Beauty at the art museum

 

Nova looks like Alice in Wonderland. We've never visited the Denver Art Museum, but it looks amazing. Amanda said the girls didn't poop out on fine art until the 11th floor. 

Although, looks like there was opportunity for artistic self-expression along the way.

They are flying back to Seattle this morning and driving directly home to Twisp. That's a long travel day, but at least they spent the night in Denver, not Colorado Springs or Cripple Creek.

It was an unforgettable time, but we didn't realize how tired we were until we got home. A good week ahead for resting. We're starting a stretch of lovely summer days-- not hot, not cold--Seattle at perfection.

OK, here's a hack for grilling those raw Bratwurst, which often come out looking burnt, but not quite done inside. Cut them in chunks, skewer and grill with sweet Walla Walla onions. And pineapple. 

 

Tis' a gift

 

 

People who don't live here assume it "always rains" in Seattle. Actually, our summers are dry compared to other parts of the country (just turn on the news) and we can go weeks without rain. 

With our sandy soil, watering is by far the biggest summer chore. So what a sweet gift last night, laying in bed listening to a good rainfall. I did all the edging yesterday and John mowed, so perfect timing.

June is wrapping up (too) quickly. If only January flew by so fast...

It is a rare day when onions of some type are not consumed in this house. 

The Walla Walla Sweet onions are in now, grown in the southeast corner of Washington and available for only a few weeks. Unlike the harsher varieties, they are very perishable. I'm not sure if you can even buy them in other parts of the country, but worth looking.
 

Climb every mountain

 

 

The family at the Garden of the Gods yesterday in Colorado Springs. Not sure why that picture is so hazy red, but I like the effect.

They also visited the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and the Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun, built in 1937.

A great area for an energetic family vacation. We're pretty content recuperating at home this week.

And last but not least

 

This bittersweet Cripple Creek weekend was a long overdue family reunion.

This was the last time the cousins were all together-- June 2015. We were speechless. 

 Nova and Maya on the Molly Kathleen mine tour.

The Cripple Creek area has a long and complex history. It remains the richest gold mining district the country. The booming town of the 1890's had a population of over 30,000. 

As gold prices fell in the early 20th century, it morphed into a near ghost town-- the sleepy backward place I remember as a teenager. Our parents loved the close community and beautiful setting, so they retired in a little house they lovingly restored, now the site of this casino parking lot. 

 

 

 

We stayed in a historic airbnb across the street from where their house once stood. Yes, a rather sad view from the front porch, remembering all the old times. Anyway, after the approval of gaming, the town was forever changed once again as the big money arrived.

Cripple Creek lies at the bottom of an extinct, collapsed caldera. Every stone you step on has traces of gold and other valuable minerals.

 

 

And herein lies the problem. Above ground mining literally chews down entire mountains, destroying the natural habitat. Cyanide solution is sprayed over the huge heaps of crushed ore spread atop giant collection pads. The gold is leached out, leaving behind a wrecked environment. The scale of this has to be seen to be believed.

Anyway, the town still has tourist charms, like the roving herd of "wild" donkeys begging for treats.

The girls were thrilled, so were the burros with the granola bars.

They took the cog railway to the top of Pikes Peak yesterday (14,000 feet) and will enjoy a family vacation in Colorado Springs this week.

As for us, we flew home yesterday-- a 10 hour journey to Seattle. Cripple Creek is very remote. Travel, even when things go well, is pretty brutal.

The 9,500 foot Cripple Creek elevation took a toll on everyone and especially my sister, who worked the hardest making this memorial and reunion such a resounding success. She and my brother Dave are closing up the house this morning and will soon be on their way home.

A lovely day

 

Our memorial service day was perfect. All the months of planning just came together seamlessly, including the fickle Colorado weather cooperating.

The morning started with a formal memorial ceremony at the Cripple Creek Elks Lodge, including touching personal remembrances, a reading by Nova and Maya, an original song performed by my brother Dave and a closing prayer by our niece.

After the service, we all drove to the cemetery on a hill overlooking town under perfect blue skies.

Our parents final resting spot, looking west toward the Sangre de Cristo mountains in the distance.

Thank you Maya, for taking this wonderful video of the VFW flag salute. There was hardly a dry eye on the mountain.

We took many more photos of Cripple Creek, including our family reunion and other exciting local activities. I'll post more at home when I have time to sort through and a better Internet connection. 

We drive back to Denver tomorrow for our afternoon flight to Seattle.

Poignancy

 

On Saturday, we will bury Dad's remains in this lovely urn. Mom and Dad have identical urns, side-by-side, at the spot they picked out long ago. The cemetery crew has already opened Dad's space under their head stone. They left a shovel behind for family to fill in the small grave, after the memorial service and VFW flag salute. 

We did the same for Mom, which was a poignant and frankly, very western experience. We remember it as something totally unique to Cripple Creek and that beautiful place on the hill outside town.

Marji and my brother are in already in Cripple Creek after making long drives. Friends and family are arriving soon. We fly out early tomorrow morning. No big surprise, but there was a glitch opening up the house. Yikes. Plumber coming tomorrow for emergency water line repairs, and fingers crossed everything is flowing by Saturday's open house.

