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Texas Bluebonnets

15 Mar

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

                                                    

                                    

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Some of my family is from Texas – actually my brother and I were born in Dallas, but moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico when we were small children. But my mother’s mother (Granny) and her oldest daughter, Jessie, lived in San Antonio for many years.

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Consequently, I had known about the Texas Bluebonnets for longer than I really knew what they were.

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Even though Fred and I lived in Fort Worth for many years, it wasn’t until we moved to San Antonio that I really knew about the Texas Bluebonnets. And they are AMAZING! They have been adopted as the state flower of Texas.

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On the internet I found this: As historian Jack Maguire so aptly wrote, “It’s not only the state flower but also a kind of floral trademark almost as well known to outsiders as cowboy boots and the Stetson hat.” He goes on to affirm that “The bluebonnet is to Texas what the shamrock is to Ireland, the cherry blossom to Japan, the lily to France, the rose to England and the tulip to Holland.”  Well said.

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When Springtime comes to Texas – from the Dallas/Fort Worth area down to the Corpus Christi area – the Bluebonnets are in full bloom, from late March to mid-April. They are the most dainty, beautiful flower, and we’ve see just fields and fields of them – like a blanket of blue in some cases. I’ve been sent many pictures of them via e-mail through the years, and have enjoyed seeing them all.

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There is even one of Bluebonnets in the snow! Must have been a late storm – although Dallas/Fort Worth can have abundant snow in early Spring.

When we moved from San Antonio to Florida, I took some Bluebonnet seeds with me and planted them, hoping for some lovely spring flowers to remind me of Texas. No such luck! As I’ve just gleaned from google, they must be planted in the fall and have to have the wind, rain, and cold weather to make them leap forth in the Spring. And the panhandle of Florida just doesn’t have that kind of winter weather. Shucks! Oh well, I then planted strawberry plants and they did very well.

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But the Texas Bluebonnet is a source of great pride for Texas – as if they needed something else! And they are just a beautiful side of Texas that most don’t know about. I think a lot of people think of Texas as dusty, flat, and unimaginative. But it is full of great differences, including some of the most beautiful flowers in God’s creation.

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                       I’m just so glad I was able to see them, and enjoy their beauty.

 

For the beauty of the earth
For the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies.

 

Let Me Tell You About My Grandchildren Forrest~Part 2

8 Mar

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

 

 

As I began my story about my grandchildren last time, I told you that our oldest daughter and her husband gave us our first grandchild – a boy, Forrest.1

 

Last time, I forgot to add this picture. It’s one of my favorite pictures of him and his dad.

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Karen has often said that she was just a “vessel” for her children. They both take after their dad’s side of the family. And you can really see it in this picture.

 

There was a bit of competition between us and the other grandparents. Forrest is the oldest grandchild on both sides. As a matter of fact, the other grandparents (grandpa especially) tried to get Forrest to call us “Aunt Judy” and “Uncle Fred.” So we had to correct him every time we saw him.

In mid-1990’s, Fred and I moved to Florida. Brian brought his family down that first Christmas, and of course we went to Disney. Later, the other grandpa stated that HE had wanted to be the one to introduce Disney to Forrest, but then we “went to Florida and bought the place up!” One up for the Wills side!

When he was learning his “ABC’s” we would say a word association with whatever letter he spoke. He did fine until he got to “G” – and I would say “Granny.” He would just look at me and grin – but wouldn’t say Granny. Took him quite a few years to call me that. Never did figure out what the hang-up was.

Our family has always been heavily involved with whatever church we found ourselves members of. Karen was brought up in this environment. Her husband, Brian was the son of a pastor, so he was, as well. So it was no surprise to see that family heavily involved in their church. When they moved to the Chicago area, they found a large church that they loved. Lots of good Bible study and classes for the children.

About 10+ years ago, that church decided the Lord wanted them to branch out and plant another body of believers. They began meeting – and still do – in a local high school. Karen and Brian felt the Lord leading them to be part of that new body of believers, and volunteered to help establish it. But because it was a small grouping, Forrest and Katie still attended the original church for their youth functions.

