We stopped at Independence Pass, put on our coats, and got out for a quick photo opportunity.

July 4th:
Carson and Pierce, taking a paddleboard ride in the pond at the ranch
We arrived the evening before, but didn't start taking people pictures till the 4th.
We took a lot of photos on different devices through the day; this one and the following sequence are from Mary's Canon PowerShot.

There were two ponds, one with a beach (L) and one more for fishing (R). This is the view back toward the ranch house from the south end of the dike that separates the two ponds.

Owen (L) and Madison (R), fishing

Sky and mountains to the SW, with the 'beach' pond in the foreground

Beach party

The 'Z' boys, Zane and Zeke, playing with the paddleboard paddles

The back of the ranch house

Another view

The main sliding doors to the back patio

Patio and fire pit

Comfy seating

A yard crew regularly maintained the lawn, flower beds and hanging baskets.

There was a rushing creek down below the patio.

Broader view of the back of the house

Josh put up holiday bunting while Jenny offered guidance.

In addition to the main house, there was a bunkhouse, where some of the kids slept, with a half basketball court to the side.

There was a big open area in one side of the bunkhouse, with a big rope swing that Devon and Claire were putting to good use.

Big air!

Devon was an energetic pusher and Claire enjoyed the ride.

There was a path from the patio down to the creek below.

Looking back at the house from down the path

There was a relaxing swing at the end of the path.

We managed to get a photo of the whole crowd on the 4th of July, 2023.
Outer circle: Rachel, Cole, Josh, Jenny, Angela, Seth, Steve, Mary, Cindy, Jeremy
Inner circle: Claire, Zane, Reid, Max, Pierce, Devon, Ezekiel, Carson (in front), Owen, Madison

Carson and Pierce
This sequence of photos was taken with Mary's camera.

Jeremy was getting serious about making ice cream.

And Angela was getting serious about making cobblers. Or maybe they were both just thinking to themselves about their recipes.

Something is amusing her.

One of the beautiful hanging baskets around the entrances to the house

And another one

Mary really liked them.

Jeremy and Steve check the 'cookies and cream' batch that froze first.

Looked a little like putty, but tasted great!

Claire watched as Rachel gave Reid a little hair color treatment for the 4th.

Reid seems OK with it, but Claire doesn't look so sure.

A little touch-up

Claire gets her own coloring, with Madison, Jenny and Cole in the background.

Doubly documented

Josh models his holiday hair style for Jenny while Angela labors in the kitchen.

The artist at work

Jeremy touches up Zeke's hair paint.

Zeke's 4th of July look

Angela puts the finishing touches on one of the cobblers before it goes in the oven.

Jeremy gave Zane, Zeke and Max some pointers on pool.

Max takes a break for a photo opp with Cole.

Zeke lines up his shot while Max, Pierce, Zane and Jeremy look on.

Jeremy demonstrates using the bridge for Zeke, Pierce and Owen.

Zane chooses his shot while Pierce studies the options.

Max, Zane, Devon and Pierce, at the pool table

Jeremy helps Zane with a long shot while Pierce watches.

Back in the kitchen, mealtime preparations are heating up.
Seth, Angela, Madison, Josh and Jenny

Cindy joins the prep work.

Madison is camera shy.

Angela checks the oven while Seth does something to a big chunk of pork.

Is that honey?

Food starts to draw a crowd.

End of group of photos taken with Mary's phone

OK, going back in time...
This next group of photos was taken with Steve's phone.

Zeke, Zane and Owen, on the 'beach'

They are very focused on whatever it is they are doing.

Pierce and Carson, on the paddle board

Zane, wading at the water's edge

Angela, Pierce, Jenny, Josh and Carson

The problem with candid shots is...

...someone's always got a paddle in front of their head.

Zane and Zeke have an alternative use for the paddle board paddles.

Madison tries a little relaxing fishing.

Snow-covered peaks in the distance

The view from the back of the bunkhouse, looking west

The entrance to the ranch

Looking from the drive, across the basketball court, to the bunkhouse

Some of the many flowers around the property

Devon, adjusting the rope for Claire's next swing

Devon, Grandma and Claire

Whee!!

Devon, pushing Claire on the the rope swing in the bunkhouse

Devon tirelessly pushed and Claire happily swung.

Grandma watched as Devon tried the swing on her own.

Claire and Devon
Maybe sitting on the rope would work better.

Back to basics

Meanwhile, Pierce was helping Reid with a coloring project.

Jeremy takes out the second ice cream freezer, while Max and Devon look on.

