It was a banner day for Wandering Windmill today as his adventures brought him down south to the gates of the Colorado State Fair in Pueblo. Eli and I drove with my mom to retrieve some of her art work that had been on display there and windmill could not pass up such an opportunity to be so close to the State Fair – not to participate in its activities, however, but close enough at least to say he’d been right there-at the entrance, even!

Confused about The Wandering Windmill? Read on to find out how it became a part of our family’s adventures! The following is an excerpt from the original, August 3, post:

The Windmill Chronicles Chris and I think we are pretty funny. We get a kick out of ourselves, actually. Maybe we’re the only ones, but never mind that! This is perhaps why we find so much amusement in bringing along one more traveler to our family adventures. We have officially decided to keep a record of Windmill and his travels right here! But, first I should give a little background of how Windmill came into being and ask myself why I tend to give identity, ie. gender, to inanimate objects?

For a very long time now, we and our next door neighbor friends, have found humor in the idea of leveling off our two front yards that come together in the front quite perfectly in a sort of dip, adding a retaining wall in the front and building a miniature golf course. And, it would have to include a windmill in honor of Chris’s Dutch heritage. Just an on-going joke between us. Well, back in January this year, Chris and I and the kids were shopping at Lowes one Saturday and came across a building kit of a small, wooden windmill. Without hesitation, we bought it with the intention of building it for our neighbors as a going away present, should their house sell, and they decide to move.

They had decided they would only leave their house on the market until July 31 and if it didn’t sell, they would take it off and stay. In our impatience, and certainty that they weren’t going anywhere, on July 16 – just two weeks before they were to remove the “for sale” sign from the lawn – we decided to take the thing out and build it. We did, and realizing what a very small, very flimsy piece of craft this was, we kept it in our front rock bed for our own amusement – and theirs – when they saw it sitting out there. It was then that I knew this little wooden thing would become our version of Travelocity’s Roaming Gnome and be known as The Wandering Windmill.

So, without further ado, I will now unveil photographic proof of Windmill’s travels here. Enjoy!

The Wandering Windmill makes it all the way to Lyons, Colorado!

Windmill takes a breather by the creek in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Windmill won’t be spinning its blades at this altitude!

Windmill outside our favorite Estes Park pizza joint.

Outside our favorite brewery up in Fort Collins.

Windmill couldn’t pass up the home town brewery, either!

Oh, OK. One more stop at good old O’Dell’s Brewery. (We had to cut him off after that…)!