Home and Back Again

Last week was my first journey home to Colorado since 2004, really not that long of a time between visits. This visit, however, was one of connecting with family, more-or-less a mini family reunion. Originally we were getting together to do a memorial for my father, who passed away on Thanksgiving 2004, and maybe our gathering was just that...but we did not do an official "farewell" to dad...yet. He is still in an urn on my sister's piano...not forgotten.

Our trip coincided with what could have been my 35th wedding anniversary, if my teenage marriage had lasted. I found myself thinking back to Monday, June 7th, 1971....the wedding, the reception, the honeymoon trip, the beginnings. Interestingly, my ex husband from that era reconnected with our son, after 25 years absence, during this visit. So, there I sat across the patio at his parent's house, looking at the man who was my "young adult" mate choice. Our conversations tended to be frozen in time, with the only common memories from the early 1970's. I wondered if he was thinking about 1971.

The activities of the trip included taking my husband, John, up Pikes Peak on the Cog Railway. It was a wonderful trip, especially interesting to him since he is from the Dakota's. Later, we wandered around the mountain edge of the city, and we drove thru the Broadmoor. The day on Friday was spent taking my son around the city to places he wanted to visit, plus making a trip to the cabin property that burned in the Haymen Creek Fire in 2002. The weekend was a flurry of reunions with family.

Much of the trip is well documented with photos on my son's blog: http://ochimaru.blogspot.com/2006/06/grandpas-lake-colo-trip-continued.html

One outcome of the trip (that has my family amused) is that I lost my voice from too much talking. From that, it developed into a nasty case of bronchitis, and a bad head cold...and I've basically been in bed since returning. Regardless of feeling so sick this week, last week in Colorado was a blast!

S~