Circling the Sun~

 No, it's not possible!  That number can't apply to me?!  Well, maybe so...  

A chronical of my life, can be found in the many photo albums I've filled with pictures.  Since the change to digital formats, external hard drives have served the same function.  I have my parent's albums now - filled with images of their youth & my early years.  

Mom, me & Dad - May 1951 Greenfield, IA

I was born in Creston, IA & lived there until March of 1954.  My parents decided to make a move away from Iowa & join my Dad's older brother in Boulder, CO.  Homesick, they returned to Iowa in November of 1956, moving to Greenfield.  

Both my maternal & paternal Grandparents lived either in Creston or Greenfield.  It was the perfect place & time to be a kid.  We went swimming at the pool & shopped on the square.  I took lessons in both ballet & tap dancing.  I started Kindergarten. 

Ten-years old~

Summer of 1958, my family moved to Boulder permanently.  I had a tough time leaving my grandparents & school friends.  I did love Boulder & the mountains though!  It had to be one of the best places anywhere - to live - in those days. I attended Foothills Elementary & started Violin lessons in the third grade.  (My parents divorced when I was eleven, ending my carefree childhood.)  I helped raise my younger two brothers & sister.   

I loved riding my bike & roller skating at Peppermint Square on weekends.  I worked a part-time job at Twinburger drive-in, to earn enough for riding lessons at Green Meadows Stable.  Dad often took us camping.  Summers were spent in Iowa on my Grandparents farm.  My High School didn't have an Orchestra program, so I learned to play guitar.  (Mom & Dad remarried each other, the year I turned eighteen.)

August, 1971 - Shadow Mountain Lake, CO

Turning twenty - I'd been married for two-years & Courtney was a toddler.  When she started school, I took a part-time job as a bookkeeper for Singer Sewing Machine.  

Eight-years later, Jentry arrived.  I worked part-time for a School Picture company.  The girls kept me busy.  I usually had a garden & did some of my best crocheting.  We camped often with friends.  I also signed up for a few college classes; bookkeeping & photography. 

Maroon Bells, CO - January, 1981

  By the time I was 30, Butch & I had been together for a year & decided to move to Washington.  Arriving October of 1981, Butch's native state became our home for the next thirty-five years.  Courtney played softball, Jentry was bat girl!  Butch Umpired the games. 

We managed apartment communities & camped every other weekend.  Whidbey Island & the Oregon coast were our favorite destinations.  Many times, especially in the winter, we'd have the campgrounds to ourselves.

Connie & Butch, December 12, 1986

I soon transitioned to managing condominiums & residential income properties.  I was awarded Manager-of-the-Year for western, WA by the Institute of Real Estate Management - in 1986 & 87.  

Courtney had graduated & moved into her own apartment in a building we were managing.  She & I worked together at a resident screening company, for a couple years.

We purchased the Homestead in 1990, moving to the country 40-miles north of Seattle.

Alexi, Connie, Butch & Jentry - February, 12, 1991

  My fortieth birthday, we bought a chestnut Arabian mare, from our neighbor down the road.   Not long after, we brought home a young gelding.  Butch needed a horse to ride, until Khaz was old enough.  We purchased a gray Arabian mare. The materials he had planned to use for a shop, became a barn.  We rode both Competitive Trail & Endurance.  We volunteered on the Centennial Trail Coalition, working to make the point-to-point trail a reality.  

Courtney married in 1991 & Jentry graduated in 1995, moving in with a friend, shortly after.

Tiring of long hours & longer commutes - in 1998 - I found a position as household manger & nanny for two wonderful kids!  Close to home with flexible hours, I had more time for the horses.  I was with the family for almost ten-years & missed them terribly when the kids grew up!

Benjamin, Connie & Jentry - November, 2000

  At forty-nine - I became Grammy!  Daughter Jentry & Chuck, presented us the first of our Grandkids!  Benjamin was born in 2000.  2001, Courtney & David gave us our second grandson Mason,  followed by granddaughter Cassidy in 2003!  Being Grandparents was our most favorite thing ever!  Weekend & overnight visits, Birthday parties, holidays, sports, camping!   Those years seemed to fly by...  

(My only slow-down was in 2003 - when I was bucked off a crazy little mare.  Airlifted to Harbor View in Seattle, I had broken ribs & a broken femur.  Three-months later, I was back riding.)

Debbie, Connie, Charlotte & Joyce, Feb. 2011

My 60th birthday, seemed a bit surreal.  I'd been riding for twenty-years.  Most of my friends were horsewomen & a small group of us met four times a year, for lunch on our birthdays!  

More excitement was soon to follow - when Jentry & Joe presented us with granddaughter Skyla in 2011 & fifteen months later, Josie in 2012.  

I lost my father in 2012 & mother in 2016.  2016, was also the year we made the decision to move to Iowa.  (Chronicled in this blog.)  

