, drank a few beers and some wine, had a great time with family, sledded, walked the family dogs, played volleyball, swam more than once, snowmobiled, played Guitar Hero, played dominos, cooked homemade pizza, cooked jambalaya, watched movies and spent 30+ hours in the car. It was a great time and very nice to see family again but also nice to be back home.

Grandma Rotach

Grandma Merical and Boo

Grandpa Jerry and Lilly Drawing

Lilly's Doll House

Lilly's Room

Lookout Mountain

2009-12-22T08:21:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday, Holly, Lilly and I rode up Lookout Mountain. Lilly was on her tag-a-long behind me. I rode Holly's mountain bike so I'd have disc brakes for the ride down. In the car before the ride Lilly said, "The ride down will be the ride of my life." :)

Lilly did great - she pedaled the whole way up. There were quite a few comments cheering her on. There were a couple guys who noticed us at the top and said, "You made it! Good job!" What fun. The day was sunny and warm and we were all a little overdressed. What a ride on December 20th.

Here's the profile of Lookout:

Dance Recital

2009-12-22T07:59:00.000-08:00

Lilly had a little dance recital last week. They did both a balet and tap routine. Mom, Dad, Aunt B and Uncle Geoff were in the audience.

A little nervous.

Ready to start.

Balet routine.

Denver Parade of Lights

2009-12-09T20:32:00.000-08:00

Saturday evening Holly, Lilly and I went to downtown Denver's Parade of Lights. We got a little cold by the end but held out for Santa (the last float). There were people juggling fire, dogs with lights, around 8 high school marching bands and three giant balloons: Rudolph, The Denver Post dog and the Penguin, the mascot of Parade of Lights.

Dogs with lights!

Rudolph.

Fire jugglers.

A float.

Penguin - Parade of Lights Mascot

Another float.

Santa!

Thanksgiving Weekend

2009-11-29T17:29:00.000-08:00

Holly's sister Aimee and her children, Kalie, Kelsie and Alex came to Denver for Thanksgiving weekend. Thursday morning we took a tour of the parks in Stapleton.

Lilly and Alex at the rock park

We celebrated Thanksgiving at my sister Beth and her husband Geoff's house. Geoff is a terrific chef and made a great meal. After the meal we all relaxed watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. It was a great evening.

Friday we went hiking at Buffalo Creek recreation area. It was the first day of Christmas tree cutting season so there were plenty of people at the trailhead. Fortunately, tree cutters didn't want to hike very far into the woods only to drag out a tree so we had the trail to ourselves.

Holly is strong

Kalie taking a nap in the sun

Kelsie and Lilly climbing

Friday evening the girls went to New Moon while Lilly, Alex and I watch Jumanji at home. They both got a kick out of monkeys driving the police car.

Saturday we ate breakfast with Beth and Geoff and then drove to Colorado Springs. Kalie is considering attending the Air Force Academy and had a tour Sunday morning. We decided to go to Pike's Peak Saturday afternoon and then get a hotel room in Colorado Springs Saturday evening so we could do some swimming. The highway to Pike's Peak takes you all the way to the top of the 14,110 foot peak. The view is unbelievable.

Summit 1

Summit 2

At the top

Sunday morning Holly, Lilly and I went to Seven Falls before heading home. There are two staircases for sightseeing. One is 220 steps to the top of the falls. The other is 181 to an observation deck. The canyon is breathtaking.

Holly, Lilly and the falls

What a great weekend.

Sunday Adventure

2009-11-22T20:16:00.000-08:00

Lilly and I took a ride to City Park. This park has playgrounds, a pond, the Denver Zoo, The Denver Museum of Nature and Science, a golf course and 10,000 Canadian geese. It is about a 3 mile bike ride from our house down a nice boulevard with bike lanes. Here are some pictures:

Lilly and Robert Burns

Lots of friends at the park today

City Park and downtown Denver

Dinosaur at the Science Museum

Great Ride

2009-11-22T20:13:00.000-08:00

I got out on my bike for 3 hours on Saturday afternoon. It was a gorgeous day and I found myself overdressed for most of the ride. Here is a cool switchback shot from Lookout Mountain:

Stapleton Tree Lighting

2009-11-20T18:44:00.000-08:00

Lilly and I rode bikes over to the 29th Street town center for the Stapleton tree lighting. There was a brass band, walking Christmas trees, roasted nuts and fire pits. We both had a great time.

