On the road again...

Mountain air
Pine trees
Humming birds
Rushing streams

Ahhh...Colorado again...

There's so much about this place that I want to replicate and package and bring back for all of you to see. And yet, as much as I run around with my Kodak sureshot and my sketch pad...as much as I attempt to memorize the sights and the smells and the sounds of this patch of God's earth, I fail all the more. And perhaps that's the point...the making of the duplicate would be the end of the wonder, and in the process of capturing as much of it as possible I run the risk of missing the experience all together.

And so, instead I sit back and re-live every memory, re-walk every trail, re-fish every stream to my hearts content like I've done since I was 5. The past 3 days have been ripe with bright sunshine, afternoon rainshowers, evening games with the grandparents, and fishing trips to the streams. We have eaten grandma's cooking (which is very good for the most part and only has a few landmines every now and again...ex. yesterday's lime jello/cottage cheese/celery/onion/pecan salad) to the point of bursting. We have walked in the wilderness and dreamed. We have gotten dirty and showered only when absolutely necessary.

Casey, who is soon to be a senior, is getting ready to take senior pictures and as she begins this process I've agreed to take an assortment up here. I may not have the professional look, but even I get lucky every now and again if I take enough pictures (so far we've snapped over 500). ...And of course we have the benefit of all the time in the world and the best backdrops you could ask for.

The family will sing in church on Sunday as we do every year...people stop us down by the stream just to make sure. The people who keep coming back here every year love tradition and old times. It's the blessing and the curse of a community like this, but it sets the tone for everything that goes on. The fact that most people up here have heard most of the stuff we know how to sing, and have bought our old CD and keep it on their shelves dutifully doesn't make them less hungry to hear an old friend's grandchildren raise their voice in song. We don't mind...though it is certainly not the same experience that it was when I was in 3rd grade and all I needed to do was walk on the platform to be declared "the best there ever was." Still, the privillege of being involved in this simple worshiping community with such regularity is humbling. The town hall only seats about 100, but upwards of 120 can be found on any Sunday morning. Some members of the town will quickly correct you if you refer to the building as "the chapel"...but it's hard to deny the strong presence of a church in the rough hewn building furnished with standing room only.

On Monday my Aunt, Uncle, and 3 little cousins will join us here for a couple of nights...then my family will head to another small mountain town (8 miles as the crow flies but a 2 hour drive) to meet my Dad's parents and sister for a 2 day visit. Until then, we'll enjoy the lazy ebb and flow of mountain towns with only a few worries per day.

Streams to fish.
Pictures to take.
Books to read.
Picnics to eat.

Ahh....Colorado again...