We drove into downtown Denver around 8 am and all five of us went into the convention. The kids and I hadn’t seen all the booths yet, so while Sid and J.P. sat at the Sid Clothing booth, the kids and I perused.

Boy did we see interesting stuff, toothbrushes with scripture printed on them, soccer balls with scripture printed on them, tons of books, including one titled So Much More Than Sexy and tons of salespeople apparently “in the zone” because they couldn’t look at my face without first reading my badge to see whether I was a buyer for a huge christian retailer, and once they could plainly see I was there with my husband’s clothing company, I almost thought I had vanished into thin air (literally, since Denver is known as “The Mile High City”). Strange dynamic when one is supposedly surrounded by brothers and sisters in the Lord.

Unfortunately, it became obvious in the first couple of hours that christian industry at large, is not interested in Sid Clothing . . . yet. Too bad they’ll probably catch on just as the mainstream decides these designs are outdated and the talented Sid has moved onto new horizons. Oh well.

***Warning, rant ahead, read at your own risk***
What was especially disappointing to me was the massive amount of attention that the larger christian collectibles companies got, compared to the complete void of attention these beautiful orthodox nuns from Belarus received at their booth near Sid’s. These ladies had the most beautiful handmade items for sale, really truly artisanal items, including hand-painted icons. The bigger companies only offer silly looking, plastic figures, from a mold, made in China, that end up making christianity out to be nothing more than some horrible home accessory aesthetic. Sad, sad state of things. I loved the nuns and their beautiful things.

We left the convention, leaving Sid behind, to have lunch in the motorhome. After we ate we went out sightseeing. The first destination on our list was The United States Treasury Mint. I had my downtown Denver map, a bottle of water, a good attitude and my camera and we were out on the town. The mint was very close, but all of the tours were full. This wasn’t exactly a bad thing since I couldn’t imagine 2 year old Junie feeling like acting civilized through a guided tour. We were all very content to at least be granted entry to the gift shop.

We bought mini coins and oversized coins and a deck of cards for Didi. I remembered having the oversized coins when I was a kid, but my kids found a use for them I never imagined; they rolled them! They rolled those things down the sidewalk, down steps, through water fountains, all over downtown Denver. My every suggestion that they stop so that we could focus on actually getting somewhere, was met with great dismay, “But this is so fun, Mom, I really love it!” Alright then.

The Denver Art Museum is closed on Mondays, just in case you visit there someday, and it happens to be a Monday and you find yourself wondering why all the doors are locked. At least there were some cool big art features outside the museum for the kids to climb all over, slide down and stand under for shade.

We passed through the Denver Library and out to Civic Center Park. We strolled through the lovely gardens, took pictures of the sexy Native American on his horse and then meandered over to a huge, shallow, lovely fountain. The kids dipped their feet in, but refreshment for us weary pedestrians didn’t stop there, just as we were enjoying the fountain a storm rolled in and it began to rain on us. It was nice! And a perfect opportunity to get the kids walking with a purpose. We high-tailed it to Colfax and right to the day-use parking lot where the sweet warm shelter of our motorhome was waiting to embrace us and give us rest.

We chilled, I made and enjoyed coffee and we watched our scary movie again. Then we changed the middle bed back into a dinette and I started the daunting task of building Spongebob’s Lego house!

Waking in such close proximity to a river and away from towns is wonderful! Sid made us a great breakfast of hash browns, eggs with cheese and coffee. We girls took turns brushing each other’s hair while the boys shot paper plates tacked to trees with the BB gun.

As I wrote in this journal, Ave brought me a rock and pretty flowers. When my records were up-to-date, I exited the motorhome and was instantaneously struck by the beauty of the wildflowers all around. I know not the name of even one specimen, but I think that circumstance facilitated my sense of wonder and discovery. I thoroughly enjoyed wandering through this fairyland, taking pictures of the flowery scenery filling the space between rivers, pathways and comfy cabins.

