A week ago I was in Colorado. I was there to visit my grandson. Nathan. I arrived the night before so when I awoke it was time to get going as I was meeting Nathan for breakfast. I made a quick stop at Starbucks for my usual, a tall flat white, and headed north.
It took a little over an hour to drive from my hotel in Denver to Colorado State University in Fort Collins. Nathan begins his junior year in a few weeks.
Nathan and his roommate have a cat who has been living with them over the summer. Monty belongs to the parents of his roommate and they sent Monty to “summer camp” with the boys. He’s very cool. And large.
Nathan and I set off for breakfast at the Cafe Bluebird diner. He chose the perfect place to begin our day.
Breakfast was fabulous! Abundant. Fun!
Conversation with Nathan is always interesting. We often talk about computing, designing and building for various applications. I sound smart about it, but I have just enough familiarity and experience with the topic to hang on. I did appreciate his comment “you sure know a lot about technology.” ‘deed I do.
Nathan had offered to find some activity we might like. He did just that by finding The Gardens on Spring Creek. He described the place as having some loops to walk around after breakfast.
It was so much more.
It was fun identifying plants with our apps. Oh my, though, it was quite warm.
We took a heat break in the main building. There we were invited to enter the butterfly house.
It was filled with butterflies! We were cautioned to watch our step.
I’m thinking just now about the moment a door is opened and we step through. That got me thinking about doors in our life that we open when we’re traveling. Perhaps our destination is a museum or a garden or someone’s home. About that moment the door opens and you see…just a taste of what’s to come. Then you step in.
To soon it was time for me to go and for Nathan to continue his day. My trek to visit and have time, conversations, and joy with Nathan was definitely a “Rocky mountain high”.
Today I’m headed to the place described above. I have a breakfast date tomorrow with my younger grandson, Nathan.
Technically this is my Spring visit with him. He was too busy with his life in college to have me come visit last spring. I was happy to wait until now.
We are meeting for breakfast tomorrow. He told me he knows a couple of places we can go to for our meal. I’m really looking forward to our time together.
Colorado is such a beautiful place. I’m kind of prideful for having been born in Colorado.
It’s awfully beautiful outside my window as I fly by.
From Nathan: “I found a cool flower garden up here that has some loops to walk around if you’d like to go there as well.” Of course I want to go there.
I’d also like to ride alongside the Cache la Poudre River in his 1996 Volvo station wagon. We did this two years ago on my first visit to see Nathan his freshman year.
It was brutally cold, which required quick runs from the car to look over to the river; then a dash back to the car. I believe my dashing days are now over.
Bam! We just got slammed by what else, the Rockie Mountains. It was the winds coming across the mountains to where I’m sitting in my chair in the sky. I can’t see the Rockies, but I can surely feel their influence.
It’s so cool when clouds fly solo.
Patters of travel.
Descending I kept looking for the Rockies. I’ll have to wait to see them tomorrow.
Landed. A mile high.
It turns out I don’t have to wait after-all. Driving back to the hotel after doing some shopping for tomorrow, there they are.
I loved growing up in Colorado. I loved living here for a time. Still, when I gazed at the Rockies preview, my soul sighed.
I took a road trip last weekend. My traveling friend flew to Atlanta early Friday for a couple of days. I hopped in my Miata and spun my way south to the airport on the south side of Atlanta.
We had plans. First was dining at Ford Fry’s Superica restaurant, located in Krog Street Market. It turns out each of us was craving the same restaurant. It was long overdue to enjoy the food offerings at Superica.
It was just as I remembered. Tastes on another realm. It was so much fun to enjoy a Superica meal after so many years since the last time.
The reason for the weekend in Atlanta, was to take in an art exhibit at the High Museum of Art. The exhibit had opened Just days before.
High Museum of Art
Amy Sherald: American Sublime. It featured her renowned portrait of former First Lady Michelle Obama.
There I was, gazing at Michele, about ten steps away.
Other portraits were as impactful as Michelle’s. The stories of the lives of these individuals were deep, sometimes tragic, other times leaning toward a measure of joy.
The eyes of her subjects seemed to gaze right at me, telling their own stories.
It was Juneteenth and admission was free. The center entry of the High was packed. The garb that women wore was an art show unto itself.
We ended the day with a soft-serve treat. Art of another kind.
Fuse
The next morning, all rested, we began the day at Coffee Man. Coffee man definitely knows how to brew coffee and how to create a welcome space.
I love it when something else I might want to do, happens to be nearby. Especially when it’s WBB! (Women’s Basketball).
Well, the stars lined up. Indiana Fever and Atlanta Dream were playing a game the day after the museum exhibition!
Game on!
