July 19,2006
These past days have provided layers upon layers of experiences as we traveled to Colorado to spend time with our children and grandchildren at a lodge near Rocky Mountain National Park. There was the moment when we all gathered, safe and full of anticipation for the adventures ahead, and then the poignant scene of lining up waving and waving goodbye to John-paul, the first to leave the group. We ate together, laughed a great deal, and made a first acquaintance with the American Dipper, a most extraordinary bird. It is gray and about the size of a starling, with the ability to go under the water of the swiftly flowing river and stay there, emerging some distance downstream. It feeds on tiny plants on the river bottom, and this particular bird was feeding its’ fledge which sat upon a rock adjacent to the river, bouncing up and down with wings quivering and beak open. The bounce was determined to be the source of the name of the bird, rather than the dipping into the water, or so the bird book declared.
One of our events was a serendipitous decision to attend the Roof Top Rodeo at Estes Park where we watched a part of the cowboy’s folklore come alive in the bronco riding, the calf roping, and the Rodeo Princesses atop very beautiful horses, wearing glittering chaps, hats and shirts and repeatedly riding around the arena. Our granddaughters were enthralled. You could see the entire range of mountains from your seats and that was enhanced by a beautiful sunset reflecting upon huge cloud formations climbing up and over the peaks. With large sacks of $2.00 popcorn, the event was entirely memorable.
After saying goodbye to the dear ones, we drove over three mountain passes to Aspen to listen to grand music at their well-known music venues, and we will conclude our summer odyssey at Vail listening to the New York Philharmonic playing summer concerts at the Gerald Ford Amphitheater located there. The unforgettable beauty of mountains and music helps to buffer the end of our long-awaited gathering and return to life “as usual”. All is well with health issues – so much so, it is easy to forget that they exist at all.