retrospective

as with all well laid plans, one must remain flexible. such is our case now...

on wednesday we found out that my grandmother passed away in colorado. after much deliberation, i decided i needed to come back to the states to be with my family and my grandfather. after lots of phone calls, faxes, and emails, we got on a flight back to the US on thursday night at 10:45. long flights, requiring mike to take a separate trip to denver, via portland, and me to take a flight from sfo to lax, and then to denver.

we're so grateful to our dear friend kq who offered us a place to stay in denver last night and to her bf nick for the use of his car for while we're here. we also owe willie and toots, and d and m lots of thanks for watching over the house. i'm so thankful to have such great friends.

i have fond memories of my grandparents' house in colorado. they live in a small town in south central colorado with amazing views of the sangre de cristo and wet mountain ranges. as kids, we'd spend summers here playing with our six cousins who live in the same town. this weekend, all the grandkids are back together for the first time in at least 15 years, which is quite special.

my granny used to set up obstacle courses around the yard of her house so we could play olympics and track meet. she always had tons of candy around, and a big kiddy pool in the backyard to stave off the hot summer sun. during church, she used to let us sit next to her and she would pass us treats to tide us over before breakfast, which was always eaten at one of the town's two cafes after the 8AM mass.

as her arthritis got worse, her hands became so gnarled that her fingers became disjointed and awkward. this didn't stop her from holding your hand and stroking it with such force that you felt like she had the strength of a 30 year old. despite her pain, she always managed to tell lots of jokes -- many a bit risque or tawdry -- and her laugh was infectious.

my grandpa just told me, "if i could give up all my worldly possessions to get her back i would, but only if she'd be healthy." i know what he means.

we'll be in colorado until later next week, then flying back to portland. thanks to you all for your comments on here. i will try to post a few photos now that we are around free internet service again.

take care.