the week in partial review

Here are a few pictures from the past week with Nate and Jenn.  They've got some more on their camera that we'll hopefully get soon on our computer.  I've been dealing with a stinky cold the whole time they've been here, so because of that, today they are hiking up the incline in Manitou while I'm waiting at home coughing and sneezing.  I feel guilty for not being a tougher sick person, but I don't want to push it and be sick for another week, so bowing out was the best I could do, as lame as it seems to me.

This was from our hike in Eldorado Canyon.  The water was GUSHING, we were surprised to see so much of it.  You can't really tell from this photo, but Gabe thought it looked like a class 5 rapid.

Here is a lil snake we saw on the path:

This was right at the trailhead: 

Melissa mentioned something in her last post about how rarely her husband takes a serious picture.  I know how that goes:

We ran into Collin and a couple of his friends at the New Belgium Brewery tour we took in Ft. Collins.  It was kind of funny because the place where they do the free tastings was packed so Jenn took the initiative and went in search of some empty chairs.  The three of us just stood and talked for a minute, then Jenn motioned to us from across the room that she'd found some empty spots.  We crossed the room and the four empty seats just happened to be at the same table as Collin and his two friends.  So we joined up with them and had an even better time.
Nate and Jenn:

Gabe and I (note the serious face again):

Once again...
Here is the bottling part of the tour. All of the red is the bottle-tops:

Hand-blown glass bottle chandelier on the tour:

One of the tanks (?) where they brew with mosaic tile around the bottom:

And again...
If you like beer and live in one of the 18 states that sells New Belium (Fat Tire) beer, I encourage you to drink it.  They are a green brewery that does all sorts of admirable things, such as: 85% wind powered, the rest being powered from methane that they create and utilize on site; all sorts of other energy-efficient things throughout the whole brewery like sun tubes in the ceiling, and a bunch of stuff I don't really remember; they donate $1 for every barrel of beer they sell during the year (last year that ended up being almost a half a million dollars donated to non-profits and maybe charities); they were voted the number one place to work, beating out even Google;  on the first day of work, every employee is given a key to the entire place;  every employee is allowed one free case of beer per week, on the honor system--it can be picked up at any time on their own; everyone who works there for 5 years is taken to Belgium on an all-expenses paid trip with the founder and his wife; each year employees are given more stock in the company, so that after 7 years they are officially employee owners.  I'm sure there is more, but the point is, they are a good company that makes good beer (if you like beer, and I don't typically---but I do like a few of their brews).

I hope everyone's weekend gets off to a great start today!