Sun Sets on a Weekend

As I left Salida and FIBArk and friends and family on Sunday evening, I was captivated by the sunset, so much so that I had to stop and snap a quick picture. One of the things I revisit in my head often is that the end isn't so often a bad thing. You can take that as you may, but I feel like the appropriate analogy is a sunset. When you see a spectacular sunset such as this, even though it's a metaphor for the end of the sunshine and illumination, it's an ending that holds itself in a certain amount of grace. To not acknowledge this is to do a disservice to the inherent beauty of the bigger picture.  The sun may be setting here, but it's already dark in other places. Those who are in the darkness likely remember a sunset, but are in command of their own lives, their own realities.

I believe I had a point, and I think in my philosophical rant, I lost that point. Sigh... the sun set on my thought process. It was a wonderfully long weekend.

Artsy Dinner

I sit here on a deck overlooking a meadow in front of the spectacular Mount Shavano. I sip wine with loved ones and enjoy the sun and the breeze. The bees buzz around with curiousity. It's so artsy.

Pancakes and Maturity

Yesterday, I went out to breakfast with my mother at the local hot spot. I found that some people, no matter how much they've gone through, no matter how much they've grown, some of us are just too damn immature to not play with their food.

I don't think making PacMan from your pancakes is anything to be ashamed of. I think it's a mark of youthful joy. I think as long as you're not playing the "see food" game or having a food fight, I think that a little artistic expression is good for the soul.

Heck, as we learned from Richard Dreyfuss in "Close Encounters", playing with your food could even... mean something... (I know you can hear the alien song in your head right now).

The point is, in all seriousness, don't forget the things that keep you young. Keep in practice the things that may make others look at you and say, "really?" I've found that these things give us energy, strength, and an infectious happiness that doesn't just keep us young, it moves from person to person like pinkeye.

I've found wisdom and maturity... in pancakes.

Main Street, U.S.A.

I'm sitting on a curb with about a thousand of my closest new friends. There is a smell in the air of pending rain, popcorn, funnel cake, and cotton candy. The main street is closes to everything but foot traffic. The parade starts in 10 minutes. Small town parades aren't just about making cool floats and winning prizes. This is a place for the bigger family that is the small town to get together, to connect, to catch up on who's doing what. This is a place for the city to show off not only it's shiny new police cruisers and vintage firetrucks, but they will also parade the new snow plow and the new street sweeper. The trash company will slowly roll out their best trucks. Kids will ride bicycles. Shriners will ride Goldwings. Police will ride horses. Hippies will ride rafts. Beauty queens will sit in the back of 90s era Mustang convertables.

This is small town, USA, and I have a front row seat on main street.

Live Action Yakkin

I'm pretty sure the title sums it up, but just in case, the idea is that there's a "play hole" where the water flows over a bunch of strategically placed rocks. This gives kayakers and canoers a chance to play and do some gnarly tricks. Nothing super big going down right now, but it's always cool to watch. Like my friend Ryan says, I don't feel guilty staring since it seems people are always staring at us climbers, too.

Salida

The simple statement of pride in one's small city...

The Tunes

I love it. I believe (not certain at this point) that this is Lubriphonic, featuring the keyboard talents of Kyle from String Cheese Incident. Quality in a beautiful park by an awesome river is job one here at FIBArk.