Mini-vacation in New Castle

After spending the week networking to find job opportunities, and pondering whether to be an employee, contractor, or do something completely different, I left with my wife Amy, 3-year old son Andrew, and our ancient dog Tango to New Castle Colorado (just west of Glenwood Springs), where my parents own a condo and my retired dad spends his time as a part-time fly fishing guide, full-time hunter/fisherman and gardener, and all-around small-town character (he seems to know everybody here). Other than your standard holidays, this is the first time I’ve taken a vacation since Amy and I spent 10 days in Panama last July. That’s way too long to go without a break, and this 4-day trip will be nice. My dad hooked us up with a great dinner: grilled elk and deer steak. But not just any old steak, this is the backstrap, which is a rare treat. My dad shot the deer himself last fall, and he traded a bunch of fresh vegetables from his garden for the choice piece of elk. Yummy.