LITTLE ONE GETTING BIGGER

Lil Bop has been losing teeth left and right. She has lost 5 now. I think by Christmas, these will have grown in.


During the summer, we find a number of different camps to put her in while Mrs. Bop and I are stuck at our jobs. The first camp she went to was at the zoo. One day after camp, we decided to fly her kite for the first time. She was very excited.


It was a hot day, so after the kite flying, we went to the fountains in the park to cool off. She would stop in the middle, and when the water jets fired, she would take off running and screaming. It was very entertaining for me.


The camp she is currently in is an outdoor activities camp. They get a day each week of hiking, biking, canoing, climbing, and kayaking. Hiking is done on a trail at a nearby creek. Biking is done in the parking lot of her school and they are teaching her to ride a two-wheeler. The canoing and kayaking (and swimming) are down at a nearby reservoir. They are taught how to behave in a canoe, what to do when it tips, and how to enter and exit. They are by themselves in kayaks and have to paddle on their own. Lil Bop says she enjoys the kayaking. The climbing is done at a rock climbing wall at a park. Two weeks in a row now, when she comes home from climbing, she looks like Dbop at Halloween, circa 1984. She's a mess.


She is definitely getting older and into more girly things. She has an alter ego named Molly when she gets her hair curled. It takes some effort, but every once in a while we get a nice picture of her.


But, being a Bop child, we usually get something like this:

WARNING: LONG POST WITH GRAPHIC PICTURES!

SPRING BREAK AND THE REPERCUSSIONS:

A lot has happened in the months since I last posted. Biggest Occurrence: I had knee surgery. For Lil Bop's spring break from school, we went to Rico to ski and spend time with family. We weren't sure how much we would ski until we finished the first day. Mrs. Bop and Lil Bop had such a good time that they decided to ski every day possible. I, on the other hand, let my over-confidence on the slopes make the decision for me. But, a couple of hours before that decision, Mrs. Bop and I were having a great time.

Towards the end of the day, we were on a run and I thought I could bomb through a crowd of people on the mountain and get by quickly. I lost control while in the crowd and instead of hitting the girl in front of me, I took a dive. My ski did not release when it should have and my knee twisted all over the place. After the huge puff of snow died down, the rest of the group convened around me on my hands and knees with my forehead in the snow and my teeth clinched. Mrs. Bop asked if I was okay and with my sharp reply of NO, she knew I needed a moment. However, the good Samaritan that needs to help others to feel good about themselves would not leave me alone. Do you need help? Should I call ski patrol? What's wrong? Do you want my knee brace? What can I do? SHUT THE F UP! After I answered no to 20 questions, you would think this guy got the hint that I would evaluate my situation without his help. After what felt like forever to me, he finally left me alone. He did however call ski patrol when he left. Later, I would appreciate that very much. After my decision to walk down, the rest of the group skied on. After I had descended about 100ft, ski patrol showed up. I got to ride on the back (not in the basket) of a snow mobile, which was pretty cool. I got a ride to the car and that was the end of it. So I thought. I was expecting a week, maybe two, with a sore knee, and life would return to normal. After a month of constant aching, I decided it was time to see a doctor. By the time I saw him, it had been long enough to not get an MRI. With only the physical examination, the doctor told me I had torn my ACL. I could have lived the rest of my life without getting it fixed, but I would not be able to ski anymore or do anything that requires a pivoting move. So on June 12, I had ACL reconstruction surgery. It was pretty cool. The doctor went into my knee, drilled a hole in both leg bones and patched in a cadaver ligament. Over the next six months, my body will bring blood flow to the area and the ligament will be grown over with new tissue. So this is me, ready to be operated on.

