The Second Half Begins Busy

The second half of the year finds me busy with all sorts of things in my Colorado existence that have slipped away from me a little since I had been gone. I've been working every day since my last post, and the pleasant day trip I took with my mother and son. I hope that you enjoyed your holiday weekend doing something other than working. Being a shift worker most of my life, I'm largely unfazed by the concept of working weekends and holidays, so aside from the significance of the 4th of July, it's largely just another weekend for me.

I  haven't been to Ouray for a number of years, and one significant change that I noted was the extraordinary restoration of the old Beaumont Hotel. It felt like walking into what luxury was in the 19th Century, if it is truly possible to understand something like that with a frame of reference carved from movies and TV. Suffice to say that I was imagining Jim West and Artemus Gordon lounging in style, while chasing down some metaphysical bad guy.

Ouray is definitely a nice retreat, and being only about 100 miles from GJ it's highly accessible. Along with Gateway and Moab, it's one of several reasons that Grand Junction succeeds as an urban center from which to base oneself for journeys to these special outposts.

Leslie told me that Michaela thoroughly enjoyed her 4th of July weekend. Leetsdale puts on a fairly elaborate celebration every year, and along with Gianna they had a great time with a carnival, parade, and fireworks. Michaela got to sit on a pony again, which was a thrill for her as she loves horses, and despite being unable to really hold herself up, had a great time.

The 4th is Leslie's favorite holiday. I missed it again, even if only by a week or so. Hopefully that can be remedied soon.

The past few days have been kind of frustrating and disorganized; my air conditioning is having problems, and my desktop computer is refusing to fully boot up after being shut off for over a month. You'd think that it would have enjoyed the vacation..

Despite these challenges, over the last days I've noticed several items that for me seemed very noteworthy, and are worth commenting on and/or following up with. Please bear with me as I collect myself, while trying to get some of my responsibilities taken care of.

Have a great week.