Over 17,000 in attendance. Packed with women, men, kids. Most everyone wearing a team t-shirt. Lots of noise! Lots of fun!
With tasty memories of lunch the day before, we wrapped up the day, by returning to Superica; followed by ice cream, of course.
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream
Delicious Delight!
It’s been a good while since I hopped in my car and took-off for the open road. The next morning I dropped my friend off at ATL at 5:30am for her flight home. I took off for the mountains.
Twisting and turning, quick exceleration when needed, swift, excellent lane changing. Yes, I was on the open road once more.
I squeezed in a short trip to Arlington, TX this week. A few weeks ago my granddaughter, Georgia, sent me this text.
“Hey Nana! Looks like the Dallas Wings play the Las Vegas Aces in DFW on June 15th”.
It didn’t take long for me to consider, research, determine,,,,
…then say, “of course! Let me figure out all the parts.
It was similar to a
Georgia met me at the airport. Jack, my grandson, joined us for lunch at Torchy’s Tacos a short while later. Delicious tacos! Even more delicious was having lunch with my Texas grandkids. Just us three.
The rest of the day we ate, had coffee and not coffee, then hung with the cat and dogs.
And continued to share our hopes, our intents, our now.
The next
talked enough about our lives enough to know all that needs to be shared.
o learn about lives today.
up to nowmostly catch up.
And talked. The best of all, listening to learned about their lives now.
atching up with their lives. Just listening about how they spend their time. Wor and play.
was so
Coffee
Bfsst with b and j
Breakfast. All
Lunch three
Dinner
Mon
Breakfast. All
Hanging out at Georgia’s home when not at Starbucks, REI, or eating once again. Lunch time.
The impetus for this trip was the Indigo Girls. They were to be in concert in Wilkes Barre, PA. I purchased two seats.
“Best thing you ever done for me, is to help me take my life less seriously”
After the church service and tour in Philadelphia, we headed northeast. It was a beautiful drive to Wilkes Barre.
“Get out the map / And lay your finger anywhere down”
My friend and I had purchased tickets for the Indigo Girls concert the day and hour they went on sale. Now it was close to happening.
“Well, I don’t know where it all begins And I don’t know where it all will end We’re better off for all that we let in”
Our hotel was just across the street from the theater where they would perform, giving us a short walk to the concert.
“And the best thing you ever done for me Is to help me take my life less seriously It’s only life after all, yeah”
I bought myself a fun tank top to wear immediately.
“Raise your hands Raise your hands high Don’t take a seat Don’t stand aside This time don’t assume anything Just go, go, go” “”I went to the doctor, I went to the mountains I looked to the children, I drank from the fountains”
The concert was awesome, of course it was. It was the Indigo girls after all!
I’ve been singing their songs since the last song of this concert.
“I don’t know what to believe I just show up and breathe”
Prior to July 29, 1974, the Episcopal church did not allow women to be ordained as priests.
My best friend and traveling partner is an Episcopal priest.
“The first women were ordained to the priesthood in the Episcopal Church on July 29, 1974. A group of eleven pioneering women, known as the Philadelphia Eleven, were ordained in an unauthorized, “irregular” ceremony at the Church of the Advocate in Philadelphia.”
While in Philadelphia a few days ago, we worshipped at the Church of the Advocate in Philadelphia. This historical market is on the church grounds.
Here we are.
The Church of the Advocate has not closed permanently, though it has suspended services in its main sanctuary due to severe ceiling disrepair and lost insurance coverage. Worship services and community outreach programs continue to operate elsewhere on the campus.
The Sunday service of Morning Prayer was in the Parish Hall/basketball court.
Fifteen, including us, gathered for the service of Morning Prayer.
It was a beautiful service of scripture, prayers, and hymns.
Following the service we all walked over to the closed sanctuary for a tour and conversation about the church’s future.
The ordination of original eleven, was in this very space.
For me, it was remarkable to be in this space, and to be reminded of all I have seen in my life as an Episcopalian.
It’s been a joy and a honor to serve the Episcopal Church and to recall the many women priests with whom I have stood side by side during worship and in service to others.
Last year I traveled to the Brandywine Area of Pennsylvania to see an Emily Dickinson exhibit, The Earthen Door, Nature as Muse and Material.
I loved the Brandywine area of Pennsylvania so much! So here I am this day headed to Brandywine, and other somewhat nearby locales. Oh the things I’ll see, I’ll hear, and I’ll do.
My flight arrives this afternoon, while my traveling friend’s flight lands around midnight. I will entertain myself with my hotel room’s window view of one of the runways at the Philadelphia International Airport. I love planes.
Airborne as I write, it’s a beautiful day to soar.
Cometsgirl 