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Bro-cation 2008 was a success. The event started off the chain with my first ‘ghost ride the whip’ experience, as we toured out of Fort Collins towards Lake McConaughy.

11 Bros, one lake house, and two speed boats made for a great weekend on the lake. Let me try to share a moment I hope never to forget.

Finished with wake boarding for the day we motor up to the beach where the other guys are. “What time is it?” Jean yells. If time allows we will load up the tube and spend some time on the water. “6:50!” Richie yells back from the beach. Everyone wading in the water now has urgency. We must get the two boats back to the dock before 7. Doug and Richie are grabbing the cooler, and moving to towards the truck. I hop out of one boat to push the Invader off the beach. I get back to the boat I started in, with Steve and Jean. We are pulling away from the beach and Nick is running towards us.

We are about twenty feet from the beach as Nick charges into the water to join us. One folding chair per arm, cigar in mouth. I’m concerned about the depth of the water near the boat. Nick keeps fording at us. Deeper and deeper. Attempting to tread the water towards us, he is disappearing below the water. Hands busy with the folding chairs, he is sinking more than he is floating. Jean, Steve and I are watching, ready to help as he’s next to the boat, working to keep the cigar above water and lit. Working to keep himself afloat. We don’t have time. “Save the cigar,” Nick mumbles over the cigar. Steve is leaning over the edge of the boat, trying to relieve Nick of the cigar. I’m holding onto Steve so he doesn’t go overboard, but we can’t reach. There is no plan. While losing ground, Nick lets go of the chairs, quickly we grab the cigar. He reaches back for the chairs, and comes up with only one. We don’t have time. I work the wet and soggy cigar to keep it alive. Nick is finally onboard, and the boat motors towards the ramp. Principle, I think that is what lead Nick to finish that soggy, nasty, cigar as Jean drove the throttle into the dash.

Yes, this is Chad doing a few Dog repps for the ladies floating past.

While having dessert with Grandparents, Parents, Sister, Brother-in-law and their son Garrett, I was playing with my new iPhone. Looks like with ShoZu I can push pictures straight to flickr mattmatteson.com and facebook. Neat.

A tall plate of nachos and a beer on the patio of Old Capital Grill, with Crockett and Johnson was the start of the comfortably warm 4th of July evening.

We wondered up to the top of south table, where I had run to earlier in the day with Hydle. The view is always amazing. You should click on the photo above to see a larger version. As we waited for the Golden fireworks show, we watched the 10 or more other shows taking place to the around Denver. Our hike down was rewarded with a stop past Safeway for cheap icecream bars and Gatorade.

Looking at the picture you can see the Colorado School of Mines M lit in red white and blue to the top left. The Coors brewery in the bottom left. Traffic pouring out of the mountains on 6th Avenue. Not in the picture; Myself smiling.