Acccelerando

Riffing off the idea of summer rhythms, I think it's fair to say that our weekend took things up-tempo. We accelerated into the two-day marathon with the arrival of Bill and Connie, who braved the two long days of driving from Ohio to watch a swim meet and four baseball games. Throw in a bar mitzvah, birthday party, and Sunday brunch and you get the idea.

While William warmed up for his baseball game I took a hike up the bluffs just south of Ridgegate Drive. Not only is the exit new, but the thousands of homes marching up the base of the bluffs shine with fresh spit and polish, as well. Climbing a dirt path several hundred feet up, my sandals freed me from the ballfield for a whole forty-five minutes, while I turned my attention to the bright red-orange of Indian paintbrush and the sweet lilting call of the meadowlark.  The air smelled sweeter, and the grasses were soft with seeded heads. I turned my back on the view of DTC and downtown Denver, and pretended I was in the mountains.

The short hike reminded me of Leath Tonino's interview of Craig Childs in the June issue of The Sun. An extreme hiker, backpacker and outdoorsman, Childs says, "I often go backpacking in the canyonlands of southern Utah. In that place you're constantly touching rock:you're climbing; you're picking up rocks and running your fingers over them. Maybe three weeks into one of my rips I noticed that my fingerprints were gone. I had worn my fingertips smooth from so much contact with abrasive sandstone. It felt liberating. I had no identity." (The Sun, Issue 486, pg,10).  Nature as eraser, liberator, freedom fighter.

We had a wonderful visit with Bill and Connie and look forward to seeing Rob's Aunt Jennifer tomorrow. Looking forward to more hikes amidst the ballgames, more outdoor time with all the family. And, speaking of The Sun, here is the promised link to the Reader's Write page on Swimming. My entry is third down. Cheers!
Swimming - The Sun