Re.Cap.Andnothingelse.

Well, the disaster was averted. My computer doesn’t seem to be totally broken, which is great. Especially considering that my lively-hood revolves around the silly machine.

How is that possible? Sometimes I wish my lively-hood revolved around something real, or tangible. Like dirt.

Which leads me to admit that I do sometimes amuse myself by imagining that I own some huge garden or orchard or whatever.

But dirt. How much more real does it get?

Anyway. The computer isn’t that broken! So here I am, now able to write to you all.

And I don’t really know what to say.

Did I just say that?

I feel like I have too much to choose from and it is all very weighty and heavy.

I have spent literally ALL afternoon and evening writing about things that popped into my head on my vacation, and I am not even halfway through the list of things I thought about!

Let’s just say I have got a lot of good material, still stewing around in my brain, ready to explode into the blogosphere if I ever decide to put it there.

Knowing that my topics right now are all weighty, I will instead grace you with a few pretty good snapshots that maybe have a little thought to go with them.

To be real honest, I still feel a little drained. My trip was great, it was jam-packed, and it was different than expected. Not that I would be able to tell you what I expected.

It was the kind of trip that makes you have to come home and write for hours, do you know what I mean? To have to take a step back and ask yourself, “Ok, now what do I do with all of this?”

Maybe it’s just me, but I feel that way a lot (And maybe that’s why I am given to writing). I always feel this urge to KEEP MOVING. To keep progressing in my faith, or my character, or who I am as a person, so it is almost impossible for me to come away from most experiences and not let it affect me. I want it to affect me. I don’t want to stay the same. I don’t want to not think about things and let those thoughts get all the way into the core of me. I want to be different.

And with that, while I am still processing and sifting through all of my thoughts, here some pictures. I am sure they will be brought up to mention again.

We stayed at a friend's at the half-way mark on our way out to the CO. And her shower was like a theatrical performance. How awesome!!

Thank you, York, Nebraska. You supplied our needs on our going and our coming.

Let's just put it this way. The guy who harvested the elk, also wrote the book.
I'm not kidding. He wrote a book on elk hunting.

When I was a kid we drove past this castle once. And in that brief flash I snapped just this exact same picture. Something, as a kid, compelled me to tape this picture into the front of my Bible all those years ago, where it has stayed for all of those years. I don't think most kids do that. Taping pictures of castles in the front of their Bibles...

The Garden of the Gods. It was her first time. My second time. And her countless time.

Everything at the Broadmoor is made by hand. Everything.
At this very same little coffee shop I had a most magical experience when I was a kid. There was this woman sitting outside of it. She had a fabulous black suit on with a very large black hat, talking on her cell (which most people did not have in those days), and I decided right then and there that my ultimate goal in life was to be sophisticated.
My desires may have changed a little since then.
I also thought, at that same coffee shop, that ordering a cappuccino would give me something like the French Vanilla ones I would get at those gas stations with the really schmancy machines.
My, did I have lessons to learn.
Like the fact that there is actually coffee, which is bitter--not sweet, in REAL cappuccino. Which is the only kind they serve at the Broadmoor.

When you own the top of a mountain, you have to carve your back yard out of the forest.
Bears, elk, deer, fox, coyotoes, mountain lions, and cougars they told us are all frequent yard-visitors.
Obviously. Because nothing else naturally lives on top of a mountain.
And yet. I saw no elk.

I don't know what this was all about, but these signs were there at least every 10 miles.
I mean, what do they expect us to find in the median? We're in eastern Colorado! There is nothing anywhere! Why would there be anything we want in the median!?!?