Day 27, July 26, 2011

If you are a faithful reader of this blog, you might recall that on Day 12 there were some photos missing.  Our friend Robin has now sent us those photos of our time with Dianne and Cordia and getting on to the Amtrak train.  If you are so inclined, you may go back and see them.  We still haven't (and may never get) the photos taken aboard the train by a friendly stranger.

Today, Tuesday, we headed to Denver for some siteseeing.  First we went to the State Capitol to see the site where the kids’ Grandpa Mack made history.  In 1969, the people in the state of Colorado, and especially in Denver, were frustrated by the number of bills that were getting “killed” in committees without ever getting discussed by the state legislature.  These were primarily proposals that would help the poor, such as health care, housing, education, etc.  First the activists (including both Mack and Nancy) held a mock funeral for those bills in the rotunda area of the state capitol, but there wasn’t really a response to this demonstration.  There were murmurs of wanting to resort to violence (ex. Malatof cocktails) in order to get heard, so the religious leaders (including Mack) and some lay people took more direct non-violent action in order to head-off those who might get violent; they walked into the State Senate while they were in session, went up to the front, took the microphone and read a message.  It doesn’t sound like much, but the Senators were upset (the “Denver Fourteen” were NOT on the agenda!!) so all but one of them walked out and didn’t listen to the message, meanwhile calling the police to arrest them.  Nine months later they were acquitted.

 Here is the Colorado State Senate hall, but they were not in session.

 So, the kids and Corita got to see this important site in our family history as well as tour the building.  There was a quilt show going on simultaneously in the building, so we saw hundreds of lovely quilts as well.

We ate a snack lunch on the grounds of the capitol, where Joel learned the fine art of rolling down a grassy hill.

While in Denver, we had the opportunity to drive by the first home Nancy and Mack had after they were newly wed.

Next we went to Marcia (Warner) Cornejo’s house for a brief visit.  Marcia’s father and Mack met on the streets of Denver demonstrating about public health.  Since they coincidentally had the same last name, the two gentlemen spent some time talking and formed a friendship.  We spent about an hour visiting with Marcia, meeting her husband Pepe Cornejo (chileno), and even getting the gift of a cd with original Latin rap made by her three sons.  You might check out their band called Debajo del Agua on the net.  They have great lyrics!

The kids especially enjoyed getting to know the tortoise Bamboo.

From Marcia’s, we went to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.  We didn’t have time to visit all the exhibits, so each kid chose one.  First we went to the Egyptian exhibit, as selected by Raquel.  They had several real mummies and a very interesting and informative display.

Joel opted for the dinosaur exhibit, which ended up being extremely extensive, starting with how life formed on Earth.

Unfortunately, Joel got bit by the T-Rex:

Corita’s favorite dinosaur is the maiasaurus, an herbivore who was reputed to be an excellent mother.

 We were hoping to go back to see the space exhibit and the temporary pirate exhibit, but we never had time.  These museums are such a treasure!



Day 26, July 25, 2011

Today must be a Monday, when (according to the saying in Honduras) not even the hens lay.  We spent the morning doing chores and poking around the house.  Late morning Corita and Raquel headed out to do some shopping, only to discover the mall had more shops vacant than in use.  We have yet to determine the cause of this abnormality, but it was quite shocking!  We lunched on golden trout, a first for the kids.  Afterwards we went back to the library where they were holding an art program for Joel’s age.  Nancy and Corita got caught up on their emails and researched some upcoming activities on the free internet (time-use limited).  Raquel and Joel each found a new good book.  Later, Corita took Joel and Raquel to a community pool located about 8 blocks from where we are staying.  None of us were up to the water slides, but Raquel used the diving board.  Then, Joel decided he could jump off the diving board, too (first time), except once he got out there it seemed pretty far down and the water seemed pretty deep.  He bravely asked a teenager who was in the pool if he would catch him, and the teen nicely agreed.  Little did the fellow know that Joel was going to jump nearly on TOP of him!  Thankfully, the guy was a good sport as Joel kept asking him for the same favor which they repeated for a total of four jumps.  Amazingly, the guy didn’t drown or even seem tired of the activity.  Joel sure wasn’t either, but it was time to leave.