Meanwhile, Sid and Jonny were taking aim at a squirrel with plans to skin it later and word on the street is that Miss Aveline kept shoving Sid so that he couldn’t get a clear shot! What a gal! “I dub thee, Aveline, Savior of the Squirrels!”
-Bushybottom, King of Squirluania

I was having trouble getting close up shots of the prettiest flowers, so I asked Sid for help. He found the macro-lens setting on my new camera and showed me how to do it myself. That opened up a new world to me! Like as if I had learned to scuba dive! It took a bit of an adjustment when the time came for me to leave my new teensy, sharp, detailed world, returning to what now registered more like some kind of Oaf-land.

An interesting thing happened to me, presently. Sid and the kids had started back to the motorhome as I was finishing getting what turned out to be my favorite shot of a flower. I looked up into an area of the woods that seemed a little more dense and less traveled. I just felt drawn a bit further, like the Lord was inviting me, although I think my brain does that to me. But soon I began to hear what sounded like a bird in a tizzy. I followed the raucous with my ears and eyes and spied a mama bird perched next to a hole in a tree. She kept jutting her head into the hole and her tail feathers would ruffle as she did so. I assumed she was regurgitating into the mouths of her babies, I think I even heard their tiny chirps. I watched for a minute or so, got a decent shot of her, for not having a telephoto lens or whatever, and then she took flight and I got to see the most brilliant flash of red on the underside of her wings. That was what I went there for! I thanked the Lord and went on my way, probably much more hurriedly than I should have, now that I think about it.

As I was approaching the motorhome I met with Jonny above two giant pipes from which the river gushed, and was appointed the position of lighting his water-proof firecrackers so that he could toss them into the river and observe their muffled, splashy explosions. That was fun!

It was disappointing to leave that special place, but it will live on in my heart (and photos) and I feel certain I will be there again one day, only maybe staying in one of those comfy cabins. How interested we were to see in the daylight, off the very road from which we desperately pulled to crash out, the numerous RV campgrounds that had been completely obscured in the dark of the previous night! Did we regret not having found a spot in one of those cozy campgrounds, perhaps a spot more level than our makeshift one by the river? No way, Jose.

We cruised on into Denver and found the convention center where Sid and his business partner, J.P., would have a booth for the International Christian Retailers something or other. They got a few things set up and we were off to find lodgings for the night. It took us a ridiculously long time, but we ended up at a campground in Cherry Creek, about 20 min. south of Denver.

Once we were settled I did some therapeutic cleaning of the motorhome (it was just what I needed!), while Sid and the kids built an awesome fire. We ate hot dogs and stuff for dinner and I chilled in the motorhome (again, just what I needed!) while Sid put the girls to sleep with a campfire story.

We left RV Ranch in search of Starbucks and The West Colorado Botanical Gardens. We wandered a bit and did not feel especially enamored by the environs there in Grand Junction, so we hit the Starbucks and forewent the Botanical Gardens in favor of perusing the local antique mall. It was a good one. I picked out a really pretty ivory and pink wool blanket, a couple of books, blah, blah, blah. Sid found some cool stuff, Jonny got “those army dudes,” Ave got nice dollhouse furniture that I swear I must have had as a girl, it’s so familiar, and Miss June got a Mickey Mouse purse. So fun!

We headed back out onto the 70 and stopped in Rifle. What a cute town! Old, clean and right on the Colorado River. Sid fell in love with it and spoke dreams of retiring nearby on a farm with horses (I’d like to know how many months of the year it’s covered in snow before I make my decision to join him in those dreams)! So far, Rifle was Sid’s favorite town we’d encountered.

The boys fished right there on the river, beneath the bridge that carries cars from the highway into town. The girlies and I just messed around. Aveline loves to be around the fishing, but would climb the river bank to visit me and June, too. I was very much enjoying watching a storm approach. I attempted the nearly impossible, to catch a shot of lightning. No success, but fun anyhow. I’ll never fully understand the deep affection I have for thunder storms, and I refuse to try to understand it, I just take ‘em when I can get ‘em and love it.

Jonny came so very, very close to catching a fish, he could barely handle the situation! He still talks about that one that got away!

Sid caught a rainbow trout before the wind became turbulent, blasting dirt into our eyes and casting flocks of birds and little leaves into swirling flight, and it started to rain. The lightning was magnificent as it came so close! Again, I tried to get a shot, to no avail. Jonny made sure to urge me to write in this journal about the “crazy storm!” It was so cool and warm!