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Forrest and Katie have both been on mission trips, sponsored by this church. Forrest went on several mission trips, including one to South Africa. He loved it all.

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He is a delightful young man. When he graduated from Wheaton College, he had some choices to make about employment. But his heart was in a Christian program called Alpha (alphausa.org). It is an evangelistic program that was started in England, but has outreach in our country and others.

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There is an office near where Forrest and Alyssa live, and he accepted a job with them. They are pleased to have him, and he is delighted to be working for the company. He loves the Lord greatly.

As I said last time, we are so very proud of Forrest, and thank God for his presence in our lives. God gets all the glory for this young man.

 

 

 

 

 

Let Me Tell You About My Grandchildren

1 Mar

SUNDAY MEMORIES

JUDY

 

FORREST

 

Okay, I hear the groans already. But I’m proud of my grandchildren and would love to 1share some of their antics with you.

We actually have two sets of grandchildren – one set from each of our daughters. And they each completed the circle with a boy and girl.

Our oldest daughter and her husband gave us our first grandchild – a boy, Forrest. They had originally thought to name him Ian Sean, but then realized that his name would, essentially, be “John (Scot) John (Irish)” and thought that wouldn’t do. So they named him Forrest.

Two weeks after his birth, the doctors discovered why he had been losing so much weight. The flap that opens between the esophagus and the stomach was closed over! He was, essentially, starving to death. So, at the tender age of two weeks, he had surgery to correct that problem. He’s not had any problems with it, since that time.

We’ve seen Forrest do some interesting things with his name: “4est” is just one of them. That was on the back of his t-shirt. I’ve seen “Forrest” with the top of the “F” curved over the remainder of his name.

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When he was quite little – even before he could read – he was playing a computer game, quite correctly, and having a great time with it.

Karen tells us that when he was in elementary school, he once told her that he was the smartest kid in the class, except for “Johnny.” When she asked why not Johnny, Forrest said, “Because I haven’t told him yet.”

This picture shows him to be a bit of a monkey – climbing everywhere.

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He was always interested in dinosaurs. He pretty much drew stick figures – like most small children – until it came to dinosaurs. Here is what he drew when he was just seven years old! Amazing!

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He was always a lot of fun to be around.

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He was, and still is, rather fussy about his hands being clean. Once when they were with us, he found a “candy” in our pantry and asked if he could have it. I told him he was welcome to have anything we had – but that particular candy had a gooey marshmallow center. He didn’t eat it. One Easter time we sent them some of those Cadbury “eggs” – you know, the ones with the gooey, runny centers. Karen told us that after he had bitten into it – and found some of that center on his hands, said. “What is THAT???!!!” and flung his hands to rid himself of that offending stuff. Fastidious.

 

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When Karen and Brian celebrated their 20th anniversary by going to Europe to re-visit where they met and fell in love, they left Forrest (16 years old) and his sister with us for the week. We took them to Disney, of course. While at EPCOT, Forrest kept asking us if we were tired, and assured us that they would be happy to go home, rest, and come back later. I finally stopped him and asked, “Forrest – did your dad tell you that Grandpa and I were old and probably got tired easily?” When he sheepishly said yes, I assured him that we do Disney all the time and exercised regularly, and we were NOT tired! We spent all day that the park.

When Forrest was 16, a 16-year-old friend of his drew this picture of him. She complained, “did you really have to wear a plaid shirt that day?” But she titled it, “Only God Can Finish the Picture.” It’s beautiful. And she really captured his essence.

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After high school, he went to Wheaton College for study. While there, he met a lovely young lady and fell in love with her. They married on July 12, 2013, and we were fortunate to be there for the event.

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They are having a wonderful time together, and we are blest to have her in this family.

We are so very proud of Forrest, and thank God for his presence in our lives.