Surgery was cool. I was at the surgery center (not the hospital) for all of 3 hours. I was scheduled for 8:45 am, showed up at 8 for paperwork, and was back at my house by 11am. They did not have me count backwards when they knocked me out. Instead, the anesthesiologist said "I'm turning on the sleepy juice", and my eyes fluttered and I was out. I don't think I would have been able to say "ten" in the time it took me to fall asleep. It was almost instant. While the doctor was working on my knee, he took pictures. I think it's cool; I have quality assurance photos from my knee surgery. I have more, but these illustrate what was fixed:

1. Torn ACL


2. Doc's probe in holes drilled in leg bones


3. Cadaver ligament in place


I stayed off of my feet for a week. When I went to the doctor for a follow up, he said the only way to get off crutches was to get off crutches. That day when I got home, I set them down and haven't used them since. I have physical therapy once a week with a list of exercises that I do twice a day. I have to practice walking correctly and reestablish my range of motion. It's a lot of effort, but to be released for sports activities in time to ski next season, I have to get it done. Here is what my knee looks like now. He did not have to cut me wide open to work. I have a bunch of holes with one small scar. Eventually, the swelling will go down and my knee cap will be visible again.


Two weeks after my injury, this is the only way I was skiing:

DID I MENTION MY KID IS A ROCKSTAR?

Lil Bop = Rockstar, v. 2.0: This Saturday was to be a day of Dbop fishing solo. Nice quiet day with no distractions except where to be a trout slayer. As I moved around the house in the morning, Lil Bop woke up and asked me where I was going. After she found out I was going fishing, she wanted to go. So, it became a father-daughter bonding trip. We started the day with breakfast burritos and a drive up Clear Creek Canyon. We stopped a few times to fish Clear Creek, but neither of us was having any luck. It was tough to find a good spot where both of us could fish near each other. After a tough start, I decided to head for the Blue River Inlet to Lake Dillon. A friend of mine recommends the spot, and now so do I. It had plenty of good spots that we could fish near each other and plenty of fish. I caught two small trout, while Lil Bop made history with her first catch. She did all the work. The only things Dad did were to get her rod ready and tell her where to cast. Otherwise, she cast, hooked, and reeled in her first fish all by herself.

SNOW IS COOL. REALLY COOL. COLD?

Part of the reason the Bops are in Colorado is that this here Bop likes the cold. I spent too many summers outside in south Texas to want to endure it anymore. I haven't posted anything recently because since Christmas, Lil Bop has had ski lessons every Saturday. That means every Saturday, I have gotten up at 4:45 am so the Bops will be ready to roll at 6 am so that Lil Bop will make it to class by 8:30. This Saturday is the first since Christmas that I get to sleep in. It hasn't been entirely torture. I do like to ski. The first time I had skied in almost two years was fun. Mrs. Bop managed to capture one of my finer moments.

I got myself caught in some waist deep powder. But, I was to be avenged. A couple of weeks later, Lil Bop had been kickin' butt in her lessons. One day after we picked her up, she wanted to show us that they had been going in the half pipe and that she could do it. Mrs. Bop and I were hesitant, but Mrs. Bop decided to capture the whole thing on video for posterity. All I have to say is that MY KID IS A ROCKSTAR. So's my wife.

TOTEM POLE TOUR '08

I know that we live in a part of the country that has some people that think a little freer than others. One of them happens to be my neighbor. But these are some interesting pieces of art to have in your front yard. I've noticed these poles throughout the neighborhood since we moved. So to cure some cabin fever today, Lil bop and I went for a walk. I knew of four, but found a fifth during our travels.

BAH HUMBUG

There'll be more when I'm not feeling lazy.

COLORADO CHRISTMAS

Last weekend, we participated in a tradition very new to the Bops. We cut down our own Christmas tree. For $20 (awesome), the Colorado Forest Service will let you go into certain areas that need thinning and cut down trees no larger than 6" round and no taller than 15'. The permit is a mirror tag and if you carefully follow the directions on the back, it folds into an ornament (ugly as sin). So we followed some friends to the cutting area, had a small lunch once we parked, and proceeded to hunt down the Bop's Christmas Tree 2007. After 45 minutes of looking uphill of the car, we ended up downhill of the car and found our tree in 5 minutes. Mrs. Bop's "I want to help" was helping decide on the tree, and being the historian for this expedition. Once the tree was decided on, I set to work on falling this behemoth of a tree.

