Colorado: Summer Initiations

A swim at the community pool, followed by a ride on Bryan's motorcycle with the hot, dry air whipping through my hair.

Family road trips, ice cream on the front lawn, and climbing a favorite tree with a juicy popsicle in hand. Heart-pounding games of soccer with surprisingly athletic kids, and fetch with an excitable companion.
The eating of delicious greasy food, the making of intense marshmallow shooters, the crafting of friendship bracelets, the getting of yet more face-freckles.
The crunch of gravel under car tires at the drive-in movies, the slap of a baseball in a mitt, the bounce of backflips on the trampoline, the giggles of 5 girls sharing a dressing room at the thrift store.
Bare feet slapping the hot pavement, muddy water balloon fights, and twilight visits to the city park for carnival rides.
These are the summer initiations. These are the rituals of the season. These are the magic.

I'm so glad I was able to witness the pure joy and life in my nieces and nephews, and I am so proud of the bright, curious, strong individuals they are growing into. Thank you thank you thank you.

Unfortunately for Colorado, the taste of ash in your mouth and a wheeze in your lungs is also a familiar summer feeling. It was heartbreaking to see all the wildfire damage from my tiny plane window, and the cloud of grey smoke blown in by the wind each evening was a reminder of nearby tragedies. Praying for families who've lost their homes, and those still in areas of danger. 

Colorado: The River

Heat.
Heat drove us to the water.
My sister lives in southern Colorado, in the desert, with the kind of summer sun that comes up early and stays all day. It stings your skin, and singes your arm hairs right off. All while you are standing there, minding your own business, trying to be alive.

The river comes from the reservoir and runs through town like a lifeblood, the only liquid amongst miles of scorched earth and rock-scaped neighborhoods. A long kayak trip ended with a ropeswing into the frigid water. I've always wanted to fly.

Splash pads in the city provide temporary relief, with their surprising vertical bursts of cool water droplets that seem frozen in mid-air like prisms. There were flashes of rainbows and squeals from the little humans and tugging on the arms of the grown ups. You bet your bum I ran through the water with them, clothes and all.

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