Spring                                                                      Bee Hiving Moon

Here we are in Room 409.  Grandma. Grandpop. Ruth and Gabe. This is a ritual, the grandkids sleep over in the in the hotel room. Grandma has them trained so they don’t fuss. It’s a good experience for all of us.

We went to Ling and Louie’s for dinner. There I asked Ruth if she wanted to have an appetizer as her dinner. No, she said, you order an appetizer, then you order your meal. Oh, sure. Forgot that. 8 years old.

Gabe chose Rio 2 as the movie he wanted to see. This continues a story that, improbably enough, starts in Mooselake, Minnesota. It features Blue, a blue Macaw and his journey to Rio where he meets Jewell who becomes his significant other.  In Rio 2, which starts at the huge crucifix and features a very realistic rendition of the crucifix and its surrounding area, ends up deep in the Amazon with a struggle between birds and loggers.

There’s a lot of music, comedy and intrigue. I can recommend it, even for you grownups who might read this.

Gabe’s 6th birthday begins tomorrow at 4. Big fun in Colorado.

Spring                                                                 Bee Hiving Moon

Jon has been out here 13 years. Hard to believe. He and I drove out here with a trailer attached to the Tundra just a month before 9/11. He’s taught at the same school for all 13 of those years, art to elementary kids and he likes it. His 15th year as a teacher.

When I asked him if it was usual for the peaks to still have snow this far into April, he surprised me by saying that the peak of the snowpack is April 26th.  The snow doesn’t leave completely until June or early July. The Rockies are visible out of the room’s window, stretching north and south as far I can see. Some of the peaks look like shots of the Himalaya’s, high and white.

Granddaughter Ruth couldn’t come for dinner last night because she’s participating on Tuesdays and Thursdays in an after school program called science for girls. She’s very good at math, has superior spatial skills and is a quick learner. Her grandma’s a science and math whiz, so she has the genes to develop as far as she might like to go.  Of course, there is the fact that she’s in the second grade. A lot of territory between  a white coat and a lab somewhere.

Gabe, the birthday boy, is a sweet kid. He ran to grandma, “Grandma!” A big hug. Later on he came over and leaned his head into my shoulder. 6 years old. He and his sister’s birthdays are two weeks apart.

Today we may go look at staghounds, a breed I think I mentioned here, a cross between a Scottish deerhound and a greyhound, only so long ago that the genetics are no longer separable. Not an AKC breed, they’ve been bred since the early 18th century, but not many of them are in the U.S. Mostly in Great Britain and Australia.

We passed several places with Retail Marijuana signs. Still a bit of a shock to this 60’s kid.