“Product of our burn pile, aka pumpkin patch.”
Back when I was a wanna-be hippy mama in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, I was an urban farmer. Before urban farming was a thing. I had dug and turned over a garden patch at every house we rented while Hubby #2 was in medical school and residency. We were poor as church mice and we needed to put as much free food as we could on the table to make our meager budget stretch as far as it could.
“Take my advice…bring chocolate next time you go to the DMV!”
How many vacations have you ridden along with me…vicariously? If you’ve been around very long, you’ll know I don’t do very well with “re-entry”. I’ve never just come home and smoothly transition into laundry and cooking and doing the everyday mundane things. And, it seems the older I get, the more difficult it is to come down off the high of a really good trip. And this one was a REALLY good one.
“Nana needed some baby snuggles before we went home!”
We made it back to West Virginia, safe and sound..thank you, God! But, we absolutely couldn’t go home without seeing the baby! Our little great grandson arrived nearly two weeks ago and we stopped to get a snuggle. Oh, he’s so sweet! We had the bonus of our great granddaughter visiting as well!
I have to tell you…we are so tired. I drove all but the last 20 miles after we stopped to see the baby. Just over 5400 miles since June 27th! I figured out the other day, I have been home exactly four days since June 5th. I knew this was going to be a busy summer but this is a little crazy!
“The vast cornfields of Iowa”
I don’t think I have ever seen as much corn as I have in the last two days. All of Nebraska and all of Iowa were vast expanses of corn fields broken by occasional little towns and villages along the way. I think I love the I-80 corridor drive much more than I-70. The cities you go through are not nearly as congested as St. Louis and Kansas City.
“Truckin’ across Nebraska”
Yesterday was a challenge. First, I was still so wound up from the wedding and the super long drive home, I couldn’t settle down and was still awake at 4:00 in the morning. We woke up at 7:00 and had to try to fit all the stuff from the camper into the bed of the truck and still make sure the tonneau cover would close. We finally made all but a couple things fit and were finished at 10:30. We waited till Ben got home so we could say our goodbyes and finally hit the road at about 11:00.
“Sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic up to Eisenhower Tunnel”
When I first moved to Colorado, Denver was a cow town compared to what it is today. In 1975, the Denver Metro Area consisted of approximately 650,000 people from what I can deduce for a graph I found. The population now is over 3,000,000! And it’s not just the Denver Metro Area. The states population has grown steadily….every single year. It’s crazy!
“The sun goes down on the evening before my baby’s wedding. My heart is full!”
Last night was amazing. Every fear and trepidation I had beforehand dissipated as soon as we pulled into the driveway at Hubby #2’s house. He was so gracious, as was his wife. Their house is stunning. Their dogs are the sweetest things. Daughter #1 and her family were there when we arrived and soon after, my sister- and brother-in-law arrived from Utah. Oh, my gosh! It was so exciting to see them all!
“While once sleek and shiny, these vehicles still hold a deep beauty.”
We left Ridgway yesterday saying goodbye to our friends, Linda and Jim. We both choked up…goodbyes have always been difficult for me ever since I lost Mr. Virgo. We just don’t know if and when we will meet again and it tears at my heartstrings. I know Linda loves Colorado, but deep down, she has that Ohio farm girl in there somewhere. I loved watching her as she listened to Mr. FixIt’s unmistakable West Virginia accent and she was transported back over the years and the miles to the home of her youth.
“Morning visitors on Loghill.”
Yesterday was my ME day. I told Linda when we arrived that honestly all I was looking for was her company and a little R&R. We’ve been running around like crazy and I just needed to sit and visit on their beautiful deck overlooking these amazing mountains. I knitted and we all laughed and had a wonderful time. We couldn’t believe it when it was 1:00 and we hadn’t done a thing.
“Clockwise from top left: At one of the many overlooks on the Million Dollar Highway, the beautiful little town of Ouray, our little home away from home, the falls up above Ouray.”
It has been three years since I’ve been in this area. I’d forgotten how incredibly majestic these mountains are. And high! We stopped so many times between Durango and Ouray to take pictures and just marvel at the scenery. I’m sure Mr. FixIt thought nothing could top Monday but as we drove yesterday, he just kept exclaiming over and over how beautiful it was.