Denver Trip - Last Post

We went home the day after the party. The trip was easy and uneventful. We have been between KC and Denver on I-70 so many times that there isn't anything new to see or photograph.

A reminder as you look at the posts. the posts are in reverse order. The newest is on top so if you want to see the posts in chronological order, you have to go back the the first one time wise. You can use the index on the right side of the screen to find the beginning. You might have to click on a month (like May) to expand the list to show the posts.

Denver Trip - Day 5 - Post Graduation Party

Jarek's graduation was on Friday night, May 21, 2010. Cindy and Derick hosted a party the next afternoon at their home in Brighton for friends and family. You have already met some of the family in a previous post. I will not try to mention the names of everyone in the photos. There were about 30 people at the party.

Doug Carlson (Dale & John's cousin) appears to be giving Jarek some wise advice.

There was no shortage of food for sure. Denver style BBQ beef and pork were the main items.

Chaz and his big smile.

Derick's brother is a mortgage banker.

The old guys hanging out (John, Dale, and Doug).

Chaz getting ready for his ball game.

The main man of the day.

Best of luck to Jarek as he pursues his future.

Denver Trip - Day 5 - Sheep Shearing

On our way to a post graduation party for Jarek, we passed by farmers who were shearing their sheep's winter wool. Sigrid was pretty excited about seeing this so we turned the car around and went back for a look. Sigrid isn't bashful about asking questions and loves new experiences. Fortunately, the farmers were very receptive to the questions and the photos. The sheep in the photo below are awaiting their turn. It was pretty warm so they have to be hot with all that wool.

Now that's better.......probably almost chilly.

Collected wool. They were shearing two different kinds of sheep. Each has wool with unique characteristics. Sigrid got a sample of both kinds and you could feel the difference.

Pleeeeease be careful.

Hard work as you will see in the video.

Click on the Play button to start the video. As you will see, the sheep don't seem to mind the shearing. The sheep being sheared belongs to the little girl in the video.

Now, off to Jarek's party.

Denver Trip - Day 4 - Graduation!

It's the big day for Jarek! The family went to dinner together just before the graduation ceremony. For non-family members, some family tree information will help you understand who is who in the photos.

Dale is my brother. His wife is Lovena. Dale and Lovena have two daughters, Cindy and Luana. Cindy is married to Derick and they have two children, Jarek and Chaz. Luana is married to Mark and they have one daughter, Lexi. Beverly is Lovena's sister. Last names and exact relationships are not necessary. We are all family.

We ate at the Brighton Depot Restaurant in Brighton, CO. Can you guess the origins of the restaurant building? It was a very nice dinner in a private room at the back of the restaurant.

Those visible in the photo below are Luana, Dale, Cindy, Chaz, Derick, and Beverly (not counting the waitress).

In the photo we have Mark, John, and the others from the previous photo.

The two old men of the family.

Cindy, Derick, and Chaz.

Jarek is at the head of the table.

Lovena is standing next to the "Grad" sign.

Luana, Lexi, and Mark.

Jarek and his friend.

Sisters......Beverly and Lovena.

The man of the hour and Sigrid.

I would definitely go back.

Graduation took place on the high school football field. The weather was great other than being windy. There was an overflow crowd and we weren't able to find seats even though we got there at the supposed gates open time. We were on a chain link fence at the back of the end zone so you will see the back side of lots of people unfortunately.

School leadership enters the field.

And now the graduates to the tunes of a couple of bagpipe players. A nice touch.

Now we have the videos. Please understand that they were taken with a pocket camera without a tripod. Sigrid had to use the top of a fence post to steady the camera and hunch down to see the screen on the back of the camera to make sure it was pointed in the right direction. Sound was a problem because of the wind and where we were standing. You have to focus hard to hear what is going on. All that and we were standing next to about 6 girls who screamed in a high pitched piercing voice at everything and everybody. After one of the graduates got their diploma and the screaming was over, I heard one of the girls who had just finished screaming say, "Who was that?" Oh well, girls just want to have fun.

The first video shows the graduates marching on to the field. Don't be thrown off by the black void. Look for the play button and click on it.

This video shows the bagpipe players leaving the field after all the grads had entered.

The National Anthem being sung.

Diplomas being awarded. Listen carefully and you can hear Jarek Springs name being called. He is the very tall guy near the end of the clip.

The moment everyone was waiting for........moving the tassel from one side to the other and the cap toss.

As soon as the caps were tossed, the lights in the stadium went out and the fireworks began.

It was a fun night that Sigrid and I enjoyed very much.