Treasures

22 Feb

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

I’ve found many “treasures” in my lifetime. The times in my life that I write about are, indeed, treasures to me. Such wonderful memories they are. But I have some “earthly” treasures, as well. I’ve collected things throughout my life, and they usually have great meaning to me. I remember when my Aunt Jessie bought me my first pitcher – and it started a collection with me. Most of the “pitchers” I have are actually creamers. She took me another time to Juarez, Mexico, and we purchased another pitcher.

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I have a pitcher that is purported to be from my grandmother – and the only thing I have from her. Remember, she had 13 children, and my family lived far away from her, so we didn’t get very much of hers following her death. 3 I have a cow pitcher that my mother filled with milk and we poured it over our cereal. 4 (I’ve actually lost that one, but my brother found another one and I have this one to remind me. Here is a picture of the original in our dining room window) 5 I also have a small pitcher that was used on the “family-style” table at our Glorieta Baptist Convention Center in Glorieta, New Mexico. They were filled with cream or milk, and several were on each table for the coffee users. 6 I have another “cow” pitcher that was for the same use. 7 I have a set of pitchers that Aunt Jessie picked up in Pennsylvania one time. 8 Yes, they are dust-collectors as well, but they remind me of good times in my life. But I have other “treasures” as well. I had heard of Hummel figurines most of my life, but it wasn’t until we moved to Germany that they came to mean something to me. In downtown Wiesbaden, there was a most unique store. Here is a picture of the storefront. It is one huge cuckoo clock! 9 But they had wonderful Hummel figurines there. Fred’s mother purchased one, and, since her death, I have it. It is a treasure.10One of the most fun treasures I have is a German nutcracker. Most of the nutcrackers you find have a smooth, rounded block of painted wood for the face.   12

 

Really gives character to him. We have him sitting where we can see him every time we sit down to eat. I know we are to “lay up treasures in heaven,” but these earthly ones give joy to our earthly life and times. When heaven comes my way, I won’t need them anymore – I’ll have the daily worship of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And I am so grateful for that assurance of salvation. I am blest beyond measure.

The Crest

15 Feb

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

 

Growing up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, I always took the mountains for granted. They were just part of the scene.

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The Sandia Mountains are part of the Rocky Mountain chain, and are really majestic and beautiful, and I miss them, now that I live in flatland Florida. The mountains are quite wonderful all the time, but especially in the evening, when the sun is setting and they literally turn purple. Remember the line from “America the Beautiful” – you know:

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!

Well, they really do turn purple! Amazing!

The top of Sandia Crest tops out at 10,678 feet above sea level – the highest point in Albuquerque. And it’s COLD up there – and breezy! We took our daughters there in the summer before we went to Germany – and we forgot to take sweaters with us!. As you can see from the pictures – we were FREEZING!

 

For a bit of information, I gleaned this from Wikipedia: Sandía means watermelon in Spanish, and is popularly believed to be a reference to the reddish color of the mountains at sunset. Also, when viewed from the west, the profile of the mountains is a long ridge, with a thin zone of green conifers near the top, suggesting the “rind” of the watermelon. However, as Robert Julyan notes, “the most likely explanation is the one believed by the Sandia Indians: the Spaniards, when they encountered the Pueblo in 1540, called it Sandia, because they thought the squash gourds growing there were watermelons, and the name Sandia soon was transferred to the mountains east of the pueblo.” He also notes that the Sandia Pueblo Indians call the mountain Bien Mur, “big mountain”.

There are two ways to get to the crest – driving or by the tram.It is reported to be the longest tramway in the world!

 

While we’ve driven the roads many times, we’ve only been up the tramway once – and it was quite a thrill! If you’re ever in Albuquerque, give it a try. Something you’ll never experience anywhere else.

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But Albuquerque and the crest are known for other things, as well. I know that many people have heard of the winter snow skiing in Taos, New Mexico. But the best-kept secret is that some of the very best skiing is right there in the mountains of Albuquerque!

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On a website I checked out recently, it said that there was a 23″ base of snow, and so far this year they’ve had 55″ of new snow! That should delight any ski enthusiast! I never got into skiing – little too expensive for me, and I’m a bit of a chicken. But many people have discovered that pleasure and ski right outside of town.

That’s the Albuquerque I know and love.

