The Trip Home

We arrived at Brenda's parents' house Friday afternoon, July 27th, spent the weekend, and then went to Springfield on Monday to see a few friends. We got together with several former co-workers and friends Monday evening at Big Whiskey's in downtown Springfield before heading to Nila & Everett's house to spend the night.

I flew out to Colorado on Tuesday the 31st to see my parents and do some fly fishing with dad up in Wyoming. Arriving that afternoon at DIA, dad picked me up and we went to the parents home in Boulder for the evening. I always enjoy going back to my childhood home in Boulder, it brings back such fond memories of growing up and the wonderful times spent on Prado Drive. Though the mailing address is Boulder, I actually grew up south of town on South Boulder Creek near Eldorado Springs. Our home backs up to the Flatirons so my childhood playground was miles and miles of mountains and streams.

Tuesday evening was spent enjoying Chinese food and catching up with the parents and what was going on in my old neighborhood. Wednesday morning dad and I loaded up the Jeep and headed north to Riverside, Wyoming, for some blue-ribbon trout fishing on the North Platte River. This has been an annual affair for me and dad for many, many years. A chance for both of us to enjoy each other's company in some of the most beautiful country North America has to offer.  This is a partial view of the Sanger Ranch with the Snowy Mountain Range in the background. In this part of the world they cut their hay and stack it in cribs, they will then use hay during the winter months to feed the cattle.



We fish on a huge (200,00 acre) ranch that dad has been going to for the past fifty years, I first started going up there when I was 6 years old... maybe younger?? We got on the water that evening and caught a few fish before the sunset, always a nice event on the Sanger Ranch. Thursday we were up and on the water by 10:00 a.m. and caught a number of nice trout before we got rained out late that afternoon. Overnight it continued to rain and the river got high and muddy so we were not able to fish any on Friday.

Another nice trout caught by my "younger brother" Bill


A blue-ribbon Rainbow fall for the Captain's presentation!


A little R&R on the banks of the North Platte River.


Since there was more rain in the forecast we decided to head back to Boulder and spend the weekend with mom, other family members and friends. Returning to Boulder on Friday afternoon mom informed us that Mrs. V. would be joining us for dinner, Mrs. V. and her family spent many years with our family on the beaches in Sonora Mexico. Both Saturday & Sunday mornings were spent taking care of mom's "honey-do" list that she had compiled while we were in Wyoming.

Saturday afternoon my niece from Montana, Kelly Larson, came to stay for the weekend. Kelly had never driven a stick-shift so Uncle Todd and Kelly spent a hair-raising hour working on the finer points of operating a clutch. Other than her uncle getting a few more gray hairs in his head, Kelly did pretty good for her first time out in the Jeep.

Kelly and her Uncle Todd getting home from the practice drive......do I look stressed out?


Saturday night for dinner we were also joined by another niece, Katie Constantine, and my good friend Rod Baptist and his girlfriend Donna. Knowing each other for almost forty years, Rod and I always have many stories to share and lies to tell! Sunday morning was spent finishing up the honey-do list and heading back to the airport.

Saturday evening on Prado Dr. with my nieces Katie & Kelly and the P's.


Rod Baptist & Donna Bradley..........looking good for almost turning 50 Rod!


I arrived back in Springfield early afternoon to the waiting arms of my beautiful Admiral. We stopped for some Mexican food and margaritas at our favorite Springfield spot and then headed over to Bob & Linda Eckels for dinner and conversation. While we were at the Eckels we were joined by a neighborhood couple who is interested in becoming live-a-boards. We shared some of our adventures, both good and not-so-good, and encouraged them to move aboard as soon as their schedule allows.

Monday was spent having the annual check-ups done with the doctors and dentists. It's much more "painful" doing these types of things when you don't have insurance coverage to help with the costs. Monday afternoon it was back to Brenda's folks house for a few days and then back to Pickwick Lake to return the rental car and resume our life aboard "Life's2Short." This brings us up to August 8th. We are working on another update that will cover the past few weeks and hope to have it posted soon. Thanks for your patience, faithful readers!