Max, Zane, Owen, Carson and Zeke work on the second freezer, while Jeremy adds ice to the first.
The mixer had a motor, but Jeremy and Seth decided it would be a good time to give the kids the experience of cranking an old-fashioned ice cream freezer, like they 'got to do' when they were kids.

Not so easy

Zane takes his turn

Who's next?

Jeremy gives a demonstration while Zeke and Devon observe.

Devon takes her turn.

Zeke tries the taste of salted ice.

Zeke's turn

Max gives it another try.

Carson and Max

Carson gives it a go.

Devon watches as her Dad cleans the paddle from the first batch, Cookies and Cream.

She seems to be ready for a sample.

Angela and Claire try on their holiday braids, Zane and Rachel contemplate paints, while Grandma Mary and Devon work on bead bracelets.

Claire and Devon, modeling their red, white and blue braids

Zeke and Zane raid the snacks...

...but not before studying the ingredients.

Food preparation proceeds apace.

Cindy, Madison, Seth, Angela and Jenny

Cindy, Madison, Seth, Angela, Jenny

Table talk
Madison, Cindy, Seth, Jenny, Angela

Aspen eyes are watching.

The siblings and cousins

Claire, Zane, Cole, Rachel, Josh, Jenny, Reid, Max, Angela, Seth, Pierce, Devon, Cindy, Ezekiel, Jeremy, Owen, Carson and Madison

Looking at the house from the driveway

The front door is hidden behind those two spruce trees.

The east side of the ranch house

The front doors revealed

The outdoor kitchen/game room

The back of the ranch house

Getting ready to eat!

Mary, Rachel, Cole, Claire, Jenny, Josh, Carson, Madison and Cindy

Seth explains the options.
Cole, Josh, Carson, Madison, Cindy, Angela, Seth, Pierce

Dinner is served!

Seth, Pierce, Owen, Devon, Zeke, Zane, Max, Reid, Claire

Jeremy, Zeke, Reid, Angela, Max, Devon, Cole, Zane, Rachel, Claire, Madison, Mary

Ice cream is served.
End of series of photos taken with Steve's camera on the 4th of July, 2023

A geodesic dome Seth pointed out, on a hillside across the road west.

It looks like it could be used as a greenhouse.

We left on the 5th to go birding for a few days, but not before there was a little excitement at the ranch...

...somebody burned some bacon, the automatic fire alarm went off, and we got a visit from the local fire department. They inspected the house to confirm there was nothing to worry about and we went on our way.

After a day of birding in NW CO, we spent the night in Meeker and had a nice breakfast at the Meeker Cafe...

...which was attached to the Meeker Hotel. We didn't stay there, but maybe next time.

This is the pot-bellied stove in the lobby of the Meeker Hotel.

A shadow box on the mantle behind the stove, with a Wilson's Snipe, Northern Flicker and Horned Lark, with a couple of birds I don't recognize.

We traveled south and west the next day and spent the night in Delta, CO. The next morning we took a tour of the town, which lived up to its name as the 'City of Murals.'

It also had a lot of old, rusty autos along the main street.

We headed back to the ranch on Friday evening and found Zeke and Max entranced by some program they were watching.

Seth, Jeremy, and Mary were entranced themselves, by the flame of the fire pit.

Jeremy, Mary and Angela

Mary, enjoying the warm fire and a nightcap

Spooky Steve and Mary

Endearing Mary and Steve

The little cabin in the pines, or spruces, Saturday morning

And the swing set and tepee

George and Karen rolled in from Castle Rock, then Bryce, Alexa and Xander, from Denver

Bryce, Alexa, Xander and Karen

Seth, at the pond

After lunch, George took some photos of the Davis clan before we left them to start our trek home.
Angela, Max, Seth, Pierce, Steve, Mary, Devon, Cindy, Zeke, Jeremy

George insisted on a goofy shot too.

A cowbird took a horse ride in the field in front of the ranch.

And another

We left the ranch and headed west through Aspen. We should have listened to Bryce's advice about the traffic through Independence Pass; it took us hours to get through the two one-way sections of the road, with all the other people leaving the area after the holiday. As we finally started getting out of the mountains, into the foothills, we started noticing thunderclouds forming just over the rise.

Thunderclouds in the distance

And then we seemed to be driving into them.

As we approached the turnoff to I-25, we saw this lone bull elk grazing in the field to the west of us.

We finally made it into Trinidad, in the rain, and after dark, and stopped for a tasty, warm Tex-Mex dinner. The next day we drove on home, after a stop in Amarillo for lunch.