I’m at a total loss as to where to begin. This was a great day, but it began with the not-so-fun farewell to a few family members. We sent Bob, Amy and Wade back to Wyoming, but before we did, and much to Wade’s chagrin, we took more group pictures than could ever be necessary.
Marion and Nadine took great pains in directing/fussing/bossing about who should go where and who should smile how. We hugged and kissed and laughed until our bellies ached, then hugged and kissed some more.
Like I said, I’m at a loss for words tonight, so I think I might need to revert to the lazy man’s method: The Almighty List.
– We ascended Sandia Peak on the world’s longest tram ride. It swung a little too much for my tastes at certain points, but we made it safely to the top, took pictures, ate lunch on Aunt Marion’s tab (I love this woman, for many more reasons than only the fact that her logic for buying nine people’s lunch was that she had “only bought three postcards so far on this trip!!”), we observed the wildfires burning miles away from a safe distance, took more pictures, learned a little about rocks and indigenous mushrooms and rattlesnakes, and sailed back down.
– We spent the afternoon back at the hotel looking at more photos. Below are just a few that made me either laugh myself silly (Aunt Nell with her scrunched-up nose and twisty lips) or just caused me to be more curious about the family members I never knew (is it okay for me to fall in love with my own movie star of a great uncle whom I never knew?) and more frustrated that there’s so much we’ll never know (grandpa could have answered all of my questions if I’d known what to ask). Why did we wait?
– The evening time was spent in one of the suites with good cheese and wine and music and more laughter (has it become obvious yet that we laugh a lot?) and finally, really getting to know each other. As I predicted, this has happened the day before we have to part ways with our California/Arizona contingent. It’s just the way it goes. We can’t force it — comfort and ease have to come in their own time rather than be yanked into the present. There’s truly so much to say after today, but if I attempt to write it all in my stuporiffic haze, it will come out upside-down and inside-out and bass-ackwards. Instead, I’ll post a few pictures which might help communicate what this day was all about (I welcome any queries)…..
