A Pantsload of Pictures From Colorado

I thought that it would be a good idea to finally put up some pictures from Colorado, because if I don't do it now, I'll procrastinate until the next time we go there for Christmas. I'm hoping to put up a whole collection of my favorite pictures from 2008 on ryansitzman.com, but we'll see if/when that actually happens. Anyhow, on our trip Angela and I both took a ton of pictures, but here are some of my favorites that I took:

Julien "The Catch" Katchinoff looks on as Angela prepares to down some Georgian firewater during the famous Pierogi Sunday, back in December. Yeah, that's the Georgia from Asia, folks.

A table loaded up with delicious pierogies at the Wawro household. My friend--and Julien's wife--Martha Wawro's family celebrates Pierogi Sunday every year, and I've had the priveledge to attend and gorge myself on delicious Polish food on three separate occasions.

Our friend Dustin, with his cat Elvis. He and his wife Sam are pretty big into humiliating their cats to bring their egos down a bit. Just another reason why we're all such good friends, I guess.

"Whooodamn!" says Angela as she exhales the firey fumes from a delicious basket of Jim's Wings.

Angela and I by the tree.

My dad Clarence, my sister Di, and my brother Paul, all waiting for a train at Union Station in Denver. We all went up to Glenwood Springs for a few nights after New Year's.

Glenwood Springs: A gondola took us up the mountain to go on a tour of some caves.

My dad and Angela, on her first gondola ride. She's scared of heights, so of course my dad shook the gondola. I comforted Angela by telling her that if the gondola got stuck and we were forced to resort to cannibalism, we would be sure to eat my dad first.

On the gondola.

At the top of the mountain.

My dad riding a sort of rollercoaster down the mountain. It looked pretty fun, but I'd forgotten my hat at the hotel.

Angela with her dream booty.

Our faces become permanently disfigured due to a quick transition from hot springs water into the cold mountain air!

I suppose that if you don't understand the backstory to this picture, it could seem confusing and even offensive. See, earlier in the week, my family was...well, we were basically mocking Costa Rican superstitions about going from hot to cold, or vice versa. According to every Costa Rican I've ever talked to about this matter (and I've talked to a lot, believe me), such a cold/hot transition can cause strokes, permanent internal bleeding, miscarriages, hemhorroids and, of course, a permanent warping of one's face.
For example, Angela once yelled at me for taking off my shoes and socks, and then putting my bare feet on the tile. Also, it's been claimed that a woman cannot open a refrigerator for the last three months of her pregnancy, especially not if she was just near a stove. Or was it the three months after the pregnancy?
Oh well, bottom line is, Angela was a good sport, and she even suggested we take this picture to show to her family back home.

The hot springs in front of the Hotel Colorado.

A nice view on the train ride home.

Another view. Sure, the train is slower, but it's really comfortable, it serves wine, and you get views like this from your coach seat!

Another train shot: Colorado is nice.

Angela nearly derails the train with her patented Sonic Scream!

Some more crap.

Nature, etc. Train fun.

Union Station in Denver.

Angela came back to Costa Rica with a little surprise! A nice, soft pillow for traveling!

Angela in the Miami airport, with the pillow once again (Thank God; That's enough booty to gag a donkey!)

We had about nine hours--from midnight to 9 am--to kill in Miami's airport. Nine hours of loud, shitty, Dentist's-Office Jazz and TSA announcements blared over the PA system. Miami International Airport: Your Cuban food is tasty and your carpets are plush and available for sleeping, but your music and repetitive safety announcements suck balls.

Something weird: A can of sweet yerba maté, the weird grass/tea drink that I like from South America. ¡Che! ¡Boludo!

Angela zonked out at Miami International Airport.

So, that's it for now. Hope you liked the pictures. And a big thanks a hello to all our friends and family who we got to see during this trip home. If we missed you, I hope we'll get to see you next time!

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