Amber, Bryce, and Koen visited Hotchkiss and the North Fork Valley for a week. Koen? Koen? You’re somewhere in this photo, but where?

Koen and Papa, settling in for a post-picnic nap.

If it floods, at least one smart little cookie might keep his feet dry.

Yippee!

Cowpoke Koen, at yer service, ma’am.

We rented a H U G E truck, which Koen insisted on inspecting, prior to loading.

Inspection seems to be going well…

…with the aid of Gita, of course, who was so incredibly amazingly fantabulously generous
that she drove out with Amber and Koen in our Subaru, while I drove the big rig, thus allowing
Amber to accompany Koen in the back seat of our car for the duration of our drive from Hotchkiss to Denver. And she helped us unpack, once we arrived in Denver (as did John and Kim — thanks to you all — as well as Adrianna, Arlyn, and John on the Hotchkiss end, and any others who I failed to mention).

We swept, we mopped, we tidied up. And then Koen decided that wasn’t quite enough, so he treated the floor to a spit shine.

One of our multitudes of “going-away parties”. The last week was quite a celebration with friends who will be greatly missed. Here, Adrianna and Koen share some lovin’, while Amber and Gita enjoy the comforts of a country-style porch swing in the distance.

Koen demonstrates the practical applications of the C-clamp on Lee’s fingers.

We set aside a day to escape from packing, and drove over to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. Winding our way down steep-sloped cliffs lined with staircases of wood and stone, we came to a rest deep in the canyon, where we set up a gourmet picnic station.