Three Colorado Sisters

Hello again! Thanks for checking in with us! If you recall, Dorian and I were separated across our last post; he was leading a birding tour in Minnesota while I was watching cuddly bulldogs in New York. We reunited in Albuquerque (NM) on February 13, loaded up the car, and headed north to Colorado. We reached my friend's Boulder apartment in time to watch the Super Bowl, and we used the following day to hit the slopes at Keystone. The mountain wasn't crowded on a Monday, so the lift lines were super short. We took 22 runs, so it was a non-stop action. We were super sore afterwards!

Unfortunately, our reunification was brief. I dropped Dorian at Denver Int'l Airport early on the 16th (another birding tour, this time in Massachusetts) and headed to our next sit, in Evergreen, CO. The homeowners have used TrustedHousitters for years, and they've grown to trust the sitters who they source through the community. I couldn't arrive before they left the house because I need to drop Dorian at the airport, so they sent me instructions on how I could let myself in! Opening the door to the house, I faced three excited doggos. They immediately greeted me with kisses and subsequently guided me to the guest room as though they knew the housesitting routine. They were so sweet. This girl loves her chocolate, so I began calling them my three chocolate ladies; one dark, one milk, and one white! Am I right?!?!

My arrival time worked out great since it allowed me to get settled before a huge storm came through in the afternoon. The snow provided the perfect excuse to curl up with the pups, start a fire, pour a glass of wine, and (you guessed it) watch more winter Olympics. Pretty much my definition of heaven. The snow continued through the night, but I braved the mountain cold and headed out to play in a foot of white stuff the following morning. Evergreen is at 7,200 feet of elevation, and it didn't take me long to figure out how the tiny town got its name. There were beautiful trees in every direction I turned. Breathing in the sites and smells of mountains, I was totally relaxed. It was wonderful. 

I wasn't the only one who loved the snow. Frida really wanted to play catch/fetch, but the game was impossible because the balls kept getting lost. Switching it up, I opted for snowballs instead. It was hilarious to watch her chase after the "ball" and then look intensely for a disappearing toy 😂. 

Unfortunately, the snow wasn't all fun and games, and I confronted the steep, 40-yard driveway shovel-in-hand. It took me two hours to clear a path, but I didn't want to risk our car getting frozen in or the driveway getting so icy that I couldn't get out. I was wiped out afterwards!

Though Colorado receives a lot snow, it also gets a ton of sun, and the Denver region enjoys 300 days of blue skies each year! So, while winter temperatures often hover in the 30s and 40s, beaming rays usually make it easy to be outside. I explored the shops and restaurants in the center of town, and I checked out Evergreen Lake. It was frozen over, but that didn't stop the locals from enjoying ice fishing and ice skating.

But enough about me and more about the dogs. They're why you're here, right? The youngest, Frida (a.k.a Dark Chocolate), was an energetic, one year-old Labrador who split her time between destroying plush toys and terrorizing her older sisters. Despite that constant harassment, most of it playful, Abbey (a.k.a Milk Chocolate) clearly adored her younger sister. Whenever Frida wanted to go outside, Abbey would escort her, sticking right by her side. I caught the two of them hugging at several points, and their relationship recalled my own with my own sisters; no matter who harasses who, there is always love!

Ellie the Labradoodle (a.k.a White Chocolate) was the eldest. Thirteen years old, she spend most of her time snoozing. She wasn't shy about asking for love, and she'd occasionally jump only my lap while I took Zoom calls.

At one point, I tried to take all three dogs for walks at the same time. It seemed like a good idea -- until they saw the neighbor's horse! They dragged me across the snow-covered road and into a large drift, but at least I avoided hitting the adjacent tree. That experience suggested separate walks was a better idea, and Frida (the youngest and most energetic) and I enjoyed exploring the trails at nearby Three Sisters Park (appropriately named, huh? 😉). It was an absolutely gorgeous day. 

I collected Dorian from the airport late on the 21st, and we returned to the house under additional snow. Five inches accumulated overnight, so it was his turn to dig out the driveway the next morning. Dorian is VERY high energy, so he and Frida forged an instant bond, the two of them rolling around and rough-housing at every opportunity.

I'm going to sound like a broken record, but it was really hard to leave the three sisters when we departed on the 23rd. We loaded the car and as we were driving off, all three pups came to the side fence to see us off.   

Next stop? Not too far, just down Interstate-25 Colorado Springs! Stayed tuned for that post!