Family Fun and the 4th of July

My well-worn road atlas marked up by my dad from the 1st time
I drove to Colorado alone.

If I had to guess the number of times I've traveled from Utah to Colorado via I-80 through Wyoming I think it would be in the hundreds. I've been making the 600-mile trek to Colorado Springs since before I can remember. I made my most recent journey there from Utah  to spend the 4th of July holiday at my mom's. I was anxious to get to Colorado to see family and friends since it had already been 14 months since my last visit there. Pieces of my heart live in Colorado and after I've been gone too long they draw me back. It's definitely my second home--where I go to find the soothing my heart and soul sometimes needs and where I'm reminded of my history and my roots. It's my touchstone in life. It's 'home' to me even though I've never really lived there. 

Stopping for $.75 cones at Little America.

Gillian and my niece Regan came along on my summer road trip. This was our second road trip to Colorado together. I think we make a pretty good traveling team. Having travel partners always makes a long road trip better, and having these two in the car with me makes me especially happy. I love listening to their happy chatter and giggling. They remind me of summers and time spent traveling the roads of Colorado with my cousin Michelle. Just like Gillian and Regan we're also 9 months apart in age. Summer vacation time with Michelle was always special and something I still look forward to. I'm so glad Gillian and Regan are getting to create the same kind of special memories together. 

My brother Jon, sister-in-law Sam, and nephew Atticus were also visiting Colorado while I was there. I couldn't wait to see them! It had been a year since I'd last seen Jon and nearly three years since I'd seen all three of them together. Jon suffered a nearly fatal accident late last year and I've been longing to see and connect with him since. Gillian had also been anxious to see her favorite Uncle Jon again. We were both very happy girls when we finally got to hug Jon, Sam and Atticus and enjoy time with some of our favorite people!

We spent our first night in Erie at my sister Amy's. My nephew Mason was spending the holiday with friends, but the cousins went to visit him at his dad's Outback Steakhouse where he was just getting off work. They spent a few minutes talking and catching up before Mason headed off on his trip. Here's a picture from the last time we spent the 4th of July in Colorado. Can you believe how much our babies have grown up since then?

Mason, Hannah and Gillian - 2008.

Cousins 2015 - Regan, Mason, Hannah and Gillian.

Hannah made the trip from Erie to Colorado Springs with us to spend a couple of nights at grandma's. Gone are the days when the back seat was full of whiny, crying kids that made car trips to grandma's a dreaded undertaking. Now those same kids entertain themselves and me, laughing, talking and just enjoying their cousin time together making memories  they'll treasure for the rest of their lives. 

Off to grandma's - Regan, Gillian and Hannah.

We celebrated the 4th with a barbecue at my mom's followed by a walk through the foothills looking for the bear that had been seen near her house. We didn't see any bears, but we did learn what to do in case we ever do encounter one. Did you know you're supposed to talk softly to bears? I didn't. Since we didn't find any bears we headed up the hill to the Mt. St. Francis grounds in search of more adventure.

Regan showing off her gymnast moves.

We found mystery, adventure and lots of animal bones on the convent grounds of what used to be a tuberculosis sanatorium. Uncle Jon was the ringleader with all of the kids enthusiastically joining him in studying the many animal bones they found in the dry canal bed that runs along the grounds. A summer storm with dark clouds rapidly moving in, the many old buildings, a graveyard, church bells tolling and religious symbols everywhere added to the ominous sense of mystery that afternoon. Gillian took most of the pictures below as she documented our bear hunt turned CSI outing.

The rest of the trip was spent visiting family, showing the girls the landmarks of Colorado Spings, telling old family stories and visiting the Fine Arts Center to see a Georgia O'Keefe exhibit. The girls drug out grandma's old scrap books and family photo albums. I loved listening to them ask questions about everything they were looking at, interested in learning about their family history. They stayed up late into the night talking and laughing. They even dug through the guest room closet and tried on some of the clothes they found there. Gillian fits perfectly in her Aunt Julie's old high school Prom dresses. Seeing her in them breaks my heart and makes me smile at the same time. 

Looking at old photo albums and grandma's high school scrapbooks.

I always like to look at the family pictures my mom keeps on her shelves.
Baby Gillian and Mason are in the black & white picture. Weren't they cute?

Only Jon can get away with flashing gang signs with mom looking at him adoringly.

Ice cream at Josh and John's.

Uncle Jon discussing the fine points of street art with the next generation.

Leaving their mark on cousin Diana's office window. 

Visiting my 2nd cousin, children's book author Dian Curtis Regan.

When I got to my mom's and took my bags to my room I saw this sign in the guest room waiting to be hung up. I didn't realize it when I set out on my trip to Colorado, but these are some of the many things I'd been needing. My heart had been yearning for home and this is why. 

