2019 Family Reunion

July 30, 2019
12:05 p.m.

A recent trip to Trinidad, Colorado was quite a fun time.

I started this story a couple of days ago, and of course I ended up a bit sidetracked in between posts!
I do get busy, that's for sure.

We almost didn't make the trip this year. Two of Dad's brothers had to cancel their plans to come, and it seemed like a bit much to go when half the family would be missing. But after Dad spoke with his sister, it was decided that we would go ahead and stick to the original plan.

We started out by renting a nice Suburban from Enterprise rentals. This baby took us home and back with only four gas-ups! The good mileage really surprised all of us!

There was plenty of room for eight adults, a little dog and a lot of luggage. It was fun being together through the whole trip.

Molly hasn't spent a lot of time in cars, so she was not happy at first. She calmed down once she realized she wasn't off to the vet or the groomers.

We got to Trinidad just in time for a beautiful sunset over Fisher's Peak.

 

Clearly, it is a mesa, but it was christened after Captain Waldemar Fischer, who ascended the peak in 1846. He picked a flower there, with the intent to send it to his wife in a letter. Romantic, huh?

 

The Trinidad History Museum is always a great place to visit. It is full of old photographs and period furnishings and household items.

This was my second visit, and there were plenty of new things to see this time.

The map of Mines, above, was particularly interesting, since out grandfather and great-grandfather earned their livings in those mines.

There are three buildings to explore when you visit--the main building and two mansions. Staff is friendly and helpful, and tours are available.

 

 

I always like to go to the top floor of this mansion and take pictures of the places across the street!

FYI--it's hot up there!

No matter what, I have decided that all trips to Trinidad must include a meal at Rino's Restaurant. All the staff sings, taking a turn on the mic as patrons enjoy excellent food. 

*FYI--don't try the Lemon Meringue martini. Yuck!* Okay, we all said yuck. Some people must love it, since it is still on the menu after my taste-test last year. 

Anyway, we loved our meals, and the entertainment was terrific! 

Last year, while visiting Reno's, we had a little ghost encounter in the basement. I didn't go down there this year, not because I was scared, but because 1. I didn't need the restroom, and 2. I wanted to check on Molly.

We didn't feel comfortable leaving her alone in the hotel, since there was no room for her carrier in the vehicle. Luggage for eight takes up a lot of room.  The solution, of course, was to leave her in the vehicle with the car running and the air conditioner on. I wasn't thrilled at first, but she did great. She was locked in, safe and comfortable. Nap time!




You could never do this in Denver. If you leave your engine running, you'll get a ticket. Luckily, there are a lot of places to eat there with outdoor seating.

Back at the La Quinta, we had great seats on the outdoor patio, and spent time visiting and laughing. There were some musicians with guitars--all family. Dad even played a bit!

 

 
Of course, no trip would be complete without a ride out to Trinidad Lake Dam.

The dam is relatively new, as you can see. The area where my father and his siblings grew up is mostly underwater these days, which is why we do reunions in Trinidad.

 

 The view from the patio at the hotel is pretty spectacular!

We took a less scenic route home. The eastern side is plains and ho-hum. What can I say, I didn't take pictures. We did stop in Broomfield and had lunch. My son snagged the grandkids and brought them over to say hello-goodbye. That little visit went by way too fast!

And home again! Whew! 

This is Shablo summer. Mom's side of the family is coming up in less than two weeks. So ready/not ready.

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Since our return, it has been busy around here, getting medical trips and such out of the way. 

And now, I must go and feed people, before they fire me!

Ta ta! 

July 27, 2019
7:09 p.m.

It took me a while to get back to the keyboard. I tried to get all caught up with June, and July got away from me!

One thing that has been happening this month is I was named Author of the Month on one of my favorite writers' pages on Facebook--Book Whores.

Yeah, yeah. But we Indie authors really do have to get out there and peddle our wares, and sometimes it can be disheartening, so I think the name is kind of cool and apt.

As part of my tenure, I did an interview with the page's administrator, Robert Crawford. It's on his blog, and you can read it here:

My Interview with Robert Crawford

I hope you'll read and comment. Give him some love, he asked great questions that I had to really put some thought into answering.

Thanks!
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July got started off with a bang--fireworks, don't ya know. I took precautions, like making sure Molly and I were safely downstairs where the noise would be minimal. Past pets have been seriously traumatized by the bangs and whistles.

I put on a movie and turned up the volume a bit, and hoped for the best. Molly fell asleep in my lap.