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The Chest Cold Remedy

8 Feb

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

When you get a cold these days (hopefully seldom, and just a mild one), when you search for the best pill or concoction to shake it out of your system…..how in the world do you choose? There seems to be hundreds out there to choose from. Just google it, and you will see.

And yet, I can remember my Mother’s remedy for a chest cold, as clear as yesterday. You see, we had this little space heater in our bathroom that was built into one wall.

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Sounds like a disconnect already, doesn’t it? Well, hang on……..it’s coming. She would have me sit on the edge of the bathtub, and she would rub Bengay® all over my chest.

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Then she would take a dry washcloth and hold it in front of that little space heater until it was nearly hot, then she would have me hold it over my chest while she was heating another wash cloth. That went on – back and forth between two cloths – until she felt she had done enough. Then I was sent to bed.

I don’t remember any cold medication, although there was probably something. Perhaps nothing more than hot tea with lemon and/or honey to help with the sore throat and the cough.

But I’m always sent back to that memory and Mother’s remedy when I smell Bengay™ or anything like it. It is such a sweet memory of a simpler time and loving care my Mother took with me when I was ailing.

I also don’t remember too many other houses that had that kind of in-the-wall space heater. Perhaps it was indicative of the time those houses were built. Fred and I did have one in the bathroom in our first apartment, but that apartment, too was built in the 1950’s or so. I think now in our modern homes, there is a “heat lamp” light fixture that warms the room. Such a loss.

But what a warm, loving memory that is for me.

Tennis Anyone?

1 Feb

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

As a child, it seems like I was always pretty active. I mean, back in that day, we didn’t have a TV to watch all day long, nor a computer or iPhone to keep us entertained. We were outside most of the time, with our friends and those of us in the neighborhood just playing our hearts out.

I remember being in elementary school and playing tether ball. I was actually pretty good at it – even beating some of the boys! That was fun!

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And then there was the school field day – where there were races and high jump and broad jump. I think I remember getting a blue ribbon for the broad jump one or two years.

However, when I got to high school, we had to choose between sports and music. And music won out for me. So I went into the chorus program, rather than PE. Of course, most of the popular girls were in sports, cheerleading, etc. But that didn’t bother me. I just loved that music so much.

Then came college. I attend Eastern New Mexico University (ENMU) for one semester and had to take PE. Since I came from a land-locked state, I had never had the proximity of large lakes or rivers or oceans, so I chose to take swimming. I passed the class, but it was by the skin of my teeth!

When I transferred to the University of New Mexico (UNM) in Albuquerque, I thought to take up tennis. My parents surprised me with my first tennis racket. It was the greatest thing – wooden frame and all! That’s all there was at that time. I found that I really LOVED to play tennis! I think I had a pretty good rhythm for it – since I have the music background, and rhythm is everything!

So, feeling very sure of myself, I took Fred out to play a match – and he beat me!! That is soooo not nice! It’s especially not nice, since golf is really his game. (I actually tried one time to play golf, but gave it up. I was using Fred’s clubs and was so afraid of breaking the clubs that I swung at the ball more than I hit it. I thought for sure that he would kill me if I damaged his clubs!)

When we were stationed in Florida (Tyndall AFB, Panama City), I was involved with a Wive’s Club league. I played with them for about four years. When I arrived one morning, there was a man wanting to play some tennis, and the girls told him that one of their “best players” would be there shortly – and pointed to me. He and I played for a while, and he complimented me on my play, but said I had a “baby” serve. After that I took lessons to improve my serve.

But all good things must come to an end – and so did tennis for me. I hadn’t played in a while and tried to play in a “league” set up by our church. When I realized how badly my knees were hurting, that’s when I knew that I needed to stop playing.

But I must say that it didn’t stop me from watching. I just devour anything tennis I can find on the TV. We watch all of the major tournaments – the Australian Open is on right now, and I’m lovin’ it.

