On:
In: Life Reflections

I’ve had a wonderful week in Colorado, and I’m sad to put it in my rear-view mirror, but it’s time to get back to my life in Virginia. The perspective that different landscapes offer me emotionally is why I travel, and I feel more at home with myself now that I’ve had my fix of big, open country where wild is out your backdoor. I found out more about my own need for being outdoors and near water, and fly fishing will be happening in my near future. Virginia has some great trout fishing waters, and I intend to begin exploring them as soon asRead More →

On:
In: Health and Wellness

  Lately, I’ve noticed how often people, especially waitstaff, answer ‘perfect’ when I order something. And it drives me nuts. The conversation is the same…no matter where I go. “I would like some soda water.” Perfect! “I’d like the gluten-free pizza with non-dairy cheese and chicken.” Perrrrfect. I’ve always had a problem with this word, perfect, and the way it is loosely used, but when I’m ordering food? Are they saying my choice is perfect? or are they happy they don’t have to explain something or make an adjustment in some way? That’s just one way I hear ‘perfect’ used, and it always makes meRead More →

On:
In: Life Reflections

I prefer to travel where the pavement ends and my phone says, “No Service”. Let me also add, as long as I am in a high clearance 4-Wheel drive vehicle. For the last four years, my step-father and I have headed out West to explore forest service roads that lead to spectacular ruins and scenery. Today, four years ago, my mother died. She loved the West, and we go to remember her and reflect upon her life. We also go to unhook from our normal day to day life, and we philosophically explore what it means to live a good life. Forest service roads areRead More →

On:
In: Life Reflections

The river gave me more than a view yesterday…it handed me back my joy. I’ve always loved to fish. When I was a little girl, and dad told me he was going fishing early in the morning, I would get dressed and sleep in my clothes so he wouldn’t leave me behind. Not that he would, but he liked to tease me. This trip is showing me what I’ve been missing in my life since Dad died. He was my fishing partner for 50+ years, and I haven’t returned to it seriously since he died. That changes now though. I’ve fished in boats and onRead More →

On:
In: Health and Wellness

Yesterday, we traveled to Gothic, Colorado, and spent the day playing and resting peacefully near the East river. The valley past Gothic is one of my favorite locations near Gunnison. Gothic is an old mining town that turned ghost town fairly quickly when the wire-silver discovery went bust. Now, it’s home to the Rocky Mountain Biological Lab, where they teach students about the environment in this pristine location. My step-father and I found a beautiful spot by the river and spent the day there, and I discovered the joy of the sling. My step-father brought his sling and gave it to me to try. IRead More →

On:
In: Personal Growth and Sp...

Yesterday, I visited a place in the Rockies where limestone is transformed into marble. It was a heck of trip over the mountains on a forest service road from Crested Butte to Marble, but worth the effort. But what is marble, exactly? Marble starts out from limestone. Limestone is the accumulation of life that has been hardened into sedimentary rock made up of mostly calcium carbonate. Millions of years ago, the sea covered this area, and the tiny skeletons of gazillions of sea creatures hit the ocean floor and eventually hardened into limestone. Limestone is a very porous material… soft and brittle. But here’s whereRead More →

On:
In: Life Reflections

It’s not often that an experience leaves me breathless, but yesterday, my visit to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park did just that. The South entrance is closed due to fire damage so we took off from Gunnison, Colorado on Hwy 50, and drove to the North entrance to the park via Hwy 92, which takes you through some breathtaking scenery. Getting to Hwy 92 was a scenic treat, as we passed through Curecanti National Recreation Area. The road is not heavily traveled, and there are plenty of stops along the way to get a prelude of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. ItRead More →