Summer So Far

How does so much time get away from me? I've had great intentions of chronicling my summer activities but haven't done a good job of that, obviously. To catch things up, here's a recap of this summer so far. 

May was busy as always with end of school year activities, getting my  new raised garden bed that Mike built me planted, potting flowers, a visit from my mom and a visit to Colorado over Memorial Day. 

Gillian won 2nd place in the District Festival of the Arts

She also had her first broken bone--a broken wrist from falling off a long board

Mom said she would help me with my gardening. This is how she helped. 

She did  at least dig out some vinca vine and made sure I captured it on camera.

Upper right - my garden just after planting in May.
Lower left - my garden today. Our tortoise loves having garden fresh lettuce.

My dogs ignore my posted warning. Luckily, I haven't had a similar problem with sailors.

Lunch at a former Colorado Springs school building now called the Principal's Office
with my cousin Michelle and my mom.

Another one from the Principal's Office. 

May was over before I knew it and June has turned out to be as full as May. In mid-June Mike, Gillian and I traveled to Boulder, Utah for the weekend to attend my older brother's wedding. It deserves an entire blog post, but for now I'll say it was the best wedding I've ever been to. It was the perfect mix of sophisticated, casual, country and lots of fun! Here are a some pictures.

In between work, traveling, yard work and the many activities that happen all summer long I have managed to set aside some time for relaxing on my back patio sipping Mojitos with friends. I have a handy supply of mint growing in the planter boxes that Mike made for me. I do love summer evenings on my patio! 

Lucy enjoying the summer sunshine.

Summer in the City

When, oh when, is life going to slow down so I have time to actually write the many blog posts I compose in my head? May was gone in a flash and June, full of summertime activities, is already rushing by. The month started with a busy weekend at a favorite local event, the Ogden Music Festival. It’s organized by a local non-profit, Ogden Friends of Acoustic Music, and features two nights and three days with full line-ups of bluegrass and acoustic music artists and groups. I only discovered this gem of a festival last year and can’t believe I didn’t go sooner! Not only is the entertainment first class, the location makes it even more appealing. It’s held at Ogden's Fort Buenaventura, a lush, green campground and park along the banks of the Weber River. The fort was the first settlement by people of European descent in the Great Basin area. It was established in 1846 to serve as a trading post for trappers and travelers. 

Ogden Music Festival at Ft. Buenaventura

This year I wasn't there only to listen and enjoy. I was working! Yes, me, working on a weekend. Mike has a new business venture. He partnered with the owners of our favorite local coffee shop, Grounds for Coffee, and turned a former SnoCone shack into a mobile coffee cart. The festival was the maiden outing for the cart and an opportunity  to see how functional it was. Since the title of barista isn’t one I have on my resume' I worked the cash register, which was actually an iPad. Gillian did a brisk side business (really, she was set up right next to the cart) selling snow cones. All in all, it was a great success. It also gave me a new appreciation for my cushy desk job in an air conditioned office. My legs and back were killing me after two days of standing for hours at a time!

SnoCones and henna

Me with Gillian, Day 1

While we were busy slinging coffee at the music festival, Isaac was in Idaho fighting in a boxing match. He won his fight with a second round TKO and is now the Idaho State Champion in the 145 lb. division! We convinced him to pay us a visit at the fort, bringing his champion belt with him.

Isaac with Mike and his coach Val

Last weekend was another favorite summer event, the Historic 25^th Street Classic Car Show. Three blocks of the street are closed with classic cars lined up on both sides of the street. The local arts festival was also going on at the same time and in the same area, so O-town was crowded and busy that night. My employer has been the presenting sponsor of the show for the past several years. Sponsors get to pick one of several winning cars, which means I get to pick a winning car. Not being any kind of a classic car expert my criteria is pretty simple, typically based on the cool factor of the car and maybe the color. This year my pick, a 1936 Buick Wildcat, won based on the cool factor. It had two engines!

On a more serious side, last week I had the honor of meeting a father who is walking across the country in honor of his son Jadin, who killed himself in February of this year. He is walking to raise awareness about bullying, homophobia and teen suicide. He started his walk in LA Grande, Oregon and will end in New York. Here’s a link to a local story about Joe’s Walk for Change. My dad and I listened to Joe share his story with a group of youth at the Ogden OUTreach Center, a community center and support group for LGBT teens. It was a very emotional experience, and one that left me in awe of the human ability to overcome crippling grief and to turn a horrible experience into something that helps others.

Yard work is also consuming my time this summer, although from the look of my yard it would appear I haven’t spent much time in it. I seem to mostly be fighting a battle to keep my lawn green and the weeds from taking over. So far I’m losing. At least my tomatoes, herb planter boxes, and flower pots are flourishing. Now I just need to find time for another favorite summer activity-- relaxing with my BFF on my back patio, enjoying a batch of Mojitos made with some of my fresh mint.