Well, well. It seems I do still have a chunk carved out for myself in cyberspace.

Summer was fun. I started working construction for my dad, as I have every summer since I was 16, the Wednesday before finals week was over and didn’t stop until the week before school started. I really enjoyed it, as I usually do, and made some decent money to fund my adventures for the next year. There’s something about doing hard, physical labor that really makes me feel like I’m accomplishing something. It kind of gives me a sense of self-worth.

I spent the first two weeks of my job at the new Pharmacy building on campus, after which I moved to the new hospital down the street.I worked with some really great and honest people and hope I can work with them all again some day.

I never took my camera to work because a) it would most definitely wind up broken and b) I was getting paid to work, not take pictures.

I would have worked all the way until the Monday before school, but I felt a great need to visit Colorado, so last week the Misses and I took a trip out west.

I also moved into a new house on Conn Terrace with my brother, Elliott and my brother’s friend, Greg, a few weeks into the summer. It’s pretty baller.

So here are some photos of all the aforementioned.

A trip to Natural Bridge with LFrame

New room

New roomie. Greg shoots Elliott’s .357 at Lock 8.

Lauren is better than I am at cards.

Kansas.

We saw this mess from the interstate, and deciding it was probably a diesel fire, went to investigate. Turns out it was just some guy burning tires.

Colorado.

Sunset from our first backcountry site in Rocky Mountain National Park.

The Tahosa camp site. About 1.7 mi. from the Wild Basin Trailhead.

Stars

The trail up to Ouzel Lake.

Which, after a pretty steep climb, opened up onto a burn along a ridge.

Sunrise at the second camp site, Ouzel Lake, With Mount Copeland to the left, Ouzel Peak, and Mahana Peak. The tent is about 50 yards behind me.

The trail continued through the burn area past Ouzel Lake to Bluebird Lake at the base of Ouzel Peak.

I was hoping to avoid any afternoon storms that may roll through as the trail wandered through a boulder field.

Snow in August.

Bluebird Lake (10,978′) with Ouzel Peak and Mahana Peak.

I spent a lot of time looking straight down as I walked since every time I looked up I tripped over a root or rock. So I was rather surprised when I walked right up on these deer hanging out in the middle of the trail.