The Tree!

Lilly and the Tree

Holly and Lilly Are Here

2009-11-09T12:27:00.000-08:00

Holly and Lilly left Anoka Friday afternoon. They stopped at my grandma's in Des Moines and continued on west planning on stopping around Lincoln. Holly was listening to a book on tape and decided to just keep driving. What a surprise to get a call on Saturday morning saying they were in town already!

We did some unpacking on Saturday and Holly and Lilly took a few naps after their all night adventure. Sunday was more unpacking and grocery shopping. Holly and I got to go on a bike ride together while Aunt Bee and Lilly went to the Denver Art Museum.

Our bike ride ended up being a walk for the last half hour as both of us got flat tires and my hand pump is broken! It actually ended up being a great walk with a beautiful sunset and nice talk.

We wrapped up the weekend eating a great dinner at Beth and Geoff's. Quail looks like delicious little people.

Homeowners

2009-11-04T10:19:00.000-08:00

We are officially homeowners in Denver! We closed Monday afternoon and I've spent the past two night moving our stuff into the garage. I've unpacked enough for Boo and I to sleep there. Now the process of unpacking and organizing.

I'm really looking forward to this weekend when Holly and Lilly move out for good.

Outside (corner lot on an alley)

Kitchen / Living Room

Another Kitchen / Living Room

Boo Hike

2009-11-01T19:11:00.000-08:00

Boo and I went hiking today. A little muddy as it was 65 degrees and the snow was melting down.

Mountain Dog

Halloween

2009-11-01T19:07:00.000-08:00

Lilly went trick-or-treating in Sioux Falls this year. They had gone to Holly's parents' house this weekend.

Beth, Geoff and I went out dressed in costume. Beth was Princess Leia, Geoff was Han Solo and I was Elton John (circa 1973).

Elton

Bummer

2009-10-30T15:50:00.000-07:00

We weren't able to close on our house in Colorado today. It is a little fuzzy to me but it seems as if some documents were delayed getting to where they were needed. A near record snowstorm two days before closing doesn't help either. Not a huge deal as we'll close on Monday. Just a big inconvienince as I had the entire weekend to unload the truck.

Oh well. I seem to remember a crazy snowstorm on an important day 10 years ago and things still worked out in the end.

Closed in MN

2009-10-28T09:49:00.000-07:00

It is official, we are no longer owners of our house in Minnesota. The closing on our house in Minnesota went through this morning with only small issues. Most of the problem was flood insurance misunderstandings and confusion but our realtor and insurance agent really came through with a solution. There was a mad scramble by our realtor at the last minute to get some stuff out of the house the buyers wanted removed. I can't say enough about the great service we were given by Duane Bauermeister of Edina Realty.

It was a hard morning for Holly and Lilly leaving the house. Lilly was upset to leave her friends and the neighbor kids were sad as well. Lilly left the house and said, "Goodbye house. Thank you for keeping us safe." How sweet is that?

Now the next step is to get through closing here in Colorado on Friday.

Lilly Has Figured Out Disney Movies

2009-10-19T13:54:00.000-07:00

Holly and Lilly watched The Ice Princess this weekend and this conversation happened close to the end:

Lilly: "I know what is going to happen at the end."
Holly: "What?"
Lilly (wispered in Holly's ear): "They’re going to kiss."
Holly: "How do you know?"
Lilly: "Because that is what always happens at the end."

The Boat is Out

2009-10-12T19:37:00.000-07:00

I flew back to Minnesota this past weekend to take the boat out of the water and fix a few things around the house. I fixed the garage door in the lower garage (it blew a spring), the thermostat in the basement (it was set to 77 degrees for 7 hours of the day making it 80+ degrees upstairs) and winterized the mower, weedeater and leaf blower.

My friend Rob came over with his 4Runner (ours is in Colorado) to pull the boat out of the river. I got it winterized and put the trailering cover on. It should be ready to pull down to Iowa for the winter.

Holly, Lilly and I went to Serum's in downtown Anoka for the first time for lunch. We watched the Gopher game and I tried their World Famous wings. Mmmmm....hot.

