Latest Happenings of the Harper Fam: April 2021

A pretty walk at Riverbend Ponds on 4/17/21

Today is a Tuesday in late April, and I started my day with a walk with my dear friend Stephanie. When yesterday was a gorgeous 70 degree day, it seemed like the forecast for today was disappointing, but actually the cooler weather made for an interesting walk.

Steph and I enjoyed wandering around Riverbend Ponds and we saw endless red-winged blackbirds, and even a heron. I had such a great time that Scout and I went back in the afternoon. At that point, the rain was just starting and we got a nice 35 minute walk in the quiet of the ponds ALL BY OURSELVES. What a gift!

Find the heron!

We didn't know what this bird was at the time but it's an egret

We loved the catwalks that led through the wetlands

Here's a little video of our walk to see if we could find the egret again (no dice that time)

From far away, we could see a huge group of pelicans

And at a certain point, a bunch of them flew off and we caught them in this video.

Look at the path

Funny story: There is a Canada Goose in this picture. It turned out to be a pretty nasty goose that fully hissed at us as we walked past. I think that it may have been protecting a nest or something, but one thing was for sure: Scout was NOT A FAN.

Ruby Dance on Saturday April 24, 2021

Ruby has been dancing with a dance school since she was in pre-school. (It was the Henry-Stashak Academy, and then it has been the Henry Academy for about 6 years.) They were able to perform at the Lincoln Center in town at the Magnolia Theatre. This was their first on-stage performance since December 2019.

It was so fun to see the kids have fun and be kids. It made me smile hugely beneath my mask! I loved watching everyone, and it reminded me that I am so grateful to Ruby's dance teacher, Mallory Henry. She has been such a gift. Despite the pandemic and making changes to the studio (last June, she closed her studio because she couldn't afford to sign a 3-year lease, so she combined efforts and offers classes in a studio that she shares with a local children's drama program), she has been such a source of consistent support for these kids.

With her buddy Sadie

With her buddy Isabel

Last June, I took these pictures with Ruby and Isabel and Mallory at the studio before Mallory closed things up.

Breckenridge April 17-April 23, 2021

When the pandemic started in March 2020, we had a few plans in the book that were cancelled. As a result, the travel companies offered us alternatives. With one opportunity, we brought the kids to Breckenridge last fall, and we were able to do the same thing this spring. Cory took vacation days and the girls logged in from their laptops to their virtual school. One of the perks of virtual school!

Cory did a bit of skiing, but it was already so late in the season that there were limited lifts running and there were spots with really limited snow. So, we spent time going downtown to the main street, and we found a jewelry/rock shop that was worth spending time in and a Starbucks. The kids enjoyed swimming, and we all enjoyed the movie room. All in all, it was a nice time in the mountains. We even got several sprinklings of snow--just enough to make it look pretty!