The picture is a little deceiving. It took a little longer to cut it down because I was on the side of a very steep hill. But with a little perseverance, I had the family tree down and was hauling it to the car for transport to the Bop House.

After struggling to move the tree to the car, we had to document our conquest. Our friends took a picture for posterity.

The tree in the background makes ours look a little bigger than it really is. It ended up being around 7' tall, perfect fit for the Bop House. The next day, we had it set up and lit. No ornaments on it in this picture; maybe that will make it to a post in the future.

HOUSE IN OCEANSIDE

I've lived in many places during my life. The first place I have a memory of is my family's house in Oceanside, CA. We lived there while my dad was stationed at Camp Pendleton. I remember going to the beach during the summers and playing in the back yard. I have very fuzzy memories of this house because we moved from here when I was four.

WHERE I'VE LIVED

My brother Jack Army has gone to many places during his career, and that made me think about where I've been in my life. So, I'll start with where I'm living now. The Bop's just recently moved across town into a house. This is the first time Mrs. Bop or I have lived in our own house. It's been apartments or duplexes up until now. It's a nice feeling not having to worry about being or hearing the elephants upstairs. Lil Bop can jump and dance in the house without care (sort of -- we have hardwood floors) and she finally has a yard to play in. The funny part is I live on Cherry St. now.

XTERRA

The Xterra goes on most adventures we have in Colorado. So, invariably, it makes it into the pictures of our trips. This is from our trip to Burnt Deckers.

FISHIN'

I had to do the birthday present shopping for Lil Bop's birthday. Mrs. Bop was having a very busy time then, so it was left to Dbop. Lil Bop got from us Legos (cool), a video game (cooler), and her very own Barbie fishing pole (SWEEEET). Fast forward a couple of weeks, and it was time to put Barbie to the test. Lil Bop had a day off from school, so I decided to take the day off with her. It seemed like a perfect day for fishing. We tried three different spots along the South Platte River, had a picnic lunch; it was a great day. We didn't catch anything, not even a bite. Lil Bop said she had a lot of fun. I had a blast. I had a great day teaching her to fish. We worked on casting and reeling and she picked it up very quickly. Even though we didn't catch any fish, it was a great day with my daughter.

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS

Mrs. Bop received the news she passed the Bar exam in early October. As a retirement present to me, we went to Steamboat Springs to visit some friends for the weekend. We went on a short hike to Fish Creek Falls. These are the falls on the Coors beer can.

The weather turned nasty while we were visiting. We were there for the first snow of the season. I am glad to be in a place that has all four seasons.

LIL BOP'S BIRTHDAY

We celebrated Lil Bop's 6th birthday at the Butterfly Pavilion. This place was very cool. They had a girl come to the party room and show bugs to the kids. They were much more interested than the parents. After the bugs, we went into a huge atrium that took me back to Texas. Apparently, butterflies like hot and humid weather. I thought I had given that up when we left Texas. We got to see many beautiful and interesting butterflies and moths. We had some friends come down from Steamboat for her party, and afterward, we all went out to dinner. Lil Bop wore her favorite of the presents to dinner.

FALL FOLIAGE

We went on a drive to view the aspens changing a couple of weekends ago. We drove the Peak-to-Peak Scenic Byway. The views were spectacular. The drive started in Estes Park and ended in Blackhawk. We started the day by walking around Estes Park. While waiting for a crosswalk light to change, we saw the most interesting sign.

After driving for 2 hours, the Bops needed a break. Mrs. Bop was kind enough to take a picture of Lil Bop and I in front of a changing aspen grove.

THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD

We left Rico on Sunday. Yes, the holiday weekend lasts until Monday, but I like to rest from my vacations before going back to work. It takes 5-6 hours to get from Rico back to Denver. We stopped about a half hour into our trip for this.