Where the fireworks got started, Molly woke up, gave me a quizzical look, yawned and went back to sleep.

So much for trauma. Hurrah!
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On the 9th, Dad's bang-up had healed sufficiently for the Ophthalmologist to do a complete eye exam and give him a new prescription, so we picked out and ordered new glasses.

They weren't going to be ready in time for the family reunion trip, but we didn't let that bother us.
We rented a Suburban for the trip. That was so nice. Eight people and a little dog, and we were able to get all our bags and goodies in with us with minimal squashing.

Surprisingly, that big vehicle did really well on gas, too. Overall, I'd say it was a great decision, and Enterprise Rentals made it easy and affordable.

 Trinidad, Colorado is quite a treasure trove of history, and we had to tour this house again. Because, of course we did!

I am always on the lookout for beautiful scenery to photograph, and most of the shots I took on this trip were from the moving vehicle.

We took a very scenic route going down, through the mountains of the west. Gorgeous!

 

 

 

When we go to Trinidad, we always stay at the La Quinta. We get lovely rooms and great, friendly service. They have a great breakfast every day, and lots of room to visit in the dining area or outside on the patio.

(Look at me, plugging the good companies who made our vacation nice!)
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8:10 p.m.

Oh look at this! It's time to dole out meds and get the flowers watered. I will continue with the reunion tomorrow!

Good night!

Catching up--June

Friday, July 5, 2019
7:38 p.m.

I forgot to show you the new driver of the famous car!

How cool is this?!

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And now, we are moving on to the saga that was June.

I started the month by flying DIA to RS again. But first, I used the Light Rail to get to the airport. That's the first time I've done it, and it's really fabulous. Yeah, there are a couple of transfers, but nothing huge, and the wait time is perfectly acceptable. Comfortable ride, too.

Plus, I met someone who told me a great story. I meet people all the time who want to tell me things, and I think it's pretty cool. I already wrote the story, so if you haven't already read it, you can find it here:
Refusing to Call Polka Dots Stripes

I'd write it again, but...I wrote it already! I hope you'll take a minute and check it out. It made my day.

I got to go back to the regular concourse, so that was good; I knew where I was going. The flight was smooth, we weren't late taking off, and all was well.
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June weather was weird--seemed more like April, chilly and rainy and there was even some snow. Nuts.

Things were going along fine, and then one day, Dad opened the door, Molly escaped, he chased after her, and boom!

So, Mom has taken some falls in the past year--she's even had a couple of shiners. But Dad made all Mom's falls put together look like pin-pricks.

He'll probably not appreciate me sharing the story, and I'm not going to share the pictures, although I do have many day-by-day shots of his shiner healing up.

But here's the thing--these things happen so damn fast! Just as I was going to check on them--I heard the door open, but then didn't hear anything else, and decided I better go find them--Molly came zooming in the open door, barking and whining, and I knew something was wrong. I asked her "Where is he?" She ran in a circle like she was chasing her tail, and barked at the door. I ran out, and she ran to Mom.

I found him across the street, on his knees, clutching his face. His glasses, bent to hell, were in his hand. There was blood on the sidewalk and seeping through his fingers.

Emergency room.

Brain CT showed no brain bleed, no retinal detachment, no bones broken. Thank goodness!!! But, wow! He was one messed up man. Big cut at the brow line, cuts on the side of the eye and underneath. He looked like he'd just gone 15 rounds with Mohammad Ali--and Ali won in the first round, but Dad was too stubborn to give up!

June 12th until today, and the bruising is almost gone. The wounds, made by his glasses, couldn't be stitched, so they were glued. His glasses lens is scratched to hell, but we can't replace it until he's totally healed and gets a new eye exam. I am an Optician, though, so I saved that bent to hell frame.

June was already scheduled up with doctor appointments, and this pretty much tripled things. So, it has been busy around here! Eye doctor is local, but his other doctor is in Salt Lake, so we've made two trips there already. Another this month after we go on a little vacation.

And now, to bitch: Why are there no doctors around here, for crying out loud? Everything is a trip, three hours there, three hours back. Sometimes overnighters. It's crazy.

I know, I have lived in a big city for a couple of decades now, and I can see any type of specialist without leaving town. I'm spoiled, I guess.

Anyway, I wasn't kidding when I said I have been busy. Dressing changes and trying to keep him from taking off bandages and scratching the healing cuts was challenging.

There's nothing worse than finding your parent bleeding after a fall and feeling responsible for it because you didn't realize he'd gone chasing the dog in time to stop him. I don't want my parents to fall down! I don't want them hurt in any way!

