One Woman On A Quest for Peace, Joy and the Write Words
We had a wonderful long birthday weekend for MKL. One night in Glenwood Springs, two nights in Monument Valley, and a night at Lost Canyon Lake Lodge, with lots of driving and laughter. I’ll be sharing images from this amazing place over the next few weeks. Hope you enjoy!
Monument Valley, Arizona.
Quote of the day: “Creativity arises from our ability to see things from many different angles.” — Keri Smith
Daily gratitudes:
Purple silk
MKL
Flowers from my daughter
Surprise meatloaf
Hugs
In between the mountains lie the valleys. Mother Nature, perhaps egged on by man (we don’t know yet), has thrown a tantrum and is burning our Black Forest, which is about 75 miles west of where this picture was taken. This shot was from last year; at this time last year, we were confronted with the vicious and seemingly relentless Waldo Canyon fire. Now we are facing that horror again. If you are not here, you might think “horror” is a rather strong word. You might feel a certain detached sympathy for what we’re experiencing here in Colorado. But as a now longtime resident, this is horrifying and tragic. It is painful to watch on the news, painful to know it is happening just down the highway. I hurt for the people who have lost their homes, and for those who are waiting to see if theirs will go up in flames. My heart breaks for the animals, wild and domesticated, who have fallen victim to fear and flames. This fire is a monster and it is not even close to giving up. Poor Colorado Springs has had enough in the last two years, and this is just the beginning of fire season. MKL and I had talked many times about looking for a house in Black Forest. After today, I am thinking again about living in the midst of the trees. Please include Colorado in your prayers tonight.
Park County, Colorado.
Quote of the Day: “Gaze into the fire, into the clouds, and as soon as the inner voices begin to speak..surrender to them.” — Hermann Hesse
Daily gratitudes:
Prayers
Tea
MKL
Firefighters
Coloradoan’s generosity of spirit
Yes, this is the last thing one might expect to see driving through the brown flatness of the San Luis Valley. But here it was. A giant cast iron chicken (well, rooster). And in an interesting coincidence, we had been considering going to South Dakota to see a legendary giant cast iron rooster for Memorial Day, and wound up here for Memorial Day instead. It was fate, I tell you. Fate.
Hooper, Colorado.
Quote of the day: “There’s something very freeing about losing the anchors that have always defined you. Frightening, sad, but exhilarating in a poignant way, as well. You’re free to float to the moon and evaporate or sink to the bottom of the deepest ocean. But you’re free to explore. Some people confuse that with drifting, I suppose. I like to think of it as growing.” – Deborah Smith
Daily gratitudes:
The “Cheese Louise” food truck that I passed on the road
Sushi with Kelsea
Warm breezes
Air conditioning
Cream lace
Prairie dogs safely crossing the road
P.S. Please include Colorado in your prayers tonight. Our wildfire season, so terrible last year, has started off with a great bang today. We have five fires burning in just one day.
Little museums can be full of lovely little surprises. A still life reflecting the past, carefully displayed on an old coverlet, can still glow in the sunshine. And we’ll disregard the old wives tale that a hat on the bed is bad luck.
Anna Maria Island, Florida.
Quote of the day: “Love is giving up control. It’s surrendering the desire to control the other person. The two—love and controlling power over the other person—are mutually exclusive. If we are serious about loving someone, we have to surrender all the desires within us to manipulate the relationship.” — Rob Bell
Daily gratitudes:
That MKL is my handyman
The coolness of my old house on hot days
Green
Snuggling
Beach webcams
If you have never been to Garden of the Gods, you must go. It’s a lovely drive and an even better place to hike.
Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Quote of the day: “Every dreamer knows that it is entirely possible to be homesick for a place you’ve never been to, perhaps more homesick than for familiar ground.” — Judith Thurman
Daily gratitudes:
Clearing the yard
Car shows
Hugs
Summer
Good company
Being with someone fun
The Cumbres-Toltec Narrow Gauge Railroad is awesome. We had an extra-long trip, since we broke down for about an hour.
Chama, New Mexico.
Quote of the Day: “Meaning and morality of One’s life come from within oneself. Healthy, strong individuals seek self expansion by experimenting and by living dangerously. Life consists of an infinite number of possibilities and the healthy person explores as many of them as posible. Religions that teach pity, self-contempt, humility, self-restraint and guilt are incorrect. The good life is ever changing, challenging, devoid of regret, intense, creative and risky.” – Fredrich Nietzsche
Daily gratitudes:
Flea market finds
Temporary migraine cures
Being compassionate
Laughter
Light breezes
And yes, she sat like this every time she got into a chair. Where is her Dos Equis?
Littleton, Colorado.
Quote of the Day: “I am one of the searchers. There are, I believe, millions of us. We are not unhappy, but neither are we really content. We continue to explore life, hoping to uncover its ultimate secret. We continue to explore ourselves, hoping to understand. We like to walk along the beach, we are drawn by the ocean, taken by its power, its unceasing motion, its mystery and unspeakable beauty. We like forests and mountains, deserts and hidden rivers, and the lonely cities as well. Our sadness is as much a part of our lives as is our laughter. To share our sadness with one we love is perhaps as great a joy as we can know – unless it be to share our laughter.” — James Kavanaugh
Daily gratitudes:
The homeless lady with the full-length, faux leopard coat
Ring shopping
Poignant tales of the past
Fans
Red Bull
We saw this road from the train, and then we had the chance to drive it. It was as delicious as it looked. It was wonderful how the train crossed the road, back and forth, over and over. People would stop and get out of their cars to wave and take pictures as we passed by. I’d like to see the train from the road, now that I’ve seen the road from the train!
Somewhere in New Mexico…or maybe Colorado.
Quote of the day: “Cherish your solitude. Take trains by yourself to places you have never been. Sleep out alone under the stars. Learn how to drive a stick shift. Go so far away that you stop being afraid of not coming back. Say no when you don’t want to do something. Say yes if your instincts are strong, even if everyone around you disagrees. Decide whether you want to be liked or admired. Decide if fitting in is more important than finding out what you’re doing here. Believe in kissing.” — Eve Ensler
Daily gratitudes:
Jessica in physical therapy
That the ocean is somewhere out there, east or west
A patch of blue sky in the grey
Reiki bubbles
Knowing that what’s given to my heart is more important than what I wear on my finger
The railyard in Alamosa is home to numerous old passenger train cars and vintage engines. We poked around for a good half-hour, and I got to experience crawling under a train, something I doubt I’ll ever be able to do again – and I’m glad it wasn’t moving. I still got dirty. 
The lace curtains in this passenger car hearken back to days gone by, when travel by train was an elegant experience.
Alamosa, Colorado.
Quote of the day: “The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman is seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides. True beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It’s the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows & the beauty of a woman only grows with passing years.” – Audrey Hepburn
Daily gratitudes:
The sound of the wind and the rain on night streets
Charlene
Silk
Kissing my sleeping daughter
MKL
Today we have our first “official” fire of the season, in the Evergreen/Conifer area, which we just drove through last weekend. Homes are being evacuated, and the hot, dry winds remind us all of how tenuous a tinderbox our lovely state can be. Let’s hope our brave and busy smokejumpers can get this one out quickly. It’s a small one right now, only five acres, but the winds can push it along faster than a car can drive.
Outside of Chama, New Mexico.
Quote of the day: “And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald
Daily gratitudes:
My ankle is slowly healing
Kelsea
Painted horses
Cold drinks
Firefighters
