Snow, memorials, and pictures

We are at the Colorado Christian Writers Conference in beautiful Estes Park Colorado. As we made our way over the mountain, we ran into the storm and though it was mid-afternoon, the snow had apparently been falling over here since 11am. I use the word storm, actually it was falling heavily in large flakes, but was falling softly, straight down. We are used to snow that comes at us sideways. It is very beautiful and Saundra has already ripped off 100 or so pictures.

Just before we got here we got a phone call from my cousin Judy that her mother had passed away. Our desire was to see if I could get someone else to teach my classes and turn around and go back. However, with eighteen inches now on the ground and still lightly falling that does not appear to be in the cards. It's clear we cannot safely get there in time. We are saddened by that but somehow I think Judy’s mother, Peggy Smith, would understand. Judy herself told us not to attempt it, particularly with mother in the car with us.

Peggy was the oldest of my generation of cousins, so I guess as second in line that makes me . . . never mind, I don’t want to go there. She was enough older that I was closer in age to her daughters and it was them I ran around with more. Peggy herself was closer to the age of the younger of the aunts and uncles. Still, I thought the world of her and I smile to think of the grand reunion that is going on right now.

I have picked a couple of Saundra’s pictures to show you how pretty it is up here. We aren’t in the dorms this year but opted for a cozy little cabin, although we were disappointed that we didn’t get one with a fireplace as we were supposed to get. We will think of Peggy often during this event and wish we were there for the services. But we will console ourselves that we are very close to where she is now up here high in the Rocky Mountains.

Very close indeed.