I'll check in over the next few days as time and energy permits. 9,000 feet elevation is a jolt.

The weather contrarians

 

I'm looking out on a misty, grey morning and listening to the furnace run. Once the clouds burn off, it will be a perfect early summer day. As usual, our northwest weather runs contrary to the rest of the country, now suffering under a nasty heat dome.

The next two days are busy as we're on final countdown for our trip to Colorado. My sister and brother (both driving long distances) arrive in Cripple Creek today to open our parent's old house and start making final preparations for the weekend. We are flying to Denver on Thursday morning with Amanda, Tom and the girls, and will rent cars there.

Dad's memorial service is on Saturday at the Elks Lodge, followed by a VFW flag salute at the historic cemetery, then a big open house. What a day. 

A true celebration of life, and also a reunion of family members who seldom if ever get together. Our parents would have loved that. There are no short or easy ways to get to Cripple Creek, so this turnout from all across the country really speaks to the love and admiration people had for Sam and Marge.

 

 

The historic Elks Lodge

 

 Mt. Pisgah Cemetery

 

June-uary

 

Yes, that's snow falling on a Fathers Day hike in the mountains outside of Winthrop. No heat dome for the Northwest, and another day of chilly rain in the lowlands before it feels more like summer. 

Temperatures will hit the 80's when we're in Colorado. Go figure. The sun is intense at the solstice and everything dries out instantly. Our kind neighbor will come over and water the pots. Big thank you, W!

Fresh fruit galettes are fun and easy to make. A slightly sloppy, free form pastry filled with fresh strawberries, served with a dab of vanilla ice cream. Now that's my kind of lazy baking. What's not to like?

Happy Fathers Day

 

Our family has been blessed with wonderful fathers, including Tom, John, Brian, Jordan, King, Dan, Dave G. and Jerry. And no longer with us but forever in our hearts, John Sr. and Sam.

"I believe that what we become 

depends on what our fathers teach us at odd moments, 

when they aren't trying to teach us. 

We are formed by the little scraps of wisdom."

Umberto Eco 

 

Blueberry pancakes and bacon for breakfast--  then tonight corn on the cob and a special rib steak I brought home from Hank's Market in Twisp. It's a chilly and somewhat stormy weekend in Seattle. Summer weather returns next week.

Onward

 

There was a sweet ceremony at the elementary school for the 5th graders this morning. The gym bleachers were filled with some tearful parents and grandparents. Maya is on the left in the line above. Onward to middle school in the fall.

But very much still kids...

Afterwards, they all had portfolios to show off, highlighting grade school projects completed since first grade. Fun stuff.

 

My new friend, relaxing on the front lawn without a care in the world. Tonight there's a school fundraising event at Twisp Works, tomorrow I head back to Seattle and we start a very busy week.

Tenacity

 

"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” Lao Tzu.

Cottonwoods thrive on floodplains, and can add up to 6 feet of height a year. Those unattractive stumps the beavers left behind on our property are already sprouting new growth. I guess it will eventually become a Cottonwood thicket.

Last night Amanda, Tom and the girls came here for dinner. I was happy to cook, because everyone is very tired from work and school. I baked a big pan of enchiladas (no leftovers) which is always gratifying for the cook.

The last week of school is filled with mostly fun activities for Maya-- her class is spending the day at Pearrygin Lake and tomorrow is "graduation." Nova talked about finishing some tests and being a high achiever (sound familiar?) was concerned about getting straight A's. Amanda is plowing through her online crash course preparing for the Board exam, the last hurdle. Tom, as always, is working hard.

Maya and I tried to make something called Tanghulu, a tricky Chinese recipe of candy-glazed fruit which is a current craze on Instagram. Our sugar syrup turned into caramel and it was a dismal failure. I was too busy cleaning up the mess to take a picture. Fortunately, we only ruined a little bit of this expensive fruit from Hank's local supermarket. No Safeway or club card deals here! I had the leftovers for breakfast on my cottage cheese.

 

Visitor from Mexico

 

The Western Flycatcher winters in Mexico and breeds up here in the Pacific Coast mountain ranges. Tiny, flitting birds, the best way to identify them is by the male's sharp song during nesting-- thanks again to my wonderful Merlin bird song app. They like the dense trees and insects along the riverfront.

I left Seattle at 6:30 yesterday morning and was in Twisp by noon. The drive was uneventful but always tiring, so I flopped down for heavy nap to the strange and soothing sound of the river. No sirens, no cars racing by? Where am I? The first day or so is always discombobulating. 

For a change, there was almost nothing to unload from the car. I finally have the clothing thing worked out. In the summer, and with the new washing machine, I can just come over with what's on my back. 

I do all the cleaning here but my one indulgence is having Methow Home Watch wash the windows once a year. Wow, it was nice to open the door and see them sparkling for the summer.  What a difference. 

This is the last week of school for the girls. In the fall, Nova goes to 10th grade and Maya is in 6th, which is middle school here and a big change. On Thursday, there's a 5th grade graduation for kids and families that sounds like fun. Amanda is studying for her board exam, on the final step for this degree. Everyone is busy. I'm just planning to hang out for a few days. No smoke, no heat-- perfect weather.