52 degrees in boulder

Posted on January 26th, 2016 by mountain girl  |  7 Comments »

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The little reds and I got the grocery shopping done on Friday, and since Caleb was working and David was on call at home, the three of us spent Saturday down in Boulder. Boulder is just above 5400 ft in elevation, and the almost-4000 ft-difference between there and where we live (less than an hour away) equals about 20 degrees in temperature.  At 52 degrees and sunny, Saturday felt like summertime to us wind-whipped, chapped-lipped, scarf-wrapped, white chicken-skinned mountaineers.

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We had almost forgotten what sun on skin felt like as we shed our layers and soaked in the warmth. You can see there is still snow in Boulder–that hill in the distance is covered. People were sledding there, but the kids wanted to be as far from their snowpants as possible.  There were other adults walking around bundled up in coats and scarves, but I was in bare feet and a tank top, hah. They probably wondered where I came from.  About 50 minutes vertical of here.

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It felt amazing, like coming alive after a long hibernation in the snow.  Our snowiest time of year in the mountains (spring) is yet to come, but I really love the warm days interspersed throughout winter and spring on the Front Range.

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Our clothes were completely filled with sand when we got home.

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Zia is all about Shopkins these days. They are the hot trading item at school, and even Cash admires them–he swoons over “June Balloon” and “Marty Party Hat” at Target. I can’t quite feel the love for Shopkins, but of course I’m out of touch–I’m that weird kind of mama who hammers small bits of copper and thinks beetle-eaten tree trunks are the greatest thing ever. Expensive little plastic objects with eyes don’t hold much thrill for me.

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But oh! they ARE simply thrilling! So I let her spend all her money on them.

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The Shopkins-obsessed child

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and the Shopkins-unimpressed mother, haha.

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Shopkin lovers or no, there is nothing like sticks and sand and sun to make you come alive with happiness. So sorry for all you Easterners with your icy snowstorms. If it makes you feel better, this morning it was 10 degrees out when the kids left for school and the water bucket in the goats’ barn was frozen solid.  But this weekend should be in the mid 50’s again in Boulder, and we’ll be there, with sticks and sand and Shopkins. 🙂

7 Responses to “52 degrees in boulder”

  1. Mimi says on :

    I can just about feel the warmth….I’m grateful we’ve had a very good winter compared to the last, maybe 60 some years…seems that way, anyway. Only after New Year’s did we get anything worth talking about. We were totally missed by the storm that just hit NYC and other parts. Love the pics and the kids are really growing up so fast! Mimi loves them!!!!

  2. mountain girl says on :

    Glad the storm missed you…we miss you, too. 😉

  3. Yanic says on :

    That is insane to me : tshirts and sandals… Completely incapable of conceiving it in January!

  4. mountain girl says on :

    Haha I know, right? Good ol’ Colorado!

  5. Mom & Dad says on :

    Hi honeee…l love these pix – feet in sand looks GREAT!!! The lil ones look wonderful 🙂 luv u / mom

  6. mountain girl says on :

    Mom,
    Yes–it was great to find summertime just down the hill! 🙂

  7. Granny says on :

    Awesome photos. Zia looks more like her mum everyday. Chub is a combination of Caleb and his dad. That’s what I see ha. I feel blessed to share the blog and the family as they grow and grow very fast. Love you all Granny