David Visits

Our friend David has been traveling the United States for several months.  He works on websites, can work almost anywhere, and has been wanting to take advantage of this perk by going on a traveling long  work adventure for many years.  We had the privilege of being his last stop on his way back home.  He stayed with us for about a week.  During that time we all had to do a lot of work, but we also got in some climbing at Garden of the Gods, eating at our favorite restaurant, and during the weekend we went climbing at Shelf Road and then to Denver for a free visit to the Denver Art Museum (because it was children's day).

10 Years

I remember I didn't feel like I bonded too much with my class my last year in high school.  I remember starting the year out super excited to have the "best senior year ever!"  I even won "Most Class Spirit."  And then as the plague of senoritis hit more and more of us, as most of the officers got kicked out of their offices for drinking on our class trip (I wasn't part of that group, but it was still a downer), and as many of the boys became meaner and meaner to me (I think because I wouldn't re-date one of their friends...but I'm still not really sure why), and drama increased more and more, I was sort of over high school.  Graduation came along and I found that I would miss more of the faculty then my fellow seniors and that I was more then ready to pack up and leave campus.

That is what I remember about my senior year, but in reality when I search my mind further I remember I had a LOT of fun, fun experiences with wonderful people: spiritual acrosports routines, hanging with GP in the student center, road trips with the 2-gether crew gals in my green mini-van, "The Hulk," evenings working on the school newspaper and meeting wonderful new people, quiet times working alone on Remembrances, playing the guitar and sharing poetry with Tara, senior Bible studies at Pastor Mark's house, and I could go on.

Returning to my 10 year was really a blessing.  I was really excited to show Darren North Carolina and visit some friends from Guam, but I was also happy to re-get to know my old classmates.  It seemed a lot easier talking to everyone then it had been in high school.  Kind of weird, but I felt a stronger unity with us because we had all had this shared unique experience together.  A bunch of us went out to eat at the Mellow Mushroom and everything just felt at ease...something that I don't know would have happened in high school.  Maybe we are just more mature?

Anyhoo, I had fun seeing everyone and showing Darren the school.  

"And this is near where I tore my lip in two..."

If only we had realized the opportunities of gym crack climbing in high school!

Bouldering the senior bell tower

I took Darren to the Arboretum which I had actually never been to.

It was necessary that we get coffee at Double D's

At Mellow Mushroom with my friend Re-Nut (aka Renee), part of the 2gether crew

Sunday, exploring the Blue Ridge Parkway and, of course, checking out Looking Glass (although we didn't climb)

Darren totally poached sliding rock.  I wish I would have joined him!

Ruper

We wanted to climb again in Boulder, and our next victim was a little multi-pitch called Ruper.  For once we didn't get stormed on, but as usual had an interesting descent.  I ripped my more than ten year old favorite traveling pants.  They've been with me on four continents and have been my comfortable companions on many climbing trips.  May they rest in pieces.  Wah, wah.

Boxed Out

Driving on the interstate depresses me.  I peer out my window and see track homes followed by a clump of massive box shops and strip malls followed by more track homes and mono-colored apartment buildings slowly usurping the farmland and woods with "For Sale" signs in front of them.  Soon those woods and farms will only be found in some reference in the neighborhood entrance sign of the track homes built over them: "North Glen, "Meandering Brook," "Cedar Ridge."

But the names of the box stores remain the same as I pass by mile after mile: Game Stop, Costco, Walmart, Veda, Michaels, Starbucks, Olive Garden, Barnes and Noble, Bed, Bath, and Beyond...we've widdled down all our stores into a few corporate names.  And I believe many of us are conditioned to be too scared to venture to buy anything from the minute number of mom and pop shops that somehow still remain.  We don't even seem to like to purchase anything made outside of China (I found it interesting how the Japanese tourists in Guam would go to KMart and buy "Guam" postcards, mugs, and playing cards that were made in China.)  I am repulsed by how "streamlined" we are in our selection of shops (can I call them that?).

I feel like these stores and homes represent how America, whether it realizes it or not, is draining our creativity.  And the sad part is that many people I know who have college degrees in something creative now can't find creative jobs and are relegated to finding a work at these box stores.  And, since they can't afford anything else, they must live in an apartment the same color and design as the next building that practically touches it.  I don't blame them.  There are not many options.

Yes, America is a land of plenty.  In general we can buy whatever semblance of something we want whether it be a jacket, groceries, towels, or Italian food.  But chances are that they came from some huge corporate machine that buys from the same few places and plants.  We can't expect much creativity or anything homegrown.  For that we have to eek together enough money to visit other countries that have not yet been completely dulled by our American Dream.

Perhaps our only remaining outlet for selling anything creative and new will head where everything else (including community and friendship) seems to be heading--the world of the virtual.

The Black Canyon Revisited

Stephanie, Olivia, and Darren and I decided we wanted to check out Crested Butte in the winter, so we all made the trek out from our various towns.  Saturday Darren and I stopped at the Black Canyon for some climbing, while Stephanie and Olivia explored Crested Butte's cross-country skiing.  Our climb was quite wet and snowy at the top, but thankfully we didn't take any big falls.  The gals got a nice cabin  hotel room in town, but Darren and I decided to slum it and just hang with them in their hot tub, then sleep in our car.  We were awoken once by a worker who apparently worked on the land we were sleeping on.  We apologized (we didn't know it was private land) and moved our vehicle 20 feet down the road.

Sunday we enjoyed the last open day of the season at the ski resort and gladly bought some hugely discounted passes from a random guy.  The terrain was super mushy, so I'd like to return and see how it is without the spring conditions.