The big nipple in the background is Mt. Sneffels. I climbed it. That's awesome. Once we were back on the road, the "get home now" mentality set in. And that's what we did. One bathroom break and 5 hours later, we were resting comfortably in our home. I think Lil Bop's self-portrait during the ride says it all.

GO BACK TO CALIFORNIA!

The Telluride Film Festival happens over Labor Day weekend. Mrs. Bop (AKA - Celeb Gossip Hound) wanted to go into town to look for any celebrities. During the gondola ride into town, we listened to some ladies complain about how this festival is so unlike the rest of them. You have to wait in line with the rest of the "people" and you can't just flash your backstage ho pass and walk in. I had the toughest time not saying anything. Once in town, we strolled along, checking everything out. From the obviously out of place Californians to the mountain hippies to everyday schmoes, the town had some interesting visitors. But, alas, our search was in vain. No celebs. We saw someone being interviewed, but if you don't recognize them, are they a celebrity? The gondola ride back to the car was equally exciting. We listened to two ladies discuss how great Daniel Day Lewis is and how the tribute was wonderful and how her husband actually edited the film. BARF! Mrs. Bop and I had a nice day enjoying each others company. However, during our tour of the town, I found my true calling.

Someday. Someday.

IT'S YOUR HOME!

It's mighty nice to walk into the house with out bustin' your ass on the ice during winter. So says Mrs. Bop. This is the hole the Xterra sleeps in, for now. It's a luxury for one we can afford right now. One of these days, the Xterra is going to have to share.

LIL BOP'S PHOTO SCHOOL

So, as I said before, the camera was a huge hit. She loves taking pictures of anything at anytime. She was lucky enough to catch the elusive pre-coffee Dbop.

More photos to follow as the artist completes her works.

BEAR CREEK FALLS HIKE

So the next day, we all went to Telluride for a relaxing day in town and a short hike. Our short hike was actually 5 miles round trip. The reward for such a long hike the day after climbing a 14er was sharing some beautiful Colorado nature with my family. We parked at Mountain Village and took the gondola into Telluride. From the bottom of the gondola, it's a quarter mile walk to the trailhead to Bear Creek Preserve. Two and a half miles in, two and a half miles out. The hike in was not without its trials and tribulations. Lil Bop tends to jump, skip, and do anything but pay attention to where she is going. Needless to say, this means that Doc Bop had to put in an appearance.

Once we were bandaged and ready for more hiking, we made our way to a wonderful waterfall at the end of the trail. We made this hike 5 years ago when visiting from San Antonio. Mrs. Bop enjoyed it this time much (MUCH) more than 5 years ago.

We finished this hike, spent a little time in town, and returned to Rico to have dinner and celebrate Lil Bop's birthday. We did it a couple of weeks early because Ma-in-law was visiting. Lil Bop received as gifts a nice sweater, long johns, and a digital camera. The camera was a huge hit.

FISH OUTTA WATER!

After climbing Mt. Sneffels, Gman and I rested in Ouray (soaking sore feet in a freezing stream--much needed). Mrs. Bop, Lil Bop, and the Ma-in-law went to Durango to do some shopping and we all met up at the house in Rico after lunch. So after climbing a 14er, how to relax? How about a little fishin? Gman and the Ma-in-law watched Lil Bop while Mrs. Bop and I headed down to the Dolores River which runs right through town. After walking around a bit, I settled on fishing upstream from a small bridge to a neighborhood. As we moved closer to the bridge, we found a friend.

Wish he was mine. He was very friendly, but five minutes later, he was gone. I wanted to fish just to relax and unwind for a litte bit before dinner. I wasn't expecting to catch anything. But, after two or three casts, I had one on the line.

The wife was so impressed. I'm a stud.
So, 13 day tally: 4 lakes, 1 river, 3 fish, 1 hangover, 1 concert, 1 mountain.