June's blog update

It's hard to believe that June is gone! What a month it has been. All the Pollards participated in Bible Discovery Days (6/1-6/4), then came Future Preachers Training Camp (6/15-6/22). Neal directed, Gary and Dale went as campers, and Kathy and Carl spent about 12 hours a day helping in the kitchen and associated errands. Then, on 6/21, Kathy's mom, Joyce Gillaspie, came for a wonderful visit! It had been forever since we've had a real visit with her, but I cannot tell you how great it was.

Thursday (6/26), Rocky Mountain National Park:

Highway 34, entering Estes Park (which is a couple of miles from the park entrance)--









At West Alluvian Fan at the foot of Trail Ridge Road (in the park)--









The boys on a rock in front of the fan--









What a day for elk! Gary and I are hoping for a bull that close and that perfectly positioned in September--









They were everywhere (close up and far away)--









We must have seen well over 100 in the park that day--









...and more elk--









Frolicking elk--









Feeding elk--









Dale decided to make the trek to the top at Alpine's Visitor Center--









A view of Alpine from the top--









One of 8,149 reasons why I'm blessed to be married to Kathy (her physical beauty)--









We have cow tags for the hunt, too (We'd definitely take this shot!)--









Tuesday (6/24), we went to Mount Evans:

This is a view from the very, very top--









Distinguished visitors to the peak of Mt. Evans (Moma and Baby Mountain Goat)--









A view from the meadow--









Mom and "GG" (Granny Gary) were rather nervous about the ascent--









A ground hog, which can be found about anywhere (we have tons of them in the park across from our subdivision)--









Kathy and Mom coming down from Mt. Evans (Nature Center)--









Mom, looking into the valley below Summit Lake coming down Mt. Evans--









Me, enjoying nature at the Nature Center--









Marmuts were out in force that day--









FPTC's group shots:

First, the serious scholars--








Then, the silly scoundrels--






Happy 44th Anniversary to mom and dad Pollard (they enjoyed a June, 1964, wedding in Leland, MS; they live in Fayetteville, NC, where dad preaches)! We didn't forget you!! They visit us this August and will be here for Carl's 10th birthday! This week, as July begins, we'll have Virginia visitors (Nancy and Caleb Carter tonight, then Mike, Shannon, Michael, and Daniel Inge tomorrow). More to come next month...

May Update (look below for our awesome anniversary trip)

Happy middle of June to you! We've had a hard time finding time to update the family web log. This is a beautiful time of year in Colorado, but also a hectic one. Church activities are at their busiest in June, and the Spring was the busiest ever. Our collective family hobby has become hiking.

A view of the Collegiates from The Crags hiking trail (west of Woodland Park):









Gary up a tree:









Carl between a rock and a hard place:









Dale in a place known only to him:









We went with the Vaughts, good friends from church and avid hikers:









We made it to the top!









What a view, eh?









The kids had a lot of fun together. Bethany walked the dog all the way back down the trail.









Bible Discovery Days (aka VBS) at Bear Valley was great this year. Kathy and Michelle Balbin (seated, left) were in charge of memory work and singing. There was a program at the end of the week, which they coordinated. It was excellent! Kids are far smarter than we give them credit for being.









Memorial Day weekend, we hiked at Roxborough State Park. We saw these deer near the entrance.









It is so much fun to see the diverse beauty of CO from the trails:



















Miscellaneous goofing from Carl (L) and Dale (R)









The Petrillos had faculty and students over for a cookout at their home. It was fun, though the weather was incredibly chilly for late May.
Here's Carl playing in their back yard:









Kathy hanging out with her good friend, Lynn Hite:









A couple more Cozumel pics. Here are the boys in their neat tee shirts that are grey, b & w indoors but turn bright colors outdoors.









Kathy wanted this in the other blog, but it was easier to put in right here.









Earlier in the month, Denny Petrillo and I were on the West Visalia lectureship in Visalia, CA. He goes annually, but this was my first trip there. What a good church! After the last afternoon session, we made the decision to run up to King Canyon National Park (I bought a Golden Access pass and have made good use of it).
Here's Denny standing in front of the largest living things on earth:










Visalia's little airport is probably tied with Meridian, MS's, as the smallest airport I've ever flown a commercial flight into. That's all of it, as seen from my window on the plane.









An out of place photo, but Denny and I at the entrance of the park.







Each of us spoke twice on the program:




















Well, June still has MUCH in store for us. Many visitors are heading our way this summer. Sunday starts Future Preachers Training Camp. We have a trip planned to another National Park (with the Hites) after visits from Kathy's mom, the Inges & Carters from VA. Then, there'll be speaking engagements in Mississippi and Tennessee for both Kathy and me, plus my family coming in August and a softball tournament for me. Hopefully, much hiking will be done, too. Come see us!

COZUMEL!

Neal and I spent our sixteenth anniversary on the island of Cozumel, Mexico. It was even better than I expected! Altogether, we took 746 pictures, and we think each of them are perfect. But, as much as you all love us, you probably won't feel the same. So, we have sat down and pulled out some of our favorites. We hope you enjoy seeing a trip that is now a special memory for us.



When we got to Minneapolis, we were unexpectedly upgraded to first class--a huge surprise considering we were flying on award travel. Can you tell we are excited about getting away?



















We stayed at Ventanas Al Mar, the only hotel on the whole east side of the island. There was only one other couple (they were from Indiana) staying there and we only saw them at breakfast. We loved the hotel and the owners. We hope to go back some day.









Breakfast came with the room, and we enjoyed it outside every morning.









This was the hardest part of the picture selecting. We have so many beautiful photos of gorgeous beaches and waves and sunsets, etc.



















We just included this picture to look cool. We never even set foot inside.









These statues are at El Cedral, the oldest inhabited village on the island.









These frightening creatures were all over the island, but especially in the interior of the island where it's "jungly." We saw several while we were sight-seeing Mayan ruins.










This is our hotel. As you can see, we had the whole beach to ourselves. It was like this every day.









Foot loose...









and fancy free!









This picture is only here because Neal insisted. He calls it "the relaxed look."









The sign of a true vacation... lots of leisure reading.


















My favorite part of the trip--up close and personal with the ocean. We slept every night listening to the sound of the crashing waves.









These hanging plants were dangling above the breakfast tables.










Coco is the owner of the hotel and speaks very little English. He was extremely warm and friendly and served us coffee every morning with a smile.









Neal took this unforgettable sunrise picture from our balcony.









Here we are on a ferry headed to our submarine tour.









The Atlantis was the submarine that took us down 107 feet. Cozumel is famed for its diving and has the second largest coral reef system in the world.









None of the underwater photos turned out well, but our eyes have been opened to a whole new world of God's majestic and creative creation. The fish and coral were beautiful and colorful.




































The famous turquoise of the Caribbean Sea.









San Gervasio has the largest Mayan ruins on the island.













































Ready for Bible class on Wednesday night.









There's actually the Lord's church on the island. It also has a Bible Institute and an orphanage. Pretty amazing, considering the island itself is only 30 miles long by 30 miles wide.









This is San Miguel. We spent most of our evenings here shopping and enjoying the harbor.









This flag was on the back of the ferry taking us from Cozumel back to Cancun.










We spent our last night in Mexico (our actual anniversary night) in Cancun. We stayed in a gorgeous hotel and had a lovely dinner together.









I am so thankful that Neal put this trip together for us. It was memorable, relaxing, fun, and romantic. We love Mexico!