Colorado - Our July trip was an enjoyable mix of pleasure and work, even if the temperatures hovered around 100 degrees for the better part of our time there. The Coloradans we met kindly apologized for the swelter, but it did prevent us from hiking as much as we had hoped--at least until we made it to the mountains.
In addition to other sites, including the US Olympic Training Center, we toured The Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs first by foot and then by air conditioned vehicle after our clothes became sopping wet, glad to have just missed the flooding and mudslides that came later the same afternoon:
In Fort Collins D attended her English education conference were she appreciated the opportunity to talk with colleagues in her field who celebrated the value of her research while encouraging her to keep going on the writing. They at least claimed her work is needed in the field, which made her feel good. And while D traipsed around campus in the heat, T ran the foothill trails where for the first time he had to step aside for horses. Plus, he was able to make progress toward the completion of his on-line class while trying to ignore a testy older lady who shouted through the walls of the connecting hotel room.
Then, thankful for a reprieve from the heat and grateful for the beauty of awesome landscapes, we hiked, drove, and wandered through Rocky Mountain National Park before heading home:
Wisconsin - At home in the land of milk and cheese, we spent time with family and friends while writing and working on school work. The chance to balance work with play was delightfully refreshing. And the opportunity to help with some projects around D's parents' new cottage fulfilled our annual need for home improvement.
Traveling Onward - Now T's readying for football (coaching meetings began this week) and school (just got his teaching assignments, which will mean he'll have to travel to school 5 days/week this semester). If you want to catch him, your best chances are as he makes his daily triangular trek with hour long legs from home to school to football and back.
And cue the repeat button: D continues to write her dissertation. Because she's on fellowship this year, she won't be teaching. Instead, she's learning how to make large blocks of time for writing routine (a luxury she hasn't had before). In theory (hesitant to make full commitments that are contingent on how fast she can write), she'll make good progress and be on the job market this year while finishing her writing. She'll be conducting a search for jobs across the country in an effort to find a good match and one that will afford T an equally good match too. But, we'll see. Our destination isn't entirely known.
This school year will be one of many uncertainties and changes. We're along for the ride, knowing that we can only steer so much of the journey. We'll keep you posted.
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