Through the years we’ve had our favorite – and most unfavorite – players. They have come and gone, as well. I am distressed to find that women’s tennis has become a screaming match – who can scream the loudest? Nothing classy about it at all – not like when Chris Evert and Margaret Court and Yvonne Goolagong were playing. Now THOSE were classy players! I can understand a “woof” of air after hitting ball, but a screech? I usually have to watch women’s tennis with the mute button on.

But that doesn’t stop me from watching – and screaming (inside my head, of course) for my favorite player to win!

Men's Doubles match - John Newcombe_Tony Roche vs. Casal_Hocevar

 

This picture was taken when we stopped at Wimbledon in 1983 – on our way home from Germany.  We were in the nose-bleed-standing-room-only area.  But it was still exciting for us.

 

 

 

An Amazing Adventure~Part 14

25 Jan

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

 

After our venture into the mountains, we drove back to Denver. We parked and walked some of the downtown area. It is a lovely city. We walked through Lincoln Park.

 

We saw, across the way, the County Courthouse, decked out with pink ribbons on the columns.

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We saw a statue memorial to a Medal of Honor Recipient from World War 2;

 

we saw a cowboy and an Indian warrior.

 

We saw bronze statues,

 

and the library, and a cow!

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In front of Katie Mullins bar were some bagpipers.

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We went through the library and were fascinated by it. Very modern. It was of great interest to Karen, as she is a librarian in her hometown. We rode the downtown bus—free—for several blocks, just to take in some of the town, and the architecture.

Finally, tuckered out, we drove back to the hotel. Actually, we stopped at the Texas Roadhouse Grill for supper. The food was really good, but there was an enormous amount of it! We were stuffed! Then back to the hotel to pack and sleep.

The next morning, we checked out of the hotel, then went back to Rosie’s Diner for one more breakfast. Then Karen and Brian drove us to the airport, where we said our goodbyes to them. We then flew home. Karen and Brian had most of the day to do with, and they made a full day of it.

So, as you can see, the whole thing really was an A…M…A…Z…I…N…G adventure! One we would happily repeat!

As promised, one last word about the friends we stayed with our second night (I invite you to revisit my November 2, 2014 post).

