We returned home Saturday evening. I took the family to enjoy a long weekend in Colorado. It always seems difficult for our family to get together around the holidays. We've only done it a couple of times in the last 20 years. The last time we had everyone together at thanksgiving was a couple of years ago. The trip was long and exhausting and by the time we were done with the driving it was more than I wanted to repeat.
We decided to try meeting up at a different time of the year. Last year we went camping and that seemed to work out pretty good. This year we rented a house in Colorado. The kids got to play with their cousins. The rain and snow lasted almost the whole time. When we got a break in the weather we managed to take a short hike in the mountains.
I managed to spot some bighorn sheep, both times while driving. The traffic thru Denver was only slightly awful. I should qualify that. By big city standards it was fine. I've now lived away from that kind of mess long enough that more than 6 cars on the interstate at a time is too crowed for me.
I had to be back to work on Sunday. Last night my coworker pointed out that I hadn't taken that much time off (4 whole days) in a few years. Which is true, I've been doing 6 or more days a week straight for some time now. It was nice. I'm going to do my best to take the rest of my time between now and August.
I saw a quote this last week:
"Common sense is now so rare it should be considered a super power".
Your comment about crowded roads brought to mind something for me. When I was a young mom, we had moved from Vancouver down to east of Salem Oregon. Very small town. Well after getting used to that rural area, my hubby took us up to downtown Portland to purchase a specific camera lenses for himself.
ReplyDeleteThey were doing some major transit road construction, so rather than pay $3 to park for an hour, he expected me to drop him off and then drive around the block.
Bear in mind that I had only been driving for a year or so, did not know anything about downtown Portland. So the idea that I was supposed to drive around the block sent me into a panic attack so bad, my husband was forced to relent.
My kids were most impressed by the fit that their mom threw. Have never had to throw another in 38 years of marriage.
I can still feel the panic even now when I think about driving in the urban downtown area of Portland. Part of it may have even been that due to the fact that I am short statured, I can get a little claustrophobic when I can't see where I am going.
I truly do not think that God ever intended for His creation to live is such large cities. It does something to your soul that isn't right. Then there is the example of the Tower of Babel. God broke that up right quick.
Have never had to throw another in 38 years of marriage.
ReplyDeleteGot him trained to do it your way, the first time, eh?
I'm not a city person. I like wide open spaces and trees and lakes and rivers. While I like people, its in small groups, not large masses of humanity.
ReplyDeleteI've literally drove one corner of Wyoming to the other and with the exception of in a town done so without passing over a dozen cars. Which is probably why we can drive 80 mph in this state. Back when I lived in MT there was no day time speed limit, and no reason not to go 100 mph plus, except when you were in town. I always slowed down when people were around.
The one nice thing about all the extra precipitation we've been getting is that the rise in water level in the reservoirs equates to increased surface area for waterskiing, etc.
ReplyDeleteWe plan to take as much advantage of it this year as possible. Don't know if it will be as high again in the future.
The water level in the rivers was running pretty good and lots of the rafting companies were advertising. I would have loved to made an early spring run but melt down water temps with 38 to 40 degree air temp and little kids does not a good rafting trip make. Even then I might have made a try by myself had the sun been out.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how I'm ever going to top that Gore Canyon run we made a few years back. That was a blast.