Buschman Family Reunion

Hello all! I am back from my out-of-town venture. And to where did I travel? you may ask. Well, we drove up to Colorado for a Buschman family reunion (Dad's side of my family) over the fourth of July weekend at this retreat just outside of Westcliffe. We got in Sunday after 4 pm and left Tuesday after 4 pm.


July 3

the lodge/inn at which we stayed

 Dad scoping out hiking trails as soon as we're done dropping our bags in the rooms

 mini congregation

Akiva and Neshamah (now going by Alia), the cousins that visited us three-and-a-half years ago

 Akiva and Ravi are still the best of friends; tackling some foosball

battling each other at air hockey

 

 the main building of the lodge and the mountain sunset

 absolutely picturesque landscapes

July 4

larger congregation in the lounge before the breakfast bell

we went into Westcliffe for a small-town fourth of July parade, which started very glamorously with these four horses and a guy behind them with a scooper and a bucket

 old-timey cars must represent America

classic Camaro (this one's for you, Maria)

riding horseback with flags and guns also represents America

 there's a New Mexico float with the gondola in the trailer

 some of the gang went across the street to the espresso place and watched the parade from there

 Alia and Penelope wielding balloons

 balloon fight between my youngest cousins (Akiva and Penelope)

tiny house!

 Amish buggies inconspicuously parked alongside cars

views from Westcliffe

post-parade cooling off before checking out tents and whatnot

we wandered through some old train cars

 this would be an amazing tiny house

 there's even little elevated living rooms when you first walk in!

later in the day, Dad and I went hiking; the shed by the stream

 perusing the creek

 the path ended quickly, so we bushwhacked most of the way

 Chacos on a log (and trying really hard not to fall)

 I'm head-over-heels for these views

 the old ski slopes

 the flies were relentless - this one in particular

 selfie on the slopes

 the lodge at the base of the slopes (which, wouldn't you know, used to be a ski lodge)

July 5

Grandpa Dennis decided on a family hike; waiting for the stragglers to arrive

Uncle Monte, Penelope, and Grandma Delia

 Aviva walking separate (she's my oldest cousin, now 22)

 Akiva ran to catch up to Ravi

 Penelope

 the fifteen-year-olds (Novalyne and Ravi)

 cotton like snow

 always being a weirdo

 Alia and Ravi posing and Novalyne refusing to acknowledge my existence

 the ten-year-olds (Akiva and Penelope)

 trees and sky

 we drove out to visit a wolf sanctuary and met some cows on the road

 the solar-powered, reclaimed-material sanctuary buildings

Abraham the wolf-dog

we went into the self-regulating greenhouse on our tour

 the outside of the greenhouse

 Max the wolf

solar panels and teepees 

Ravi and Akiva posing for a picture

 wandering wolf on the crags

group photo!
back row: Ravi, Aviva, Aunt Heidi, Grandpa Dennis, Grandma Delia, Aunt Lesil, Uncle Monte, Mom, Dad
front row: Alia, Novalyne, Akiva, Penelope

 Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico

 even more breathtaking views

So the next Pic a Day will be a two-week post; and some of the photos you see here might be selected as the picture of the day - I haven't decided yet, but you'll probably see a few of these again on Sunday.

(P.S. I took some 250 photos on this two-day trip, and selected 56 for this post.)