The Fair Came to Town.

The Riley County Fair rolled into town this weekend and, with our friends, David, Diane, and Mila, we went with anticipation in our hearts and empty stomachs ready to be filled by funnel cakes, corn dogs and turkey legs. Rachel loved the mini roller coaster and Margaret, shockingly, loved the funnel cakes. Seeing our friends and neighbors and enjoying the cool evening temperatures made for a great night.


Rachel enjoying the rollercoaster.


Maragaret and funnel cake...love at first sight.


View from the ferris wheel.


Hey Rachel, how do you like the cows?

Alien Invasion!!!

We were having a nice afternoon of swimming when two aliens beamed down and took over the backyard. How frightening they were.

The Corn Family Has Returned.

Yes, the trip is over. The big experiment of camping multiple days with two kids under the age of six was a success. Rachel and Margaret loved sleeping in the tent, singing campfire songs, and hopefully, spending time with Mom and Dad. Our first night was spent at John Martin State Park in Eastern Colorado, which was a nice comfortable place to get our feet wet with the new tent and camp kitchen. Our next night was spent at the Great Sand Dunes National Park where we fell in love with the dunes all over again. I've been there a few times and Jennifer has been there once before, but Rachel and Margaret were first timers and their excitement was contagious. We took an evening hike into the dunes and watched a great sunset. We then went to Ridgway State Park where we spent the bulk of our time. This place was amazing and we're already planing a return trip. We spent three nights at Ridgway S.P. and hit Telluride for some good clean mountain town fun, and Ouray for some bubbly hot springs fun. Form there we went to Arkansas Headwaters State Park and found a great little campsite a few miles outside of Buena Vista with a great view of the river. After six days of sleeping in our tent it was wonderful to spend two nights wrapped in the warmth and hospitality of my uncle and aunt in Denver. We left Denver and headed up to Breckenridge with my sister, brother-in-law, and Rachel and Maggie's cousin, Ella. Life in Summit County was as good as advertised and we all had a wonderful time. It has taken a few days for the girls to get back on a suitable schedule of going to bed at a reasonable hour, but if that's the price we pay for two weeks of pure joy then so be it. Here are a few pictures of the trip, but if you want to see more then click this link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/cornbikerides/Corn2009ColoradoAdventure#


Our first ever campsite as a family.


Rachel of Arabia.



Telluride gondola ride.


More gondola fun.


Sisters on the Arkansas River.

Trip Alert

The Corn family has left the building. We will be back in a couple of weeks with great pictures and funny stories. Let the adventure begin...

Children of the Pumpkin

The Great Pumpkin has been growing in our backyard for months now and it was time to harvest. Sure, we've all seen bigger pumpkins, but I doubt any pumpkin has been loved as much as ours.



Giant dog with little pumpkin.


Pumpkin love.


Here it is.

Family, Friends and Fireworks.

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July. We went out to a small Flint Hills lake called Lake Wabaunsee. The water was warm, the friends great, and the fireworks were wonderful. There is something pretty cool about spending the day at a clean, spring fed Kansas lake. Watching the sun set behind the green hills while listening to cicadas and the laughter of children was something special.

When my buddy Chaitan and I traveled together around Europe many years ago, we had a morning toast, probably over beers or worse, that summed up the previous night's activities...it went something like this, "Here's to sleeping with your jeans on." It meant we hadn't been concerned with things like taking our clothes off before we went to bed. Well, last night, Rachel and Margaret, had the honor of going to bed in the clothes they were wearing. Good for them.



Happy 4th of July.


Rachel hanging out on the deck with new panda bear
and some fireworks.


Call the coast guard, Dad.


Margaret, Rachel and their friend, Bella, waving
as the boat parade floats by.

Home Away From Home

“Too often we are so preoccupied with the destination, we forget the journey.”

Good quote to launch the Corn Family Summer Adventure. In a few days we are embarking on a 17 day trip across Kansas and Colorado. The plan is pretty loose and there will be plenty of day to day decisions as to what we do and where we sleep, but the main objective is to introduce the girls to camping. For me, the simple act of setting up a tent, sleeping outside and listening to the sounds of nature is almost as good as it gets. The Corn women are excited and so am I.

Trailers, boats and tents...all great things.


Someday, but not right now.


Thank god we know the captain.


Really, there's a tent in there?


The REI Kingdom 6 without rainfly.


The girls giving the tent a trial run.


Our simple, but honest home away from home.