odds and ends:

a. went to a colorado rockies game last night. beautiful til about the 4th inning. then crazy downpours. we hid out in the nosebleed section (where it was covered) for about 45 mins until my mother insisted that we go. so after buying myself a new hat (yes, i've finally admitted that my favorite hat needs to be ditched), we ran several blocks thru the rain to our car. at least it was warm rain. fun times.

2. speaking of rain. average rainfall in denver is only 19 inches a year. since we have arrived, it has rained a number of times, including huge thunderstorms 2 nights. since the rain started last night around 9 it hasn't stopped.

we brought the rain with us from VA.

III. reminder (more for me than you) to post this great thing i found in a book i'm reading called 'the knowledge of the holy' by tozer. it's about mystery (just to give you a little taste-test). sorry, i don't have the book with me now.

D. today in the rain we attempted to drive up the tallest paved road in the united states. to the top of Mt. Evans. 14,264 feet above sea-level. one of colorado's "fourteen-ers," as they call them. we made it to 10,600 feet before the fog got so bad that we didn't think it was worth it to continue on. bummer that the day we picked to go it was so cloudy. still got some great shots of the fog over the mountains and at echo lake (see pic).

maybe next trip i'll get up a 14-er. anyone wanna come with me?

5. fun fact: because of the elevation change, if you move to an area like denver, over time your body will make about an extra pint of blood to help your body get more O2.

VI. rainbows abound here from all of the quick little storms that pop up in the afternoons. i've seen 2 this trip. interestingly enough, both in the same exact spot over the target parking lot. :-)

ok, folks. i'm coming home tomorrow. i'm kinda sad about it. i will miss my family very much. this has been a fantastic trip.