Pretty Lake, But No Fish for Us

We fished for a few hours in the morning. Kind of a frustrating enterprise, as Art and Linda, in a boat about 200 feet from ours, caught many fish, while we did not even get a strike.

We had a nap after lunch, and then fished for a few hours in the evening. Linda caught a couple of fish, but nobody else did. Richard got a couple of strikes, but no fish.

The sunset was nice, as usual here. We had a rainstorm blow through after dinner.

We sat around and chatted after dinner. It was good to see Art and Linda again. We had not seen them for a couple of years.

Richard and Marianne

Driving to Delaney Buttes

We got up in the morning, and starting organizing to go. When Richard hitched up the boat trailer, he found that the safety chains were missing, probably never replaced after repainting the trailer last year. But a trip to the hardware store let us get on the road. After hitching up the Sunnybrook and the boat, our rig is 62 feet long.

The drive over was routine, over Berthoud pass, and then through Winter Park, Fraiser, Tabernash, and Granby. Lots of construction and development. On our way into Walden, the light on the fields was beautiful. We stopped in Walden at the liquor store, and to talk to the guys in the fly shop, and then headed to the lake. When we arrived at South Delaney Butte lake, we saw a strange looking inflatable boat on the shore, and then realized that it was our friends, Art and Linda. So we set up near them, and put our boat in the water. We went out and fished in the evening, but fishing was slow, so we came in. Art and Linda came over to our RV, where we swapped stories until late.

Richard and Marianne.

Driving Home

We got up early and got on the road. We stopped at the rafting place, because Tim had picked up the CD of pictures, and later discovered that the CD did not have the right pictures on it. Marianne got a new CD.

The drive home was routine. We drove over Wolf Creek Pass, through the San Luis Valley, and then down 287 to Denver. It was warm in Boulder, but there is more oxygen there. Compared to the Western Slope, the yard and everything was very dry.

Our reunion memories are still very strong.

It was time to be home, but it is a bit of a culture shock to be back in the city.

A Quiet Day

We woke up Sunday morning and worked on our relaxing. We admired the hummingbirds swarming our feeder. A camper in a nearby site asked us why we had many hummingbirds, and they had none. We loaned them out birdfeeder.

After lunch, we drove up to Electra Lake to visit John and Eileen. Ed, Shannon, Aiden, and Andrew arrived from California; we had not seen them in a few years.

We went fishing in the evening. Marianne fished from the dock, while Richard went out in a kayak. Richard caught a 10 inch brown trout, so he was happy.

We said goodbye to everyone and headed back to the camper. We plan to leave first thing in the morning.

Until We Meet Again

On Saturday morning, everyone worked diligently to pack up and sort all the camping and cooking gear. There were a series of goodbyes, and cars and trailers were loaded.

Our host was happy to see that we had left the campground in good order, as they had to prepare the campground for a wedding that afternoon. We were told that the wedding would take place in a meadow that was really a marsh, full of mosquitoes, especially after the daily monsoon rains, with more rain coming.

Everyone stopped by to say goodbye to John, who looked good, the old John, one day after he was released from the hospital. The kids went to him and loved him.

After a final series of goodbyes, everyone went their own way. We drove a few miles down the hill to Riverside Resort and Campground, where we camped near the Animas River. The Animas was running bank full and muddy, after the recent rains. We set up our hummingbird feeder, and watched a swarm of hummingbirds go to work.

We went to mass at St. Columba's church, where we saw Charlie, Amber, Bridget, Patrick, and Stacy. A very nice service, with a sermon reminding us that it is OK to ask God for what we need, even to petition God repeatedly for our needs, or tell God that we are angry that we have not received what we need.

A Rainy Day in Silverton

Friday was departure day for several people. Pat and Pete headed home to get Pat to a lower altitude and investigate her medical problems. Judy, Ron, Geneva, and Stephen drove home, having said their goodbyes Thursday night. Prescott, Nicolette, and Kristin were driven to the airport in Albuquerque by Tim and Cindy. So the reunion is starting to taper down.

Eileen, Charlie, Amber, Bridget, Pat, and Stacy stopped by on their way to the hospital to pick up John. Amber and Bridget wanted to spend time with their cousins, so they stayed with us.

We left for Silverton in a light rain, which got heavier as we headed up the pass. We saw a smashed truck on the side of the road, and part of it's cargo of apples next to the creek. We arrived in Silverton to steady rain. We did a little shopping, and then had dinner at Romero's Mexican restaurant. The food and conversation was good. Our waitress was the youngest daughter of the founders of the restaurant. We left Silverton, and it was still raining.

Nick took Amber and Bridget back to the cabin, and then did a little fishing with Sarah and Lucas, but no luck. Nick reported that John looked pretty good. Tim and Cindy returned from Albuquerque. Almost everyone hung out around the campfire, not wanting the reunion to end.

We talked a little about ideas for the next reunion, with Missouri, Michigan, Arkansas receiving support, along with the Black Hills of South Dakota. A river trip, the Boundary Waters, and a trip to the ocean were discussed, but deemed impractical.

Rafting and Family History

We showed up at Mild to Wild rafting, to fill out paperwork and be issued life jackets. The final count was 24 rafters from the reunion. After some standing around, we got on the bus, and were driven to the put in. The put in was a bit of a traffic jam of rafts and buses, but after a short safety talk, we got on the river. We had three boats, two were paddleboats, and one was an oar boat with paddle assist.

Our guides were good, and we enjoyed the ride, including a little splashing and bumping of boats. We heard a little bit about river history and lore, and soon we were approaching the notorious Smelter rapid. At 700 cfs, much below peak flow, the rapid was not very imposing. But our guides worked with us to surf the rafts. It was impressive to see that large a boat being surfed; the nose of the raft submerged and the people in the front got pretty wet. Our ride ended at Santa Rita park, right below Smelter rapid.

After the river trip, we adjourned to the park across from St. Colomba's Church for a picnic lunch. After lunch, the tour commenced, with Marianne explaining how she and other family members attended the church and school. When we went inside the church, we found a flutist inside, practicing. She was very interested in our group, and very chatty. The kids went up to the choir loft, and someone suggested that they sing, and that the flutist accompany them. And that is what happened, including a rendition of Amazing Grace, a kind of tribute to John. A very serendipitous event

Marianne showed us the stone school building where she and Eileen went to school, and we had our picture taken on the steps, in a shot reminiscent of the picture taken of the students when Marianne was a girl.

Our final history stop was at the old family home on third street. While we were outside taking pictures, the owner drove up and wondered what was going on. Once we explained to him that Marianne and her family had lived in the house, he became very interested, and spent some time talking to Marianne and the group. His wife even gave Marianne a tour of the house.

We headed back to camp, for our last dinner together before Judy and her family left Friday morning. Pat and Pete were able to join us for a little while, and Pat gave the kids pillows that she had made for them, as well as blankets for Richard and Marianne. Eileen's sons Charlie and Pat stopped by for a while as well. The evening ended around the campfire with talk and singing.