Stock Values

Last year, following their vacation in the Colorado mountains, Inna and Alex with their two charming sons, Maxim and Pavel spent a day with us.

This year they were back again exploring Colorado. This time they flew into Grand Junction and drove down to Colorado Springs before coming up our way. This year the two-year-old Pavel didn't come with them - he is vacationing with his grandparents in Michigan. Also Alex had to go back to work early and Inna dropped him off for a flight from Denver International Airport back to LAX in the evening of July 7th. Unfortunately, I was busy driving our Bay Area guests back to DIA at the same time and didn't get a chance to see him. By the time I got back home, Inna and the five-year-old Maxim were at the house.

I started a little bonfire for Maxim and Inna that evening before retiring for the night. The following day, Inna wanted to go to the Butterfly Pavilion in Broomfield. We had not been there before and were happy to join them in the adventure. The Butterfly Pavilion turned out to be quite entertaining for Maxim, Inna took loads of pictures; Lena and I enjoyed it, as well. Sofae, on the other hand, was being a pain and Lena was forced to carry her in her hands through most of the Pavilion. That is, until we made it into the gift shop. That's when Sofae came alive, playing with all the stuffed butterflies, spiders and smelling the stuffed toys made in the shape of flowers - how adorable!

After the Butterfly Pavilion we ventured to the nearby Zo Sushi and Thai Restaurant, which Inna selected ahead of time, based on some elaborate and highly sophisticated algorithm based of availability and unavailability of various coupons and discounts. I had a complete Japanese-style Mahi-Mahi dinner and Lena a Salmon one. As usual, we shared and ended up having a little of both. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and the reasonable price of the dishes we ordered. The fish was well done, as required by the traditional Japanese dinner style. The right amount of soy sauce used in preparing the dishes added a pleasant flavor without being overwhelming. Even the Miso soup, which can be dicey, satisfied the palate. Inna and Maxim ended up having the exact same dishes and thoroughly enjoyed them, as well.

Our appetites fully satisfied, on the way back home, we decided to take a stroll on the nature trail around Barr Lake. Located only about 25 minutes from home, this lake is absolutely gorgeous. It provides a refuge for waterfowl and other water loving creatures, among them, unfortunately, a large population of mosquitoes. After fighting off mosquitoes for about half an hour and Inna taking some beautiful pictures, including the one of the kids, attached, we returned to the car and headed back home. We finished the day off with another bonfire, by special request and for the benefit of Maxim - a great kid!

Inna and Maxim drove off in the direction of the sunset at around noon yesterday. They were planning to visit Denver Botanical Gardens before making their way through the Rocky Mountains and back to Grand Junction for a flight back to LAX. As much as we are enjoying our California guests this summer, it is nice to have the house back all to ourselves for a while. Thankfully, it will not be long before the next guests arrive...