Trail Ridge Road

I always thought that the meaning of the word vista was “a beautiful view”.  But I looked it up before using it on this post and discovered it means “distant view”.  I need to invent a new word which means “beautiful, distant views” because we have so many of them in Colorado!  Recently Wally’s cousin and his wife came through Colorado.  Larry and Ellen were on a major road trip, driving from Missouri to Washington and then taking an Alaskan cruise to celebrate their 50th anniversary!  They spent a day with us so they could take a look at Colorado.  So we drove them through Coal Creek Canyon and picked up the Peak to Peak Highway to Rocky Mountain National Park where there were vistas to behold at every turn!

Here’s a couple of the peeks at Long’s Peak!

The black area is from a fire that burned earlier this summer.  You can also see among the green pine trees, many dead pines.  It is so amazing to me, as well as sad, that a little beetle is responsible for so much damage.  There is no cure for the beetle kill except a really good cold winter.  They are chomping their way through many of our mountain sides and leaving them dry and an instant match stick.

We stopped at the top of Trail Ridge Road and took in more glorious vistas and tried capturing what we enjoyed seeing on the cameras!

Here is Larry and Ellen at the top of Trail Ridge Road.

And you know these two, right?

Pretty little wildflowers were were sprinkled all over the tundra.  A little info sign told us they are always “little” due to the winds that blow about 35 mph all summer long! 

There was also a small group of cow elk grazing at the top of the tundra…

and I caught a calf nursing!

Of course spectacular mountains were at every turn. 

Oh,  and here’s a couple more cutie pies…

And here’s Larry and Wally.

Larry and Ellen said they will never forget the views they saw.  I know we are so blessed  to live here and and always have a “vista” when ever we decide to look to the west! 

Made for Life

Tomorrow it will be three years that Wally’s Dad stepped into eternity.  It’s hard to believe it has been that long.  I was thinking about him this week as the anniversary day approached.  It’s hard when death rears its ugly head into our lives.  Even if it is somewhat expected, it is hardly ever invited.  It is a reminder to me of what sin has brought into each of our lives.  Yesterday in my devotional book, At the Feet of Jesus, I was very much encouraged.  The first sentence on the page was a reminder to me of God’s perspective…”Death was not a part of God’s original plan. You and I were made for life-life eternal.”

This is Wally’s Mom and Dad before Andrea’s wedding in 2006.  Pop was not yet diagnosed with hepatitis C or stage four cirrhosis of the liver.   He did not know in four years his life on earth would be over.  But his life on earth was just a stepping stone into eternity, real life! 

Earlier this week a friend who has lived many years with physical struggles and pain was set free from those struggles and pain.  Also this week, another friend tragically ended his life.  As I was thinking on the circumstances of each of these lives, this paragraph brought peace and understanding.

“God’s mercy and grace marked our lives here on earth with a finish line.  And with sweet irony, our loving Father took the very thing we’d feared the most-the threat of death-and turned it on its head.  Transforming tombs into into doorways and our endings into new beginnings.  Turning hearses into glistening carriages to carry us to a glorious mansion being prepared as we speak-the eternal home for which we were made.”

I Corinthians 15:54
“So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”

 

Don’t you just love God’s perspective!

Thankful Thursday

 

Today I am thankful for thirty-two years of marriage to Wally.  He has been a faithful husband to me over the years and loves me in all my good, bad, and ugly!  He has demonstrated his love for me and our kids in countless ways and I have no doubt that we are the most important people in his life and that there is nothing he would not do for us.  I am so very blessed to be his wife.

 

Oh my goodness, we were so young when Pastor Cox pronounced us husband and wife, all those years ago!  He introduced us for the first time as Mr. and Mrs. Wally Godby.  I have often thought how difficult it must have been for my Mom to let me go.  We were awfully naïve and inexperienced.  Wally already had overseas orders for England and right after the short honeymoon we packed up the wedding gifts and headed to California.  There would be a lot of growing up pretty fast, but I think we did okay.  I have very happy memories of some of the dumb stuff we did because we didn’t have that experience!

There are are certainly a lot dreams come true when you fall in love and decide to bring two lives together into one new life.  You think nothing can go wrong or spoil your happiness.  You cannot see into the future and imagine the difficulties that will come.  Weddings are easy but marriage is hard.  I think I have felt this way for a long time…that being married has been the hardest thing I have ever done. I have felt it but been afraid to say it because some people might think I have big marriage issues.  Well I do…it’s called Fleshwoman! Marriage makes you put self aside in order to serve the one you are married to.  And when you are selfish, that is hard work. 

 

When Wally and I took our road trip in July I was listening to my iPod to a series called Marriage Through Gospel Eyes with Jani Ortlund.  It was excellent!  I have listened to it now about three times and I finally jotted down a few things that summed up marriage for me.  First,  “Marriage is an unconditional commitment to an imperfect person.”  Elisabeth Elliot used to say something similar…you are a sinner marrying a sinner!  Oh how often I forget that! 

Another  statement I wrote down was “Marriage makes two people become what they never could be alone.”  That was so encouraging to me.  I often hear women say how they are married to their best friend and I feel a bit guilty because I did not marry my best friend.  Wally and I are about as opposite as opposite can get.  We certainly would never have hooked up on eHarmony.com!  But we have become best friends.  I could never be the person I am today without Wally.

