We’re just back from a fantastic trip to Colorado. Although the new decade is off to a good start for us, our IDLO adventure is over, so this year hasn’t included nearly the shared travel experiences that 2009 did. We’re happy to journey closer to our own backyard.
We spent the better part of the week in Denver, Colorado Springs and Boulder. Despite having traveled halfway around the world a half-dozen times together in less than three years, we still hadn’t made it to Colorado (where April spent many years growing up). So we were overdue for a “trip down memory lane†and to reconnect with family and friends.
We were blessed with great people, great weather, and great fun throughout our time.  (Bonus: three out of four flights were upgraded to business class!).  We spent time with April’s sister Allison and her family: husband Stefan, 10-year old niece Ella and 6-year old niece Amelia. They are all thriving, and we really enjoyed catching up, playing and hanging out together. Favorite memories include riding scooters in the street (yes, April can still fit on one) , waving sparklers by night, jogging in Washington Park and watching Cupcake Wars and World Cup matches on television. They are building a new, larger home in the same neighborhood (Pearl Street), so we went to see construction-in-action. Gorgeous!
The timing of our trip also coincided with a reunion of my eight “wonderful women†friends from law school. We met every Tuesday for three years for margaritas in Cambridge, and are now scattered around the country doing all sorts of interesting things. All but one of us was able to attend, along with significant others and a few adorable kids in tow (plus a baby-on-the-way shower). We had a lovely time catching up, taking red canyon walks, eating delicious food, and even taking in Toy Story 3 en masse.
Jerry particularly enjoyed fly fishing with the wonderful women’s other halves, up near the basin of South Park in which the TV series is set.
Going back to Colorado Springs was interesting. For April, it was terrific to return to favorite spots: Garden of the Gods, Old Colorado City, Coronado (all still looking good). Downtown was a bit depressing given the lack of tax resources to take care of things like flowers in the median; Cascade Avenue felt like a shadow of what it once was.
For both of us perhaps the biggest – albeit bittersweet – highlight of our visit was going to the cemetery so Jerry could finally “meet†April’s Mom and Dad. (April could just tell they were thrilled to meet him.) We wrapped up the day with an extra-special, extra-fun family-and-friends reunion at Jose Muldoons, April’s parents’ favorite restaurant. Relatives, neighbors, church friends and even April’s high school teachers showed up! We left feeling very loved, happy and lucky.
We’re now back in San Francisco and will stay put (relatively speaking) for a little while. That means that April heads to India this week, but “only†for 10 days. She’s planning a bigger trip to Nepal in November, for a lifetime-dream trekking adventure in the Himalaya, and we’re both looking at Cuba for 2011. Onward!