After dinner Pastry Chef Raquel culminated her cherry project by making a delicious cherry cobbler!  Boy, are we lucky!!

Day 25, July 24, 2011

This morning we had an early breakfast then headed over to the First United Methodist Church of Longmont, where Nancy attended as a child and a youth.  The kids went to Sunday School while Corita and Nancy met people and explored the building.  Here is Nancy with Corita in front of a stained glass window, preserved from the old building.  

Disappointingly, no one remembered Nancy or her father Ray Ashbaugh.  Guess it’s just been too long!  Nonetheless, the kids hit it off instantly with their teachers and the other kids.  In fact, Raquel was invited to the middle-schoolers’ group that same evening.

The service was the start of a series about who Jesus was.  This one focused on Jesus as a teacher.  How did he teach?  Yes, he used stories, but he also taught by example, demonstrating   acceptance, forgiveness, and love.  The pastor team (husband and wife) gave a nice service, but Nancy especially enjoyed watching the organist.   This was the church where Nancy got her start as an organist, occasionally playing for worship services and for many weddings. 

Following church, we drove to Nancy’s cousin Melvin Bickling’s lovely home east of Loveland.  As you can see, their backyard is an oasis from the blistering summer heat.

The event was a Krebill family reunion, Nancy’s mother’s relatives.  Nancy’s brother Alan and his wife Mary joined us again, along with several cousins with their spouses.  Laura brought some old pictures and everyone had a good time reminiscing about Grandpa Dan, Grandma Elsa, and many other people.   We even learned of a family scandal… ooh la la!

Since for most of the afternoon there were no other kids in attendance, Raquel kept busy hanging out with Aunt Sue (Melvin’s wife).  Joel, on the other hand, hung out with the rest of the adults and provided periodic “comic breaks” to liven up our serious adult discussion.

Uncle Mel was trying to make raspberry ice cream, but apparently the ice was “too warm” (run that by me one more time), so we had raspberry smoothie instead.  Joel picked many fresh raspberries from Uncle Mel’s garden to be used as a topping, which everyone enjoyed.  But when we started in on the strawberry pie, Uncle Mel had another topping in mind… canned whipped cream!

Raquel had a middle school church group meeting planned, so we came back to Longmont.  Turns out they were picking pie cherries.

She came home to pit them, as she is planning to make a dessert tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Joel made friends with three neighbor boys who were teaching him how to skateboard.

We capped off the evening laying out on some mattresses in the backyard to enjoy the stars.  So many of our evenings are cloudy in La Esperanza that we rarely get any good star gazing in, so Grandma Nancy planned this as one of our special events, complete with a star book as a guide.  We were attacked by mosquitoes and blinded by the neighbors’ backyard light, so maybe we’ll try again another night…with repellent!

Day 24, July 23, 2011

On Saturday, Joel and Grandma spent a little time playing ping pong.  Grandpa Ray had made an adaptable net to sit on top of his carpentry worktable.

 

 Then Raquel, Joel, and Corita went to the Longmont Public Library.  We got a visitors’ card so we were able to use the internet and check out three items.  Such a public library was a brand-new concept for the kids.  It’s interesting that many U.S. residents do not take advantage of their public libraries, whereas we wish we had such a resource available.

After a quick lunch, we headed over to the nearby city of Boulder in search of the Missoula Children’s Theater production called “The Tortoise Versus the Hare”.  It was indeed a search because, while we found the location quite easily, the play had been moved and there was no indication of the new site.  We had to drive a ways to find a place where we could use wifi to go online and locate the new site, then drive there.  Fortunately, the new production was an hour after the original time so we made it just in time!  If you have kids and haven’t heard of Missoula Children’s Theater, it’s time for some research!  In Missoula, Montana, the theater company prepares around 50 teams of 2 young adults who travel all over the country and the world.  Each Monday they do auditions in a different city, rehearse all week, and then present two musical performances on Saturday.  On Sunday they load all their costumes, sets, etc., into their truck and head off to a new town.  For cities without children’s theater opportunities, MCT is great!  Nathan (now 20) was fortunate enough to participate when he was 11 in Las Vegas, New Mexico. Corita is trying to figure out how to get them to Honduras.