Holly was able to go on a chilly ride with Madonna and Larry on Saturday afternoon. A bunch of friends met at Moonrock after their ride for dinner and some drinks. It was nice to see everyone again. The CrossShark made an appearance after a strong, mid-pack finish in the CX4 race.

On Sunday we carved Lilly's homegrown 37lb pumpkin:

Scooping it out

Here's how the lid goes on.

Scary!

After pumpkin carving we went on a hike in Elm Creek:

The park is beautiful now.

Ninja in the woods.

A nice dinner at Maverick's and then down to the airport. What a great weekend!

Long Time, No Update

2009-10-03T13:05:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since I updated. I've been out of town in Atlanta on a project management training trip for the past week. I've also been pretty busy at work and busy in my spare time getting housing paperwork rounded up.

First, a housing update. The people buying our house will close on October 28th. I'll be back in town the weekend before to pre-sign our closing documents allowing our realtor to handle the closing in the middle of the week. I'll drive a UHaul back to Colorado on the 25th. We close on our new house Thursday or Friday of that week. For now Holly and Lilly are planning to stay in Anoka until the first weekend in November so Holly can help her company get through month end before she leaves.

Our new house is a new construction house in Stapleton. Stapleton is a neighborhood in the city of Denver. This is an urban renewal project creating a big new neighborhood where the old Denver airport was located. It is designed as a sustainable community where things are within walking distance and houses are pretty close together. There is some research that shows neighborhoods become very closely knit in situations like this. There are kids everywhere and a lot of the residents are our age. There are neighborhood pools, trails, parks and schools all built with the philosophy of brining the neighborhoods together into one community. I'll post some house pictures shortly.

Last weekend Holly and Lilly did a 45 mile bike ride in northern Minnesota near the headwaters of the Mississippi river. Lilly did great! She was a little cold and hungry at the start but after it warmed up and she ate some food at one of the rest stops she was happy and singing.

This past week Holly and Lilly made some Halloween treats. Marshmallow ghosts and chocolaty treats.

Snow

2009-09-21T20:52:00.000-07:00

I looked out the windows of our building today at about 10:00 to see snow flurries. Wow. There is now a dusting of snow in the mountains. From near 80 degree highs this weekend to a high of 48 today. Only in ~~Minnesota~~ Colorado.

Holly and Lilly Weekend

2009-09-21T20:47:00.000-07:00

Soccer in a park

Holly and Lilly were in town this weekend. Saturday was concentrated on house hunting. We found a house we both like and are now waiting for the offer on our house to become more solid before we make an offer on this house. We spent a large part of Saturday out and about so that evening we stayed home and played in Beth and Geoff's backyard. We grilled and just took it easy on the deck. Sunday we took another peek at the house we liked and then spent time playing in the neighborhood parks and scoping out the distances to the pool and school.

Backyard

Lilly's new favorite website:

Badger, badger, badger...

Weekend Update with John Rotach

2009-09-14T19:02:00.001-07:00

Friday eve: Rockband at home then karaoke at the Hangar Bar

B36 made out of beer cans

Saturday: House hunting in the morning then mountain biking at Mt. Falcon in the afternoon. That's about as technical as I can handle while climbing 1,500 feet over the course of an hour. Ouch. Great views of Red Rocks park and the city from the top.

Sunday: A flat, windy ride out past the airport. Very nice.

Fall Already?

2009-09-14T18:56:00.000-07:00

Holly took the neighborhood to a movie, treats and Elm Creek Park. This tree seems to be getting ready for winter a little early:

1st Day of Kindergarten

2009-09-09T21:28:00.001-07:00

Today was Lilly's first day of Kindergarten. She said, "School is awesome, Mom!"

Labor Day Weekend

2009-09-09T21:17:00.000-07:00

Holly and Lilly were here in Denver for the long weekend. We drove through neighborhoods, looked at houses, walked to the dog park and farmers' market and went hiking. It was a terrific weekend and I was sorry to see them leave. Here are some pictures from the weekend:

Rock Climbing in Stapleton

Fat Sully's NY Style Pizza

Lookout Mountain Park

Balance

Dad and Lilly

The rock snowman

Mom and Lilly

Counting the Days

2009-08-31T18:39:00.001-07:00

Holly and Lilly fly out here this weekend. And they're here for four days. I can't wait.

Playtime

2009-08-31T18:34:00.001-07:00

A picture from this weekend:

Parachute!