Aspen!

Sessions in the morning, then afternoon in nearby Aspen.

Simple day: Short hike at a nature centery place. (Shown here.)

Today we learner that the beautiful black-and-white crow-sized birds are magpies. And twice we've seen what a local tells us is a scrawny coyote sniffing around. Nice to see new animals. Took the scenic route to spot elk on the way home tonight, but no luck.

Then a visit to a little park with a stream running through it. Sam and I went across the clear icy alpine water to explore a little island there.

Then he played for a LONG time with Sophie, a 7-yr-old who has two older siblings and was happy to be the knowledgeable one for a change. We chatter with her British mother who runs, with he husband, a restaurant up in a nearby valley between two peaks, which in the winter is accessible only by cross-country skis or horse-drawn sleigh.

All in all very pleasant.

Then returned library books, and wandered around and found a restaurant to eat at, the Red Onion. Ate outside while a hammered dulcimer was played nearby. Sam had a waffle while we ate trout, views of quaint buildings and mountains all around. Extremely pleasant.

Also pictured: a concrete structure in a small playground in downtown Aspen.

Tomorrow we drive four hours out of the mountains to Erie....