2018, I unexpectedly lost the vision in my right eye.  This resulted in a diagnosis of a genetic heart condition; Hypertrophic Cardiomyopahy .  I decided to send my mare Farah - back to Washington - putting an end to over twenty-five years of riding.   That fall, Courtney & I traveled to Italy! 

 2020, I returned to the trail, this time on a bike - completing one of life's full circles.

___________________________

My last two birthday's - I've either been in Washington, or on my way home.  (I'd already spent two-weeks, plus the first six-weeks of my recovery there last fall.)  

When Butch asked how I'd like to celebrate our birthday's - I thought of one place right away!  Glenwood Springs, CO & the hot springs pool.  We lived there 40-years ago (Just before moving to WA.) & it's always been one of our favorite places.

Connie & Butch, Rifle Falls - February 2021

We made the trip a weekend early, to avoid the Valentine's Day crowds.  The town has doubled in size.  We enjoyed talking with local shop owners who remembered the area as it once was.  Now, it's become the vacation destination, for hoards of people from the ever expanding metro populations.

Today - is the five-month mark since the accident that brought me to an unexpected halt.  It's still uncertain, how much use of my leg I will regain, or if the nerve pain will resolve.  I'm determined to get back to doing the things I love. 

With our move to Iowa, another circle of my life, was complete.  I had returned home.  

I'll continue to follow our friend Dean's sage advice - head up, eyes forward - as I travel into my seventh decade ~

Rifle Falls ~

 Our last day didn't quite turn out as we'd planned, it ended up much better!  We started, as usual on weekends, with hot latte's!  Out to town - Bullocks - so I could purchase a sweater I'd looked at the day before :-)  We had lunch at the Daily Bread, where I enjoyed my first potato pancakes in forever!

We had reservations later in the afternoon, to ride the Gondola to the top of Iron Mountain & visit the caverns.  With plenty of time to spare, we decided to take Hwy 82 south from town, toward Basalt.

Mt. Sopris~

As with everywhere we went, towns that hadn't been much more than wide spots in the road, are now small cities.  The valley gradually infilling with homes & acreages.  It was tempting to go further, but we were looking forward to the gondola ride..  

The truck waits~

Returning to Glenwood on time, as we parked, we noticed the gondola moving slowly with lots of stops. Only a few of the cabs were occupied. Our tickets were refunded - the wind had come up enough - the ride was suspended for the day. With the afternoon free, we decided to drive on west to Rifle. We'd lived there when I worked on the Colony Oil Shale Project just outside Parachute.

Roan Cliffs~

It was a beautiful afternoon!  Rifle sits on the edge of the Piceance Basin, making it the go-to place when Oil Shale was being touted as an emerging energy source.  The fairgrounds had been  updated & the town itself had new stores & lots of new houses.  We didn't stop in town, our destination was one of our favorite spots on this side of the state - Rifle Falls State Park.

Rifle Falls

The entry fee to the state park was $10.  Since it was Super Bowl Sunday, we didn't expect many people.  The small parking area was almost full - but several cars were leaving as we parked. 

Trail Map~

There was plenty of snow on the ground.  We took the trail going past the falls & to the caverns, before looping back.  It was icy in the shade.  The dirt & rock inside the first cavern was powder dry.

Me in the first cave~

We continued on down the trail, with the footing more slippery as we went.

Along the edge of the cliffs~

I told Butch I was doing OK on the way down, but getting back up would be a trick.  After the last cavern, we decided to turn back.

The creek~

The water in this little creek was almost turquoise~  With a trout farm just north, a great place to fish I'm sure!

Going back up~

The climb back up, gave me & my injured leg a workout :-)  Butch offered an arm more than once!

An icy trail~

As the afternoon progressed, the temperature dropped & the trail changed from slushy to icy.  Once we made it back around to the cliff front, I couldn't resist climbing up to get a photo of the spray.

The Falls~

The falls have an amazing sound.  Possibly because of the caverns below.  We were the last vehicle in the parking lot.  Even the Ranger had left for the day.

Rifle Gap Reservoir~

Driving past the very low reservoir - the color of the water & sky were so intense.

Driving through the Grand Hogback toward Rifle~

The view above might be familiar to anyone living in CO during the early 1970's.  This is where the Valley Curtain was constructed. 

For old times sake, we had dinner at the Rivera before heading over to the pool.

Entrance to the Pool~

Our last night in town & last evening to enjoy the pool.  The weekend tourists were all gone, as was the line waiting to enter, due to Covid restrictions.  Staying at the Lodge - we had wrist bands allowing us unlimited access.

Looking up at the Lodge~

In earlier years, especially in the winter months, we'd come down after work & have the pool almost to ourselves.  (My leg had been tingling since our first soak.)  We soaked & enjoyed the beautiful evening, stars shining against a blue/black sky.  It would be hard to leave~  

Around Town - Glenwood Springs ~

 After spending late Friday evening soaking & watching snowflakes melt in the steam from the pool, we slept in a little on Sat.  The hour time difference helped!  Butch made us latte's & we enjoyed the view from our deck.

