I’ve been out of my routine since Hawaii. For normal people this probably isn’t an issue. For a control freak it’s one big patience test. Complete with essay questions.
This weekend the in-laws, Scott and I visited my parents in Westcliffe, Colorado. It has two gas stations and one Subway. The Subway is in the gas station. I love this town for so many reasons. One, my parents live here and I have the best parents in the universe. Two, it’s the type of town where you wave at the people driving the opposite direction on the 2-lane highway. Three, the Sange de Cristo Mountains. It’s the type of beauty that takes my breath away every time I round the corner to drive down the hill in to town. I’m always inclined to park on the side of the road and stare at the mountains all day because I just.can’t.digest.the.magnificence. Four, they have a neighbor named ‘Whiskers’ who uses dowsing rods to find things (look it up!). Five, they have another neighbor with a cat named ‘Miss B’ and a dog named ‘Zip’. They all live in a house haunted by family ghosts. They also tell funny stories about the time they woke up to find a bear sitting on top of their deep freezer. Six, it’s the type of town where everybody leaves their doors unlocked. Seven, sometimes a bull stands in the middle of the road as if to say, “You need something? I’m busy standing here”. You get the idea. I love this place.
I wonder where I get my love of flowers and plants? I wish I had one of these tractor hoses! My dad built the water faucet. It’s totes a country fountain y’all!
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Dad also loves to build bird houses. They’re everywhere. And so are the birds.
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Did I mention Dad loves to build, um, everything? He didn’t think nature did a good enough job with the creek on their property. So he cemented rocks up in there! Sometimes you’ll catch a piece of turquoise thrown in too. Dad loves turquoise. I’m not totally positive about the turtle’s significance. Notice how Dad painted him, though. Do not leave your belongings unattended. He will use them as a canvas.
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View from Mom and Dad’s porch. Pictures never do it justice. Or maybe I take shitty pictures.
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Mom and Dad’s front porch. Plants, flowers, and painted things. Dad built everything you see here. Mom is one helluva gardener.
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The VW Beetle I hope to inherit someday. Just another project of my father’s. Why not restore a car too?
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Dad is always restoring 5 things at once. Growing up we always had at least 5 cars in the driveway. Here’s one of the bikes he cleaned up and got running. This is what everybody rides around the neighborhood instead of driving. Unless you’re Amish. They’re here too. Who needs a stupid car??
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I ran a couple of times while I was here. There’s a 4 mile route that’s 2 miles downhill which means 2 miles uphill. I’m totally counting that as a WOD, TJ! Bonus points for 8000 feet altitude!!
I had a million favorite moments this weekend but the best one was when I walked in the garage to see my father blow-torching a belt buckle. I asked him to fix my favorite belt buckle. He took one look at it and said, “I can’t do it with this type of metal”. Next thing I know he’s going after that shit with a blow torch. It’s totally fixed and I’m keeping it forever.
Tomorrow is the Beach Boys concert at Red Rocks. My mom will probably rush the stage. She’s a California Girl so, you know, they totally wrote that song about her.
Thank you, Westcliffe!!