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Ruth Anne and I have known each other since early childhood. We both lived in New Mexico: she was in Deming, and I was in Albuquerque – about a four-hour’s drive apart. Our fathers played college basketball together in Louisiana (early 1920’s). We are fairly convinced that her father was partly responsible for bringing my father to Albuquerque. I would spend weeks in Deming in the summers with her, and she would spend weeks in Albuquerque with me. We met up with her and her husband while studying at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, in the early-to-mid 1960’s. Charles went on to become a pastor, while Fred went into the Air Force. We visited with them and their family once when we were all living in Kansas. After their daughters were grown and away from home, Charles and Ruth Anne went to the mission field, in Malaysia. They were invited back recently by the Malaysian Christians to help them. They are absolutely lovely people, and we rejoice that our family has stayed connected with them all these years.

~~~~~~~FINALLY…..The End…of an AMAZING adventure!~~~~~~~

 

 

 

The whole earth is filled with awe at Your wonders…..

Psalm 65:8

An Amazing Adventure~Part 13

18 Jan

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

 

 Our next stop was Idaho Springs. This is an area that Karen and Brian had visited to go white-water rafting four years ago,. It is a quaint place, and we enjoyed visiting the town and the museum there.The Argo Tours leads tours through the old gold mine and mill. (We didn’t) There are rocks on display that show the placement of holes that held dynamite.

We took in the museum and were fascinated with all the displays and information about how the mine/mill worked in the old times. They had two life-size models dressed in what women of that day would have worn—even for traveling. Much different than today. They were very elegant.

We had lunch at the Buffalo Restaurant.

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Their specialty was buffalo meat! They explained to us that buffalo meat is much healthier than beef—it contains less fat, has more protein, and therefore better for you than beef! I had a buffalo burger that was delicious!

I took quite a few pictures of the inside of the restaurant. Lots of “old time” stuff.

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But the most fascinating to me was the bar. It was a beautiful piece of furniture, and had a history, of course. According to the info on the menu, it was originally built in 1861 in Chicago. It traveled from Chicago to Denver, then eventually, to Idaho Springs. It’s amazing that it survived all those moves, but it did.

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Behind the restaurant, by the road, there is a cliff, that has a waterfall. And by the waterfall is an old wheel.

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There is also a small park (Turkey Lake Park) that contains a Narrow Gauge Colorado and Southern train on display. Brian even got up in the coal car for a look-around.

 

Leaving Idaho Springs, we went up to Echo Lake. Part of Echo Lake area is Summit Lake Park which tops out at 12,830’, and the temperature was a whopping 53°! Well above the tree line, so there was just scrub. We saw many, many Big Horn Sheep— some old, some young. They were close, not bothered by all those humans around them. It almost looked like they were eating the dirt! I got a good picture of one jumping over the fence. Someone brought out their dog—which looked like a sheep dog—and it really wanted to herd those sheep!

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On our way down, we saw some Virga rain showers. Don’t know what that is? Neither did Brian. But my retired-meteorologist husband informed him that Virga is a rain shower that evaporates before it reaches the ground. As Brian stated—he continues to learn something new every day!

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We stopped briefly at the Mount Goliath Station. Here is a cute sign:

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We did stop and park at the Arapaho National Forest. There was a lovely small waterfall with more gorgeous Aspen stands across the road. Brian got down and personal with the waterfall.

 

There was also a very large outcrop of rock that had a “Christmas” tree atop it. A little difficult to see in this picture, but it’s there. It fascinated me.

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~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~

 

An Amazing Adventure~Part 12

11 Jan

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

After stopping for supper at Estes Park, we drove on to Denver, staying at an Extended Stay Hotel. Unfortunately, the chain was working on renovating this particular hotel, so it wasn’t in the best shape for our stay. However, we knew we wouldn’t be there during the day, so we stayed anyway.

Our final day in Denver—and our trip. But Brian had packed in a bunch of stuff for us to do. We began with breakfast—but not at the hotel! They only had cold cereal and some muffins. Brian had noticed a “Rosie’s Diner” nearby by hotel, so we went there for breakfast. It is a classic diner, and we thoroughly enjoyed our meal there. We learned (from Wikipedia) that Rosie’s was:   Humbly birthed in 1946 as the Silver Dollar Diner of Little Ferry, New Jersey. Rosie’s Diner earned national acclaim and took on its current name in 1971, when the Bounty paper towels “quicker picker upper” TV commercial made the diner and waitress Rosie (a.k.a. the late actress Nancy Walker) household icons.

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We were also impressed to see, over the counter, a sign that read: We thank and pray for all who serve our country. We thanked the hostess for the sign, and she stated that three of her children were in the military.

Brian had wanted to tour the Denver Mint, but discovered that all the reservations for that day were filled. Shucks! Oh well, we had plenty of other stuff to see.

Our next stop was Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre. I know some of you know about this place, but neither Fred nor I did. And we were blown away by it! We were impressed not only by the “red rocks” but the size of them!

 

But the amphitheatre was amazing!

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Brian described how it was built. And we were also amazed to find that a LOT of Denverites use it as an exercise platform. We saw them jogging through the seating area. One little girl was learning early in life to exercise there.

 

 

But what amazed/impressed us the most, was a group of people who would stand on one bleacher, then JUMP to the next bleacher…UP! And then again. And then again. Really amazing!

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Inside the building, we found a wall of mementoes to people and groups who had performed in the amphitheatre from years past. We found the group “311” had performed there every year since 2008. That may not mean anything to you—but one of our nephews is a member of that particular rock band.   Brian tells us that, with the younger-than-40 crowd, 311 is a VERY hot group! We are pleased to see they are doing so well.

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We drove then through Genesee Park, hoping to see some bison—but there were none to see. Genesee is reported to be a Native American term for “shining valley.”   It is Denver’s largest mountain park. Bison and Elk were brought into the park in the 1920’s, to help the endangered animals to repopulate. Apparently, as you drive along the Interstate, you can frequently see the Bison. They just weren’t out for us that day.

 

~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~