Hip Hop

Justin took hip hop lessons July 18th through the 21st, then Friday family and friends were invited to watch the class perform.

Monday the kids started off the week excited. They did appear to have much previous experience, but lots of enthusiasm. There were probably nine or ten girls and three boys.

The second day the teacher began to string moves together. She has blond hair that flips across her shoulders. Her posture is strong and smooth, more ballet looking than hip hop, she looks like a satisfied cat.

Wednesday my son let me know we couldn’t watch his class anymore because he wanted Friday’s performance to be a surprise. He told me this as he dressed in two shirts and added a studded bracelet to his wardrobe.

Friday kids arrived with big smiles and lots of extra accessories. Girls had frilly skirts and boys had baggy clothes. And everyone’s hair had attitude.

Kicks and handstands moved a line of dancers across the room as family watched. Then the kids turned to watch themselves in the mirror, and performed a full routine. Justin gave himself to the music, his shoulders bowing with the beat.

July in the Front Range

This month we’ve had lots of rain for the past three weeks almost every afternoon. We live in a high arid desert area so seeing green instead of rock, pine needles, and dirt is not the norm. Neighbors say a decade ago wet summers sometimes happened, but they don’t remember a summer like this in the near past.

The Rocky Mountain Raspberry bushes that grow throughout our yard look better this year because of the rain. The white flowers, five petals with yellow stamens, lasted longer. When the heat takes over the shrub looks spindly and sick, but in truth that is just how this raspberry looks. The branches split easily, the bark chips, and the fruit is small and doesn’t taste good.

The beauty of many of the plants in our yard is knowing they grow among rocks and soil that few plants would tolerate. They appear quickly with rain and hang out as long as possible. They add color to a landscape that it 99% brown and green.