We forewent another swimming session at Cedar Pocket (since we didn’t want to have to wash our sandy bottoms again, lame? Maybe. Definitely not consistent with the theme of the previous night’s movie selection) and headed out to the Wal-Mart in Cedar City, Utah. When I’m in California, I call it Wal-Mart, in any other state it’s the Wal-Mart. Nice people there in the Wal-Mart in Cedar City, Utah!!! Holy cow, I consider myself to be warm and friendly and I felt at a loss when these people showered their sweetness on me, I just smiled and kept saying “Thank you!” We got a potty seat for June, a BB gun and BBs.

We made a stop at the Starbucks and the gas station and I drove us on through Utah. Knowing the boys wanted to fish, I suggested we stop at a place I kept seeing signs leading to – Fish Lake. We agreed to check it out and so I followed them there signs. On the way, I kept seeing signs to “Salina” and I didn’t want to miss the photo-op, I have a dear friend named Salina as you all must know. I pulled over at the next Salina sign and attempted to get a good shot of me and the sign. It was tricky due to the angle of that sign against the sun, and the fact that I couldn’t adjust my aperture. I was using the camera in my phone, so I could send the photo to Salina immediately with a nice “missing you” message. Just then a big guy, wearing a t-shirt that read “Keep staring, I might do a trick,” named Wade approached me. I admit, he made me nervous at first, especially since we were in the middle of nowhere by then, but I’ll be darned if he didn’t get the very best shot of both me and the sign together! Thanks again Wade!

Sid and Jonny were testing out the new BB gun right about then, so I had time to chat a bit with Wade and bid him goodbye before I got to try my hand at firing the new gun. I’m so excited to brag that I hit the bottle on my first shot! I quit then and there and haven’t fired anything since! Sid and Jonny also hit their targets (though not on their first shots, thank you very much).

On to Fish Lake! We took in the most gorgeous scenery on the way, hooey! The lake was pretty and patch forests and summer cabins freckled its perimeter. As we sat fishing I heard a rustling in the bushes behind us and just then out dallied the cutest little critter! It was orange and black and had the sweetest little ferret face. I’ve been meaning to search google images to identify it (get back to you on that one). Later on, Sid tromped up to the motorhome to grab something and spied a snake slithering through the grass! I looked just in time to catch a glimpse.

After some more fishing time, we drove off, back to the highway. Again our breath was taken away by the scenery. I took several drive-by shots. We also kept coming across free-range cattle, they were so cute, but leary of us. Aveline and I, in trying to follow a couple of cows, ended up in a little ravine with a creek trickling through it, we gathered that the cows must drink from it, but we also felt that fairies must live there.

We had eggs and spinach for breakfast, in the parking lot of The Tropicana Hotel, and then headed off to Outdoor World for ammo, fishing gear, some shorts for me, etc. The place was like a theme park with it’s aquariums, taxidermy, indoor water features and many large people.

After that we headed over to the outlets in Vegas and we each found some items off of our “needed” list.

Then we got on the road and ended up at Cedar Pocket Campground. What a beautiful place! It was a tiny campground situated below the highway and above a cool river. We spoke to Molly, the gal who operates Cedar Pocket, and she told us the river had a sandy bottom (which we ended up with too, I might add), and that it was clean for swimming. We got into our suits and trekked down the pathway to the river. It was warm . . . we were able to saunter in with absolutely no shock to the system. I was instantly enraptured by the sheer loveliness of the situation but glanced back to the shore in time to see June try to come into the river further than her little body was ready for, I immediately started toward her, but I didn’t get to her before seeing her go face down and get pulled a few inches down river. I pulled her up out of the water and held her till she calmed down. It didn’t take long, she was scared, but she got happy when I told her she must have held her breath when her face went in, what a big girl! I hate those images (a tiny one, face down in the water, being pulled, even if only a few inches) and the way they haunt, but I suppose they keep a sometimes carried-away-in-the-moment mama cautious and alert.

There was a powdery sanded beach on the other side of the river and because the river had eroded it’s way through red rock over many, many moons, the sand was pinkish! I am disappointed that that fact didn’t register so well with Mr. G10, but oh well, I have a lot to learn about him yet, before our relationship will run as smooth as I dream it one day will. If only every new relationship came with a User Guide.