(By the way that cute little flower girl in the picture is my niece Cassi who has a blog called Along the Trail.  She and her family work alongside my brother in a Camp Ministry called Whisper Mountain.  That cute little Ring bearer is my nephew Brian who is a Dad of four cutie girls and a youth Pastor in Ohio.  And there is just the sleeve of another nephew, Kyle who was supposed to escort the flower girl down the aisle.  But she put on a big pout and wouldn’t go without a firm hand  from her Dad so her escort was a few feet ahead of her!  A lot changes in 32 years!)

Want to peek in my Wedding Album for a minute?

Both of my parents walked me down the aisle.  I loved that!

I wore my sister’s wedding gown. It had a big hoop. I had already bought some satin white pumps to wear but it made the dress too short. So I wore ballet slippers instead.

Wedding photos seem all the rage right now.I sometimes wonder if couples will put as much effort into the marriage as they do all those poses…but that could be another blog post on its own. When I got married I really wanted the double exposure effect of the photo below and it was kind of a new thing. Our photographer, Bob Babcock, wasn’t sure if he could do it. But he did pretty good.

Another big photo must do was of the rings.  I always liked my ring.  Not big and showy, but unique.  Wally went and selected it on his own and that made me happy!

Wally told me the other day that he likes holding my hand.  I like looking at this photo and thinking that he has held my hand for 32 years now!  My pretty, soft-looking, wedding day hands are kind of getting achy in the joints now and I don’t get my nails polished much.  Wally’s fingers are swollen with the years of hard work and his hands are kind of rough.  But I like that…I like the work, the ability and the commitment that they hold.  It has been a wonderful thirty two years of living with the man I love.  I’ll leave you with the third thing that I wrote down on that piece of paper. 

“The best days in a marriage are always ahead!”

Wildflowers!

Wally and I left Durango via the Million Dollar Highway…we have been on that road quite a few times on the bike.  I guess that is because it is such  a pretty drive and “fun” according to Wally.  (Which translates into lots of curves!)  We were not disappointed this time around  with gorgeous mountain scenery and the wildflowers were awesome…which is just what I was hoping for! 

As we started out Wally said “Anything you see and want to stop and look at, just let me know!”  He was probably sorry to have offered that because I tugged at his arm a lot after that.  One of the benefits of a motorcycle it’s easy to pull off the road, hop off and wander over to those pretty sights you see as you drive by.

I have no idea what these white flowers were called but they filled the meadows!

I do know that these orange flowers are called Paintbrush.  It always amazes me how they can grow just about anywhere…in the grasses…

…or among the stony rocks.  Hmm, I’m sure there is a great life application there!

Here’s more flowers growing in the crevice of a boulder.

I was thrilled to see our State flower in the Blue Columbine!  So pretty!

We saw many beautiful butterflies enjoying the wildflowers also.

This is Alpine Mertensia…I think.  I looked it up and it sure looks like that.

Oh, and lookey here at this familiar flower!

At the top of Molas Pass, 10,899 feet, we stopped to enjoy the views!

And here’s my favorite husband at the top of a field of my favorite flowers…

…Daisies!

I do love Colorado!

Apple Orchard Inn

A couple of days ago Andrea was posting pictures from their family get away and lamenting that it had taken her two weeks to do so.  Yikes, I have never finished our Fourth of July get away…and I do not have a house full of littles to distract me!  It kind of guilted me into finishing…and giving my poor blog a little attention! 

So the last half of our trip was spent in Durango and the Apple Orchard Inn.  Getting there was a bit of an adventure.  It was supposed to be a beautiful ride through the mountains near Telluride.  I distinctly remember Wally turning around and taking another highway than the one we were on.  The good old GPS said we missed our turn.  After a couple of hours in the most desolate, deserted part of Colorado, I asked Wally if we were ever going to come to a town!  There was not another vehicle on the road.  We never saw a house or even a drive leading to a house, just some mailboxes.  We did not see any cows, just signs that said there was “Free Range Cattle.”   And there was certainly no snow though there were many signs declaring “No snow plowing between 7:00 pm and 5:00 am!”  I kept having scenes from all those old western shows of the poor people stumbling across the desert with their lips all blistered and  clothes all dusty!  Then, all of a sudden the road turned and we came up on the most beautiful hay and wheat fields!  We were flabbergasted!  And just as suddenly we rolled into Dove Creek.  Ever hear of it?  Me neither.  Somehow we were fifty miles west of Cortez!  We stopped for gas and a break and still made it to Durango by five o’ clock! 

We had reservations for two nights at the Apple Orchard Inn.  It has been on our B&B list for a few years and we finally made it. 

It was just what a B&B should be, quiet and relaxing. There was a lovely pond out back and cottages that could be rented.  We enjoyed sitting out there to have devotions in the morning.  Our room was in the house, the Roma Gold room. 

We spent a couple of lazy days just shopping in Durango, trying local restaurants and a lot of napping! 

We left on Sunday with plans of getting home in time for the Patriotic Bluegrass band at church with ice cream afterwards.  We were doing great  and should even be there a bit early…until we were eight miles from Fairplay.  Traffic came to a dead stop.  We had no idea why but it took us over an hour to move that eight miles.  I even got off the bike and walked a bit.  Then as we finally got into Fairplay we realized that the one traffic light in town caused all that back up!  Unbelievable!  Needless to say, we missed the Bluegrass and ice cream!