This evening we headed over to the local bowling alley and played two games.  Check out our fancy bowling shoes!  Woo-hoo!

 The kids had gutter bumpers so their bowling balls didn’t wipe out, but Corita and Nancy had to brush up on their skills quite a bit.  It was a great time for all until Nancy hurt her hip trying some fancy moves on the lane.   Nancy opted out of the second game.

Day 23, July 22, 2011

This morning we got an early start since we had to get Aunt Kim to the Denver Airport for her work trip to Canada.  It was yet another teary goodbye.  Sadly, we don’t get to spend as much time together as we would like since we live so far apart.

From there, we had a delectable Italian lunch at a place in Northglenn called Enzo’s.  Joel said it was the best pizza he ever ate and Nancy and Corita absolutely marveled over their three-cheese tortellini in alfredo sauce with sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms. 

In the heat of the day we reached our destination: the house where Nancy grew up in Longmont, Colorado. 

Her older brother Alan and his wife Mary were waiting for us there.  Nancy’s stepmother Lenn died in April and the house has been frozen in time since then.  It’s fascinating to be in Nancy’s childhood home and hometown as she reminisces about her growing up there.  It’s also great for the kids to get to know more about their grandma’s early years.

After chatting with Alan and Mary for a while and getting caught up on what their various kids, grandkids, and greatgrands were up to, we got set up for our week here and then went shopping for some necessary supplies.  (Unthinkably, we had NO COFFEE!!!)

We were tuckered out so we turned in early after a little t.v.

Day 22, July 21, 2011

This morning was a bit sad, especially for the kids, since Dad was heading home, back to Honduras.   Unfortunately, he couldn’t stay any longer since the next season’s planting was waiting on him.  Have you seen his greenhouses?  He has one in tomatoes: can you see the vines laid down along the walkway?  That’s the part that has finished producing.  Since the plants keep growing and producing for about 36 feet (they can produce twice that, but the production is substantially lower so he plans to start afresh after that height), David lays them down to be able to reach the part that is in production.

And he has another he just finished building that he will be plowing like this with oxen to prepare the soil.  Oxen inside a greenhouse – can you imagine?  After each greenhouse has produced one crop of tomatoes, he’s going to plant a season of strawberries in each.

Anyway, he had to head home to tend to his crops.  While Corita took David to the airport shuttle, Kim, Nancy, Raquel, and Joel bought lift tickets and rode up into the high ski area of Beaver Creek. 

They took a hike around the area and ate lunch at the ski lodge.

After coming down, Joel tried out the bungee trampoline and Raquel tried out the climbing wall.

Since Corita hadn't had the chance to go up the ski lift, Raquel took Corita up to show her around.  On the way up, a storm hit, but the first few drops that fell were actually snow.  "They look like cotton!" exclaimed Raquel as they swirled around us on the ski lift.  They got a bit wet, but dried off and warmed up in the lodge before it all cleared up and they headed back down with a great view of the Beaver Creek resort.

They swam some more while the old folks relaxed in the Jacuzzi.  The kids were especially happy about having some play time with their new friend Isabella.

After dinner, the ladies got spruced up and headed over for a modeling shoot in front of the Posh! Hair Salon. 

Joel was our fashion photographer, but he said he wasn’t going to do that when he grows up because he’s going into ice skating as a career.  So, since he needed to practice his ice skating, we headed over to the rink.  Isabella wasn’t too sure about the ice skating, but Raquel helped her out and she started to get the hang of it.

After skating, we headed back to the condo for a few minutes of play time with Isabella, then off to bed.