Geez, Another Picture Post!

First of all, I mentioned a Tibetan sand mandala that I didn't go see because of City Driving Issues (yeah, I know
we have a really good pubic transit system but I just don't like public transit *alone*). Happily, they left it (the mandala) in place through Saturday and we did get to see it:

It was done for Peace (Buddhist monks, of course it was done for Peace). They make their sand mandalas by using what looks like very fine cake decorating tubes, and then they sweep them up and away because preserving them would by a form of attachment. I was very happy to be able to see this one, up close and personal.
And since it was located in Grace Cathedral, I had to take one more picture of the Rose Window:

I LOVE stained glass! Wow!
And then we have Colorado. We had *such* a good time! I was telling my friends there that I hoped they would arrange for there to be colored leaves and that little nip in the air, and it was perfect! I think we missed snow by about one day in either direction, but it's too early for it to stay on the ground long and most snow disappears quickly in Denver anyway. Still, the guy at Dollar Car Rental tried his best to get us to upgrade to a bigger vehicle with four-wheel drive. We told him I lived in Denver for seven years and drove a Tercel for most of that, so no thanks, and he said, "Well, *I* wouldn't do it." Okay, fine, just point us to our little economy car. Which turned out to be a Ford. I dislike Fords (we had requested a Chevy), but it did fine for us, and there was no snow.
That was Wednesday afternoon. I was dead tired and felt pretty beat up by the time we got to our motel. On top of the usual bag-schlepping (and laptops are not all that light when slung over your shoulder, you know!) and sitting in uncomfortable chairs at the Gate and then having a futzy seatmate who did not want so much as an elbow to brush him (this was not David, of course - we took aisle seats opposite each other because we both prefer aisle seats), and an incredibly rough descent and landing (we rode an incoming cold front down off the Rockies -- whee!!!!!), I had this little adventure on the train. If you've flown into Denver, you know about the train. There is this little underground train that races you from terminal to terminal, with a few seats and some poles to grab onto and a couple of straps hanging down. It's a wild ride, complete with a jangly little tune that always reminds me of Gene Wilder on the boat in the original Willy Wonka. Anyway, we were on Frontier which is Terminal A and by the time the train reached us en route to Baggage Claim, it was pretty well packed with folks from Terminals B and C. We hurried on board and I looked around and there was nothing to hang onto and nowhere to move to where there might be. David said I could hang onto him, but I was quite sure that I'd pull us both down. He was able to reach the strap and that was the only thing I might have been able to grab but I'm too short. He helped me get a couple of fingertips around it, but I had to stretch, and the train was off and running, playing its cheerful little jangly song and the underground lights flashing past, and I was tilting and swaying and pivoting and really pretty sure I was going to fall and Create a Scene. The people next to us (both clinging to a pole that ran floor to ceiling, and how I envied them!) kept asking if I was all right, and I was not, but you know how you always say yes, you're fine? I said that. Remember Weebles? I'm pretty sure I looked like that. When we got to Baggage Claim, my right shoulder felt wrenched and so did my left hip from trying to balance. And then there was the shuttle to Dollar Car Rental and a long long wait in line. So on Wednesday, we drove to our motel, checked in, ordered pizza. I made some phone calls, took a deep hot bath and a Percocet, and we turned in early. But it was still very good to be there.
Thursday. Beautiful autumn day in my nice cozy familiar Denver:


It was amazing how quickly I felt like I'd never left. And one of those over-the-shoulder-without-looking pictures, quite surprised it came out this well:

Jen and Jonah:

At Micah and Kaiti's:





McKenzee was having nothing to do with us on this visit. When we first got there she came through the living room only a couple of times, and with a towel over her head so we couldn't see her, which was pretty funny. She snatched one single almond M&M from my fingertips as she passed, like she was a little squirrel, and scurried off to her parent's room, where she stayed whenever we were there. Micah took the camera back there and got photographic evidence of her for me.
But at the very end, when we were saying good bye and Madden was hugging us both and I was crying, she came out and climbed up into her mom's arms, and waved and said good-bye. Kids are interesting. :o)


Jen and Jonah at Micah and Kaiti's.
Friday we went to Boulder (and I forgot the camera!!) to visit Nina (who is doing SO amazingly well!) and then Nina went with us to check out the UC campus. I think it's UC -- anyway, the university there. David's looking for a place where he can do some advanced studies in Spanish when we retire (which could be coming up in as little as a year or so but may be delayed longer, depending on things like ... oh, the Ecomony). Boulder's been high on the list. The town is really appealing and so is the idea of having Nina and Billy right there close. We liked the school, the feel of it, you know, and we bought sandwiches and wandered through the bookstore to see their text books. David bought one in Spanish on Spanish Linguistics and I bought one called How to Read Literature Like a Professor, which I'm enjoying a lot and learning many things from. And dangling prepositions about.
The fly in this ointment is that housing is still pretty expensive in Boulder, even in the middle-class sort of neighborhoods. And the family in Colorado is in Denver/Lakewood. Further investigation reveals that the Spanish program available on the Aurauria Campus (of UC Denver) in Denver itself is also pretty darn good, and housing is considerably less expensive. We're not making a final in-stone decision yet, but Denver moved up a rung and I think I like that. :o)
Saturday we met Jaz at our old coffee/brunch hang-out, the Starbucks inside the B&N at Denver West. Ah, did we talk, or what? And I'm afraid I bought books. But they were classics, they needed to be bought. :;)
Sunday with family, including lunch with Noah at Hamburger Mary's. We opted for the patio because there was a football game on the tv inside and the cheering was so loud ... well, it was REALLY loud. I felt like I was in the middle of one of those soccer riots you see on the news. Anyhow, it was a cool place and the food was good and it was a great extra visit with Noah. (And we did actually see Robin - who was working a lot - but never when I had the camera up and going. I didn't realize I hadn't gotten a new pic of her till I got home. Rats.)


Monday with family some more, including Jen driving the two of us plus Noah out into the mountains.


Monday night we were there for Kaiti's candle-lighting and a chorus of Happy Birthday, which was fun,

Madden and Uncle Noah

and then it was sad, all the good-byes. But there will be a next time, and yeah, Micah, it's oh-so-very possible we'll be moving *home* before too much longer.