And I don't know how to be there every second to make sure it doesn't happen.

I need a clone.

These fall-down incidents make me feel like a terrible daughter. Logically, I know I can't be everywhere at once. Still, when I go downstairs to do laundry, or just to go to bed, I am constantly listening for any strange sound.

I can get up those stairs really fast when I'm scared. People make a lot of racket doing their everyday stuff, you know? You hear a thump, a crash, whatever--do you wait for a yell? Nope! Run like hell up the stairs. Sometimes you do have to pause long enough to be clothed, but, yeah. Run.

I'm torn between do it all for them and let them do it themselves. Honestly, it undermines their independence if you don't let them do what they are capable of doing, but it is kind of hard not to just say, "Here, let me do that."

June was a learning time, I reckon. Not lessons I wanted, but whatever. I'll do better. I swear.

But for the record--June sucked.
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So, I guess I've caught you up on the craziness. Now it's July, and for the love of all that is sacred, I hope it's a better month!

Later, gators!

Catching up--May, Part 2

Friday, July 5, 2019
6:20 p.m.

Well, we got through Independence Day. Happy Birthday, America!

Molly did very well with fireworks blasting. She gave me a few quizzical looks, like: "What on earth?" Then she went to sleep. That was a relief. Trixie and Rex are horrified by the 4th of July antics. Of course, there's a basement to hide in here.
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Back to May.

We left off with Mom's surprise visit to the hospital after falling down when she went out the front door to get her paper. Poor lady was not too happy with me, making her go check things out, but bumps on the noggin can be dangerous, and I take no chances with my Mommy.

She was a bit sore for a few days and recovered nicely. Thank goodness!
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At the end of the month, I again found myself in tiny Wyoming airport and landing in gigantic Denver airport.

As an added oh good grief, we had to land at a different, unfamiliar Concourse, where I haven't been in ages. There are three Concourses, A, B, and C.

Well, since I was in new territory, I decided to take the sky walk instead of the underground train, and that was interesting. I saw new things.

I was very glad I packed lighter this trip than I had the last one!

Off to the dentist and a new, permanent crown. Not as horrible a visit as the last one, thank goodness!

Doctor visit, orders for more stuff in September, and I am free to enjoy my weekend!

 We're not crazy! Honest. I love my granddaughters. I wish we were all closer together all the time, because this sort of tomfoolery makes me happy.
Plus, they are so cute! Right?

My grandson is starting to tower over me, and he's such a handsome young man!

My daughter, always beautiful!

Out for a nice dinner, talk and laughter. Such a joy!!

It does make me wish so much that all the grandchildren were in Denver. I want to see them all, so often they get tired of me!
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 And now--Denver Pop Culture Con!

Labyrinth!

A Mog--he's his own best friend!

Hodor!

The costumes never fail to amaze!






Remember when I said I hoped to meet Zachary Levi, since I missed him in Salt Lake City?
Ta da!

 
We're not that short--he's that tall! What a nice man!
There was a girl behind us in line that I was a little worried about. She just couldn't stop crying. I didn't get to see how she did when she met him, so I'm hoping she was totally fine. We were giggly and silly meeting "Chuck"/"Eugene"/"Shazam!"

I got to meet the wonderful Jim Beaver, but he wasn't doing table side photos. Sad face. He was very nice, and later called across the show-floor to tell me he loved my shirt! Yay! It is my favorite. I always enjoy watching Jim in whatever he's doing. He's also a wonderful writer!

Back to the Future! This guy was the best eyebrow wiggler. Made me giggle like a silly schoolgirl.

Christopher Lloyd!

She grew up watching these movies, and Doc Brown is such a big part of all our lives. What a huge character. It was such a thrill to meet him.

The car is cool, too!

 

This is our second time meeting the always-sweet Cary Elwes. I wasn't able to do photos the last time, so this was a huge treat! He treated my granddaughter like the Princess she is, and thought I was Mom, not Grandma. That's always nice.

We had a long day at the Con, and oh, boy, were we ever pooped! But it was fun!

 

Chuck Cos-Play that really made me chuckle. (See what I just did there? That was an accident, but I refuse to change it now that it happened!) This references one of my favorite episodes. Cheese balls. So funny.
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Full disclosure--we went to the Con on June 1st. But the other stuff was in May, it was the same trip, and that's all the excuses I'm going to make!
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Thus endeth the May catch-up.

Coming soon--June, horrible June.

See ya!