The Southwest
September 7, 2017

Ah, my favorite number - 7 - is coming up this morning as we return to the American Southwest, land of my birth with the familiar feel of home.  Those other regions we visit are surrounded with an air of mystery.  I’m never sure of the plant identifications nor sometimes the crops, history and customs.  I actually want to know what it’s like to live on those ranches in Montana where I saw the young man setting up his irrigation tubes.  I want to know how the locals fish the Yellowstone at those access points I saw.  I want the feel of living in the seeming isolation of crossroads settlements of only a dozen or so folks.  How do people deal with brutal winters or ‘gator-infested swamps nearby?  Why do others remain in barren hostile environments or in mosquito-plagued regions?  Do those always near the ocean begin to take it for granted eventually?  As much as I want to, I will not know how life proceeds in a town that virtually never has new folks move in.  Do those who have never known any but urban life know the lack of wilderness freedom?

By research and talking to local residents, some of my questions are answered, but many are not.  As I return home, though, I feel enriched by the experiences of places and people and the history of those who came before who brought us to this juncture, just as we prepare for those to follow, whether consciously or not.  In the end, we’re all just living our life as best we can.

We entered Colorado after a week with kin and friends and Kansas City, and what a week it was!  I marveled at how eight-old Trinity has grown and matured.  I reveled in being with Sara & Ray, a total immersion experience, both at our place and theirs, where we also hosted Ray’s mother Mildred and brother-in-law Bob and his crew plus niece Mary and her young’uns.

We traveled to Lamoni to watch Trin cheer at a Graceland University game and experienced our first virtual reality - both awesome!  We visited a cider mill, a big cat refuge that was inspiring in its mission, an amazing sauropod exhibition while seeing dinosaurs trooping through the room where we stood.  It was fun to walk a beautiful arboretum and experience its medicine wheel and to identify birds with Trinity.  There was a relaxing swimming day, fun cooking times followed by far too much eating.  We did chores around the house, danced and played, even planted a banana tree, and just plain enjoyed being with family who live far too distant.

My heart is full; the photos will tell some of the story.

Chris had to clean the acorns off the slides before we could close up shop - the only downside to staying at Longview Lake campground that Sara found for us.

Could it possibly get any better than this???