View~

There are plenty of good restaurants in town now.  We picked the Blue Bird Cafe for a late breakfast.  Just a little shopping was on my list of to-do's.  By the time we left the restaurant, the sun was out & the day was already warming into the 40's! 

 Bullock's is such a great western store!  The staff was so friendly, we caught up on all the local issues since we'd moved.  We left carrying bags of course!

Our idea of shopping nirvana :-)

We also found Fine Things.  The shop where we'd purchased our third set of wedding rings in 2008, was still in business!   We stopped in to say "hi" & admire the jeweler's latest works.  

We took a drive to the south end of town to find our old house - it took a while!  The neighborhood looked totally different.  Once we found the bridge across the Roaring Fork River,  I remembered the street.  Everything on both sides of the old road was built up in huge condominium projects.  I'm surprised this house & the two others on each side, haven't sold out to development.

Our old house~

After 40-years, it didn't look anything like it did when we lived here.

2-1981 Jentry flying down the hill!

The back yard was a big slope, right down to the river.  Butch packed the snow for the girls to have a sled run.  They almost ended up in the river!  He had to add a berm :-)

We stopped for an early dinner - deciding on Chinese - we have it so seldom at home.  The food was as good as ever.  It was nice & quiet, off the tourist track.

New pedestrian bridge & steps down to the park by the pool~

  Back at the Lodge, it was such a beautiful evening, we took a walk over the new pedestrian bridge.  A perfect place to view the pool.  

Glenwood Springs Hot Springs Pool~

Largest in the world, there had been changes since our last visit.  The bubble chairs were gone :-(  You can still put in a quarter to get bubbles, but the rails that held you in place have been removed.  The huge slide is gone too...  Replaced by a Sopris Splash Zone, open only in the warmer months.  The fountain is new, placed where the picnic area used to be.  There is a nicer park like area with grass now, that you can see in the photo of the pedestrian bridge.

The Lodge~

By staying at the Lodge, you pay a higher rate, but get unlimited access to the pool.  (Pool fee is $28. a visit.)  I had quite a discussion with the manager when we returned home.  She discounted our room & I received a promise of a nice upgrade next time we visit.  I'm going to confirm that in an email.  (Yes, Butch's skills come in handy in all circumstances.)

A fun day & the best part!  Heading back over to the pool!

Drive to Glenwood Springs, CO ~

 Both of us were looking forward to a trip back to Colorado.  (My home for twenty-five years.)  Butch & I lived in Glenwood Springs & Rifle before moving to Washington.  With a relatively early start, the weather couldn't have been better for most of the way.

The Archway, Kearney, NE 9:30 a.m.

Further on into NE, we ran into cloud cover, it almost looked like it was going to snow.

1:15 p.m.

Once we crossed into CO, the sun appeared! It was a beautiful afternoon, with temperatures in the 40's. As we started the climb up to the pass, the higher we went, the darker the clouds became.

2:35 p.m. Idaho Springs~

We stopped in Idaho Springs for gas & Butch's hot coffee.  We'd somehow managed to forget the thermos.  We both knew, if we ran into weather ahead, we could be held up for a while.

3:13 - into the snow~

We were making the climb up to Eisenhower tunnel when the snow hit.  Within minutes the roads were covered & getting slick.  The chain-up lane was full of truckers.  We'd had almost 30-minutes of slow-downs just to get to this point.  

3:28 p.m. Going into the tunnel~

We've driven this road in all kinds of weather & both knew if this side was bad, the far side would be worse.  

3:33 p.m. Snowplows were waiting to lead traffic down~

It was great to see the snowplows up ahead, clearing as we dropped in elevation from 11,000 to 8,000ft.

4:07 p.m. - almost a white-out

Past Vail, the snow was heavier than before.

4:11 p.m. 

The trees looked so beautiful - a real winter wonderland.  

4:28 p.m.  Traffic!

Neither of us could believe the traffic!  There must be an incredible amount of people who commute from one side to the other now...  Crazy...  We had two more slow-downs, before we started into Glenwood Canyon.

5:21 p.m.  We're in the canyon!

I'd actually forgotten all the tunnels! The rock in the canyon was beautiful with the light snow.
Within a few minutes, it was getting dark. Now, it would be under an hour, even in slow traffic & we'd reach town!

It was dark when we arrived.  We took our exit & were instantly at a traffic circle, that was anything but!  Lots of signs, but the way we were used to going had totally changed.  The traffic in town was non-stop, a late rush hour...  We took one wrong turn & ended up at the pool - turned around & finally found our way to the Lodge!  Sweet relief!  It had taken us just under twelve-hours to make the drive.  

We checked in, then drove around to the closest door to our room - 4th floor.  Normally, we would have liked that, but unloading in a heavy, wet snow was no fun.  We grabbed our swimsuits, robes & hurriedly returned to the truck.  We made it back to the pool in time for a much anticipated soak in the hot, therapy end of the pool!